JP7243224B2 - Optional paper feeder and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optional paper feeder and an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses such as facsimiles, printers, copiers, etc. have a paper feeding device at the bottom of the apparatus body. The paper feeding device has a flat rectangular box-shaped main body case and a paper feed cassette housed in the main body case so as to be pulled out. A paper feed mechanism for feeding paper stored in the paper feed cassette is provided in the body case.

As an image forming apparatus of this type, there is known one in which an optional sheet feeding device can be stacked under a standard sheet feeding device (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-308210

For example, the image forming apparatus may be installed in a public place such as a convenience store and used by an unspecified number of users. In this case, a malicious third party may pull out the paper feed cassette and steal the paper in the paper feed cassette.

In response to this, it is conceivable to provide a lock mechanism in the paper feed cassette. However, as shown in Patent Document 1, in an image forming apparatus that can be expanded by stacking optional paper feeders, even if the paper feed cassette is locked, the paper feeders can be carried in a portable unit (for example, only one ) There is a risk that the sheet feeding device may be stolen by removing it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and its purpose is not only to prevent theft of paper in a paper feed cassette, but also to prevent the optional paper feed device from being removed in a portable unit. To prevent a paper feeder from being stolen by a paper feeder.

An optional paper feeder according to one aspect of the present invention includes a main body case portion having a cassette insertion opening, and a paper feed cassette accommodated in and out of the main body case portion through the cassette insertion opening. It is configured to be expandable by stacking it on top of each other.

A lock mechanism for locking the paper feed cassette in the stored state with respect to the main body case is further provided, and the optional paper feed device is connected to the adjacent upper optional paper feed device via a connecting mechanism. The connection mechanism has a release operation section for releasing the connection by manual operation, and the release operation section is configured to be connectable to the option paper feeder and the adjacent upper option paper feeder. It is arranged to be accessible only from one cassette insertion port of the device.

An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus main body, a main body case portion having a cassette insertion opening, and a paper feed cassette housed in the main body case portion so as to be able to be taken in and out through the cassette insertion opening. and a standard sheet feeding device that is standardly equipped at the lower end of the image forming apparatus main body.

An optional paper feeder can be connected to the lower surface of the standard paper feeder via a connecting mechanism, and the connecting mechanism has a release operation section for manually releasing the connection. , the release operation unit is arranged so as to be accessible only from the cassette insertion opening of either one of the optional sheet feeding device and the standard sheet feeding device.

According to the present invention, it is possible not only to prevent the sheets in the paper cassette from being stolen, but also to prevent the sheet feeding apparatus from being removed in portable units and being stolen together with the sheet feeding apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus provided with an optional sheet feeding device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the image forming apparatus main body including the standard paper feeder and the optional paper feeder are separated. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a paper feed cassette of the optional paper feeder. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state in which the paper feed cassettes are removed from both the standard paper feeder and the optional paper feeder. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the connection structure of the optional paper feeder to the lower horizontal beam of the standard paper feeder. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a connection structure between optional paper feeders. FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view from diagonally below showing a pair of connecting members. FIG. 9 is a perspective view seen obliquely from above on the rear side, showing a pair of connecting members. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view for explaining a method of engaging and fixing a pair of connecting members to the lower horizontal beam of the standard sheet feeding device, and is a view of the lower horizontal beam as viewed from above. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view for explaining a method of engaging and fixing the pair of connecting members with the lower horizontal beam of the standard sheet feeding device, and is a view of the lower horizontal beam as viewed from the lower surface side. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the procedure for connecting the optional sheet feeder to the lower horizontal beam of the standard sheet feeder. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view for explaining a method of engaging and fixing the pair of connecting members with the lower horizontal beam of the optional sheet feeding device, and is a view of the lower horizontal beam viewed from above. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of connecting and fixing optional paper feeders. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a coupling mechanism of an option sheet feeding device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15; FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the engaging unit as seen obliquely from above on the right. FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the engaging unit as viewed obliquely from below right. 19 is a view in the direction of arrow XIX in FIG. 18. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 15. FIG. 21 is a view in the XXI direction of FIG. 20. FIG. 22 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of the through hole in FIG. 21. FIG. FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing an engaged unit. FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the engagement operation between the engaging unit and the engaged unit, showing the state immediately before transitioning to the engaged state. FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the engagement operation between the engaging unit and the engaged unit, showing a transition to the engaged state.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 1]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment. In the following description, front side and rear side refer to the front side and rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, and left side and right side refer to the left side and right side when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the front side. do.

The image forming apparatus 1 has an image forming apparatus main body 2, and a paper feeder (hereinafter referred to as a standard paper feeder) 10 is standardly equipped at the lower end of the image forming apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIG. The sheet feeding device 10 is fixed to the image forming apparatus 1 so as not to be detachable.

The sheet feeding device 10 has a substantially rectangular box-shaped body case portion 11 and a sheet feeding cassette 12 housed in the body case portion 11 so as to be able to be pulled out to the front side.

The paper feed cassette 12 accommodates sheets of paper (for example, paper and OHP sheets) stacked in a bundle. A rear end portion of the main body case portion 11 accommodates a paper feed mechanism that separates the paper sheets accommodated in the paper feed cassette 12 one by one and feeds them toward the image forming apparatus main body 2 . A handle portion 12a is provided at the center portion of the front end surface of the paper feed cassette 12 in the left-right direction. A cylinder lock 13 having a keyhole is provided at the right end of the front end face of the paper feed cassette 12 . By inserting a key into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 13 and rotating it, a lock member (not shown) provided in the paper feed cassette 12 can be switched between a locked state and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the lock member engages with the engaged portion of the main body case portion 11, so that the paper feed cassette 12 cannot be pulled out. On the other hand, in the unlocked state, the engagement between the locking member and the engaged portion is unlocked so that the paper feed cassette 12 can be pulled out forward from the body case portion 11 .
The lock member and the cylinder lock 13 constitute a lock mechanism. The configuration of the lock mechanism is not limited to this. It may be a mechanism.

An optional paper feeder 20 is detachably provided below the standard paper feeder 10 . By stacking the optional paper feeders 20 in a plurality of stages, it is possible to sequentially add the optional paper feeders 20 as necessary. Details of the optional sheet feeder 20 will be described later.

In the space above the paper feed cassette 3 in the image forming apparatus main body 2, there are an image forming unit for printing images on paper supplied from the standard paper feeder 10 or the optional paper feeder 20, and paper after image formation. A transport mechanism and the like are accommodated for ejecting the paper to the ejection tray 2a. As a printing method by the image forming unit, for example, an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method can be adopted.

The discharge tray 2a is formed by recessing the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIG. At the front and right corner of the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2, an operation section 2b is provided for the user to set printing conditions, instruct the start of printing, and the like. The operation unit 2b includes push-type operation keys, a liquid crystal touch panel, and the like.

[Configuration of optional paper feeder 20]
As shown in FIG. 2, the optional sheet feeding device 20 is attached to the lower side of the standard sheet feeding device 10 as a post-installation. In this example, the option sheet feeding device 20 has one stage, but it is not limited to this, and may have two or more stages.

The option paper feeding device 20 has a rectangular box-shaped body case portion 30 and a paper feed cassette 40 stored in the body case portion 30 so as to be able to be pulled out to the front side.

In the paper feed cassette 40, sheets of paper (for example, paper and OHP sheets) are stacked and set in a bundle. A rear end portion of the main body case portion 30 accommodates a paper feed mechanism that separates the paper sheets accommodated in the paper feed cassette 40 one by one and feeds them toward the image forming apparatus main body 2 .

A handle portion 40a is provided at the center portion of the front end surface of the paper feed cassette 40 in the left-right direction. A cylinder lock 50 having a keyhole is provided at the right end of the front end face of the paper feed cassette 40 . By inserting a key into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 50 and rotating it, a lock member (not shown) provided in the paper feed cassette 40 can be switched between a locked state and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the lock member engages with the engaged portion of the main body case portion 30 so that the paper feed cassette 40 cannot be pulled out. On the other hand, in the unlocked state, the engagement between the locking member and the engaged portion is unlocked so that the paper feed cassette 40 can be pulled out forward from the body case portion 30 .
The lock member and the cylinder lock 50 constitute a lock mechanism. Note that the lock mechanism may be a mechanism that electrically unlocks only when user authentication is successful, as in the standard sheet feeder 10 described above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the sheet feeding cassette 40 of the optional sheet feeding device 20. As shown in FIG. Left and right side surfaces of the paper feed cassette 40 are provided with rail plates 40b extending horizontally in the front-rear direction. The rail plate 40b is slidably supported on the upper surface of a rail 37a (shown only in FIG. 21) provided on the body case portion 30. As shown in FIG. The paper feed cassette 12 of the standard paper feed device 10 described above also has the same configuration as the paper feed cassette 40 of the optional paper feed device 20 . Here, only the paper feed cassette 40 is illustrated as a representative for the sake of simplification of explanation.

FIG. 4 is a view equivalent to FIG. 2 showing a state in which the paper feed cassette 12 and the paper feed cassette 40 are removed from the standard paper feeder 10 and the optional paper feeder 20, respectively.

Schematic configurations of the main body case portion 11 of the standard paper feeder 10 and the main body case portion 30 of the optional paper feeder 20 will be described with reference to this figure.

Referring to the upper diagram of FIG. 4, the main body case portion 11 of the standard sheet feeder 10 has a lower horizontal beam 11a and a lower plate 11b. The lower plate 11b has a rectangular plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. The bottom plate 11 b is arranged to face the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2 . A housing space 11 d for housing the paper feed cassette 12 is formed between the bottom plate 11 b and the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2 .

The lower lateral beam 11a is shaped like a rectangular plate extending in the left-right direction. The lower lateral beam 11a functions as a frame member that supports the front end of the lower plate 11b. A pair of engaging holes 11c are formed in the lower lateral beam 11a and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. This engagement hole 11c is used when fixing the optional paper feeder 20 to the standard paper feeder 10 (image forming apparatus main body 2) by connecting members 60L and 60R, which will be described later.

As shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 4, the body case portion 30 includes a central case portion 31, a left hollow case portion 32L and a right hollow case portion 32R arranged on both left and right sides of the central case portion 31, and an upper wall. 33.

The central case portion 31 is a flat frame member elongated in the front-rear direction. The left hollow case portion 32L and the right hollow case portion 32R extend in the front-rear direction along the left and right side walls of the central case portion 31, respectively. The interiors of the left hollow case portion 32L and the right hollow case portion 32R are hollow spaces extending in the front-rear direction.

An upper lateral beam 31a and a lower lateral beam 31b extending in the left-right direction are arranged at a front end portion of the central case portion 31 with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction. The upper lateral beam 31a and the lower lateral beam 31b connect the front ends of the left hollow case portion 32L and the right hollow case portion 32R. A space between the upper horizontal beam 31a and the lower horizontal beam 31b constitutes a cassette insertion opening 31c for inserting the paper feed cassette 40. As shown in FIG. The lower lateral beam 31b also functions as a support member that supports the front end of the lower plate 31k.

A portion of the upper wall 33 positioned behind the upper horizontal beam 31a is largely cut away to form a substantially hexagonal opening 33b. The opening 33b also functions as a through-hole for connecting members 60L and 60R, which will be described later. Note that the openings 33b may be provided only at locations where the connecting members 60L and 60R are arranged. A pair of bosses 33a are projected from the rear end portion of the upper wall 33 and are arranged side by side with an interval in the left-right direction. By fitting the pair of bosses 33 a into positioning holes (not shown) formed in the lower surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2 , the option paper feeding device 20 is positioned with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 2 .

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the body case portion 30 of FIG. 4 taken along line VV. The configuration of the upper lateral beam 31a and the lower lateral beam 31b of the central case portion 31 will be described in more detail with reference to this figure.

The upper horizontal beam 31a has a pair of opposing plates 31d arranged vertically with a space therebetween. A left mounting portion 31L and a right mounting portion 31R to which a left connecting member 60L and a right connecting member 60R, which will be described later, are mounted are provided between the pair of opposing plates 31d. Each mounting portion 31L, 31R is provided between a pair of vertical ribs 31f. Each of the mounting portions 31L and 31R has a tubular portion having a screw hole 31e, and a reinforcing rib 31g extending radially outward from the peripheral surface of the tubular portion in a cross shape. The upper and lower ends of the reinforcing rib 31g are connected to the pair of opposing plates 31d, and the left and right ends are connected to the pair of vertical ribs 31f.

The lower lateral beam 31b is composed of a single rectangular plate extending in the left-right direction. Reinforcing ribs are formed in a grid pattern on the lower surface of the lower horizontal beam 31b. A pair of engagement holes 31i that engage with a left connecting member 60L and a right connecting member 60R, which will be described later, are formed in the lower lateral beam 31b. A pair of engaging holes 31i are formed at positions corresponding to the mounting portions 31L and 31R in the left-right direction.

[Connection Configuration of Optional Paper Feeder 20 to Standard Paper Feeder 10]
As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of connecting members 60L and 60R are used to connect and fix the option sheet feeding device 20 to the standard sheet feeding device 10. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the horizontal plate portion 61 of each connecting member 60L, 60R is engaged and fixed to the lower horizontal beam 11a of the standard paper feeding device 10, and the vertical plate portion 62 of each connecting member 60L, 60R is attached to the option paper feeding device. It is fixed by screws 70 to the mounting portions 31L and 31R provided on the upper lateral beam 31a of the device 20. As shown in FIG.

[Connection configuration between optional paper feeders 20]
As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of connecting members 60L and 60R are also used when connecting and fixing the optional paper feeders 20 to each other. Specifically, the horizontal plate portion 61 of each of the connecting members 60L and 60R is engaged and fixed to the lower horizontal beam 31b of the upper option paper feeding device 20, and the vertical plate portion 62 of each of the connecting members 60L and 60R is It is fixed by screws 70 to the mounting portions 31L and 31R provided on the upper horizontal beam 31a of the lower optional sheet feeding device 20. As shown in FIG.

[Configuration of connecting members 60L and 60R]
Details of the pair of connecting members 60L and 60R will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. The left connecting member 60L and the right connecting member 60R are symmetrical and have the same shape.

Specifically, each connecting member 60L, 60R has a horizontal plate portion 61, a vertical plate portion 62, an engaging piece 63, a first restricting piece 64 and a second restricting piece 65. As shown in FIG.

The horizontal plate portion 61 has a rectangular plate shape with width in the left-right direction, and the vertical plate portion 62 hangs down from the front end portion of the horizontal plate portion 61 . The engaging piece 63 is a piece having an L-shaped cross section formed on the laterally outer edge of the horizontal plate portion 61 . The first restricting piece 64 is formed in a convex shape on the lateral outer edge of the vertical plate portion 62 . The second restricting piece 65 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that horizontally protrudes forward from the lower edge of the vertical plate portion 62 . As will be described later, the first restricting piece 64 and the second restricting piece 65 play a role of restricting the positions of the connecting members 60L and 60R so that they are not tilted.

[Assembly procedure of connecting members 60L and 60R]
First, referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the procedure for assembling the connecting members 60L and 60R when connecting and fixing the optional sheet feeding device 20 to the standard sheet feeding device 10 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the operator engages the left and right connecting members 60L and 60R with the left and right engaging holes 11c formed in the lower horizontal beam 11a of the standard sheet feeding device 10, respectively. The piece 63 (in this example, the rear engaging piece 63 of the pair of front and rear engaging pieces 63) is inserted. Thereafter, the operator slides the left connecting member 60L to the left and slides the right connecting member 60R to the right (see white arrows in the figure). As a result, the engaging pieces 63 of the left connecting member 60L and the right connecting member 60R are engaged with the edge of the engaging hole 11c and hooked. Thus, each connecting member 60L, 60R is engaged and fixed to the lower lateral beam 11a. A groove portion 11e is formed in the upper surface of the lower lateral beam 11a so that the engaging piece 63 does not protrude to the surface in this engaged and fixed state.

In this state, the optional sheet feeding device 20 for connection is prepared. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the operator brings the vertical plate portions 62 of the connecting members 60L and 60R into contact with the mounting portions 31L and 31R of the upper horizontal beam 31a of the optional sheet feeder 20, thereby The position of the attachment hole 62a of the portion 62 is aligned with the position of each screw hole 31e (see the bold two-dot chain line in FIG. 12). After this alignment is completed, a screw 70 (not shown in FIG. 12) is inserted into each mounting hole 62a and screwed into the screw hole 31e. Here, the screw 70 is tightened by inserting the hand into the cassette insertion opening 31c from the front side of the paper feeding device 20 and bending the wrist so that the palm faces the front side.

When the screw 70 is completely tightened, the lower horizontal beam 11a of the standard paper feeder 10 and the upper horizontal beam 31a of the optional paper feeder 20 are connected and fixed via a pair of connecting members 60L and 60R. .

When the connecting members 60L and 60R are assembled, the first restricting piece 64 abuts on the rear end surface of one of the vertical ribs 31f, and the second restricting piece 65 is attached to the rear end of the pair of vertical ribs 31f from below. The contact prevents the connecting members 60L and 60R from tilting.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, a procedure for assembling the connecting members 60L and 60R when connecting and fixing the optional paper feeders 20 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13, the operator first inserts the engaging pieces of the left connecting member 60L and the right connecting member 60R into the left and right engaging holes 31i formed in the lower horizontal beam 31b of the optional sheet feeder 20, respectively. 63 (in this example, the front engaging piece 63 of the pair of front and rear engaging pieces 63) is inserted. After that, the left connecting member 60L is slid to the left, and the right connecting member 60R is slid to the right (see white arrows in the figure). As a result, the engaging pieces 63 of the left connecting member 60L and the right connecting member 60R are engaged with the edge of the engaging hole 31i and hooked. As a result, the connecting members 60L and 60R are engaged with and fixed to the lower horizontal beam 31b of the optional sheet feeding device 20. As shown in FIG. A groove portion 31h is formed on the upper surface of the lower lateral beam 31b so that the engaging piece 63 does not protrude from the surface in this engaged and fixed state.

In this state, the optional sheet feeding device 20 for connection is prepared. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the operator brings the vertical plate portions 62 of the connecting members 60L and 60R into contact with the mounting portions 31L and 31R of the upper horizontal beam 31a of the optional sheet feeding device 20 to be added. , the position of the mounting hole 62a of each vertical plate portion 62 is aligned with the position of the screw hole 31e (see the bold two-dot chain line in FIG. 14). After this alignment is completed, a screw 70 (not shown in FIG. 14) is inserted into each mounting hole 62a and screwed into the screw hole 31e.

Here, the screw 70 is tightened by inserting the hand into the cassette insertion opening 31c from the front side of the paper feeding device 20 and bending the wrist so that the palm faces the front side.

When the screw 70 is completely tightened, the lower horizontal beam 31b of the existing optional paper feeder 20 and the upper horizontal beam 31a of the additional optional paper feeder 20 are connected via the pair of connecting members 60L and 60R. connected and fixed.

[Effect]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the optional paper feeder 20 includes the cylinder lock 50 (part of the lock mechanism) for locking the paper feed cassette 40 in the housed state with respect to the main body case portion 30. have. The optional sheet feeding device 20 is configured to be connectable to the adjacent upper standard sheet feeding device 10 via a pair of connecting members 60L and 60R (an example of a connecting mechanism).

The connecting members 60L and 60R are fixed to the mounting portions 31L and 31R of the upper horizontal beam 31a (a part of the main body case portion) of the optional sheet feeding device 20 by screws 70 (see FIG. 6), and are manually operated. By loosening the screw 70, each connecting member 60L, 60R can be removed. The screw 70, which is the object of this disconnection operation, is accessible only from the cassette insertion opening 31c, as described in the explanation of FIG.

According to this configuration, the operator must first pull out the paper feed cassette 40 from the body case portion 30 in order to access the screw 70 that is the disconnecting operation portion. The paper feed cassette 40 cannot be pulled out unless a predetermined key is inserted into the cylinder lock 50 to release the lock. Therefore, a third party who does not have the key of the cylinder lock 50 cannot not only pull out the paper feed cassette 40, but also cannot access the screw 70 to be disconnected from the cassette insertion opening 31c. Therefore, a third person who does not have the key cannot steal the sheets in the paper feed cassette 40, and cannot steal the option paper feed device 20 by removing the connecting members 60L and 60R. Therefore, both the theft of paper and theft of the option paper feeding device 20 can be reliably prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, an opening 33b is formed in the top surface of the optional sheet feeder 20, and the connecting members 60L and 60R are connected by a horizontal plate portion 61 (first fixing portion) and a vertical plate portion 62 (second fixing portion). two fixing portions) and an engaging piece 63 (engaging portion). The horizontal plate portion 61 has an engagement piece 63 that engages with an engagement hole 31i formed in the lower surface of the standard sheet feeder 10. The vertical plate portion 62 hangs down from the horizontal plate portion 61 and extends through the opening. 33b and is fixed to the upper horizontal beam 31a of the optional sheet feeding device 20 via a screw 70 (see FIG. 6).

According to this configuration, since the horizontal plate portion 61 is engaged and fixed to the lower surface of the standard sheet feeding device 10 via the engagement piece 63, both the horizontal plate portion 61 and the vertical plate portion 62 are fixed by screws. As compared with the case, the attachment and detachment work of the connecting members 60L and 60R becomes easier.

A pair of the engaging pieces 63 are provided with a space therebetween in the front-rear direction. According to this, by selecting which one of the front side engaging piece 63 and the rear side engaging piece 63 is to be engaged with the engaging hole 31i, the front and rear positions of the connecting members 60L and 60R can be adjusted. It can be adjusted in two steps.

<<Embodiment 2>>
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 25. FIG. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the connecting mechanism. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same constituent elements as in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, in this embodiment, the connecting mechanism is composed of the engaging unit 100 and the engaged unit 200, and engages the two units 100 and 200 in conjunction with the mounting operation of the option paper feeding device 20. FIG.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the engagement unit 100 is accommodated in the right hollow case portion 32R of the option paper feeder 20. As shown in FIG. The engaging unit 100 is fixed on the bottom wall 34 of the right hollow case portion 32R. A rectangular opening (passage opening) 35 that allows passage of the engaged unit 200 is formed on the rear side of the engaging unit 100 . Although not shown, the engagement unit 100 is also accommodated in the right hollow case portion 32R of the standard sheet feeder 10. As shown in FIG.
On the other hand, the engaged unit 200 is fixed to the right end of the upper surface (upper wall 33 ) of the optional paper feeder 20 .

16 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the engagement unit 100. FIG. The engagement unit 100 includes an engagement slider 101, a slider holding member 102 that holds the engagement slider 101 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction, and a biasing spring 103 that always biases the engagement slider 101 rearward. have. When the option paper feeding device 20 is added, the engagement slider 101 engages with the engagement bar 201 of the engaged unit 200 (by entering the lower side), so that the engagement unit 100 and the engaged unit are separated. 200 are connected.

[Details of engagement unit 100]
A detailed configuration of the engagement unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 22. FIG.
The engagement slider 101 has a plate-like slider main body 101a extending in the front-rear direction, and a pair of left and right vertical plates 101c connected to the front end of the slider main body 101a via an L-shaped connecting portion 101b. .

As shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, the left vertical plate 101c is exposed from the through hole 36 formed in the partition wall 37 toward the cassette housing space. The through hole 36 is preferably large enough to accommodate one finger (for example, the index finger) of the operator. An operator can release the engagement between the engaging unit 100 and the engaged unit 200 by inserting a finger into the through hole 36 and pushing the left vertical plate 101c forward with the finger. The partition wall 37 is a wall that partitions the right hollow case portion 32R and the central case portion 31 (that is, the cassette accommodation space). The through-hole 36 is formed at the same height as the upper surface of the rail 37a that guides the paper feed cassette 40. As shown in FIG.

A rear end portion of the slider body 101a is formed with an inclined contact surface 101g that contacts the engagement bar 201 during the engagement operation. When an upward force acts on the inclined contact surface 101g, a horizontal component of force is generated on the inclined contact surface 101g, causing the slider body 101a to slide forward.

A pair of slide protrusions 101e are arranged with a space therebetween in the front-rear direction and protrude from both side end surfaces of the slider main body 101a in the width direction. The slide projection 101e is supported in the slide hole 102e of the slider holding member 102 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.

A hanging plate 101d is connected to the front end of the slider body 101a. A boss portion 101f protrudes from the front side surface of the hanging plate 101d. The boss portion 101f is inserted into the end portion of the biasing spring 103 and holds the biasing spring 103 so that it cannot fall off.
but

The slider holding member 102 includes a base plate 102a that supports the engagement slider 101 from below, a pair of opposing support plates 102b that are positioned on both sides of the engagement slider 101, and an upright that rises from the front end of the base plate 102a. It has a plate 102c and a top plate portion 102d.

A fixing engaging portion 102h having an L-shaped cross section is formed at the rear end portion of the lower surface of the base plate 102a. The fixing engaging portion 102h is engaged with a fixing bar 38 (see FIG. 16), which is a fixing member inside the right hollow case portion 32R.

A rectangular opening 102g extending in the front-rear direction is formed in a portion of the base plate 102a excluding the rear end portion. The rectangular opening 102g is formed so as to guide both end faces in the width direction of the hanging plate 101d.

The slide holes 102e extending in the front-rear direction are formed in the pair of opposing support plates 102b.

A rectangular notch 102f is provided between the pair of opposing support plates 102b and the standing plate 102c. The vertical plate 101c of the engaging slider 101 protrudes laterally outward from the notch 102f.

A boss 102i (see FIG. 19) protrudes from a surface of the standing plate 102c facing the hanging plate 101d of the engaging slider 101. As shown in FIG. The boss 102i is inserted into the end of the urging spring 103 and holds the urging spring 103 so that it cannot fall off.

A pair of mounting holes 102k aligned in the left-right direction are formed in the top plate portion 102d. The slider holding member 102 is immovably fixed by screws 104 inserted through the pair of mounting holes 102k.

The urging spring 103 is composed of, for example, a compression coil spring. The biasing spring 103 is arranged in a compressed state between the standing plate 102c of the slider holding member 102 and the hanging plate 101d of the engaging slider 101. As shown in FIG.

[Details of Engaged Unit 200]
Next, the detailed configuration of the engaged unit 200 will be described with reference to FIG.
The engaged unit 200 includes an engaging bar 201 extending in the left-right direction, a pair of supporting plates 202 supporting both left and right ends of the engaging bar 201, and a base plate to which base ends of the pair of supporting plates 202 are connected. 203. The base plate 203 has a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction. Mounting holes 203a are formed at both ends of the base plate 203 in the front-rear direction. The base plate 203 is fixed to the upper wall 33 of the option paper feeding device 20 by screws (not shown) inserted through the mounting holes 203a.

[Explanation of connection operation]
Next, referring to FIGS. 15, 24 and 25, the process of connecting the optional paper feeders 20 by engaging the engaging unit 100 and the engaged unit 200 will be described.

In the example of FIG. 15, the optional sheet feeding device 20 for expansion is set on the lower side, and the existing optional sheet feeding device 20 including the image forming apparatus main body 2 (not shown in FIG. 15) is set on the upper side. . When stacking the upper option paper feeder 20 on the upper surface of the lower option paper feeder 20, the engaged unit 200 of the lower option paper feeder 20 is aligned with the upper option paper feeder 20. It enters the right hollow case portion 32R through the opening 35 of the bottom wall 34. As shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 24, the engaging bar 201 of the engaged unit 200 contacts the inclined contact surface 101g of the engaging slider 101. As shown in FIG. As a result, the engaging bar 201 is subjected to a force component directed forward from the inclined contact surface 101g. As a result, the engagement slider 101 slides forward. When the engaging slider 101 climbs over the engaging bar 201, no force acts on the inclined contact surface 101g, so that the engaging slider 101 moves rearward by the biasing force of the biasing spring 103. As shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25, the engagement slider 101 enters the lower side of the engagement bar 201, and the engagement unit 100 and the engaged unit 200 are vertically locked so that they cannot be separated from each other. As a result, the option paper feeders 20 are connected to each other.

[How to unlink]
When disconnecting the option paper feeders 20 that have once been connected, the operator first pulls out the paper feed cassette 40 of the upper option paper feeder 20 . Then, the operator puts his hand into the cassette housing space and inserts his finger into the through hole 36 shown in FIG. Then, the vertical plate 101c is pulled forward against the biasing force of the biasing member 103 with the inserted finger. Then, the slider body 101a connected to the vertical plate 101c also moves forward. By moving the slider body 101a forward from the state shown in FIG. 25, the engagement between the engaging bar 201 and the slider body 101a is released. Therefore, the operator can release the connection between the optional sheet feeders 20 by lifting the upper option sheet feeder 20 while pulling the vertical plate 101c toward the front side.

[Effect]
As described above, the connection mechanism of the present embodiment is linked to the mounting operation of mounting the additional optional paper feeder 20 on the bottom surface of the existing optional paper feeder 20 (adjacent upper paper feeder). (See FIG. 15), the engaging unit 100 of the existing optional sheet feeding device 20 and the engaged unit 200 of the additional optional sheet feeding device 20 are engaged. By engaging the engaging unit 100 and the engaged unit 200, the two sheet feeding devices 20 are connected to each other (see FIGS. 15, 24 and 25).

According to this configuration, the attachment unit 100 and the engaging unit 100 can be engaged simply by performing the mounting operation of the optional sheet feeding device 20 (the operation of placing the existing optional sheet feeding device 20 on the upper side of the optional sheet feeding device 20 to be added). The mating unit 200 is automatically engaged to connect both optional paper feeders 20 . Therefore, it is possible to easily connect the optional sheet feeding device 20 .

In addition, in order to disconnect the optional paper feeder 20 and the adjacent upper optional paper feeder 20, as described above, (1) the paper feed cassette 40 of the adjacent upper paper feeder 20 is removed. After the removal, (2) an operation is required to insert a finger into the through hole 36 formed in the partition wall 37 and draw the vertical plate 101c (release operation portion) of the engagement slider 101 forward. Therefore, a third party who does not have the key of the cylinder lock 50 of the paper feed cassette 40 cannot perform the work (1) above, and therefore cannot proceed to the work (2) and after.
Therefore, a third person who does not have the key of the cylinder lock 50 cannot steal the sheets in the paper feed cassette 40, and the engagement between the engaging unit 100 and the engaged unit 200 is released. Therefore, the option sheet feeding device 20 cannot be stolen. Therefore, both the theft of paper and theft of the option paper feeding device 20 can be reliably prevented.

<<Other embodiments>>
The present invention may be configured as follows for the above embodiment.

In the above-described second embodiment, the connection structure by the engagement between the engaging unit 100 and the engaged unit 200 is applied between the two optional paper feeders 20. It may be applied between the paper device 10 and the optional paper feeder 20 .
In this case, for example, the engaging unit 100 may be accommodated in the right hollow portion of the standard sheet feeding device 10 and the engaged unit 200 may be arranged on the upper surface of the optional sheet feeding device 20 .

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the engaged unit 200 is engaged with the engaging unit 100 from below to connect the optional paper feeders 20 to each other. The engaging unit 100 may be engaged with the engaged unit 200 from below. In this case, for example, the engaging unit 100 may be arranged on the upper surface of the optional paper feeding device 20 and the engaged unit 200 may be projected from the lower surface of the optional paper feeding device 20 .

Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above, and includes configurations obtained by appropriately combining the first and second embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention is useful for optional paper feeders and image forming apparatuses.

Reference Signs List 1: image forming apparatus 2: image forming apparatus main body 10: standard paper feeder 11: main body case portion 11a: lower horizontal beam 11c: engagement hole 12: paper feed cassette 13: cylinder lock (lock mechanism)
20: Option paper feeding device 30: Body case portion 31a: Upper horizontal beam (part of body frame portion)
31c: cassette insertion port 31e: screw hole 31i: engagement hole 33: upper wall 33b: opening 35: opening (passage opening)
40: Paper feed cassette 50: Cylinder lock (lock mechanism)
60L: Connection member (connection mechanism)
60R: Connection member (connection mechanism)
61: horizontal plate portion 62: vertical plate portion 62a: mounting hole 63: engagement piece 70: screw (release operation portion)
101c: Vertical plate (release operation part)
100: engagement unit (coupling mechanism)
200: engaged unit (coupling mechanism)

Claims (2)

An optional paper feeder that can be expanded by stacking vertically, comprising a body case portion having a cassette insertion port, and a paper feed cassette that can be inserted into and removed from the body case portion through the cassette insertion port. hand,
further comprising a lock mechanism for locking the paper feed cassette in the housed state with respect to the main body case,
An opening is formed in the upper wall of the main body case,
An engagement hole is formed in the lower surface of the main body case,
The optional paper feeder is configured to be connectable to the adjacent upper optional paper feeder via a connecting mechanism,
The connecting mechanism includes a first fixing portion having an engaging portion that engages with an engaging hole formed in the lower surface of the adjacent upper option paper feeding device, and the opening extending downward from the first fixing portion. and a second fixing portion that passes through and is fixed to a part of the main body case portion of the optional paper feed device via a screw,
The connection mechanism has a release operation section for releasing the connection by manual operation,
The screw functions as the release operation part,
The optional paper feeder, wherein the release operation unit is arranged so as to be accessible only from a cassette insertion opening of the optional paper feeder. an image forming apparatus main body;
A lower end of the main body of the image forming apparatus having a first main body case portion having a first cassette insertion port and a first sheet cassette accommodated in and out of the first main body case portion through the first cassette insertion port. An image forming apparatus comprising a standard paper feeder that is standardly installed in the
An engaging hole is formed in the lower surface of the first main body case portion,
An optional paper feeder can be connected to the lower surface of the standard paper feeder via a connecting mechanism,
The optional paper feeder has a second main body case portion having a second cassette insertion opening, and a second paper feed cassette housed in the second main body case portion so as to be able to be inserted and removed from the second cassette insertion opening. and
An opening is formed in the upper wall of the second main body case,
The connection mechanism has a release operation section for releasing the connection by manual operation,
The connecting mechanism includes a first fixing portion having an engaging portion that engages with the engaging hole; and a second fixing portion fixed via a screw to the
The image forming apparatus , wherein the screw functions as the release operation portion, and is arranged so as to be accessible only from the second cassette insertion opening.

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