JPH02123039A - Supplier for sheet material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a separating feed means by a friction means to be arranged in the vicinity of a mounting port of a sheet material storage part by constituting the feed means, feeding a sheet material, being able to move from a mounting route of the sheet material storage part. CONSTITUTION:In a normal condition of feeding a sheet material, a feed means 53, feeding the sheet material S, is placed in a position P1 enabling the sheet material to be fed, and the sheet material S in a sheet material storage part 3 is fed to a device main unit 1, being separated sheet by sheet by a paper feed roller 4 and a separator pad 6. While the device main unit 1, when the sheet material storage part 3 is mounted to and removed from the device main unit 1, moves the feed means 53 to the second position enabling the sheet material storage part 3 to be mounted to and removed from the device main unit. By moving this sheet material storage part 3 to a retracting position serving as the second position, the sheet material storage part 3 can be mounted to and removed from the device main unit 1 with no interference with the feed means of the sheet material S.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is applied to a device body such as a copying machine or a printer that receives sheet material and performs necessary processing such as forming an image on the sheet material. The present invention relates to a sheet material feeding device that feeds sheet materials made of cut sheets such as copy paper, transfer paper, or recording paper stacked and stored in a sheet material storage section.

(U) Prior Art Image forming apparatuses according to the present invention include various printers such as copying machines using electrophotographic technology, laser beam printers, printers using liquid crystal shutters, LEDs, etc., and injection type printers. . As an example of these, a laser beam printer (hereinafter L
The configuration of the BP (referred to as BP) will be explained based on FIG.

In FIG. 10, reference numeral 100 denotes an outer cylinder of the printer, in which an image forming means mechanism is incorporated. The above-mentioned exterior cylinder 100 has a lower half-opening of 1° OA and an upper half-opening of 100°.
It is a two-part mechanism of B, and for the upper half-break 100A,
2 with the upper half-rest 100B centered around the rear end side hinge 101.
It can be raised as shown by the dotted chain line, or folded down and closed as shown by the solid line.

To explain the outline of the configuration of this device, a transfer material S such as paper is stored in a cassette 109 and attached to the main body. The transfer material S is separated and fed one by one by a pickup roller 10 and sent to a registration roller 114 by a pair of transport rollers 111a, 111b and guides 112, 11.3.

The transfer NS is sent to the process cartridge 102 for forming an image in synchronization with the image signal by the registration roller 114, the image is transferred by the transfer charger 116, and then transferred to the fixing device 1 by the separation belt 117.
Sent to 18th. Here, the transfer material S is the fixing roller pair 11
9, the image is transferred thereto, and the paper is discharged from the discharge port 110D.

On the other hand, regarding image formation, the image forming section includes a laser scanner 107 that operates a laser light source (not shown) disposed on the upper half 100B in the axial direction of the image carrier 103, and a well-known electrophotographic process. This is performed using a process cartridge 102 that integrates each process device.

Here, the reference numeral indicates a laser beam operated from a laser scanner 107, 108 a mirror that guides the laser beam to the image carrier 103, and the main components inside the process cartridge 102 are a charger 104 and a developer. and the cleaning device 106, etc. (c) The conventional image forming apparatus configured as described above, which the present invention aims to solve, has the following drawbacks.

(1) Since the conveyance path of the transfer S is long, various measures are required to improve the reliability of transfer material conveyance, which is disadvantageous in terms of reliability and cost.

(2) The paper feed section is located at the back of the device in the direction in which the paper cassette is installed, making it difficult to maintain the paper feed rollers, etc.

(3) In order to remove the jammed transfer paper, it is necessary to open the large upper half-hole 100B and the reversing guide part J20, and the number of operation surfaces is large and the operability is not very good. .

(4) The height of the main unit is large, and a large space is required for installing and operating the device.

There were drawbacks such as.

As an LBP that solves these problems, a paper feeding device is arranged on the insertion opening side of the sheet material storage section, and the transfer paper S is fed in the direction in which the paper cassette is pulled out and conveyed in the vertical direction to shorten the length of the conveyance path. shorten. Mechanical parts such as drives are placed in the front of the device, and electrical and optical parts are placed on the opposite side to increase the reliability of conveyance of the transfer material S and to facilitate maintenance of the paper feed section. , making it easier to downsize and reduce costs.

However, with the above configuration, since there is a paper feed roller and separation pad near the loading opening of the sheet material storage section, when installing the sheet material storage section, the paper must pass through the paper feed roller and separation pad, etc. The sheet material had to be set in a predetermined position, which was a major hindrance.

For this reason, this type of apparatus has conventionally used a separation claw type paper feeding system using a half-moon-shaped paper feeding roller.

However, when a half-moon-shaped paper feed roller is used, there is a limit to the conveyance distance, and a conveyance roller is required downstream of the paper feed section.

In addition, the paper feeding method using separation claws is not very suitable for feeding special paper such as thick paper for double-sided printing or envelopes, for which demand is increasing recently, and there are restrictions on the paper that can be used. Due to these problems, there was a problem that the degree of freedom in terms of usage and design of the device was reduced.

Therefore, the present invention makes the feeding means for feeding the sheet material movable from the mounting path of the sheet material storage cassette, and arranges the separation feeding means using the friction means near the mounting opening of the sheet storage cassette. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet material feeding device that can perform the following steps.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, sheet material (S)
The sheet material (S) stored in the sheet material storage section (3) has a sheet material storage section (3) that stores a plurality of sheets and is configured to be removable at °C with respect to the apparatus main body (1). 5 a roller (4) that feeds the device into the main body (1);
Alternatively, a feeding means (53) consisting of friction members (6) and (63) arranged opposite to the downstream roller (61) is placed near the insertion opening (54) of the sheet storage section (3). In the image forming apparatus comprising: the feeding means (53);
Or, it is configured to be movable between a first position (Pl) where the sheet material can be fed and a second position (P2) where the sheet material storage section (3) can be attached and detached from the apparatus main body (1). It is characterized by

(E) Effect Based on the above configuration, in the normal sheet material feeding state, the feeding means (53) for feeding the sheet material (S) is
As shown in the figure, the first position (Pl) where sheet material can be fed
In this case, the sheet material (S) in the sheet material storage section (3) is
The paper sheets are separated one by one by a paper feed roller (4) and a separation hat (6) and fed to the apparatus main body (1). Also, when attaching and detaching the sheet material storage section (3) to the device main body (1),
As shown in FIG. 3, the feeding means (53) moves to a second position (P2) where the sheet material storage section (3) can be attached to and detached from the main body (1). By moving the sheet material storage section (3) to the second position R (P2), the sheet material storage section (3) can be moved without being disturbed by the sheet material (S) feeding means. It can be attached to and detached from the mounting body (1).

Note that the reference numerals in parentheses are used for reference purposes in contrast to the drawings, and do not similarly limit the structure of the present invention.

Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an example of a laser beam printer to which the present invention is applied. The apparatus main body 1 has a fixed side IA and a transfer material (sheet material) S for the fixed side IA.
The conveyance path is roughly divided into two parts, an opening/closing side IB which can be opened and closed, and the opening/closing side IB is supported around a hinge shaft 2 so as to be freely openable and closable. The transfer material S is stored in a paper cassette (sheet material storage section) 3, and when the paper feed roller 5 rotates, a separation material made of the paper feed roller 5 and a high friction member pressed against the paper feed roller 5 is removed. The pad 6 separates the sheets one by one.

The transferred materials S separated one by one are sent to a pair of registration rollers 9 by a guide plate 7, and sent to a transfer section in synchronization with the image written on an image carrier 10. The fixing device 12 is
The main components include a pressure roller 14 that has a built-in heater and presses the transfer material S against the overheated heater roller 13, a guide 16 that guides the transfer material S to the contact area between the heater roller 13 and the pressure roller 15, and an exterior. It consists of a mechanism 7 and a separation claw 19.

Here, the transfer material S on which the image has been transferred and fixed is discharged from the paper discharge port 1c and stacked on the tray 20. Further, there is a flapper 21 between the fixing device 12 and the paper ejection port 1c, and by switching the position of this flapper 21, the conveyance direction of the transfer material S can be changed, and the transfer material S is ejected. Paper can be ejected from the mouth ID. At this time, the image surface of the transfer material S is the upper surface.

On the other hand, regarding the image forming means, the image forming section is as follows:
A process cartridge 2 in which each step of an image forming process using the well-known Carlson method is housed in one container.
2, and a laser scanner 23 that scans laser light in the axial direction of the image carrier 10. Charge is further applied to the image carrier 10 by the charging roller 24, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by laser light emitted from the laser scanner 23. The toner t in the developing device 25 is sent to the developing section by the stirring plate 26, and is thinly coated on the developing sleeve 27. This coated toner t is transferred to the image carrier 10.
It is adhered to, that is, developed, and transferred to the transfer material S at the transfer section described above.

Here, regarding the paper feeding section according to the present invention, FIGS.
Further explanation will be given based on the figures.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the paper feeding section according to the present invention, and shows a state in which it is set in the main body 1 of the apparatus and ready to feed paper.

A paper feed shaft 30 to which the paper feed roller 5 is attached is rotatably attached to a paper feed side plate 31 via a bearing (not shown). This paper feed side plate 31 is rotatably attached to the main body 1 via a pivot shaft 32. Furthermore, the paper feed side plate 31 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. The rear end (the right end in FIG. 2) is positioned by bringing it into contact with an immovable abutment member 36 with a predetermined pressure. The paper feed roller 5 is driven by a drive motor (not shown) that is fixed to the main body of the apparatus and a plurality of gears (- one is fixed to the shaft of the paper feed roller 5, the other is fixed to the main body of the apparatus and is driven by a motor). ) and a clutch, the paper is rotated in the direction of arrow A at a predetermined paper feeding timing. One gear and the other gear can mesh freely.

The separation pad 6 is fixed to a support plate 39, and the support plate 39 is rotatably attached to the paper feed side plate 31 via a shaft 40. The support plate 31 has a paper guide portion 41 on the downstream side of the portioning pad 6, and is configured to reliably send the transferred material S after being fed to a pair of guide plates 42 provided on the main body 1 side. It has become. Further, the other end of a pressure spring 43 whose negative end is fixed to the paper feed side plate 31 is locked to the support plate 39, and the elasticity of this pressure spring 43 causes the separation pad 6 to move against the paper feed roller 5. is in pressure contact with the lower circumferential surface of the

A compression spring 45 provided in the paper cassette 3 moves the transferred material 3 stored in the cassette together with the cassette middle plate 46 by the elasticity of the spring, regardless of the number of transferred materials S. It is pressed against the surrounding surface with a constant pressure.

A stepped portion 3a is formed on the inner surface of the side plate of the paper cassette 3. The stepped portion 3a is stepped down from the middle of the paper cassette 3 to the leading end 7 in the insertion direction (the right end in FIG. 2). A lower end 47a of a locking member 47 enters into this stepped portion 3a, and the locking member 47 is attached to the main body of the apparatus by a shaft 49.
It is pivoted to. The locking member 47 is urged to rotate clockwise in FIG. 47a is in contact with the contact portion 3b formed from the wall surface of the stepped portion 3a.

Next, a paper feeding operation of the paper feeding device configured as described above will be explained. When the paper feed roller 4 is rotationally driven at a predetermined paper feed timing, the uppermost transfer material (sheet material) S that is in contact with the paper feed roller 5 is moved into the paper cassette by the rubbing force of the paper feed roller 4. Paper is fed from (sheet material storage section) 3. However, due to the R1 force between the transferred materials S, etc.
The transfer materials S are not necessarily fed one by one, but two or three sheets may be fed at the same time. The double-fed transfer materials S are separated due to the difference in friction between the contact portion between the paper feed roller 5 and the separation pad 6, and are sent to the apparatus main body 1 one by one.

The above-mentioned rotatable paper feed side plate 31, the support plate 39 attached thereto, and the separation pad 6 attached thereto and detachable from the paper feed roller 5, etc. A paper feeding unit (feeding means) 53 that feeds the transfer material S is configured. In FIG. 2, the feeding means 53 is located at a first position P where the transfer material S can be fed.
It is located in At this time, the paper feed roller 5
The middle plate 46 is pushed down a little through the middle plate 46 to form a slight gap between it and the restraining means described later.

FIG. 3 shows the paper feeding unit (feeding means) 53 when the paper cassette 3 is taken out from the apparatus main body 1 in the direction of arrow B. Although the middle plate 46 is biased upwardly by the spring 45, a restraining means formed in the cassette prevents the middle plate from rising. , a cassette insertion slot 54 for inserting and removing the paper cassette 3 is provided.Paper feeding section 53
When the paper cassette 3 is pulled out in order to replenish the copy material S from the state where the paper cassette 3 is in the first position P1 shown in FIG. The abutted portion 39a of the plate 39 is pressed. Due to this pressure, the paper feeding unit (feeding means) 53 rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 about the pivot shaft 32 against the elasticity of the tension spring 35.

When the paper feed unit 53 rotates clockwise, the support plate 39
The arm 39b comes into contact with the stopper 55 provided on the main body 1, and the support plate 39 itself rotates clockwise relative to the paper feed side plate 31, so that the separation pad 6 feeds the paper as shown in FIG. Separate from roller 4. Furthermore, the paper feed side plate 31
During the rotation shown in 0E, the rear end portion 31a presses the convex portion 47b of the locking member 47 to rotate the locking member 47 counterclockwise. The rear end 31a of the paper feed side plate 31 or the convex portion 47bft
By climbing over and engaging with the recess 47c as shown in FIG.
is moved to the second position P2 where it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1 and is evacuated.

In this way, by rotating the paper feed unit 53 to the second position 1jP2 about the pivot shaft 32, the paper feed roller 5 and separation pad 6 are moved from the operating position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3. It retreats to an upwardly displaced position. In this state, the paper feed roller 5 and separation pad 6 are held at positions where they do not interfere with the paper cassette 3 when the paper cassette 3 is pulled out and inserted. In addition, separation pad 6
is separated from the paper feed roller 5 as shown in FIG. 3 due to the above-mentioned action, so if the transfer material S is caught between the paper feed roller 4 and the separation pad 6, it can be easily removed. Can be removed.

Next, the case where the paper cassette 3 is inserted into the main body J of the apparatus will be explained.

Since the paper feeding unit 53 is retracted and held in the second position by the locking action of the locking member described above, the mounting path for the paper cassette 3 is in an open state.

When the paper cassette 3 is pushed into the vicinity of a predetermined paper feeding position by insertion of the paper cassette 3, the contact portion 3b of the stepped portion 3a provided on the side plate of the paper cassette 3 presses the lower end 47a of the locking member 47. Then, the locking member 47 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 against the elasticity of the tension spring 50.

As the lock member 47 rotates, the recess 47c disengages from the rear end 31a of the paper feed side plate 31, and the locking action on the paper feed unit 53 is released.
- (Feeding means) 53 rotates counterclockwise about the pivot shaft 32 from the second position shown in FIG. 3 due to the elasticity of the tension spring 35. At the start of this rotation, the support plate 3
9 rotates counterclockwise relative to the paper feed side plate 31 due to the elasticity of the tension spring 43, so that the separation pad 6 provided on the support plate 39 comes into contact with the lower circumferential surface of the paper feed roller 5 again. . The counterclockwise rotation of the paper feed unit 53 is positioned and stopped when the rear end of the paper feed side plate 31 abuts the contact member 36. In this state, the paper feed roller 5 is in contact with the uppermost portion of the transfer material S in the paper cassette 3, and the paper feed unit 53 is positioned in the first position BPl in which paper can be fed as shown in FIG. Become.

4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the invention. In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper feed unit 53 includes a paper feed roller 5 and a separation pad 6 that is brought into contact with the paper feed roller 5 with a constant pressure to avoid double feeding. A so-called bad paper feeding method is used to perform separation, but in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a retard roller method is used to separate double fed sheets.

In FIG. 4, a second conveyance roller 61 is rotatably attached to the paper feed side plate 31 at a position downstream of the paper feed roller 5 via a shaft 62. A separation roller 61 or a shaft 62 is rotatably attached to the support plate 39 so that it rotates in the same direction as the paper feed roller 4 rotates. A separation roller 63 is rotatably attached to the support plate 39 by a shaft 65, and the separation roller 63 is moved by the elasticity of the tension spring 43 that urges the support plate 39.
It comes into pressure contact with the second conveyance roller 62 and rotates in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the transfer material S. The separation roller 63 has a torque limiter that is driven by the second conveyance roller 6 when a rotational force equal to or greater than a predetermined frictional force is applied from the second conveyance roller 61 in opposition to the second conveyance roller 61. It is built-in and separates multiple paper feeds.

When the paper cassette 3 is pulled out from the main body 1 of the apparatus, the contact portion 3C of the paper cassette 3 touches the pressed portion 39a of the support plate 39 (
(See Figure 5) and press 1. By moving, the paper feed unit 1 53 is locked by the locking member 47 after being rotated to the second position shown in FIG. 5 in the same manner as in the first implementation. Further, when the paper feed unit 53 rotates, it rotates relative to the support plate 39 or the paper feed side plate 31, and the separation roller 6
3 is separated from the second conveyance roller 61 as shown in FIG. When paper cassette l-3 is inserted, the paper feeding unit 53 returns to the second position shown in FIG. 4 where paper can be fed, in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

In addition, the second conveyance roller 61 and separation roller 63
The pair of separating rollers may be attached directly to the movable paper feed side plate 31, or may be attached to a side plate that is movable with respect to the apparatus main body 1, and can be attached to the side plate that is movable with respect to the apparatus main body 1 so that the separation roller pair can be attached directly to the movable paper feed side plate 31. A similar effect can be obtained even if it is movably installed separately.

Further, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the paper feeding unit 53 has a structure that rotates around the pivot shaft 32, but in addition to the above-mentioned rotation method, a link mechanism or a slide rail may also be used. You may use it to move. Furthermore, the first
In the embodiment of the present invention shown in the figures, the separation pad 6 or the separation roller 63 is attached to a support plate 39 rotatably provided on the paper feed side plate 31, and is supported by a tension spring. The paper feed roller 5 or the second conveyance roller 62 is brought into contact with a predetermined pressure due to the elasticity of the roller 43, but these do not necessarily have to be in contact with each other, and are held with a predetermined gap between them. However, the effect is the same as that of this embodiment.

6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6, the rear end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 6) of a connecting portion 71 is pivotally attached to the tip end portion 47c of the locking member 47, and the front end portion of the connecting member 71 is pivotally attached to the tip end portion 47c of the locking member 47. It is pivoted to a push button 72 with an alligator shape loosely fitted in the front part. When the paper cassette 3 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 1, the paper feed unit 53 is opened in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments.
, from the first position P1 shown in FIG. 6 to the second position P1 shown in FIG.
It rotates to position P2. Paper feed side plate 3 of paper feed unit 53
1 is held in the second position 1iP2 by a locking member 47, and the paper feed roller 5 and separation pad 6 are held in the paper cassette 3
It has been evacuated to a position where it can be accessed. In the first and second embodiments, releasing the locked state of the paper feed unit 53 is as follows:
This was done by inserting the paper cassette 3 into the main body 1 of the apparatus, but in this embodiment, it is done by pushing the push button 72 as shown by arrow C. push button 7
2, the locking member 4 is inserted through the connecting member 71.
7 or rotate counterclockwise from the lock position shown in FIG. 7 to unlock the paper feed side plate 31, and the paper feed unit l-53
Move to the first position shown in the figure where paper can be fed.

8 and 9 show a fourth embodiment of the invention. When the paper cassette 3 is pulled out, the paper feed unit 53 is rotated from the first position P1 to the second position shown in FIG.
The solenoid 8 is energized by the ON/OFF signal of the switch means for detecting the drawing operation of the paper cassette 3.
1, the paper feed side plate 31 is attracted and locked. Further, when the paper cassette 3 is pushed to a predetermined position, the locking action on the paper feed unit 53 is released by demagnetizing the solenoid 81, and the paper feed unit 53 is fed from the second position ff1P2. Move to the first paper-enabled position P1.

As explained above, in a paper feeding system in which the paper feeding unit 53 for the transfer material S is arranged near the mounting/detaching surface of the paper cassette 3, the paper feeding unit 53 connects the mounting/detaching path of the paper cassette (sheet material storage section) 3. In the past, it was difficult to use a paper feed system that would prevent this, such as a bad paper feed system or a paper feed system due to the retard method, but by using the present invention, it is possible to feed paper without worrying about the installation and removal path of the paper cassette 3. system can be used. As a result, it is now possible to use paper feeding methods with high paper feeding performance, such as the bad paper feeding method and the retard paper feeding method. Paper feeding is possible depending on the arrangement of the unit 53.

Accordingly, the attachment/detachment surface of the paper cassette 3, the jam handling surface of the paper feed unit 53, and the maintenance of the paper feed roller 5 can be operated on the same surface. Furthermore, an image forming section centering on the image carrier 10 and a paper ejection tray 20 are provided.
, the paper discharge portions such as the paper discharge port 10 can also be operated from the same surface near one side of the paper feed unit 53, and the operability of the entire apparatus is greatly improved.

Further, as described above, since the paper bus of the entire apparatus can be made very short, it is possible to improve the reliability of the paper transport performance of the apparatus itself, and also to significantly reduce the size of the apparatus. Furthermore, the main mechanical parts of the device body, such as the paper feed section, image forming section, fixing section, and paper ejection section, can be placed in the same direction of the device, and these can be separated from electrical components such as the interface board and power supply section. This makes it possible to improve assembly efficiency, shorten manufacturing time, and reduce the occurrence of defective products due to assembly errors during manufacturing.

(G) As described in detail, according to the present invention, the sheet material storage section (
In a feeding device having a paper feeding unit (53) for feeding a sheet material (transferred material) (S) to the main body (1) of the apparatus, near a mounting opening (54) of a paper cassette (3), Feeding means (paper feeding unit) (53) that feeds the sheet material (S)
Since it is configured to be movable from the installation path of the sheet material storage section (3), it is possible to arrange separation and feeding means (separation pad 6, separation roller 63) using I-rubbing means, which was difficult in the past. It became.

Furthermore, the movable feeding means (53) is arranged in the apparatus main body (
Since the feeding means (53) is urged to come into contact with the contact portion 36) of 1), it is possible to accurately position the feeding means (53) at a position where paper can be fed.

Moreover, since the feeding means (53) is locked and held at the moved position by the locking member (47), after pulling out the sheet material storage section (3), the feeding means (53)
) or hanging around inside the device body (1),
It is possible to improve the workability during maintenance of the feeding means (53) and the operability when inserting the sheet material storage section into the apparatus.

A locking member (4) holding the feeding means (53)
7) is provided with means for releasing in conjunction with the operation of removing the neck of the sheet material storage section (3), thereby eliminating the need for releasing the locking member (47) of the feeding means (53). Can be done. Moreover, since this release operation is performed at a predetermined timing, there is no chance of damage to the device due to a wrong procedure.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied; FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a sheet feeding device showing the first embodiment of the invention; 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of a sheet material feeding device showing a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is also a working diagram, and FIG. 6 is a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side view showing the embodiment, FIG. 7 is a working view, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side view showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a working view, and FIG. 10 is a conventional sheet material. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing an example of an image forming apparatus to which the feeding device of FIG. 1... Apparatus body 3... Sheet material storage section cassette) 5... Paper feed roller separation roller, 31
... Paper feed side plate support shaft, 36... Contact portion (stopper) 9... Support plate 47... Lock member... Feeding means (paper feeding unit) opening, S... Sheet material (Transfer material)...First position 'W P2...Second position (Paper 6...Minute 32...Center 54...Insert

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A sheet material storage section configured to store a plurality of sheet materials and be removably attached to the apparatus main body, and feed the sheet material stored in the sheet material storage section into the apparatus main body. In an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus includes a roller and a feeding means made of a friction member disposed facing the roller or a downstream roller near the insertion opening of the sheet storage section, wherein the feeding means includes: A sheet material feeding device, characterized in that it is configured to be movable between a first position where the sheet material can be fed and a second position where the sheet material storage section can be attached to and removed from the main body of the device. 2. Feeding the sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the movable feeding means has a contact portion that comes into contact with the apparatus main body, and a biasing device that biases the sheet feeding unit against the contact portion. Device. 3. The feeding means has a contact part that contacts the sheet material storage part, and is moved from the second position to the second position by the contact force of the contact part in conjunction with the attachment/detachment operation of the sheet storage part. 2. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material feeding device is configured to be movable from the first position to the second position or from the first position to the second position. 4. Claim 4, further comprising a biasing means for biasing the movable feeding means in one direction, and a locking member for holding the feeding means moved to the retracted position backward from the biasing means. 1. The sheet material feeding device according to 1. 5. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 4, further comprising means for releasing the locking member that holds the feeding device in the retracted position in conjunction with the operation of attaching the sheet material storage section to the main body of the device.