JPH03162359A - Paper storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely store a paper having a small size, besides a paper having a large size, by installing a movable stopper at the upstream position of a stopper installed at the lowermost position of an inclined surface passage. CONSTITUTION:A paper which has a small size and is discharged along a guide G lowers to this side of a copying machine 4 from a paper discharge port 12, and is received by the projection member 24 of a paper accommodating board 2. Then, the paper which is received by the projection member 24 is slidingly lowered along an inclined surface passage 22 from a paper inlet 20, and the top edge contacts movable stoppers 28 and 29 which cut off the inclined surface passage 22. The paper is stored in a paper storing device 18 at that position. When copying is carried out on the paper having a large size, the movable stoppers 28 and 29 of a movable stopper means 30 are accommodated into the inclined surface passage 22 by operating an operating means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a paper storage device applied to an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or a printing machine.

[Prior Art] A copying machine capable of transferring large-sized paper (transfer paper) such as JIS A-1 is placed above a box-shaped paper storage stand. To store the paper transferred by the copying machine,
The paper storage table is provided with a paper storage device. The paper storage device proposed by the present applicant in Utility Model Application No. 63-152185 has a paper inlet provided on the side corresponding to the paper outlet of the copying machine, and an inclined surface for sliding the paper downward into the interior. and a protruding member provided at the entrance portion to protrude in the extending direction of the inclined surface path, and at the lowest position of the inclined surface path, there is a stopper (stopping portion) against which the leading edge of the sheet that has slid down hits and stops. It is provided.

Paper that falls naturally from the paper outlet of the copying machine is received by the protruding member on an extension of the inclined surface path. The received paper is guided to the paper entrance, moves down the inclined surface path, stops when its leading end hits the stopper, and is stored. A-2 size sheets are stored astride the slope path and the protruding member, and A-1 size sheets are stored with a portion hanging down from the protruding member.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

When a copying machine is capable of transferring a larger A-0 size paper, a paper storage device of the above-mentioned size has a large portion that hangs down from the protruding member, causing the paper to fall from the paper storage device. In order to solve this problem, a means to extend the inclined surface path downward together with a stopper may be considered. This results in
The part that hangs down from the protruding member can be reduced,
Even large size paper such as A-0 can be stored sufficiently.

However, in that case, conversely, A with a smaller size than A-0
-1 or A-2, the leading edge of these sheets will come into contact with a stopper located deep inside the inclined surface path, and the trailing edge will be placed on the inclined surface path inward (downstream) from the paper entrance. Located in For this reason, the leading edge of the next sheet of paper coming in from the paper inlet comes into contact with the trailing edge of the sheet that has been stored on the inclined surface path, preventing it from sliding down smoothly.
This causes a problem in that paper storage is obstructed.

This invention was made based on the above-mentioned facts, and its main purpose is not only for large size paper such as A-0, but also for smaller size paper such as A-1 or A-2.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper storage device that can reliably store even when using paper of

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above main object, according to the present invention, the paper storage table on which the image forming device is disposed is provided with a paper storage device for storing the paper discharged from the surface image forming device, The paper storage device includes a paper inlet provided on a side corresponding to a paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus, an inclined surface path for sliding the paper downward into the inside, and an extension of the inclined surface path at the paper inlet portion. A stopper is provided at the lowest position of the inclined surface road, and the stopper is provided at the lowermost position of the inclined surface path, and the stopper is stopped when the leading edge of the sheet slides down, and the stopper is installed at the lowermost position of the inclined surface path. At a higher position, movable stop means are provided including a movable stopper, the movable stop being selectively actuated into an activated position for blocking the ramp path and an inactivated position for opening the ramp path. A paper storage device is obtained, which is characterized in that it is configured so as to

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a paper storage device improved according to the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view of a copying machine including a paper storage device based on this embodiment, in which a copying machine 4, which is an image forming device, is placed on a paper storage table 2. As shown in FIG.

The copying machine 4 and the paper storage stand 2, except for the paper storage device based on the present invention, are, for example,
This is substantially the same as that shown in the image forming apparatus proposed in the '185 application.

Inside the main body of the copying machine 4, there are a photoreceptor drum 6, a paper feeder 8 that supplies paper to the photoreceptor drum 6, a fixing device 10 that fixes the image transferred on the photoreceptor drum 6, and a fixing device 10.
A known surface image forming means including a pair of paper ejection rollers 14 for ejecting the paper with the image fixed thereon from the paper ejection port 12 is provided. A guide G is provided below the paper discharge port 12 for lowering the paper to a predetermined position below. A cassette 16 is supported in a horizontally movable manner by a receiving portion provided at the bottom of the main body of the copying machine 4.

A paper storage device 18 is provided within the paper storage table 2 for storing paper discharged from the paper discharge port 12 of the copying machine 4. The paper storage device 18 is connected to the paper outlet 12 of the copying machine 4.
A paper guide 20 provided on the side corresponding to the paper guide, an inclined surface path 22 for sliding the paper downward into the interior, and a protrusion member 24 provided to protrude in the extending direction of the inclined surface path 22 at the paper guide 20. Contains. The slope road 22 is
It is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and a paper storage space is formed between this inclined surface path 22 and both side walls of the paper storage table 2 and a clay wall (not shown). Note that below the inclined surface path 22, there is a stock tray 23 for stocking paper.
is provided. Further, a paper pressing member 25 is provided above the inclined surface path 22. The paper pressing member 25 has one end fixed to the upper part of the paper storage table 2 and is configured to press the paper stored on the inclined surface path 22 by its own weight.

In this example, the lowermost position of the inclined surface path 22 (the innermost part when viewed from the paper entrance 2o) protrudes from the rear wall of the paper storage table 2, and a stopper 26 is fixed to the upper surface thereof. The stopper 26 is made of a plate material, and includes a portion that stands upright with respect to the inclined surface path 22, and an L-shaped bent portion provided at the top of the upright portion. The leading edge of the paper that has descended along the inclined surface path 22 comes into contact with a stopper 26 and is stopped. Above the installation position of the stopper 26 on the slope path 22 (paper entrance 2
A movable stopper means 3o including movable stoppers 28 and 29 is provided at the position (close to 0).

The movable stopper hand 30 will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 as well as FIGS. 2 to 5. Movable stopper means 3
0 includes a shaft 36 rotatably supported by a pair of shaft support plates 32 and 34 fixed to the lower surface side of the inclined surface road 22, and a shaft 3
6 and movable stops 28 and 29 fixed to the slope path 28 and 29 are arranged in an operating position protruding from the slope path 22 so as to block the slope path 22 and in an operating position protruding from the slope path 22 so as to open the slope path 22. The shaft 36 includes operating means 40 for rotating the shaft 36 through a predetermined angle for selectively activating the shaft 36 to an inoperative position housed within the shaft 22 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft support plates 32 and 34 are made of rectangular plates bent into an L-shape, one of which is fixed to the slope road 22 side, and the other is fixed to the shaft support plate 32 and 34.
A hole is formed for rotatably supporting 6. To prevent the shaft 36 from slipping out from the shaft support plates 32 and 34,
A snap ring 38 is press-fitted into the shaft 36.

The shaft 36 extends along the lower side of the inclined surface path 22 in the width direction (the front and back directions of the paper in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the direction in which the paper descends.

The movable stop γ bars 28 and 29 are made of rectangular plates, and their lower ends are fixed to the shaft 36. Each of the stoppers 28 and 29 is provided at a predetermined interval in the axial direction of the shaft 36.

The operating means 40 includes a lever member 42 fixed to an end of the shaft 36, and one end rotatably connected to the lever member 42.
Operation rod 44 with an L-shaped bent portion formed at the other end
Contains. The lever member 42 is formed from a plate material,
One end thereof is fixed to the shaft 36, and the other end is formed with an L-shaped bent part on the side, and the operating rod 4 is attached to this bent part.
A hole is formed to rotatably support 4. L-shaped bent portions 44a and 44b are formed at one end and the other end of the operating rod 44, respectively.
a is rotatably connected to a hole in the lever member 42.

A snap ring 4 is attached to the bent portion 44a to prevent it from coming off.
6 is press-fitted.

A support member 48 is provided near the paper stack 20 on the inclined surface path 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

The base of the support member 48 is formed from a rectangular plate material, and an L-shaped bent portion is formed at the lower end of the support member 48 so as to be inclined in the width direction. This L-shaped bent part is the slope road 22.
By being fixed to the upper surface of the support member 48, the support member 48 is provided substantially in the vertical direction (up and down direction). A long hole 50 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the support member 48, and a lateral bend 50a is formed at the upper end of the long hole (seventh
(see figure).

An L-shaped bent portion 44b formed at the other end of the operating rod 44 is engaged with an elongated hole 50 of the support member 48 so as to be movable along the elongated hole 50.

Holes 52 and 54 are formed at the positions of the movable stoppers 28 and 29 on the inclined surface path 22 to allow the respective stoppers 28 and 29 to protrude (see FIGS. 2, 4, and 5). }.Adjacent to the holes 52 and 54, the ramp path 22
Recesses 56 and 58 are formed in the movable stoppers 28 and 29 for storing the movable stoppers 28 and 29 in the inclined surface path 22 from the protruding position. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ends of recesses 56 and 58 are also the ends of holes 52 and 54.

Although not shown in detail, the slope path 22
Similar holes and recesses are also formed at the lever member 42 installation position. However, even when the lever member 42 is housed in the recess, the bent portion 44a of the lever member 42 protrudes onto the inclined surface path 22. However, this part is slope road 2
There is no problem because it is located at the widthwise end of 2 and is located at a position that does not interfere with the descending paper.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the paper storage device according to the present invention constructed as described above will be explained based mainly on FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIGS. 6 and 7.

1 and 2 show the operating state of the movable stopper means 30 of the paper storage device 18. FIG. The bent portion 44b of the operating rod 44 is engaged with the bent portion 50a at the upper end of the elongated hole 50 of the support member 48, and its position is maintained. The movable stops 28 and 29 project from the ramp path 22 via holes 52 and 54 in the ramp path 22 in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto so as to interrupt the ramp path 22 .

In this operating state, the size of the paper to be transferred by the copying machine 4 is limited to A-1 or A-2 size. The paper whose size has been selected is stored in a cassette 16, for example. When copying (transferring) to this paper, a paper feed/separation roller (not shown) located at the front part of the cassette 16 (right side in Figure 1), U-turn path 16a1, paper feed device 8 After the image is transferred and fixed via the photosensitive drum 6, fixing device 10, etc., it passes through a pair of paper ejection rollers 14, and then from the paper ejection port 12 to the front side of the copying machine 4 (the right side in FIG. 1). , are discharged along the guide G as shown by the arrow.

The ejected paper descends and reaches the protruding member 24 of the paper storage table 2.
can be received by The paper received by the protruding member 24 slides down from the paper sheet 20 along the inclined surface path 22, and is stopped when its leading end comes into contact with movable stoppers 28 and 29 that block the inclined surface path 22. Ru. The paper is stored in the paper storage device 18 at that position. For paper A-1, part of the total length is stored hanging downward from the protruding member 24. Furthermore, the smaller size A2 paper is stored with its rear end located near the end of the protruding member 24. Therefore, the leading edge of the sheets sequentially discharged from the copying machine 4 is always lowered onto the stored sheets.

When copying A-0 size paper, the operating means 40
, the movable stopper 28 of the movable stopper means 30
and 29 are stored in the slope path 22. That is,
The bent portion 44b of the operating rod 44 is moved from the bent portion 50a of the elongated hole 50 of the support member 48 to the lowest position of the elongated hole 50 along it. This movement causes the other bent portion 44a of the operating rod 44 to rotate the lever member 42 together with the shaft 36 by a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Each movable stopper 28 and 29 rotates together with the shaft 36 and is housed in the corresponding recess 56 and 58 of the inclined surface path 22 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). In this stored state, the upper surface of each movable stopper 28 and 29 is parallel to the inclined surface path 22 and is positioned so as not to protrude from the inclined surface path 22, as shown in FIG.

That is, the slope path 22 is opened.

The A10 size paper discharged from the paper discharge port l2 of the copying machine 4 is guided by a guide G and descends. The descending paper is received by the protruding member 24 in the same manner as described above, and slides down from the paper stack 2o along the inclined surface path 22. The leading edge of the paper abuts against the stopper 26 and the descent is stopped. A-0 size paper is stored in the paper storage device 1 with a portion of the paper hanging downward from the tip of the protruding member 24.
8 is stored. Each time a copy is made, such a storage operation is automatically performed one after another.

When copying A-1 or A-2 size paper again, the bent portion 44b of the operating rod 44 is moved upward along the elongated hole 50 of the support member 48 to remove the bent portion 50.
Fit it into a. The movable stoppers 28 and 29 are rotated together with the shaft 36 in the opposite direction, and are projected from the inclined surface path 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the invention described above based on one embodiment,
The following effects can be obtained.

(1) A movable stopper is provided at the upstream position of the stopper provided at the lowest position on the inclined surface path, so it can be used not only for large size paper such as A-0 but also for smaller size A-1. Or even when using A-2 paper,
In either case, a paper storage device that can reliably store paper can be obtained.

(2) Since the length of the inclined surface path in the longitudinal direction does not need to be longer than necessary, the paper storage table can be made compact.

Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the movable stopper means is configured to be manually operated directly by the operating means, but this can also be done by operating a switch. in particular,
Lever member 42 fixed to the end of shaft 36 and ramp path 2
It is conceivable to provide a solenoid directly or indirectly between the paper storage table 2 or the paper storage table 2. Solenoid ON,
Due to the OFF operation, the shaft 36 is rotated by a predetermined angle via the lever member 42, and the movable stoppers 28 and 29 can be selectively moved to the above-mentioned activated and non-activated positions.

The movable stoppers 28 and 29 have an operating position in which the inclined surface path 22 is blocked so as to stop the sheet from sliding down at that position, and an inoperative position in which the inclined surface path 22 is opened so as to allow the sheet to slide downward. It is configured to be selectively activated. This configuration is also not limited to the above embodiment.

Specifically, the movable stoppers 28 and 29
An axis located above and away from 2 (sleeve corresponding to axis 36)
A modification supported by the following can be considered. According to this variant, in the operating position of the movable stops 28 and 29, the movable stops 28 and 29 are rotated downward by the operating means about an axis located above and away from the inclined surface path 22. . On the inclined surface path 22, so as not to impede the rotational movement of the tips of the movable stoppers 28 and 29,
Appropriate holes are formed. Therefore, in the same operating position, the movable stops 28 and 29 are positioned perpendicular to the inclined surface path 22, with their tips projecting into the interior of the inclined surface path 22 through the holes thereof.

When the movable stoppers 28 and 29 are rotated downward, their tips are located close to the upper surface of the inclined surface path 22, and if an appropriate sealing means is provided between them to make the gap substantially zero, the inclined surface Said holes in the surface channel 22 are not necessary. In these operating positions, the inclined surface path 22 is connected to the movable stop 2
8 and 29, the sheet sliding down from above the inclined surface path 22 comes to a stop when its leading edge comes into contact with the movable stoppers 28 and 29.

In the inactive position of the movable stops 28 and 29, the movable stops 28 and 29 are rotated by the operating means in the opposite direction upwards about an axis located above and away from the ramp path 22. . Therefore, in the same operating position, the movable stops 28 and 29
is held in an upper position away from the The inclined surface path 22 is opened, and the paper that has slid down from above the inclined surface path 22 slides further downward without stopping.

In the above example, two movable stoppers 28 and 29 are used, but the number may be i or three or more.

In one example, the width of the ramp path 22 must be long enough for the sliding sheet to stop and be stocked.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a copying machine equipped with an embodiment of a paper storage device constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing main parts of the paper storage device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of the movable stopper means. FIG. 4 is a top view of a part of the slope road shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-1 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is another operating mode diagram of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is another operating mode diagram of FIG. 2. 2...Paper storage table 4...Electrostatic copying machine 12...Paper outlet 18...Paper storage device 20...Paper inlet 22... - Inclined surface path 24... Protruding member 26... Stoppers 28, 29... Movable stopper 30... Movable stopper hand 40... Operating means 44... Operation rod 48... Support member 50... Elongated holes 52, 54... Holes 56, 58... Recessed portion

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The paper storage table on which the surface image forming device is arranged includes:
A paper storage device is provided for storing paper ejected from the image forming device, and the paper storage device has a paper inlet provided on a side corresponding to the paper ejection port of the image forming device, and a paper storage device that stores the paper inside. It includes an inclined surface path to be slid down, and a protruding member provided at the paper inlet portion so as to protrude in the extending direction of the inclined surface path, and the leading edge of the sheet that has been slid down is located at the lowest position of the inclined surface path. A stopper is provided that stops when it hits the slope, and movable stop means including a movable stopper is provided at a position above the stopper installation position of the slope path, and the movable stopper is in an operating position that blocks the slope path. and a non-operating position that opens the inclined surface path. 2. The movable stopper means includes a shaft rotatably supported on the lower surface side of the inclined surface path, the movable stopper fixed to the shaft, and the movable stopper selected between the operating position and the non-operating position. an operating means for rotating the shaft by a predetermined angle in order to operate the shaft, and the inclined surface path includes a hole for allowing the movable stopper to protrude to interrupt the inclined surface path; 2. The paper storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a recess for storing the movable stopper from the protruding position into the inclined surface path so as to open the inclined surface path. 3. The operating means includes a lever member fixed to an end of the shaft, and an operating rod having one end rotatably connected to the lever member and an L-shaped bent portion formed at the other end,
A support member is provided at the paper inlet portion of the inclined surface path, and a long hole extending in the vertical direction is formed in the support member, and the bent portion of the operating rod can move along the long hole. 3. The paper storage device according to claim 2, wherein the paper storage device is engaged in the following manner. 4. The paper storage according to claim 3, wherein a horizontally bent portion is formed at the upper end of the elongated hole in order to maintain the engagement position of the bent portion of the operating rod at the same position. Device.