JPH0627776U - Paper edge control device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a sheet end face regulating device for regulating the side end faces of the sheets on the sheet stacking means, the regulating member can be easily assembled and the cost can be reduced. Minimize wear due to contact with. [Structure] Three side regulating members 15 are vertically arranged on a bottom surface 11a of the cassette case 11 while being arranged in a line along the sheet feeding direction, three on each of the left and right sides of the cassette case 11. A cylindrical roller 15c is rotatably attached to a shaft that can be attached to and detached from the bottom surface 11a, and the peripheral surface of the roller 15c serves as a contact portion with the sheet side edge. At the side end of the bottom plate 13, a side regulating member 15
A small cutout 13a is formed to avoid contact with the cutout 13a. Further, in a portion closer to the center than the cutout 13a, a long hole through which the side regulating member 15 can penetrate at a position corresponding to a small paper size. 13b is provided.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention is mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a printer device, a copier, or a facsimile device that uses a paper of a predetermined size, and the stacked paper on the paper stacking means is provided to enable stable paper feeding from the paper stacking means. Concerning the paper edge control device that regulates the side edge of the paper.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, as a sheet stacking unit used in an image forming apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, as shown in FIGS. A paper feed cassette that is attached to the paper and sequentially feeds paper is widely known. In addition, although a tray type and a manual feeding stand are also known as the sheet stacking means, the cassette type will be described here as an example. In any case, since various sheet sizes are required in such sheet stacking means, as shown in FIG. 4, the side regulating plate 2 as a regulating member for the sheet end surface is provided in the cassette case 1. By fixing or removably attaching to the bottom surface 1a, the end faces of the sheets are aligned. The side regulating plate 2 is generally formed by bending a plate-like member into an L-shape or the like, and the end face of the sheet is regulated by the standing face 2a. It is also known that the standing surface 2a is provided with ribs 2b in order to reduce friction generated between the end surfaces.

[0003]

[Problems of conventional technology]

 When it is intended to support several kinds of paper sizes with one paper feed cassette, a conventional regulation member such as the side regulation plate 2 shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the bottom surface 1a of the cassette case 1 for assembly. It was difficult to make, and the material was large and expensive. Moreover, since it is necessary to move the mounting position of the side regulation plate 2 in the paper width direction according to the paper size, the notch that is largely inserted in the paper width direction is formed in the bottom plate 3 for directly mounting the paper. 3a must be formed, and as a result, there is a problem that the bottom plate 3 is weakened in strength and easily distorted.

Further, when the side regulating plate 2 is made of sheet metal, it is not easy to process the ribs 2b. However, when it is made of a material such as plastic that is easy to process, the ribs 2b are easily worn locally. There was a problem. Such wear occurs because the contact area between the sheet-side end and the rib 2b is always the same. If uneven wear occurs on the surface of the rib 2b as described above, the unevenness of the paper causes the paper to be caught, misaligned, and the like, resulting in a problem that the stability at the time of paper feeding is impaired.

[0005]

[The purpose of the device]

 In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention makes it easy to assemble the regulation member and can reduce the price. Furthermore, even when the regulation member is made of plastic or the like, the end portion on the sheet side is formed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet end surface regulating device that prevents abrasion due to contact with a sheet as much as possible and enables stable sheet feeding.

[0006]

[Key points of the device]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a sheet end surface regulating device provided with a regulating member for abutting and aligning one side of a sheet stacked on a sheet stacking means and fed in a predetermined direction. And a detachable engagement portion for the sheet stacking means, and a cylindrical contact portion having a peripheral surface as a sheet contact portion, and at least two of them are arranged along one side surface of the sheet. And

[0007]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paper feed cassette equipped with a paper edge regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This paper feed cassette has a bottom plate 13 which is rotatable within a predetermined angle range with a support shaft 12 as a fulcrum inside a cassette case 11 having a housing shape similar to the conventional one, and regulates the end face of the paper. As the regulating members, a trailing edge regulating plate 14 that regulates the trailing edge of the sheet, and a plurality of side regulating members 15 that regulates the edge side of the sheet are erected on the bottom surface 11a of the cassette case 11.

Here, the side regulating members 15 according to the present embodiment are arranged vertically on the left and right sides of the cassette case 11 while being arranged in a line along the sheet feeding direction, three each. As shown in detail in FIG. 2, each has a shaft 15b as an engaging portion which can be fixed by inserting one end into an insert nut 15a fitted and fixed in a hole 11b provided in the bottom surface 11a, and the shaft 15b. It is composed of a cylindrical roller 15c that is rotatably attached as a cylindrical contact portion, and an E ring 15d that is fitted into the other end of the shaft 15b and that prevents the roller 15c from coming off from the shaft 15b. The peripheral surface of the roller 15c serves as a contact portion with the sheet side edge.

Further, a cutout 13a that is small enough to avoid contact with the side regulating member 15 is formed at a side end portion of the bottom plate 13, and a portion closer to the center in the paper width direction than the cutout 13a is formed. Each of the side regulating members 15 is provided with a long hole 13b through which the side regulating member 15 can penetrate, at a position corresponding to a small sheet size and corresponding to each side regulating member 15. Further, although not shown in the drawing, an insert nut similar to the insert nut 15a shown in FIG. 2 is provided at a position corresponding to each long hole 13b on the bottom surface 11a, and the side regulating member 15 is provided there. One end of the shaft 15b can be inserted and fixed.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, in order to stand the side regulating member 15 on the bottom surface 11a of the cassette case 11, one end of the shaft 15b is inserted into the insert nut 15a as shown in FIG. Assembling at the time of manufacturing is very simple, as long as it is fixed and then the roller 15c is attached to the shaft 15b. When changing the paper size, it suffices to change the fixing position of each side regulating member 15 according to the paper size. For example, after pulling out the side regulating member 15 from the position shown in FIG. Since it only has to be reinserted into the insert nut (not shown) underneath, it can be easily performed by general users. Moreover, since each side regulating member 15 has a simple structure in which a cylindrical roller 15c is attached to most of the shaft 15b, the material is not large and an inexpensive member can be obtained. If it is desired to accommodate a larger paper size, a long hole similar to the long hole 13b may be further provided at a position corresponding to the paper size.

Further, since each side regulating member 15 is much smaller than the conventional side regulating plate 2 having a plate shape as shown in FIG. 4, it is necessary to cope with several kinds of paper sizes. As shown in FIG. 1, it is only necessary to provide the bottom plate 13 with a small long hole 13b through which the rollers 15c pass, and the large notch 3a shown in FIG. 4 is not required. Therefore, the strength of the bottom plate 13 is increased as compared with the conventional one.

Further, since the roller 15c is rotatably attached to the shaft 15b, the roller 15c rotates little by little due to the contact with the end face of the paper when storing the paper in the cassette or feeding the paper. Therefore, the contact position of the roller 15c with the paper-side end surface is likely to change. Therefore, even if the roller 15c is made of a material such as plastic that is easy to process, wear due to contact with the paper end surface should be suppressed as much as possible. As a result, the life of the regulating member can be extended and the load on the side edge of the sheet can be reduced. However, since the rollers 15c easily rotate during the paper feeding as described above, the paper feeding can be performed smoothly and the stable paper feeding can be performed.

The restriction member according to the present invention is not limited to the structure of the side restriction member 15 shown in FIG. Various types of structures can be adopted as long as they are composed of a cylindrical contact portion whose peripheral surface is in contact with the sheet side end. For example, like the side regulating member 16 shown in FIG. 3, a shaft 16a having a rocking support structure that can be fitted into the bottom surface 11a with one touch may be used as the engaging portion. It is also possible to use a structure in which a plurality of small rollers 16b are stacked so that one cylindrical roller is divided in the height direction. When a plurality of small rollers 16b are used in this way, each roller 16b can be rotated with a lighter force than in the case of one large roller 15c as shown in FIG. The contact position with the end face is also more likely to change, and thus wear can be prevented more effectively. However, in this case, it is easy to assume that the paper will get stuck in the gap between the adjacent rollers, and the gap will be almost in the horizontal plane. Since it faces diagonally upward along the surface (the same as the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5), there is no risk of jamming as described above.

Although FIG. 1 shows a case where three side regulating members 15 are arranged along the side end surface of the sheet, regulation of the sheet side end surface is possible if at least two side regulating members 15 are arranged. Is.

Further, the rollers 15c and 16b as the cylindrical contact portions do not necessarily have to be rotatable, and may be fixed so as not to be rotatable. Even in this case, the assembling effect and the strength effect of the bottom plate 13 can be obtained in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

In addition, in the above embodiments, the case where the paper feed cassette is used as the paper stacking means has been shown, but the present invention uses, for example, a tray type or a manual feed tray, in addition to the paper feed cassette. It is also widely applicable to things.

[0017]

[Effect of device]

 According to the present invention, since the regulating member can be easily set upright with respect to the sheet stacking means, the assembly at the time of manufacturing can be performed very easily. Further, when changing the paper size, not only is it necessary to change the standing position of the regulating member according to the paper size, but also since the regulating member can be easily attached and detached, even a general user can easily perform it.

Further, each regulation member has a simple structure including an engaging portion and a cylindrical abutting portion, so that it does not require a large material, and thus the cost can be reduced. Moreover, since each regulation member is much smaller than the conventional plate-shaped regulation member, in order to accommodate several kinds of paper sizes in the case of the one having the bottom plate as shown in FIG. It is not necessary to provide a large notch in the bottom plate as in the above, but it is sufficient to simply provide a small hole through which the cylindrical contact portion passes. Therefore, the strength of the bottom plate can be increased as compared with the conventional one.

Further, since the columnar contact portion can be rotatably attached, in this case, the columnar contact portion can be used when the sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit or when the sheet is fed. Since the peripheral surface of the paper rotates little by little when it comes into contact with the paper-side end surface, the contact position of the cylindrical contact portion with the paper-side end surface tends to change, so the cylindrical contact portion can be made of a material such as plastic that is easy to machine. Even when it is manufactured, abrasion due to contact with the end surface of the paper can be suppressed as much as possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paper feed cassette including a paper edge surface regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing in detail a configuration of a side regulating member according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing in detail the structure of a side regulating member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding cassette including a conventional sheet edge surface regulating device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the conventional paper feed cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 cassette case 11a bottom surface 13 bottom plate 13b long hole 15 side regulating member 15b shaft 15c roller 16 side regulating member 16a shaft 16b roller

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A sheet end surface regulating device comprising a regulating member for abutting and aligning one side surface of sheets stacked on a sheet stacking unit and fed in a predetermined direction, wherein the regulating member is detachable from the sheet stacking unit. A sheet end surface regulating device, characterized in that it is provided with at least two engaging portions and a cylindrical contact portion having a peripheral surface as a sheet contact portion, and is arranged along one side surface of the sheet. 2. The sheet edge surface regulating device according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical contact portion is rotatably provided.