JPH07117868A - Paper supply cassette storage structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a paper supply cassette storage structure which can prevent mounting and dismounting operations of a paper supply cassette from becoming complex due to the fact that the direction of mounting and dismounting of a recording paper storage section such as the paper supply cassette for an image forming device is one direction. CONSTITUTION:In an image forming device 1 provided with a storage recessed section 2 for mounting a paper supply cassette 3 in which recording paper is stored in such a way that it can be mounted and dismounted freely, guide grooves 5, 6 which extend in the forward and backward directions or the right and left directions are provided on either of an inner bottom face 2a of the storage recessed section and an outer bottom face 3a of the paper supply cassette, a projection section which fits in the guide grooves is provided on the other face, and the projection section is energized in such a way that it protrudes elastically from the bottom face.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a storage structure for a paper feed cassette or the like in an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a paper feed cassette or the like in which attachment / detachment of the paper feed cassette or the like is possible from two directions of the image forming apparatus. Regarding storage structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer or a facsimile machine has a paper feed cassette or a paper feed tray (hereinafter referred to as a paper feed cassette) containing a large number of recording papers.
Is generally detachably mounted, and image formation is performed by taking out the recording papers stored in a paper feed cassette or the like one by one and feeding them to a printing unit. by the way,
The image forming apparatus has been downsized due to the demands for downsizing and space saving, and is often installed on a desk or other narrow space in an office or the like. Since the equipment installed in such a narrow space has other equipment and articles such as documents closely arranged on the periphery of the equipment, it is often difficult to secure a space for attaching and detaching a paper feed cassette or the like.
In particular, since the attachment / detachment direction of the sheet feeding cassette and the like in the conventional image forming apparatus is set to one direction, if there is an obstacle in the attachment / detachment direction, the attachment / detachment work becomes extremely troublesome.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to prevent complication of the attaching / detaching operation due to the one-way attachment / detachment direction of the recording sheet storage unit such as the sheet feeding cassette to the image forming apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage structure such as a paper feed cassette capable of performing

[0004]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a storage recess for detachably mounting a paper feed cassette or the like for storing recording paper. A guide groove extending in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction is provided on either the bottom surface or the outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette, and the other is provided with a convex portion that fits into the guide groove. In the image forming apparatus that is biased so as to elastically project from the bottom surface and has a storage recess for detachably mounting a paper feed cassette or the like for storing recording paper, in the storage recess, A hemispherical concave portion is provided on either the inner bottom surface or the outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette or the like, and a convex portion that fits into the concave portion is provided on the other, and the convex portion elastically projects from the bottom surface. The inner bottom surface of the storage recess, or the outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette, etc. A ball bearing is rotatably supported on either one of the guide grooves or the convex portion according to claim 1, or a permanent magnet is used for either the recess or the convex portion according to claim 2. The other is that a magnetic material is used.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. 1 and 2 are external perspective views showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus having a storage structure of the present invention.
(a) and (b) are a plan view showing a storage structure on the image forming apparatus side and a perspective view on the sheet feeding cassette side. Further, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a biasing structure of the convex portion.

The image forming apparatus 1 is formed with a storage recess 2 extending over two adjacent side surfaces, and a recording paper storage means (such as a paper feed cassette or a paper feed tray) for the storage recess 2 ( Hereinafter, a paper feed cassette or the like) 3 is configured to be attachable / detachable from two directions, the front and the left. For example, the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 3 is open, and the paper is fed from the uppermost paper of the stored recording paper bundle. When such a paper feed cassette 3 is used, the inner bottom surface 2 of the storage recess 2 is
The storage structure of the present invention is provided on each of the a and the outer bottom surface 3a of the paper feed cassette 3 or the like. Here, for convenience of description, the openings of the storage recess 2 are provided on the front surface and the left side surface of the device, but this is only an example, and the openings may be provided on the front surface and the right side surface.

The storage structure of this embodiment comprises guide grooves 5 and 6 formed on the inner bottom surface 2a of the storage recess 2 and a convex portion 7 formed on the outer bottom surface 3a of the paper feed cassette 3 or the like. . One of the guide grooves 5 is a groove that extends from the front to the rear of the device in an immediately preceding shape. The outer end of each groove 5 terminates at the front opening of the storage recess 2 and the inner end thereof stores the storage recess. It terminates in the proper place inside 2. The projections 7 (7a to 7d) on the bottom surface of the paper feed cassette 3 are slidably engaged with the respective front-rear guide grooves 5 to smoothly receive a guide when the paper feed cassette 3 is attached and detached in the front-rear direction. The attachment / detachment operation will be performed. The number of guide grooves may be any number as long as it is two or more,
Two parallel grooves are usually sufficient. The other guide groove 6 extends in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction guide groove 5.
It is a groove of a book, the outer end of which terminates in the left opening of the storage recess 2 and the inner end of which terminates in a suitable location inside the storage recess.
The convex portion 7 on the side of the sheet feeding cassette is engaged with the guide groove 6 in the left-right direction to receive the guide.

When the paper feed cassette 3 or the like is completely mounted in the storage recess 2 along the guide groove 5 or 6, the projections 7a to 7b are provided at the time of completion in order to position the completion position. Recesses 8a to 8d are formed at appropriate positions (bottom surface in the groove). The shapes of the respective convex portions 7a to 7b are different to prevent erroneous mounting, and the shapes of the concave portions 8a to 8d corresponding to the respective convex portions are of course also different. As another method of positioning, a magnet and a magnetic body may be provided on the side surface of the paper feed cassette and the inner wall of the storage recess, respectively, and the both may be attracted to perform the positioning.

The convex portion 7 has, for example, an elastic projecting piece 10 supported as shown in a hole 3a 'provided on the bottom surface 3a of the sheet feeding cassette 3 or the like, and elastic biasing means such as a leaf spring inside the bottom surface 3a. Alternatively, the elastic member 11 may be elastically biased so as to project to the outside. That is, the elastic projection piece 10 engages with the guide grooves 5 and 6, and the outer portion 10a and the deformable portion 10b which is inserted into the inside through the opening 3a 'and is supported on the back surface of the bottom plate 3a.
In addition to its own elastic deformation function, the elastic urging means 11 can move in and out by a force generated by constantly elastically urging the deformable portion 10b outward. It is preferable that the corners and the like of the outer side portion 10a are configured to have a proper inclination or curve so that a smooth attachment / detachment operation can be performed. The elastic protrusions 10 forming the protrusions are made of resin or metal, for example. In this case, one of the elastic protrusion 10 and the recesses 8a to 8d may be made of a magnet, and the other may be made of a magnetic material. Further, if a ball bearing is embedded in the surface of the elastic projection 10 so as to be rollable, the movement of the cassette becomes smoother. Alternatively, a ball bearing may be rotatably embedded in the bottom surface instead of the elastic protrusion.

In the drawings, the groove is provided in the storage recess on the device side and the convex portion is provided in the paper feeding cassette or the like, but this may be reversed. According to this embodiment, the paper feed cassette and the like can be attached and detached not only from the front side of the device but also from the side, so that the paper feed cassette and the like can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus arranged in a narrow space. In this case, by changing the mounting direction, the attachment / detachment work can be easily performed even if there is an obstacle, which is convenient and the utility value of the device can be increased.

Next, FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are an external perspective view showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention and a perspective view showing the bottom configuration of the sheet feeding cassette and the like, and FIG. 6 (a). 7 (b) is a plan view showing a mounted state, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of the convex portion. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a positioning concave portion 20 and a convex portion 21 are provided in place of the guide grooves 5 and 6 and the paper feeding cassette is positioned by fitting them. The difference is that it is done. That is, the recesses 20 (20a to 20d) are hemispherical recesses formed on the inner bottom surface 2a of the storage recess 2, and the outer bottom surface 3a of the sheet feeding cassette 3 corresponds to the recesses 20a to 20d. Hemispherical convex portions 21 (21a to 21d) are formed. As shown in FIG. 7, each of the convex portions 21a to 21b has an elastic biasing member 1
1 and an elastic projection piece 10 that is urged outward by an elastic member 11. The configuration is the same as that shown in FIG. 4 except that the outer portion 10a has a hemispherical shape. In addition, either one of the elastic protrusion 10 and the recess 20 is formed of a magnet,
If the other is made of a magnetic material, the positioning becomes more reliable.

Unlike the first embodiment, this embodiment does not have a guide groove, so that the paper cassette or the like can be freely mounted within a range of 90 degrees. In addition, since the positioning can be performed by the concave portion and the protruding portion even without the guide rail, there is an advantage that the positioning can be surely performed while mounting from any direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the concave portion is provided on the storage concave side and the convex portion is provided on the paper feeding cassette side, but this may be reversed.

FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show a modification of the second embodiment, in which a recess 20c located at the inner corner is provided with a positioning projection 25 having the shape shown in FIG. 6 (a). Therefore, even when the convex portion 21c enters from any direction,
Positioning of the cassette becomes easier and more reliable. Figure (b)
Is a storage structure having a hemispherical concave portion 20 and a convex portion 21, respectively, and a positioning protrusion 25 having a shape as shown in the drawing.
By providing the edge portion 25a of the positioning protrusion 25 regardless of the direction in which the convex portion 21 enters.
By being guided by, it is possible to accurately guide and fit into the recess 2.

By the way, the four recesses forming the positioning recesses 8a to 8d and the positioning recesses 20a to 20d of the above-described embodiments respectively have different shapes (sizes) to prevent erroneous mounting. However, in the first embodiment, the concave portion 8a is the convex portion 7a, and the concave portion 8b is the convex portion 7b.
..These are fitted together, and in the second embodiment, recesses 20a
When the concave portion 20b is fitted into the convex portion 21a, the concave portion 20b is fitted into the convex portion 21b, ... For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, if all four recesses have the same size, when the paper feed cassette is mounted from the left side, when the projection 7c passes over the recess 8a. It fits in the recess 8a,
Although there is a possibility that the concave portion 8c cannot be reached, if the concave portion 8a is set small, there is no possibility that the convex portion 7c will fit into the concave portion 8a. Here, the relationship between the recesses 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d may be 8c> 8a, 8d> 8b. That is, it is effective to prevent erroneous mounting by reducing the diameter of the recess near the opening on the insertion side. Further, if a ball bearing is embedded in the surface of the elastic projection 10 so as to be rollable, the movement of the cassette becomes smoother. Alternatively, a ball bearing may be rotatably embedded instead of the elastic protrusion.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the attaching / detaching operation from being complicated because the attaching / detaching direction of the recording sheet storage unit such as the sheet feeding cassette to the image forming apparatus is unique. That is, since a guide groove that is orthogonal to either the inner bottom surface of the storage recess on the image forming apparatus side or the outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette is provided, and the convex portion that fits with the guide groove is provided on the other end, The cassette can be attached to and detached from the device from two directions. Since the protrusion has an elastic force, it is possible to realize a reliable positioning with a click feeling when it is fitted in the recess, and it is easy to remove it. In addition, since a plurality of or one recess is provided on either the inner bottom surface of the storage recess on the image forming apparatus side or the outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette, and the other projection is provided to fit with the recess, The cassette can be attached to and detached from the device from any direction within a range of 90 degrees.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus having a storage structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus having a storage structure of the present invention.

3A and 3B are a plan view showing a storage structure on the image forming apparatus side and a perspective view on the sheet feeding cassette side.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a biasing structure of a convex portion.

5A and 5B are an external perspective view showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention and a perspective view showing a bottom configuration of a sheet feeding cassette and the like.

6A and 6B are plan views showing a mounted state.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a convex portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 image forming apparatus, 2 storage recess, 2a inner bottom surface, 3
Paper cassette, etc. 3a Outer bottom surface 5, 6 Guide groove, 7
(7a-7b) Convex part, 8 (8a-8d) Concave part, 10
Elastic protrusion, 11 Elastic biasing means, 20 (20a to 20)
d) Positioning concave portion, 21 (21a to 21d) convex portion,

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having a storage recess for detachably mounting a paper feed cassette or the like for storing recording paper, wherein an inner bottom surface of the storage recess or an outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette or the like. One of them is provided with a guide groove extending in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, and the other is provided with a convex portion that fits into the guide groove, and the convex portion is attached so as to elastically protrude from the bottom surface. Storage structure for paper feed cassettes, etc. characterized by being energized. 2. An image forming apparatus having a storage recess for detachably mounting a paper feed cassette or the like for storing recording paper, wherein an inner bottom surface of the storage recess or an outer bottom surface of the paper feed cassette or the like is provided. One of which is provided with a hemispherical concave portion, and the other is provided with a convex portion that fits into the concave portion, and the convex portion is urged to elastically project from the bottom surface. Storage structure for paper cassettes, etc. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a ball bearing is rotatably supported on either the inner bottom face of the storage recess or the outer bottom face of a paper feed cassette or the like. Storage structure for cassettes, etc. 4. A permanent magnet is used for either one of the guide groove or the convex portion of claim 1 or a concave portion or the convex portion of claim 2, and a magnetic material is used for the other. Storage structure for characteristic paper cassettes.