JPH07157110A - Feeding device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a cassette easily handled by an operator without disturbing a carrying guide when the cassette is attached/detached by supporting a lower stage sheet material carrying guide freely movably in a position not disturbing attaching/detaching of a sheet material cassette to/from a sheet material cassette housing part. CONSTITUTION:One sheet of recording paper delivered from a lower cassette 22 by a paper feeding roller 20 is guided by an inclinable guide 12 as a lower stage sheet carrying guide and the recording paper is led to a guide 14 for guiding it to a carrying roller 10. Further, without disturbing pulling-out and inserting of the cassettes 21 and 22, the guide 12 is freely rotatably supported by a fulcrum 13 provided on the bottom plate part 16 of a device main body 1 and made capable of falling to a specified position. Thus, a cassette easily handled by an operator can be obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device applied to a recording device such as a copying machine, a printer or a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus in which a plurality of cassettes can be mounted, as shown in FIG. 2, an upper cassette 121 and a lower cassette 122 are mounted on the outside of a main body 101 of the apparatus, and a paper feed roller 120 is installed. The uppermost sheet material of the cassettes 121 and 122 is fed out, and is transported by the transport roller 110 to a printing position (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows an example of Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 4-27138. In FIG. 3, cassettes 121 and 122 may be vertically arranged at the bottom of the apparatus main body 101, and may be attached to the apparatus main body 101 from the left side of the drawing. In this case, the sheet from the lower cassette 122 passes through the transport guide 117 provided in the upper cassette 121, is transported to the transport roller 110, and is further transported to the printing unit (not shown) by the transport roller 110. ing.

[0004]

However, the above conventional example has the following problems.

First, in the case of FIG. 2, a large installation space is required because the cassettes 121 and 122 to be mounted are projected from the apparatus main body 101.

In the case of FIG. 3, the upper cassette 121
Since the sheet conveyance guide 117 is provided in the cassette, the cassette itself becomes large in size, which increases the cost of the cassette body, and especially when the cassettes 121 and 122 are mounted, the upper cassette 121 is provided with the conveyance guide 117. , It is difficult for the user to handle.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide at low cost a feeding device having a cassette which can be easily handled by a user.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of sheet material cassette accommodating portions which are vertically arranged at a lower portion of an apparatus main body and a plurality of detachable sheet material cassettes are provided. Feeding means for feeding the sheet materials stored in the sheet material cassette one by one to the side where the sheet material cassette is attached and detached, and the sheet material fed from the sheet material cassette to the printing position A conveying means, an upper sheet material conveying guide for guiding the sheet material fed from the upper sheet material cassette to the conveying means, and a sheet material fed from the lower sheet material cassette to the conveying means A lower sheet material conveyance guide for
The lower sheet material conveying guide is movably supported at a position that does not hinder the attachment and detachment of the sheet material cassette to and from the sheet material cassette housing portion.

Further, the upper and lower stages may be separable.

[0010]

In the sheet feeding device constructed as described above, the lower sheet material conveying guide is movably supported at a position where it does not interfere with the attachment / detachment of the sheet material cassette to / from the sheet material cassette housing portion. The transport guide does not get in the way when attaching and detaching.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a main sectional view of an apparatus main body 1 of a copying machine having a feeding device according to the present invention. The apparatus body 1 has a front surface on the left side in FIG.

An image reading unit 2 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1, and a sensor unit 3 scans the reading unit 4 in the left-right direction to read an image of a certain width, and the reading unit 4 makes a sheet material. By scanning in the direction perpendicular to the recording paper surface, the image on the original surface pressed on the original table 5 by the pressure plate 6 is read.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an image recording section, which is an upper cassette storage section 2.
3, the inkjet recording head 1 is provided on the recording paper supplied from the upper cassette 21 stored in the upper cassette 21 or the lower cassette 22 stored in the lower cassette storage 24 and conveyed by a constant width by the conveying roller 10 as a conveying unit.
The image read by the image reading unit 2 is recorded by scanning 5 in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording paper, and then the recording paper is discharged to the left side in the drawing by the discharge roller 11.

For example, the upper cassette 21 is loaded with A4 size recording paper, the lower cassette 22 is loaded with A3 size recording paper, and is loaded from the front of the apparatus, that is, from the left side in FIG. . Then, the recording paper of the upper cassette 21 is conveyed to the conveying roller 10 from the upper cassette 21 by the paper feeding roller 20 as a feeding means, through the guide 14 which is the upper sheet material conveying guide. Further, the recording paper in the lower cassette 22 is conveyed to the conveying roller 10 from the lower cassette 22 by a paper feed roller 20 as a feeding means, a folding guide 12 as a lower sheet conveying guide, and a guide 14. It The tiltable guide 12 moves from the lower cassette 22 to the paper feed roller 20.
It is shaped so as to guide the recording paper fed out by one sheet and to guide it to the guide 14 which guides it to the conveying roller 10. Further, it is rotatably supported by a fulcrum 13 provided on the bottom plate portion 16 of the apparatus main body 1 so as not to get in the way of the cassettes 21 and 22 that are inserted and removed from the left side in the figure, and up to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It has a structure that allows it to collapse.

Therefore, when the cassettes 21 and 22 are mounted on the apparatus main body 1, the user tilts the tiltable guide 12 to the left side (as indicated by the chain double-dashed line) in the figure, and then the cassettes 21 and 22.
Is inserted into the mounting portion and the retractable guide 12 is returned to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. When the cassettes 21 and 22 are pulled out from the apparatus main body 1 due to a shortage of recording paper or the like, first the tiltable guide 12 is brought down to the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1, and then the cassettes 21 and 22 are pulled out from the apparatus main body 1. Can be used.

With this structure, the cassette 21,
The guide is not obstructed when the 22 is attached or detached, and provides a cassette that is easy to handle.

In this embodiment, the transport guide is the retractable guide 12, and the fulcrum 13 is rotated about the axis. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the removable guide may be slid. The configuration may be used as long as it does not obstruct the transport guide when the cassette is attached and detached.

(Other Embodiments) By providing a structure in which the upper cassette storage portion 23 and the lower cassette storage portion 24 shown in FIG. 1 can be separated from each other, the user first of all, the apparatus main body 1 and the upper cassette storage portion 23, It is possible to purchase only the part that accompanies it, and purchase and add the lower cassette storage section 24 and the part that accompanies it as needed, and it is possible to broaden the range of choices by the user.

[0020]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure and operation, the lower sheet material conveying guide is movably supported at a position that does not prevent the sheet material cassette from being attached to and detached from the sheet material cassette accommodating portion. Therefore, when the cassette is attached or detached, the transport guide does not become a hindrance, and the cassette is easy for the user to handle.

Further, unlike the conventional case, since the cassette is not provided with the conveyance guide, the cassette can be miniaturized, the main body of the apparatus can be miniaturized, and the feeder can be provided with a simple structure and at a low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus to which a feeding device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a conventional feeding device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a conventional feeding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 101 Device Main Body 10 Conveying Rollers (Conveying Means) 12 Inclinable Guides (Lower Sheet Material Conveying Guides) 13 Supports 14 Guides (Upper Sheet Material Conveying Guides) 20, 120 Paper Feeding Rollers (Feeding Means) 21, 121 Upper cassette 22,122 Lower cassette 23 Upper cassette storage 24 Lower cassette storage

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of sheet material cassette accommodating portions arranged above and below a main body of the apparatus, a plurality of removable sheet material cassettes, and one sheet material accommodated in each of the sheet material cassettes. A feeding unit that feeds the cassette to the side where the cassette is attached and detached, a conveying unit that conveys the sheet material fed from the sheet material cassette to the printing position, and the sheet material fed from the upper sheet material cassette. A lower sheet material conveying guide for guiding the sheet material fed from the lower sheet material cassette to the conveying means; The material feeding guide is movably supported at a position where it does not interfere with the attachment / detachment of the sheet material cassette to / from the sheet material cassette housing portion. 2. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the upper stage and the lower stage are separable. 3. An image forming apparatus having the feeding device according to claim 1.