JPH072412A - Sheet processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a sheet processor of a facsimile device or the sheet processor of a printer and the like, in which each tray is provided on the upper part of a device main body so that the setting space of the device is reduced, and which has a structure in which a sheet on the tray is easily seen. CONSTITUTION:A sheet processor is provided with a device main body 1 for processing sheets fed thereto, a feeding tray 3, which is provided on the upper surface of the device main body 1, and by which sheets are deposited and are fed to the device main body, and a discharge tray 5, which is provided in the rear of the feeding tray 3, and by which a sheet S discharged from the device main body 1 is received. The feeding tray 3 and the discharge tray 5 are set in the relationship in which the discharge tray 5 is seen from the feeding tray 3 from the front.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is for reading an image from a sheet original, such as a facsimile machine or printer.
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that forms an image on a blank sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In such a sheet processing apparatus, a paper feed tray for feeding original sheets and a discharge tray for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus body can be concentrated on the upper or lower part of the apparatus body. It is preferable for reducing the installation area. Further, in order to allow the user to easily handle the sheet, it is desirable to provide such a tray above the lower part of the device. Therefore, a sheet processing apparatus provided with such a tray can be found.

[0003]

However, in the case where a plurality of trays are arranged on the upper part of the main body of the apparatus, for example, when operating the apparatus from the front side of the apparatus, the tray in the front interferes with the tray in the back. There is a problem of being invisible. Also, in the case of a facsimile machine as an example, the fax number of the other party may be described in the transmission document, and in such a case, it is inconvenient to arrange the tray so that the transmission document cannot be seen.

In addition, in the facsimile machine, it is possible to easily visually check whether or not the transmitted original has been successfully sent, whether there is no receiving sheet, etc., from the user's own seat or the like, which is away from the facsimile machine, and the sheet processing apparatus in general. In order to save the area of the device, it is conceivable that the discharge tray that receives the sheets discharged from the main body of the apparatus rises as steeply as possible from the main body of the apparatus. There is a problem that the stacking (stacking) and alignment of the sheets on the tray deteriorate due to warping or the like.

Therefore, the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus such as a facsimile machine and a printer, in which various trays are provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body so as to save the apparatus installation surface, and yet the sheet to be visually checked on the tray is desired. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet processing apparatus having a configuration that allows easy viewing. Further, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and further, at least one discharge tray, for example, a discharge tray for receiving a sheet to be image-formed and discharged, having improved sheet stacking property and alignment property. The challenge is to provide.

[0006]

In order to solve the former one of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides the following (1):
(2) A sheet processing apparatus is provided. In order to solve the latter problem, the following sheet processing apparatuses (3) and (4) are provided. (1) A device main body for processing fed sheets, a paper feed tray provided on the upper surface of the device main body for stacking and feeding the sheets to the device main body, and provided behind the paper feed tray And one or more discharge trays for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus body. The paper feed tray and at least one discharge tray are such that the discharge tray can be seen from the front of the paper feed tray. A sheet processing apparatus characterized by being related to. (2) A paper feed tray on which the originals are stacked, an apparatus main body having a reading unit for reading an image of the originals fed from the paper feed tray, and a discharge tray for receiving the originals discharged from the apparatus main body, A facsimile machine, wherein the paper feed tray and the discharge tray are provided in parallel with each other on an upper front part of the apparatus main body, and the paper feed tray is provided in front of the discharge tray.

Here, "the paper feed tray is in front of the discharge tray" means that the paper feed tray is in front of the operator operator's visual position. For example, when both trays are lined up front and rear, Is on the operator side, both trays are lined up and down, and when the operator looks from above,
It means that the paper tray is on the upper side. (3) In a sheet processing apparatus having a discharge tray for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus main body, the discharge tray substantially stands up from the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and at least one discharge tray has a lower part of the sheet receiving surface. The sheet processing apparatus is characterized in that the upper part is formed on a gentle slope and the upper part is formed on a steep slope. (4) In a sheet processing apparatus having a discharge tray for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus main body, the discharge tray is substantially upright from the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and at least one discharge tray receives the sheet of the tray. A sheet processing apparatus comprising a member that guides and holds the sheet in the direction of the surface.

[0008]

According to the sheet processing apparatus of the above (1), since the paper feed tray and at least one discharge tray are related so that the discharge tray can be seen from the front of the paper feed tray, the apparatus can be mounted on the front surface of the apparatus. Even when operated from the side, it is convenient because the sheet on the rear discharge tray can be easily seen. For example, in the case where the sheet processing apparatus is a facsimile apparatus, if the tray is a receiving sheet discharge tray, the sheet received thereon can be visually confirmed even from the front side of the apparatus.

According to the sheet processing apparatus of the above (2), since the document feed tray is provided in front of the document discharge tray, for example, when the other party's fax number is described in the document, the user can This is convenient because the facsimile device can be operated while looking at the number. According to the sheet processing apparatuses of the above (3) and (4), since the discharge tray for receiving the sheet discharged from the apparatus main body is standing up from the apparatus main body, it is distant whether or not there is a sheet on the tray. It can be easily visually confirmed even from the user's own seat.

Further, according to the sheet processing apparatus of the above (3), in the case of the discharge tray in which the lower part of the sheet receiving surface is formed as a gently inclined surface and the upper part is formed as a steeply inclined surface, the sheet receiving surface suddenly rises on the steep surface. Rather than rising gradually from the lower gently sloping surface to the upper steeply sloping surface, the discharged sheet easily fits into the sheet receiving surface and smoothly moves to that surface, and the stacking and aligning properties of the sheets are increased accordingly. improves.

Further, according to the sheet processing apparatus of the above (4), in the discharge tray provided with a member for guiding and pressing the sheet in the direction of the sheet receiving surface of the tray, the discharged sheet is guided by the member. Therefore, the sheet stackability and the alignability are improved accordingly.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 2 is a front (front) view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sheet discharge tray and a sheet guide pressing member for the sheet discharge tray, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are plan views and front views of a state in which a sheet is placed on the tray. is there.

As shown in FIG. 4, this facsimile apparatus includes an image reading section 11 for reading an image of a sheet document and transmitting it to a facsimile apparatus on the other side, and an electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on the transmitted image signal. The apparatus main body 1 includes an image forming unit 12 that forms a latent image, develops the latent image, transfers the latent image onto a blank sheet, fixes the latent image, and discharges the latent image. The image reading unit 11 is arranged in front of the image forming unit 12 so as to be displaced so as not to overlap.

Of the exteriors constituting the apparatus main body 1, the original feed tray 3 and the original discharge tray 4 behind it are detachably mounted on the exterior 2 constituting the upper surface of the apparatus main body,
A paper feed cassette 8 for supplying a blank sheet is detachably attached to the lower part of the apparatus main body 1. In addition, a sheet discharge tray 5 that receives sheets that have been image-formed and discharged by the image forming unit 12 is detachably attached to the upper part of the rear end of the apparatus main body 1.

An operation panel 10 having various operation keys, switches, and a display device is provided at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus body 1. When the tray is mounted on the apparatus main body 1, the document feed tray 3 and the document discharge tray 4 are substantially parallel to each other, and stand up obliquely rearward from the exterior portion 2. The sheet discharge tray 5 also stands obliquely rearward from the apparatus main body 1. The tray 5 is located higher than the trays 3 and 4.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the width of the sheet discharge tray 5 to the center line of the sheet discharge tray 5 to the sheet passing center a relative to the center line of the trays 3 and 4 to the sheet passing center a when viewed from the front side of the apparatus. Center b is slightly shifted to the left. The document feeding tray 3 and the document discharging tray 4 are both connected to the left and right tray holding members 6 (the one on the right side is shown in the drawing), whereby the trays 3, 4 and the member 6 are integrated. The trays 3 and 4 can be easily attached and detached.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image reading section 11 in the apparatus main body 1 has an image reading CCD array 111 and the like, which is already known per se. The image forming section 12 includes an optical system unit 12A and an image forming cartridge 12B. The optical system unit 12A has a polygon mirror 121 to which light from a light source composed of a semiconductor laser and a collimator lens (not shown) is irradiated, and further has a known member such as a folding mirror 122 for displaying an image signal. The laser light L is converted and irradiated on the photosensitive drum 123 of the image forming cartridge 12B.

In the image forming cartridge 12B, a developing sleeve 124 is provided adjacent to the photosensitive drum 123. Toner contained in the toner tank 125 is supplied to the developing sleeve 124 through the window formed in the partition wall 127 by the rotation of the blade member 126. The residual toner on the photosensitive drum 123 is removed by a cleaning blade (not shown).
Cartridge 12B for accommodating the removed toner
A tank 128 for waste toner is formed in the upper part of the inside. The charging brush 12 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 123.
9 are in contact with each other, and are charged to a predetermined potential by the charging brush 129. The electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating the charged portion with laser light.

The lower portion 511 of the sheet receiving surface 51 of the discharge tray 5 rises while gently inclining upward while drawing a slightly convex curved surface, and the upper portion 512 has a lower portion 51.
While continuing to 1 and drawing a slightly concave curved surface, it rises upward with a steep slope from the lower part 511. Also, this tray 5
, The sheet guide pressing member 50 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body.
Has been placed. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the member 50 is formed by bending the front end 502 of the gate-shaped rod 501 upward and connecting the rear end 503 to the apparatus body 1 so as to be rotatable. It can be approached by its own weight in the direction of the receiving surface 51, or can be pushed up and away from it.

According to the facsimile apparatus described above,
The transmission document sheet set on the document feed tray 3 is drawn into the apparatus main body 1 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the image is read by the image reading section there, and is discharged onto the document discharge tray 4. It The image thus read is usually sent to the destination facsimile machine and reproduced.

On the other hand, upon reception, an image is formed on the blank sheet fed from the paper feed cassette 8 to the image forming section 12 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3 and as shown in FIG. The received image is formed in the section 12, and the sheet S is discharged onto the discharge tray 5 in a face-up state. At this time, in the image forming unit 12, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 123 in the cartridge 12B is transferred onto a blank sheet sheet in cooperation with the transfer roller 131, and then fixed by the fixing roller pair 132. . The sheet S on which the image is formed is discharged onto the tray 5 by the discharge roller 133.

In the discharge tray 5, its sheet receiving surface 51
The lower part 511 of the sheet is formed on the gentle slope and the upper part 512 is formed on the steep surface, and the sheet receiving surface does not rise suddenly on the steep slope but rises sequentially from the lower gentle slope to the upper steep surface. The sheet S that is ejected after being discharged is easily fitted to the sheet receiving surface 51 and smoothly moves to the sheet receiving surface 51. Therefore, the stackability and the alignment of the sheets are improved accordingly.

Further, since the member 50 for guiding and pressing the sheet S in the direction of the sheet receiving surface 51 of the tray 5 is provided, even if the discharged sheet S is warped, the sheet S is kept in the member 50. In the state where the sheet is lifted, the member is pushed toward the sheet receiving surface 51,
The sheet that is smoothly guided and placed on the tray 5, and the sheet once placed on the tray 5 in this way is restrained by the member 50 when the member 50 is rotated downward by its own weight.
This does not hinder the ejection of the next sheet S, and also in this respect, the sheets S are smoothly ejected onto the tray 5 one after another. Thus, the sheet stackability and alignment of the tray 5 are improved accordingly.

If the sheet receiving surface of the discharge tray 5 merely stands up flat and there is no sheet pressing member 50, the discharged sheets S stacked on the tray are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A), when the sheet S that has fallen forward or the discharged sheet S has a so-called back curl, as shown in FIG. Although the leading edge of the sheet S discharged onto the surface of the sheet already stacked on the upper side hits and is caught, and the sheet is reversed and discharged, such a problem is solved in the tray 5.

The original discharge tray 4 may be shaped like the tray 5 and the sheet pressing member 50 may be provided in some cases. According to the above-mentioned facsimile apparatus, the center line of the tray 5 or the sheet passing center b is the center line of the trays 3 or 4 or the sheet passing center a.
Since the tray 5 is located at a higher position than the trays 3 and 4, since the tray 5 is displaced from the tray 3, even when the document D is placed on the document feeding tray 3 as shown in FIG. Whether or not the receiving sheet S is present on the sheet 5 can be easily visually confirmed even from the front side of the tray 3. In addition, tray 3
It is also conceivable to form 4 and / or 4 with a transparent material. Further, since the trays 3, 4, and 5 are standing up from the apparatus main body 1, the user can check whether or not the document transmitted by himself / herself has flowed well even if he / she is away from the main body 1, for example, from his / her own seat, and whether there is a receiving sheet. Can be visually confirmed.

Further, since the document feeding tray 3 is located in front of the document discharging tray 4, it is convenient that the apparatus can be operated while observing the information on the document D arranged on the tray 3, for example, the facsimile number of the destination. Further, according to the facsimile apparatus, the image reading unit 11 and the image forming unit 12 in the apparatus main body 1 are arranged at the front and rear so as not to overlap each other, so that the vibration of the image reading unit 11 is less likely to be transmitted to the image forming unit 12. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the image disturbance due to the vibration from the image reading unit in the image forming unit 12. Further, since the image reading unit 11 is not provided above the image forming unit 12, it is difficult for heat from the fixing power source of the image forming unit 12 to stay in the apparatus main body. Further, jam processing, replacement of the image forming cartridge 12B, and the like can be easily performed without moving the image reading unit 11, and the height of the entire apparatus can be suppressed low.

Next, a facsimile apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross section of this embodiment. This facsimile apparatus is the same as the facsimile apparatus shown in FIGS.
1 is provided on the front side of the apparatus with its position changed, and the other points are the same as those of the apparatus shown in FIGS. The same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this apparatus, the document feeding tray 3 and the document discharging tray 4 in the image reading section 11 are arranged vertically in parallel with the tray 3 on the top and the tray 4 on the bottom, and the apparatus main body 1
It is located at the top of the front of the. These trays are detachably attached to the apparatus body. Although the trays 3 and 4 stand up diagonally to the front, they are located lower than the paper discharge tray 5, and the paper discharge tray 5 from the front of the trays 3 and 4 to the rear and the receiving sheets discharged onto it are visually checked. can do.

Also in this embodiment, the image reading unit 11 is arranged in front of the image forming unit 12 so as to be displaced so as not to overlap. According to this facsimile device, at the time of transmission, the original is placed on the tray 3 as in the above-described embodiment.
, Is read, and is discharged onto the tray 4.
At this time, since the original feed tray 3 is located in front of (above) the original discharge tray 4, the apparatus can be operated while observing the information on the original, and the flow of the transmitted original can be visually confirmed even from a position away from the main body 1. I can confirm. Further, upon reception, the image forming unit 12 forms a received image on a blank sheet, and the image-formed sheets are discharged onto the tray 5 smoothly with good stacking and alignment as described in the previous embodiment. It Since the discharge tray 5 is located at a position higher than the document trays 3 and 4, even when there are document sheets on the trays 3 and 4, it is possible to determine whether there is a receiving sheet on the tray 5 from each direction or from the main body 1. It can be visually confirmed even from a distant position.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a sheet processing apparatus such as a facsimile machine and a printer, various trays are provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body so that the apparatus installation area can be saved. It is possible to provide a sheet processing apparatus having a configuration in which the upper sheet to be visually observed is easy to see.

Further, for at least one discharge tray, the lower part of the sheet receiving surface is formed as a gently inclined surface and the upper part is formed as a steeply inclined surface, or a member for guiding and pressing the sheet in the direction of the sheet receiving surface of the tray. Is equipped with
The stackability and alignment of the sheets in the discharge tray are improved accordingly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a front view of the device of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1. FIG.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sheet discharge tray and a sheet guide pressing member for the sheet discharge tray.

6A and 6B show a state in which originals and discharge sheets are placed on the tray in the apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 6A is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 6B is a front view thereof.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are views for explaining problems in the conventional sheet discharge tray.

FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a facsimile apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Device Main Body 11 Image Reading Part 12 Image Forming Part 2 Exterior Part 3 Document Feeding Tray 4 Document Ejecting Tray 5 Sheet Ejecting Tray 51 Sheet Receiving Surface 511 Lower Sheet Receiving Surface 512 Upper Sheet Receiving Surface 50 Sheet Guide Press Member D Original S Image-formed sheet

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A main body of an apparatus for processing a fed sheet, a paper feed tray provided on an upper surface of the main body of the apparatus for stacking and feeding the sheet to the main body of the apparatus, and a rear side of the paper feed tray. And one or more discharge trays for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus main body, wherein the paper feed tray and at least one discharge tray are the discharge trays from the front of the paper feed tray. A sheet processing apparatus characterized by being visually related. 2. A paper feed tray for stacking originals, an apparatus main body having a reading unit for reading an image of the originals fed from the paper feed tray, and a discharge tray for receiving the originals discharged from the apparatus main body. A facsimile apparatus, wherein the paper feed tray and the discharge tray are provided in parallel with each other on an upper portion of a front portion of the apparatus main body, and the paper feed tray is provided in front of the discharge tray. . 3. A sheet processing apparatus having a discharge tray for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus main body, wherein the discharge tray substantially stands up from the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and at least one discharge tray has its sheet receiving surface. The sheet processing apparatus is characterized in that the lower part thereof is formed on a gentle slope and the upper part is formed on a steep slope. 4. A sheet processing apparatus having a discharge tray for receiving a sheet discharged from an apparatus main body, wherein the discharge tray is substantially upright from an upper surface of the apparatus main body, and at least one of the discharge trays has a sheet of the tray. A sheet processing apparatus comprising a member for guiding and pressing in the direction of the sheet receiving surface.