JPH07247027A - Mass paper feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operating ability of a mass paper feed device and reduce the manufacturing cost thereof by, in a mass paper feed device with a wall system side fence being excellent in the operating ability in setting a recording paper, dividing a bottom plate for mounting the recording paper into three sections in a lateral direction, and composing two outside bottom plate sections so as to be movable in the lateral direction, and lengthening and shortening the lateral size of the bottom plate according to the alteration of the size of the recording paper for making the paper feed device correspond to the said alteration. CONSTITUTION:This device is a mass paper feed device which can be attached to an image forming device, and can supply various mass recording papers to the image forming device, and has two side fences 10, 11 which can restrain both the lateral end edges of the recording paper and move their lateral positions according to the size and direction of the recording paper, and a vertically movable bottom plate 1 for loading the recording paper. The bottom plate 1 is divided into three bottom plate sections 1a, 1b, 1c along its width, and the two outside bottom plate sections are severally movable in the directions of their width.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a large-volume paper feeding device having a structure for accommodating a large number of various kinds of recording paper and feeding the recording paper to an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. Regarding the improvement, in particular, the bottom plate divided into three is approached in conjunction with the widthwise movement of the side fence that presses the widthwise ends of the bundle of recording paper,
The present invention relates to a large-volume sheet feeding device in which the entire width of a bottom plate can be changed according to a change in recording paper size by separating the sheets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Copiers, printers, facsimile machines,
An image forming apparatus such as a printing apparatus has a structure for forming an image on a recording sheet in an image forming section or a printing section. The sheets are stored and held in a cassette, and they are taken out one by one by a sheet feeding roller or the like and conveyed to the image forming unit. In business and other industries in which a large amount of recording paper is used, the image forming apparatus is often equipped with a large-volume paper feeding device having a function of storing a large amount of recording paper at one time.

The sheet feeding tray of the large-volume sheet feeding device is constructed to be movable in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction) of the recording sheet bundle to be housed, and has a side fence configuration for pressing both ends of the recording sheet bundle. According to the type, the post method and the wall method can be classified. In the post method, three posts are erected side by side at a predetermined interval along the paper feeding direction, and these three posts constitute one side fence. Do the same for the other side fence
It consists of book posts. The wall method is one in which each of the two side fences is composed of a single plate.

In the post system, it is possible to move the side fences in the width direction while avoiding interference between the side plate and a bottom plate which is located between two side fences made of a group of posts and which moves a stack of recording paper up and down. In order to achieve this, it is only necessary to form slits, notches, etc. on the bottom plate to avoid the posts, so that it is possible to stack multi-size recording paper on one bottom plate. On the other hand, in the wall method, since the side fence is composed of one wall, it is sufficient to set the recording paper along the wall surface when setting the recording paper. Unlike the method, it is impossible to take measures to avoid interference with the vertically movable bottom plate when moving the side fence in the width direction, for example, it is impossible to form a notch for escape, so one bottom plate Therefore, it is not possible to deal with multi-size recording paper. As a result, in a paper feed tray equipped with a wall-type fence, there is a problem that bottom plates with different widthwise sizes must be prepared and assembled for each paper size. There was a problem.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a large-volume sheet feeding device provided with a side fence of a wall system, which has good operability when setting recording sheets.
By dividing the bottom plate on which recording paper is loaded into three parts in the width direction and configuring the two outer bottom plate pieces to be able to advance and retract in the width direction, the width direction size of the bottom plate can be expanded or contracted according to changes in the recording paper size. An object of the present invention is to provide a large-scale sheet feeding device that is capable of improving operability and reducing costs. Second of the present invention
The purpose of is to configure the two outer divided pieces of the three bottom plate pieces to move forward and backward by an equal distance in synchronization with the width direction by an interlocking mechanism composed of a rack and pinion. By simply pressing the outer bottom plate piece onto one edge of the recording paper loaded (or about to be),
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mass-feeding device capable of increasing the operability by allowing the width of the entire bottom plate to be adjusted to the width of the recording paper.

A third object of the present invention is to move the two outer side bottom plates in accordance with the movement of the corresponding two side fences, thereby moving the side fences according to the size of the recording paper to be set. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mass-feeding device in which the entire width of the bottom plate can be set to a width suitable for the recording paper. A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a stopper on the moving means of the side fence and unlock the side fence by the stopper so that the side fence can be moved only when the movement of the bottom plate and the side fence is interlocked. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a large-volume sheet feeding device that prevents malfunction and improves operability.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a mass paper feeding device which can be installed in an image forming apparatus and can supply a large amount of various kinds of recording paper to the image forming apparatus. Provided with two side fences that can press both widthwise edges of the recording paper and move the widthwise position according to the size and direction of the recording paper, and a bottom plate configured to move the recording paper and move up and down. In, the bottom plate is divided into three bottom plate pieces along the width direction, the two outer bottom plate pieces are respectively movable in the width direction, the width direction outer end of the outer bottom plate piece, the bottom plate Has a hooking part so that the end part of the bottom plate piece is hooked when it reaches a specific position, and the movement of the outer bottom plate piece and the side fence is interlocked, and the outer bottom plate piece is positioned outside by a spring. Press the side fence above And by, characterized in that in conjunction with the movement in the width direction of the bottom plate pieces constituting the bottom plate to the movement of the side fences.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a bottom plate to which the present invention is applied. The bottom plate 1 has a configuration divided into three in a direction (width direction) orthogonal to a paper feeding direction indicated by an arrow A. Then, of the bottom plate pieces 1a, 1b, 1c, the central bottom plate piece 1a is fixed, and the other two outer bottom plate pieces 1 are fixed.
b and 1c are respectively supported by stays 2 and 2 so as to be movable back and forth in the width direction. The stays 2 and 2 are fixedly supported by the main body of the apparatus, the central bottom plate piece 1a is fixed to the stays 2 and 2, and the stays 2 and 2 are attached to the guide members 3 fixed to the bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c at both ends. Both bottom plates 1b and 1c are guided in the width direction by inserting the bottom plate.

Further, the three bottom plate pieces 1a, 1b, 1c are
They are connected by an interlocking mechanism 5 composed of a rack-and-pinion mechanism, and when one of the outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c is moved inward and outward in the width direction by the operation of the interlocking mechanism 5, the other bottom plate piece is also the same. It is configured to move equidistantly in any direction. That is, the interlocking mechanism 5 includes a pinion 6 rotatably supported at the center of the lower surface of the bottom plate piece 1a fixed at the center, and a rack 7 having one end fixed to each of the outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c. 8 and a pinion 6 and racks 7, 8
Always mesh with the gear. Gears 7 of racks 7 and 8
Since both a and 8a extend in the direction parallel to the moving direction of the bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c, when one bottom plate piece 1b moves in the width direction, the power is applied to the other rack 8 via the rack 7 and the pinion 6. Is transmitted, and the other bottom plate piece 1c also moves in the same direction. Here, the same direction means inward or outward. It should be noted that the continuity mechanism is employed in any of the embodiments described below regardless of whether it is shown or not.

The present invention is characterized in that the side fence is engaged with the outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c so that the movement of the bottom plate piece in the width direction is interlocked with the width direction movement of the side fence. However, since the bottom plate and the side fence move differently, the bottom plate and the side fence are configured to be engaged with the side fence only when the bottom plate is in the lowest position to exert an influence from the bottom plate.

That is, FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are a front view and an enlarged view of an essential part showing the engagement between the bottom plate (outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c) and the side fence. 1
1 is supported by a guide member 12 located below the bottom plate so as to be able to advance and retreat in the width direction, and is detachably engaged with an outer bottom plate piece at the engaging portion shown in FIG. All or part of the outer bottom plate piece 1b (the same applies to 1c) and the outer edge are bent downward, and the bent portion 1b ′ is provided on the lower portion of the inner wall of the side fence 10 (the same applies to 11). An upward bend 10 'is provided which is engageable with. Therefore, when the outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c descend along the inner walls of the side fences 10 and 11 and reach the lower limit position, the bent portion 1b 'engages with the bent portion 10', and the bottom plate and the side fence are separated from each other. The engaged state is realized. In this state, when one side fence is moved inward and outward in accordance with the size of the recording paper to be set on the bottom plate, the action of the interlocking mechanism 5 causes the outer bottom plate piece 1b,
1c can move integrally. After the widths of the side fences and the bottom plate are fixed and the recording sheets are set on the bottom plate, the bottom plate can rise regardless of the side fences as the number of recording sheets decreases due to the progress of feeding. The bent portion 1b 'and the bent portion 10' form a hooking portion. The interlocking mechanism is omitted in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the position at which the bottom plate piece and the side fence are engaged with each other is set to the lower limit position, which is merely an example, and both may be engaged at any specific position. .

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view and a front enlarged view of a main part of another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment shows a bottom plate having the same structure as that shown in FIG. The example of one structure of the engaging part with a side fence is shown. The side fences 20 and 21 are supported by a stay 22 located below so as to be capable of advancing and retracting in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction A, and the bottom portions of the side fences are integrally provided with overhang members 23 and 24 extending in the horizontal direction. Each overhanging member 2
Rack gears 23a and 24a are formed on the surfaces 3 and 24, respectively. A pinion 25 is positioned between the rack gears 23a and 24a in a state of being rotatably supported by the bottom of the apparatus body, and the pinion 25 is constantly meshed with the rack gears 23a and 24a.

A dial 27 is coaxially fixed to the shaft 26 of the pinion 25 integrally with the pinion 25, and a plurality of holes 27a are formed in the dial 27 so as to draw a concentric circle around the shaft 26. ing. In this embodiment, the dial 27 is locked by the stopper means 30 to inhibit the rotation of the pinion 25 to inhibit the movement of the side fences, while the projection provided on the stay 2 when the bottom plate descends to the lower limit position. The stopper means 30 is released by the (release piece) 31 to allow rotation of the pinion 25.

That is, the stopper means 30 comprises the shaft 3 in the central portion.
2 (supported by the bottom or side wall of the casing) as a center, and a lever 33 pivotally supported in the vertical direction, a stopper piece 34 protruding from the lower surface of the tip of the lever 33, and the stay 2 The rear end portion 33a of the lever 33 pushed down by the projection 31 provided on the lever 27 and the stopper piece 34 to urge the lever 33 in the counterclockwise direction at all times to move the stopper piece 34 into the hole 27 of the dial 27.
and a spring 35 fitted to one of a. Protrusion 31
With respect to the positional relationship and shape of the lever 33, when the bottom plate 1 is lowered to the lower limit position, the projection 31 has the lever rear end portion 33a.
By pushing down against the spring 35, the stopper piece 34 is disengaged from the hole 27a and the pinion 25 is freed, so that the side fence can be moved in advance. When the bottom plate 1 is moving upward from the lower limit position, the force of the spring 35 causes the stopper piece 34 to fit into the hole 27a, prohibit the rotation of the pinion 25, and lock the side fence.

According to this embodiment, since the side fence can be moved by lowering the bottom plate 1 to the lower limit position, the side fence is positioned according to the width of the recording paper, and the setting is completed. You can Since the bottom plate is of a split type as in the above embodiment, there is no need to replace the bottom plate.

Next, FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the structure of the essential part of another embodiment of the present invention, in which the outer bottom plate piece 1b (1
The engagement part of c) and the side fence 40 is shown. In this embodiment, a pin 41 provided at an outer end portion of the bottom plate piece 1b is provided in a vertically extending elongated hole 40a provided in a side fence.
Since the two are loosely fitted together and are connected by the retaining ring 42, even if the bottom plate 1 does not reach the lower limit position, the bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c and the side fence 40 are integrally integrated in the inward and outward directions (E ← → It is possible to move back and forth toward F). A plurality of elongated holes may be provided. Therefore, the width of the bottom plate can be changed only by moving the side fence in the width direction, and the operability can be improved.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment, which is a bottom view of the bottom plate. In this embodiment, the movable outer bottom plate piece 1
Brackets 5 for holding springs on the bottom surfaces of b and 1c, respectively.
By providing 0 and 50 and arranging the expansion spring 51 between both brackets 50, the outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c are always elastically biased outward in the width direction. Therefore, as a result, the outer bottom plate piece is pressed against each side fence 40, and the movement of each bottom plate piece 1b, 1c follows the movement of the side fence. As a result, even if the bottom plate 1 does not reach the lower limit position, the bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c and the side fence 40 can be integrally advanced and retracted inward and outward. Therefore, the width of the bottom plate can be changed only by moving the side fence in the width direction, and the operability can be improved. Note that FIG.
The above configuration may be applied in combination with the embodiments of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are a bottom view and a front view of another embodiment of the present invention, in which elongated holes extending in the sheet feeding direction are provided near the edges of the outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c, respectively. A characteristic is that 55 is formed and the side fence 40 is loosely fitted in each of the elongated holes 55. With this configuration, while the bottom plate can move up and down independently of the side fence,
When the side fence is moved inward and outward in the width direction, the movable bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c can follow and move in the same direction. As a result, even if the bottom plate 1 does not reach the lower limit position, the bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c and the side fence 40 can be integrally advanced and retracted inward and outward. Therefore, the width of the bottom plate can be changed only by moving the side fence in the width direction, and the operability can be improved.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. In a mass-feeding device using a wall-type side fence, a bottom plate on which recording paper is loaded is divided into three parts in the width direction, and an outer bottom plate piece is configured to be able to advance and retreat in the width direction with respect to a central fixed bottom plate piece. Since the movable bottom plate piece is linked by the rack and pinion mechanism,
By simply moving one of the side fences in the width direction, the entire width of the bottom plate can be changed to a size that matches the recording paper to be set, and operability and cost can be improved.

The side fence is configured to be engageable with the bottom plate only when the bottom plate is at a specific position, and in the engaged state, the movement of the bottom plate and the movement of the side fence are interlocked with each other to thereby position the side fence in the width direction. The width of the bottom plate can be set to a desired width simply by adjusting the desired size to the paper size, so that the operability can be improved and the need to replace the bottom plate can be eliminated.

In another embodiment, the bottom plate pieces are interlocked with each other, the side fences are connected to each other by a rack and pinion mechanism, and the pinion gears constituting the rack and pinion mechanism are selected by stopper means provided on the bottom plate side. The locking means is provided on the bottom plate side only when the bottom plate reaches a specific position such as the lower limit position and the like, the rotation prohibition of the pinion gear is released, and the side fence can be moved to allow movement of the bottom plate piece. Since it is possible to interlock with each other, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation when the movement of the bottom plate and the side fence is not interlocked, and improve operability.

Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, a pin provided on the outer bottom plate piece is loosely fitted in an elongated hole provided in the side fence to extend in the vertical direction, thereby vertically moving the bottom plate with respect to the side fence. While it is always allowed, the width of the bottom plate is allowed to move in conjunction with the movement of the side fence in the width direction, so the entire width of one bottom plate can be changed according to the change in the recording paper width. It is possible to prevent and improve operability.

Further, by elastically pressing the outer bottom plate piece against the side fence, the gap between the bottom plate and the side fence is always eliminated, and the problem that paper or the like enters between them is prevented, malfunction is prevented, and operability is improved. be able to. Further, since the side fence is configured to be loosely fitted in the long hole provided in the bottom plate, the number of parts can be reduced, the reliability can be improved, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a bottom plate to which the present invention is applied.

2 (a) and (b) are bottom plates (outer bottom plate pieces 1b and 1c).
And a front view and an enlarged view of a main part showing an engaged state with the side fence.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged front view of the main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the main part of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the configuration of the main part of another embodiment of the present invention.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are a bottom view and a front view showing a main part configuration of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 1a, 1b, 1c bottom plate piece, 2 stay, 5 interlocking mechanism, 6 pinion, 7, 8 rack, 10, 11 side fence, 20, 21 side fence, 22 stay, 23, 24 overhanging member, 25 pinion, 26
Shaft, 27 dial, 30 stopper means, 31 protrusion (release piece), 32 shaft, 33 lever, 34 stopper piece, 40 side fence, 40a elongated hole, 41 pin, 42 snap ring.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A variety of types that can be installed in an image forming apparatus,
A large-volume sheet feeding device capable of supplying a large amount of recording paper to the image forming apparatus. Two large paper feeding devices capable of pressing both widthwise edges of the recording paper and moving the widthwise position according to the size and setting direction of the recording paper. In a device provided with a side fence and a bottom plate configured to move up and down on which recording paper is placed, the bottom plate is divided into at least three bottom plate pieces along the width direction, and two outer bottom plate pieces are provided. A large-capacity sheet feeding device, which is capable of advancing and retracting in the width direction. 2. The widthwise outer end portion of the outer bottom plate piece,
The large amount salary according to claim 1, wherein a hooking portion is provided so that an end portion of the bottom plate piece is hooked when the bottom plate reaches a specific position, and movements of the outer bottom plate piece and the side fence are interlocked. Paper equipment. 3. The outer bottom plate piece is pressed against the outer side fence by a spring,
The movement of each bottom plate piece constituting the bottom plate in the width direction is interlocked with the movement of the side fence.
Large-scale paper feeder described.