JPH08268570A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To eliminate a projection part in a simple mechanism, make a paper feeder compact, and reduce cost by locking one locking part on the other locking part when falling-down parts are put in a rising-up condition, and positioning and fixing side fences at the prescribed positions. CONSTITUTION: Respective falling-down parts 5 of side fences 3 are pivoted so as to be able to fall down in the inside direction in which a paper sheet 1 is housed. A right falling-down part 5a flattens in the arrow D direction and a left falling-down part 5b flattens in the arrow E direction by falling down while rotating respectively, and can be compactly housed so as not to project. The right falling-down part 5a rotates in the inverse direction of the arrow D direction and the left falling-down part 5b rotates in the inverse direction of the arrow E direction, respectively with a fulcrum 4a as the center. Therefore, a claw shaped projecting part 6a (one locking part 6) respectively arranged in respective end parts of the right falling-down part 5a and the left falling-down part 5b can be locked by meshing a locking groove 7a (the other locking part 7) arranged on a plate surface of a paper feeding tray 2.

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 side fence positioning mechanism in a sheet feeding device.
More specifically, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, a scanner, or a multifunction machine having these functions together, a side fence that can be adjusted in position according to the size of paper to be stored or set is provided. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that regulates an edge of a sheet and feeds the sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The conventional image forming apparatus as described above is provided with a mechanism (paper feeding device) for feeding and conveying originals or transfer papers, and these papers are fed to a paper feed tray, a paper feed cassette, or the like. In the state of being accommodated or set in the accommodating means, the sheets are taken out one by one by the sheet feeding means, and are fed and conveyed to the document reading position or the image forming position, respectively. The conventional paper feeding device, according to the difference in size in the width direction of the original or transfer paper,
The accommodating means is equipped with a movable side fence (pair) for accommodating properly in a proper posture, and when this side fence is aligned, it slides in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction). A technique is known in which the side fence is fixed by a locking means such as an elastic means when the sheet is moved and guided on the side of the sheet (Actual No. 58-140923, No. 62-86340).
(See Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 62-275932 and 6-9067). However, in all of these paper feeding devices, there is a problem that the mechanism is complicated, the protruding portion is large, and the cost is high.

[0003]

The above-mentioned conventional sheet feeding device has a problem that the mechanism is complicated, the protruding portion is large, and the cost is high.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve such a problem. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a compact and low-cost sheet feeding device having a simple mechanism and no protruding portion.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 uses two side fences whose widthwise positions can be adjusted according to the size of the sheets to be accommodated. In a paper feeding device that feeds paper with its edge regulated, a paper feed tray body for stacking and storing paper,
A pair of side fences supported by the paper feed tray main body so as to be respectively movable in the width direction, and the side fences are slidably supported in the width direction along the upper surface of the paper feed tray main body. A moving part, a foldable part rotatably supported by the sliding part between an upright state and a retracted state, one locking part provided at the bottom of the foldable part, and the paper feed And the other locking portion provided on the tray main body for locking the one locking portion when the inclinable portion is in the upright state. The side fence is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position by locking the locking part to the other locking part, and the one locking part and the other locking when the retractable part is in the retracted state. It is possible to move the side fence forward and backward by releasing the locked state of the side fence. To. According to the invention of claim 2,
One of the locking portions is a claw-shaped convex portion. In the invention according to claim 3, the other locking portion is
It is characterized by a plurality of locking grooves provided in the main body of the paper feed tray. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the other locking portion is a back surface of the paper feed tray main body with which a stopper for fixing the side fence is in pressure contact with the paper feed tray main body. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the other locking portion has a non-slip member.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a paper feeding device constructed as described above.
In the above, the side fence is slidably held on the paper feed tray by engaging and disengaging one locking part and the other locking part provided on the slidable part of the side fence that is rotatable. Since it is fixed or slidable, it is possible to provide a compact and low-cost paper feeding device having no protruding portion with a simple mechanism.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, one of the locking portions is formed of a claw-shaped convex portion provided on the slidable portion of the side fence that is slidably held on the paper feed tray and is rotatable. The side fence can be fixed or slidable by engaging and disengaging with the other locking portion, and it is possible to provide a compact and low-cost paper feeding device without a protruding portion that is reliably fixed by a simple mechanism.

According to another aspect of the present invention, one of the engaging portions and the other of the engaging grooves, which are provided on the slidable portion of the side fence slidably held by the paper feed tray, are provided on the rotatable inclinable portion. It is possible to provide a compact and low-cost sheet feeding device that does not have a protruding portion that can be fixed or slidable with a simple mechanism by fixing or sliding the side fence by engaging and disengaging the stopper.

According to another aspect of the present invention, one of the engaging portions provided on the sliding portion of the side fence slidably held on the paper feed tray and the retractable portion is provided on the back of the paper feed tray. To provide a compact and low-cost paper feeding device that allows a side fence to be fixed or slidable by engagement and disengagement with the other locking portion, and that can easily accommodate paper with a simple mechanism and has no protruding portion. You can

According to another aspect of the present invention, one locking portion of the anti-slip member and the other locking portion of the anti-slip member provided on the slidable portion of the side fence slidably held by the paper feed tray are rotatable. The side fence can be fixed or slidable by engaging and disengaging with the stopper, and it is possible to provide a compact and further low-cost sheet feeding device with no protrusion by a simple mechanism.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a sheet feeding device provided with a side fence according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial configuration explanatory diagrams of FIG. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a document or a transfer sheet used in the image forming apparatus, that is, a sheet 1 is stacked and accommodated in a sheet feeding tray (sheet feeding tray main body) 2 and is pressed against the uppermost portion of the sheet 1. A paper feed roller 8 that rotates in the direction of arrow A shown in the drawing feeds the paper in the direction of arrow B and conveys it to an image forming unit such as a copying machine (not shown). At this time, the paper 1 fed from the paper feed tray (paper feed tray main body) 2 has both edges in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction B) with respect to the paper feed tray 2 in the direction of arrow C shown in the figure. The right side fence 3a and the left side fence 3b, which are slidably held, feed the regulated sheets.

The side fence 3 is rotatably supported by the sliding portion 4 in the form of a flat plate, and between the standing state (upright state) and the retracted state (tilted state) by the sliding portion 4. Inverted part 5
It consists of and. The sliding portion 4 is a guide projection 2 that is provided in the front-back direction of the paper feed tray 2 at a predetermined interval.
Both ends of the longitudinal direction are supported by A and 2A so as to be able to advance and retreat in the C direction and not to fall off, and the foldable portion 5 is pivotally supported by a fulcrum 4a provided at one end thereof.

Each of the collapsible portions 5 is pivotally supported so as to be able to collapse inwardly in which the sheet 1 is stored. The right collapsible portion 5a is in the arrow D direction and the left collapsible portion 5b is in the arrow E direction. It is flattened by falling while rotating, and can be stored compactly so that it does not project. In addition, the right foldable portion 5a
Is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow D direction, and the left collapsible portion 5b is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow E direction around the fulcrum 4a, so that the right collapsible portion 5a and the left collapsible portion 5b are rotated. A claw-shaped convex portion 6a (one latching portion 6) provided at each end is a locking groove 7 provided on the plate surface of the paper feed tray 2.
It is adapted to engage with a (the other hook 7) and to be locked.

The engaging groove 7a is composed of a plurality of grooves formed at a pitch that fits the size of the sheet 1 to be accommodated, and is engaged with the convex portion 6a. The locking groove 7a is composed of two groove groups extending in the width direction as shown in the drawing. In this way, the right side fence 3a and the left side fence 3b are fixed upright by the positioning means (not shown) when the sheet 1 is regulated and guided. That is, by fitting each convex portion 6a located at the bottom of each inclinable portion 5 into one of the locking grooves 7a, the inclinable portion 5 is maintained in the upright posture (FIG. 3). .

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show another embodiment, in which a leaf spring 7b1 is provided at an appropriate position on the back surface of the sliding portion 4 of each side fence.
Has one end supported and the other end led out inward, and a hinge 7A is fixed at a position further inside the position where the sliding portion 4 fixes one end of the leaf spring 7b1.
Thus, the stopper 7b is pivotally supported at one end so as to be vertically rotatable. At the other end of the stopper 7b, a non-slip member 7 is provided.
b2 is fixed. The other end of the leaf spring 7b1 has a length such that it can come into contact with an appropriate place on the lower surface of the stopper 7b.
b is elastically biased upward. When the stopper 7b is elastically biased upward, the anti-slip member 7b2 at the tip is
Fixes the side fence to the paper feed tray main body by making pressure contact with the lower surface (back surface) of the paper feed tray main body 2. On the contrary, the leaf spring 7b
When the anti-slip member 7b2 is pushed down against the push-up force of the stopper 7b by No. 1, the anti-slip member 7b
Since 2 is detached from the lower surface of the paper feed tray body 2, the side fence can be moved in the width direction.

In the present embodiment, the convex portion 6a provided on the bottom of the collapsible portion 5 plays a role of pressing the slip preventing member 7b2 against the paper feed tray main body or releasing the press contact. That is,
The right collapsible portion 5a is rotated about the fulcrum 4a in the direction of the arrow F shown in the figure, so that the claw-shaped convex portion 6a is provided so as to be substantially orthogonal to the end portion (bottom portion) of the right collapsible portion 5a.
(One locking portion 6) is provided on the back side of the paper feed tray 2 and pushes down the stopper 7b for fixing the paper feed tray 2 to push down the anti-slip member 7b2 in the direction H of FIG. The side fence can be moved in the width direction by separating from the main body 2.

Further, since the right inclinable portion 5a stands up in the direction opposite to the arrow F, the convex portion 6a separates from the stopper 7b, so that the leaf spring 7b1 pushes up the stopper 7b. For this reason, the anti-slip member 7b2 is brought into pressure contact with the paper feed tray main body 2 to be in a locked state, and the widthwise movement of the side fence is prohibited. In this embodiment, the back surface of the paper feed tray body on which the anti-slip member 7b2 slides serves as the other locking portion. The left collapsible portion 5b of the left side fence 3b has the same configuration as the right collapsible portion 5a and overlaps with each other, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, the right side fence 3a and the left side fence 3b (not shown) are fixed upright by the positioning means (not shown) when guiding and controlling the position of the widthwise edge of the sheet 1. It has become. The term "positioning means" here means the one locking portion 6 and the other locking portion (the back surface of the paper feed tray body 2).

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention, which is a lever shape as the one locking portion 6 provided at each end of the right foldable portion 5a and the left foldable portion 5b (not shown). An anti-slip member 6b such as a pad is attached to the portion, and the right inclinable portion 5a and the left inclinable portion 5b (not shown) in the tilted state are rotated in the arrow I direction around the fulcrum 4a. By standing upright, the non-slip member 6b presses the upper surface 7c of the paper feed tray 2 of the other locking portion 7 to prohibit the side fence from moving. In this way, the right side fence 3a and the left side fence 3b as the side fences 3 are fixed upright when the sheet 1 is regulated and guided.

[0020]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the side fence slidably held by the paper feed tray is slidable, and the side fence is rotatable with respect to the slidable portion. The side fence is fixed or slidable by engaging and disengaging one locking portion provided on the side fence and the other locking portion provided on the paper feed tray or the like. It is now possible to provide a compact and low-cost paper feeder with no protruding portion.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the side fence slidably held on the paper feed tray is composed of the sliding portion and the inclinable portion rotatable with respect to the sliding portion. Since the side fence can be fixed or slid by engaging and disengaging one of the engaging portions of the claw-shaped convex portion provided on the inversion portion and the other engaging portion provided on the paper feeding tray or the like, a simple mechanism. It is now possible to provide a compact and low-cost paper feeding device that does not have a protruding portion that is securely fixed in.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the side fence is engaged and disengaged by engaging and disengaging one of the engaging portions provided on the collapsible portion and the other engaging portion formed of an engaging groove provided on the side of the paper feed tray. Since it can be fixed or slidable, it is possible to provide a compact and low-cost paper feeding device that does not have a protruding portion that is reliably fixed by a simple mechanism.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the side fence is fixed or slid by engaging and disengaging the one engaging portion provided on the collapsible portion and the other engaging portion provided on the back of the paper feed tray. Since it is made possible, it is possible to provide a compact and low-cost paper feeding device that does not have a protruding portion and that can easily accommodate paper with a simple mechanism.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the side fence is formed by engaging and disengaging the one locking portion formed of the slip preventing member provided on the collapsible portion and the other locking portion which is the back surface of the paper feed tray. Since it is fixed or slidable, it is possible to provide a compact and further low-cost sheet feeding device with a simple mechanism without a protruding portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an outline of a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a main part of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another main part of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a main part of a paper feeding device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another main part of the paper feeding device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating another main part of the sheet feeding device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a main part of a paper feeding device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Paper, 2 ... Paper feed tray (paper feed tray main body), 3 ... Side fence, 3a ... Right side fence, 3b ... Left side fence, 4 ... Sliding part 4a ... fulcrum, 5 ... foldable part, 5a ... right foldable part, 5b ... left foldable part, 6 ... one locking part, 6
a ... convex portion, 6b ... anti-slip member, 7 ... other locking portion, 7a ... locking groove, 7b ... stopper, 7
b1 ... leaf spring, 7b2 ... anti-slip member, 7c
..Upper surface, 8 ... Paper feeding rollers.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A paper feeding apparatus that feeds paper in a state where the widthwise edges of the paper are regulated by two side fences whose position in the width direction can be adjusted according to the size of the paper to be stored. And a pair of side fences supported by the above-mentioned paper feed tray main body so as to be capable of advancing and retracting in the width direction, and each side fence is arranged in the width direction along the upper surface of the paper feed tray main body. A sliding portion supported so as to be able to move forward and backward, a foldable portion rotatably supported by the sliding portion between an upright state and a retracted state, and one engagement member provided at the bottom of the foldable portion. A stop portion, and another locking portion provided on the paper feed tray main body for locking the one locking portion when the folding portion is in the upright state, and the folding portion is in the upright state. When one of the locking portions is engaged with the other locking portion, The side fence by positioning and fixing the side fence at a predetermined position and releasing the locking state of the one locking portion and the other locking portion when the inclinable portion is in the retracted state. A paper feeding device characterized by being able to move forward and backward. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the one locking portion is a claw-shaped convex portion. 3. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the other locking portion is a plurality of locking grooves provided in the paper feeding tray main body. 4. The other locking portion is the back surface of the paper feed tray main body with which a stopper for fixing the side fence is in pressure contact with the paper feed tray main body.
Alternatively, the sheet feeding device described in 2. 5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the other locking portion has a non-slip member.