JPH0867354A - Paper feeder, printer and wordprocessor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide such a paper feeder with a simple and space-saved mechanism as horizontally supporting layers of sheets and equally abutting plural sheet ends to the vertical plane of a sheet locking and separating wall, and a printer and a wordprocessor with the built-in paper feeder. CONSTITUTION: A table constructed by two plate members 13, 14 with one ends opposing each other to support sheets is pivotally supported on the bottom of a mainbody 17 near one ends opposing each other in a horizontally and rotationally movable manner. One ends of the plate members are engaged each other via angle adjusting means 15, 26 so that the respective other ends may be always at the same height from the horizontal plane of the mainbody. The plate members are provided with enegizing members 19 so that the plate members may be always energized to the direction of rising around the respective pivotally supporting portions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding device for feeding paper one by one, and particularly printing paper such as postcards can be automatically fed to a printing mechanism section. The present invention relates to a device including a device, for example, a paper feeding device that can reduce the size of a device such as a word processor, a printing device including the paper feeding device, and a word processor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional automatic paper feeder is basically constructed by one of the structures shown in FIGS. The paper feeding device shown in FIG. 1 is configured as follows. First, the table 3 is supported on the horizontal surface of the apparatus main body 1 by the biasing mechanisms 2 and 2 so as to be always horizontal. A paper locking separation wall 5 that vertically locks a large number of papers 4 stacked on the table 3 at the leading ends in the paper feed direction to align the leading ends of the respective papers 4 in the same vertical plane is provided vertically to the apparatus main body 1. ing. A paper feed roller 6 is rotatably provided in the apparatus main body 1 above the sheet locking and separating wall 4 so as to have its rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sheet locking and separating wall 4. The horizontal position interval between the sheet feeding roller 6 and the sheet locking separation wall 4 is set to be approximately the thickness of one sheet of paper 4.
In the paper feeding device having such a configuration, the table 3 is always urged horizontally and upward by the urging mechanisms 2 and 2, and the uppermost paper among the many papers stacked on the table 3 is always provided. The paper feed roller 6 rotates by the paper feed roller 6.
Then, it is sent to the next process portion such as a printing mechanism portion through a space between the sheet locking separation wall 4. Although the urging mechanism 2 is shown in a simplified manner by drawing a spring in the drawing, the actual structure is complicated.

[0003]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional sheet feeding device, the table 3 must be always biased horizontally, and the biasing mechanism 2 for that is complicated, and therefore the apparatus is There is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost, and a space corresponding to the size of the paper is required, which causes an increase in the size of the device.

In another conventional sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 2, the table 7 has a sheet 4 insertion side end rotatably supported on a horizontal plane of the apparatus body 1 and the other end sheet feeding device. 1 is different in that the front end side is biased upward by a spring 8, and correspondingly, a sheet locking separation wall 9 is inclined inward with the table 7. A large number of the stacked papers 4 on the table 7 are always urged by the spring 8 to the paper feed roller 6 by the spring 8, and the uppermost paper 4 is fed by the rotating paper feed roller 6. It is passed between the roller 6 and the sheet locking separation wall 9 and sent to the next process portion such as the printing mechanism portion. However, with this paper feeder,
Although a simple mechanism in which one end of the table 7 is pivotally supported and the other end is biased upward by a spring 8, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, but since the table 7 is inclined, a large number of stacked paper 4 It is difficult to always align the tips of the
Further, since the paper supply line is inclined, the height H from the bottom of the apparatus main body at the supply destination becomes large, and as a result, the volume of the entire apparatus such as the printing apparatus including the paper feeding apparatus becomes large. There is.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems in the conventional paper feeding device and the printing device incorporating the same as described above. The simple and space-saving mechanism horizontally supports and feeds stacked paper sheets. Paper lock that feeds paper one by one in cooperation with paper rollers Paper feeder that can evenly abut multiple paper tips on the vertical surface of the paper separation wall, and downsizing by incorporating this paper feeder, It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing device and a word processor that are inexpensive.

[0006]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding device according to the invention, in which a table for supporting sheets is composed of two plate-shaped members whose one ends are opposed to each other. They are arranged along the flow direction of the paper, and are horizontally rotatably supported by the bottom of the main body of the apparatus in the vicinity of one end facing each other, and the other end of each is always at the same height with respect to the horizontal plane of the main body. Thus, one end of each plate-shaped member is engaged via the angle control means, and each plate-shaped member is always urged in a direction in which the plate-shaped member stands up about each shaft support. The urging member is attached.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sheet feeding device having the above structure, the central portion of the crankshaft is fixed to the bottom portion of the main body of the apparatus so as to be rotatable about its axis, and One end of the two plate-shaped members is locked by the plate-shaped member on the side of the sheet locking separation wall, and the other end is rotated, so that the two plate-shaped members are biased by the biasing member. It is characterized in that it can be rotated toward a horizontal position against.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sheet feeding device having the above structure, flanges perpendicular to the plate surface are formed on both sides of each of the two plate members. A notch is formed at the tip of both flanges of one plate member facing the other plate member, and a step is formed at the tip of both flanges of the other plate member facing the one plate member. A cam having a portion is attached, and the notch portion and the step portion of the cam engage with each other to constitute the angle control means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet feeding device having the above structure, the distance between the other end of the one plate member and the other end of the other plate member is a specific size. It is characterized in that it is shorter than the paper. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet feeding device having the above structure, a sheet insertion port is provided on a sheet insertion side of the apparatus main body, and the sheet of the two plate-shaped members is provided. It is characterized in that the plate-shaped member on the side of the insertion port also serves as an opening / closing lid for the sheet insertion port. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper feeding device of the present invention, wherein the paper of the specific size is a postcard.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, any one of the paper feeding apparatuses having the above-described configurations and the printer are placed in an interlocking relationship, and the apparatus main body of the paper feeding apparatus and the printer housing are connected. Is integrally formed. Further, in the word processor of the present invention according to claim 8, the sheet feeding device of any of the above configurations, the printer and the data input mechanism are connected, and the apparatus body of the sheet feeding device and the housing of the printer and the data input mechanism are connected. It is characterized by being integrally formed.

[0011]

According to the sheet feeding device of the first aspect, the stacked sheets are supported horizontally by a simple and space-saving mechanism.
It is possible to align the leading edges of the sheets by evenly abutting the leading edges of the plurality of sheets against the vertical surface of the sheet locking sheet separating wall. Further, according to the sheet feeding device of the second aspect, the two plate-shaped members can be simultaneously opened substantially horizontally by the crankshaft, and a large number of sheets can be easily set on the table. Further, according to the paper feeding device of the third aspect, since the angle control means functions by the meshing of the claw of the cutout portion and the step portion of the cam, the two tables constituting the table can be constructed with a simple structure. The tilting motion of the plate member can be interlocked.

According to the sheet feeding device of the fourth aspect,
It is possible to make the device significantly more compact than the size of the paper to be used.
According to the paper feeding device described in (1), the number of parts of the device can be reduced, the structure can be simplified, and the preparation for setting the paper and the opening / closing of the insertion port can be simultaneously and simultaneously performed. Further, since the set sheets are exposed to the outside through the opening / closing lid, it is possible to easily confirm the remaining amount of the set sheets. Further, according to the paper feeding device of the sixth aspect, a postcard, which has been troublesome in the conventional set, can be easily set, and the feeding to the printing process can be smoothly performed.

Next, according to the printing device of the seventh aspect, the size and cost can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional printing device. Further, in the structure which doubles as a table and an opening / closing lid, It ’s easier to set,
There is an advantage that you can easily check the remaining amount of the set paper.
Further, according to the word processor of claim 8, the size and cost can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional word processor, and the configuration that serves as both the table and the opening / closing lid makes it easier to set the paper. In addition, there is an advantage that the remaining amount of the set paper can be easily confirmed. These advantages are particularly remarkable when the printing paper is a postcard.

[0014]

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a paper feeding device according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the paper feeding device of the present invention includes a table 10 including two plate-shaped members,
A sheet locking separation wall 11 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) which will be shown later,
The sheet locking / separating wall 11 and the sheet feeding roller 12 that feeds out the uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets in cooperation with each other. Note that the above-mentioned paper-locking separation wall 11 and the paper-feeding roller 12 are basically the same as the conventional ones, and therefore their explanations are omitted. Table 10 which is a characteristic of the paper feeding device of the present invention
Is composed of two plate-like members, that is, a sheet feeding side table 13 and a sheet inserting side table 14. As will be described later, these tables 13 and 14 are arranged so that their one ends 13a and 14a face each other and a part of them engages with each other.

As shown in FIG. 3, one table 13 is provided with flanges 15 and 15 on both sides thereof so as to stand vertically upward, and one end portion 1 of these flanges 15 and 15 is provided.
3a, that is, near the table 14, the bearing hole 1
5a and 15a are formed and, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, are horizontally supported by the shaft 16 inserted in the bearing holes 15a and 15a at the bottom of the apparatus main body 17. Further, the one end portion 13 of the flanges 15 and 15 is
Notches 15b and 15b are formed at the tip on the a side. Further, locking pieces 18, 18 are provided upright on both sides of the other end 13b of the table 13, and one ends of springs 19, 19 are hooked on the locking pieces 18, 18, respectively. The other ends of these springs 19 and 19 are hooked on the upper part of the apparatus main body 17, whereby the other end of the table 13, that is, the end on the side of the sheet locking separation wall 11 is always urged upward. As shown in FIG. 4, when the paper is not inserted in the apparatus, it is in contact with the paper feed roller 12.

Further, the other end 13b of the table 13
At the center, a frame portion 20 is formed which is raised on the back side, that is, downward. Both sides of the frame 20 are open, and one end 21a of the crankshaft 21 is inserted. The one end 21a and the other end 21b of the crankshaft 21 correspond to the central portion 21 of the crankshaft 21.
The central portion 21c penetrates the bearing 22 and is fixed to the bottom portion of the apparatus main body 17 by the bearing 22 so as to be rotatable about the axis. There is. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
When the one end 21a is in the horizontal position, the other end 21b is in the substantially vertical position, and in this state, the other end 21b is indicated by the arrow A.
It is in the most rotated position. When the other end 21b is rotated in the direction of arrow B in the figure, the one end 21a rises, and the table 13 also rises accordingly. When no paper is inserted in this paper feeding device, the table 13 is in the most raised state by the springs 19 and 19, so that the other end 21b of the crankshaft 21 is
It is located at the position most rotated in the direction of arrow B. A lower end engaging portion 23a of a knob 23 pivotally supported at a central portion thereof is engaged with a side surface of the other end portion 21b of the crankshaft 21 in the direction of arrow B (front side in the drawing in FIG. 3). ing. Therefore, when the knob 23 is rotated in the b direction, the other end 21b of the crankshaft 21 is rotated in the A direction, and accordingly, the one end 21a of the shaft 21 is rotated toward the horizontal position, that is, The table 13 rotates toward the horizontal position. The states of FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 show the case where the knob 23 is rotated most in the direction of the arrow b, the other end 21b of the crankshaft 21 is raised most, and the table 13 is moved almost horizontally. No particular biasing member is attached to the knob 23. Therefore, when the knob 23 is released, the table 13 is in the most raised state by the biasing force of the springs 19, 19, that is, the other end 13b of the table 13 is the paper feed roller. In this state, the other end 21b of the crankshaft 21 is in the most rotated position in the arrow B direction, and the knob 23 is in the most rotated position in the a direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the other sheet insertion side table 14 has flanges 24, 24 vertically erected vertically on both sides thereof, and these flanges 24, 24 are located near one end 14a of the flange 24, 24, respectively. That is, bearing holes 24a, 24a are formed near the table 13, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a shaft 25 inserted in the bearing holes 24a, 24a horizontally supports the shaft at the bottom of the apparatus main body 17. Has been done. The bearing holes 24a of the flanges 24, 24,
Cams 26, 26 having holes of the same size as the bearing hole 24a are fixed to the outer portion of 24a. These cams 2
6 and 26, the flange 1 of the above-mentioned one table 13
Notches 15b, 15b formed at the tips of 5, 15
Are formed with stepped portions 26a, 26a. The table 13 and the table 14 are pivotally supported by the apparatus main body 17 by respective shafts 16 and 25 so that the cutout portion 15b and the stepped portion 26a of the cam 26 are engaged with each other. Coil springs 27, 27 are attached to the shaft 25 at the outer position of the cam 26. The coil springs 27, 27 keep the table 14 standing up, that is, the other end portion 14 of the table 14.
B is urged so as to face upward.

The notch portion 15b of the flange 15 of the one table 13 and the step portion 26a of the cam 26 attached to the flange 24 of the other table 14 constitute a cam mechanism, and one of these teeth is engaged. Together, they function so that the rotations of the tables 13 and 14 are interlocked with each other. In the above structure, the cutout portion 15b and the step portion 26a of the cam 26 constitute an angle adjusting means.
In the above structure, when no paper is inserted, as shown in FIG.
Are placed in the most raised state by springs 19 and 27, respectively. That is, the other end 13b of the table 13 is brought into contact with the sheet feeding roller 12, and the other end 14b of the table 14 is brought into contact with, for example, the upper portion 28a of the insertion port 28 of the apparatus body 17. In addition, this FIG.
In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the sheet insertion side table 14 also serves as an opening / closing lid of the sheet insertion port 28 of the apparatus body. In this case, since the apparatus in which no sheet is inserted is in an unused state, the table 14 also serving as the opening / closing lid of the sheet insertion port 28 is used.
Completely closes the insertion opening 28. Also, at this time,
As shown in FIG. 5, the flange 15 of one table 13
The notch 15b at the tip of the table and the step 26a of the cam 26 attached to the flange 24 of the other table 14 are deeply meshed with each other, and the mesh is somewhat disengaged.

To set the sheet on the table from the unused state, the knob 23 shown in FIG. 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow b and the other end 21a of the crankshaft 21 is rotated in the direction A. , Tilt the table 13 toward the horizontal position.
According to this series of operations, the flange 15 of the table 13
A force that pushes up the stepped portion 26a of the cam 26 is generated through the claw of the cutout portion 15b at the tip of the table 14, and this force tilts the table 14 to the horizontal position against the biasing force of the coil spring 27. If this operation is done to the limit,
As shown in FIG. 6, both the tables 13 and 14 are rotated to a substantially horizontal position, and the paper insertion port 28
Will open wide. In this case, the other end portion 13b of the table 13 and the other end portion 14b of the table 14 are both at the same horizontal height, and when a large number of sheets 4 are inserted as shown in the figure, the sheets 4 are transferred to the table 13 Is supported by the other end portion 13b of the table 14 and the other end portion 14b of the table 14 and is kept horizontal, and the tips thereof are separated by the sheet locking separation wall 11.
And the tip is trimmed.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the notch 15
b and the step portion 26a of the cam 26 are engaged with each other shallowly, and the engagement is somewhat disengaged. With this shallow mesh,
During the deep meshing when the above-mentioned paper has not been inserted, in other words, from the state where the most paper is set to the time when the paper feed roller 12 starts feeding the paper and finishes feeding all the paper. , Notch 15b and step 26a of cam 26
Is the period in which and are most closely meshed, and each spring 1
While keeping harmony with the urging forces of 9, 27, the rotation angles of the two can be best braked and the paper 4 can be supported horizontally. The sheets 4 thus set on the tables 13 and 14 are passed one by one by the sheet feeding roller 12 between the sheet feeding roller 12 and the sheet locking separation wall 11 and the next process portion such as a printing mechanism section. Sent to 29. Further, in this paper feeding device, since the table 14 on the paper insertion side also serves as the opening / closing lid of the paper insertion port 28, the device can be downsized and the structure can be simplified, and the size smaller than the paper to be used. Since it can be assembled into a small size, the size of the device can be further reduced. Furthermore, since the edge of the sheet in use is exposed to the outside, there is an advantage that the remaining amount can be easily confirmed.

The paper feeding device of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure is built in or connected to any device that requires a paper feeding device such as a word processor, a facsimile, a copying machine, and further, a fishing bill feeding device of a vending machine. It can be used and can contribute to downsizing and cost reduction of those devices. Therefore, as an example of such an application, an embodiment in which the paper feeding device of the present invention is applied to a postcard printing device will be described next.

[0022]

Second Embodiment FIG. 8 shows a novel postcard printing apparatus (word processor), in which an integral housing 30 is formed integrally with the apparatus main body 17 of the paper feeding apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration. A postcard insertion opening 31 is opened on the front surface of the housing 30. The postcard insertion opening 31 corresponds to the paper insertion opening 28 of the paper feeding device. Therefore, the opening / closing lid of the postcard insertion port 31 is the table 14 on the sheet insertion side. A series of paper feeding devices connected to the table 14 are housed in the housing 30 with the above-described configuration in a size adapted to the postcard size. Then, by rotating the knob 23 provided on the left side portion of the housing 30 in the direction marked as "open" in the drawing to open the postcard insertion port 31, the postcard is inserted into the paper feeding device. In this postcard printing apparatus, in the above configuration, the printer 32 corresponds to the next process portion 29, is built in the rear part of the housing 30, and receives the postcard sent by the paper feed roller 12. Print. The information printed on this postcard is the keyboard (data input device) 3 provided on the upper surface of the housing 30.
3 is input, and the input content is confirmed by the liquid crystal display device 34 provided on the keyboard 33.

According to this postcard printing apparatus, the postcard to be printed is set in a state where the end of the postcard to be printed is exposed to the outside, so that the unprinted remaining amount can be easily confirmed, and printing is in progress. The postcard is printed on the housing 30 as the printing progresses.
The device is configured to gradually push out from a rear end outlet (not shown), and therefore, in combination with the configuration of the insertion port 31, the size of the entire device can be reduced. When the printing of all the postcards set in the insertion port 31 is completed, the insertion port 31 is automatically closed by the table (opening / closing lid) 14 according to the mechanism of the above-described paper feeding device, and the completion of printing is confirmed. be able to. Further, the opening / closing of the opening / closing lid 14 and the ON / OFF of the printer 32 can be linked.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the table is rotatably supported, the paper lifting mechanism is simple, and the device can be downsized in the height direction. Since the cover lifts the rear end of the paper, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, and since the rear end of the paper is set outside the case, the device can be downsized also in the length direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional sheet feeding device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side configuration diagram showing another example of a conventional sheet feeding device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a sheet feeding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the sheet feeding device of the present invention before setting a sheet.

5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the paper feeding device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the sheet feeding device of the present invention after sheet setting.

7 is an enlarged view of a main part of the paper feeding device shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of a postcard printing apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Table Composed of Two Plate-shaped Members 11 Paper Locking Separation Wall 12 Paper Feed Roller 13 Paper-Sending Side Table (One Plate-shaped Member) 13a One End 13b Other End 14 Paper Insert-side Table (the Other Plate-shaped Member) 14a One end 14b The other end 15 The flange 13 of the table 17 The device main body 18 The locking piece 19 The spring (biasing member) 21 The crankshaft 21a The one end 21b The other end 21c The center 23a The lower end locking 24 The flange 14 of the table 14 Cam 26a Stepped portion 27 Coil spring (biasing member) 28 Device body insertion port 29 Next process part 30 Printing device housing 31 Postcard insertion port 32 Printer 33 Keyboard (data input device)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A table for supporting a sheet, a sheet locking separating wall which is erected in front of the table and straightens the leading edge of the sheet on the table, and which is provided above the sheet locking separating wall and near the table. In a sheet feeding device in which a sheet feeding roller that feeds the sheets on the table one by one over the sheet locking separation wall is housed in the apparatus main body, the tables have two plate-like shapes with one ends facing each other. These plate-shaped members are arranged along the flow direction of the paper, and are horizontally rotatably supported by the bottom of the apparatus body near the one ends facing each other, and the other ends of the plates are One end of each plate-like member is engaged through the angle control means so that the plate-like member always has the same height with respect to the horizontal plane of the apparatus main body, and the plate-like member has the respective shaft supporting portions. Stand up in the center Sheet feeding apparatus characterized by biasing member is mounted to always urged in the direction that. 2. A central portion of a crankshaft is rotatably fixed to a bottom portion of the main body of the apparatus about an axis, and one end thereof is a plate on the sheet locking separation wall side of the two plate members. The two plate-shaped members are rotatable toward the horizontal position against the urging force of the urging member by being locked to the plate-shaped member and rotating the other ends. Item 1. The sheet feeding device according to item 1. 3. A flange perpendicular to the plate surface is formed on both sides of each of the two plate-like members, and both ends of one flange of the plate-like member are opposed to the other plate-like member. A notch is formed, and a cam having a step is attached to a tip of both flanges of the other plate-like member facing the one plate-like member, and the notch and the step of the cam are engaged with each other. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the angle control means is configured by the above. 4. The distance between the other end of the one plate-shaped member and the other end of the other plate-shaped member is shorter than the size of the specific paper to be printed. The paper feeder according to any one of 1. 5. A paper insertion opening is provided on the paper insertion side of the apparatus body, and a plate-shaped member on the paper insertion opening side of the two plate-shaped members also serves as an opening / closing lid for the paper insertion opening. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device. 6. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the sheet of the specific size is a postcard. 7. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and the printer are placed in an interlocking relationship, and the main body of the sheet feeding device and the housing of the printer are integrally formed. A printing device characterized by. 8. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, the printer and the data input mechanism are connected to each other, and the device body of the sheet feeding device and the housing of the printer and the data input mechanism are integrally formed. A word processor that is characterized by being.