JPH1017181A - Sheet material supply device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To keep the occupying area of a loading means to load sheet materials almost equal to the installing area of a device main body by arranging the loading means on which plural sheet materials can be loaded, supplying the sheet materials on the loading means, and setting and holding the loading means at a large number of different angles. SOLUTION: A tray 21 as a loading holding means can be set and held at different three angles according to a condition by a setting holding means. Therefore, when sheet materials S are supplied, a preset angle of the tray 21 is put in an almost vertical condition, and since the sheet materials S loaded on the tray 21 are supplied one by one in a printer, the ordinary occupying area of the tray 21 can be kept almost equal to the installing area of a printer main body. Since the tray 21 can be opened large, its work can be easily performed at paper jam processing and part replacing time (such as the replacement of a process cartridge).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus, and more particularly, to a sheet feeding apparatus in which a sheet is manually fed to or stacked on an image forming apparatus main body such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile. For supplying sheet materials one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, an increasing number of computers are connected via a network to share an image forming apparatus such as a printer. For this reason, an increasing number of users are requesting an image forming apparatus capable of supplying various types of sheet materials and accommodating a large amount of sheet materials. In order to satisfy this demand, it is conceivable that a large number of sheet materials can be stored in a sheet material supply device capable of manually feeding various types of sheet materials to the image forming apparatus main body. Incidentally, in the conventional sheet material supply device, a tray for loading the sheet material is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body, and in use, the tray can be supplied with the sheet material. It is open at an angle.

FIG. 9 shows a printer as an image forming apparatus provided with the above-mentioned sheet material supply device. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the tray 52 is set in a substantially horizontal state,
Since the sheet material S stacked thereon is supplied into the printer main body 51, there is a problem that the occupied area of the tray 52 is always larger than the installation area of the printer main body 51. Further, the tray 52 is in a state of protruding from the side surface of the apparatus main body at the time of use (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 9), so that the tray 52 may be damaged.

FIG. 10 shows a printer as an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet material supply device for solving this problem. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the tray 53 is set to be substantially vertical, and the sheet materials S stacked on the tray 53 are supplied into the printer main body 51. Therefore, the area occupied by the tray 53 during use is smaller than the area occupied by the tray 52 shown in FIG.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the tray 53 is set in a substantially vertical state, and the sheet material S stacked on the tray 53 is supplied into the printer main body 51. It is difficult to access the mechanism, and a paper jam may occur.

Further, since the tray 53 is substantially vertical even when fully opened, it has been difficult to perform the paper jam processing when a paper jam occurs as described above. Further, it has been difficult to exchange a plurality of units and parts (for example, cartridges) constituting the printer main body 1. Further, there is a possibility that the tray 53 and the like may be damaged during the replacement.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to maintain the area occupied by the stacking means for stacking sheet materials substantially equal to the installation area of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and to facilitate sheet jam handling and parts replacement. To provide a supply device.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention is a sheet material feeding apparatus for manually feeding a sheet material or for feeding stacked sheet materials one by one. Stacking means capable of stacking a plurality of sheet materials, supply means for feeding the sheet material on the stacking means, and setting and holding means for setting and holding the stacking means at a number of different angles , Is characterized by having.

According to the above construction, the loading means for loading the sheet material can be set and held at a number of different angles depending on the situation by the setting and holding means. The stacking means can be opened and the occupied area of the stacking means can be kept substantially equal to the installation area of the apparatus main body. Further, the work can be easily performed by widely opening the stacking means at the time of paper jam processing or component replacement.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet material supply device to which the present invention is applied will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an electrophotographic printer is exemplified as an image forming apparatus.

[First Embodiment] A printer provided with a sheet material supply device according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet material supply device according to the first embodiment, FIGS. 2 to 4 are side views of the sheet material supply device, and FIG. 5 is a view of a printer including the sheet material supply device according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic cross section which shows a schematic structure.

In the order of the following description, first, the schematic configuration of the printer will be briefly described, and then the sheet material supply apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

First, a schematic configuration of a printer including a sheet material feeding device will be described with reference to FIG. In the printer body 1 shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of sheet materials S stacked on the paper feed cassette 2 are separated and fed one by one by a feeding roller 3 and sent to a registration roller pair 4. The sheet material S sent to the pair of registration rollers 4 is sent between the photosensitive drum 6 and the transfer roller 7 at the same timing as the image forming operation in the image forming unit 5, where the sheet material S is placed on the photosensitive drum 6. The formed toner image is transferred. The sheet material S after the transfer is subsequently sent to the fixing roller pair 8, where the fixing process of the toner image is performed. Then, the sheet material S that has been subjected to the fixing process is discharged to the stacking section 11 on the upper portion of the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 10 via the intermediate roller pair 9.

The image forming section 5 includes, in addition to the photosensitive drum 6, the transfer roller 7, and the fixing roller pair 8, a laser transmitting device 12a and a laser beam (image) transmitted from the laser transmitting device 12a. Light) to reflect the photosensitive drum 6
It has a laser scanner 12 having a mirror 12b for forming an image thereon, and a developing means 13 for developing a latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 6 with toner. However, it has a charging unit, a cleaning unit, and the like as process units acting on the photosensitive drum 6.

The photosensitive drum 6 and the developing means 13 and the charging means and the cleaning means as the process means are arranged in a process cartridge 14 to form a unit. It is removable.

Next, a sheet supply apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The sheet material supply device according to this embodiment includes a stacking unit capable of stacking a plurality of sheet materials, a supply unit for supplying the sheet material on the stacking unit, and a plurality of different stacking units. Setting and holding means for setting and holding the angle. In this embodiment, the loading means is configured to be able to be set and held at three different angles.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes a tray as the loading means, which is rotatably held by a main body frame 22;
A plurality of sheets S can be stacked. Reference numerals 23a and 23b denote regulating members.
It is held so as to be movable in the direction of the middle arrow a, and regulates both end positions in the width direction of the sheet material S on the tray 21.

A cover 24 is rotatably held by the main body frame 22. The cover 24 has a groove 24 which engages with the bosses 21 a and 21 b provided on the tray 21.
a, 24b, and holes 22a,
It has bosses 24c which engage with 22b and 22c, respectively. The bosses 21a and 21b of the tray 21 and the holes 22 of the body frame 22
a, 22b, 22c and a cover 24 having grooves 24a, 24b and a boss 24c constitute the setting holding means.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a sub-tray, which is supported by the cover 24 so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 1 and is expandable and contractable in accordance with the size of the sheet material S stacked on the tray 21. Reference numeral 26 denotes an intermediate plate, which is rotatably held by the main body frame 22, and urges the sheet material S in the direction of a feeding roller 28 described later by the urging force of a spring (not shown).

Reference numeral 27 denotes a shaft, which is rotatably held by the main body frame 22. Reference numeral 28 denotes a substantially half-moon-shaped supply roller as a supply means, which is supported on the shaft 27 in a phase fixed manner,
The sheet is sequentially fed one by one from the uppermost sheet material Sa, and is fed into the printer main body 1 shown in FIG. An electromagnetic clutch 29 controls ON / OFF of transmission of a driving force for rotating the shaft 27. Reference numeral 30 denotes a cam supported in a phase fixed manner on a shaft 27. When the sheet material S is supplied into the printer main body 1, the intermediate plate 26 is brought close to the feed roller 28, and When the sheet material S is not supplied and the sheet material S is not supplied, the middle plate 26 is moved away from the feeding roller 28, and the position of the sheet material S is separated from the feeding roller 28.

In the sheet supply apparatus according to the present embodiment,
The tray 21 serving as the stacking means can be set and held at three different angles shown in FIGS. That is, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the cover 24 is closed and stored, and the boss 24c of the cover 24 is engaged with the hole 22a of the main body frame 22. FIG. 3 shows a state when the sheet material is supplied, and the boss of the cover 24 is provided.
24c is engaged with the hole 22b of the main body frame 22. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the cover 24 is fully opened for paper jam processing or component replacement. A boss 24a of the cover 24 is engaged with a hole 22c of the main body frame 22.

As described above, the setting and holding means can set and hold the tray 21 as the stacking means at three different angles depending on the situation. Therefore, at the time of feeding the sheet material S, the set angle of the tray 21 is set to a substantially vertical state as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and the sheet material S stacked on the tray 21 is fed into the printer body 1 one by one. Therefore, the normal occupied area of the tray 21 can be kept substantially equal to the installation area of the printer main body 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, since the tray 21 can be widely opened, the work can be easily performed at the time of paper jam processing or component replacement (replacement of the process cartridge 14, etc.).

The boss 24c of the cover 24 is formed in a conical shape as shown in FIG. 1 and the cover 24 is formed of an elastic member. Holes 22a, 22b, 22 in body frame 22 by force
c, and when the boss 24c is engaged with any of the holes 22a, 22b, 22c of the main body frame 22, there is a click feeling. In addition, the tray 21 (and the cover
When a force equal to or more than a certain force is applied to 24), the engagement is released, and the angle of the tray 21 changes (opens or closes) in the direction of the applied force. Therefore, for example, when a component (for example, a process cartridge) hits during component replacement,
Alternatively, when a person accidentally collides, the tray 21 (and the cover 24) operates in a direction in which the force is released, so that the damage can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the tray 21 as the stacking means can be set and held at three different angles.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the number of holes in the main body frame 22 is increased as necessary, it is possible to set and hold a larger angle.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a sheet supply apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective configuration diagram of the sheet material supply device according to the present embodiment. Since the schematic configuration of the entire apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described embodiment, members having the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

The sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment has a lock means for holding the tray 21 as the stacking means at each set position, and the angle of the tray 21 is changed only when the lock means is released. The configuration can be changed. As shown in FIG. 6, the locking means
The lever 31 has a columnar boss 31a that fits into each of the holes 22a, 22b, and 22c of the main body frame 22.

In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment described above, the tray 21 as the stacking means can be set and held at three different angles, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the number of holes in the main body frame 22 is increased as needed, it is possible to set more angles.

As shown in FIG. 6, a lever 31 for locking the angle of the tray 21 as the stacking means is rotatably supported by the cover 24, and is moved from the cover 24 in the direction of arrow c in FIG. It is urged in the opposite direction by an elastic member (not shown) (for example, a spring or the like). The lever 31 has a conical boss 31a. The boss 31a is fitted into the holes 22a, 22b, 22c of the main body frame 22, respectively, thereby setting the tray 21 at three different angles according to the situation. It is configured to hold.

Therefore, when changing the angle of the tray 21, the button 31b provided on the lever 31 is pushed in the direction of arrow c in FIG. 6 to release the lock, and the set angle of the cover 24 is changed ( Open or close). Then, the boss 31a of the lever 31 is connected to the holes 22a, 22b, 22 of the body frame 22.
The tray 21 is locked at a predetermined angle by fitting into any one of (c) and (c).

As described above, the tray as the loading means
By providing the lever 31 as locking means for locking the 21 at each set angle, the set angle of the tray 21 can be changed only when the lock by the lever 31 is released. That is, the lock is released only when the user actively changes the set angle of the tray 21.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a sheet feeding apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a perspective configuration diagram of the sheet material supply device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer including the sheet material supply device according to the embodiment.

In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the tray 21 as the stacking means can be set and held at three different angles, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the number of holes in the main body frame 22 is increased as needed, it is possible to set more angles.

The sheet feeding apparatus according to the present embodiment has a moving means for moving the apparatus main body in the horizontal direction (the direction of arrow d in the figure).

In FIG. 7, reference numerals 32a and 32b denote rail members as the moving means, which are formed integrally with the main body frame 22, engage with guide members (not shown) of the printer main body 1, and provide a sheet material feeding device. The main body is held so as to be movable in the direction of arrow d in the figure. Since other configurations are substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiment, members having the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted.

According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained, and the rail member as the moving means can be obtained.
By sliding the main body of the sheet material feeding apparatus to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8 by 32a and 32b, operations at the time of paper jam processing and parts replacement (replacement of a process cartridge, etc.) can be performed more easily.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment,
A printer has been exemplified as an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet material supply device to which the present invention is applied. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a sheet material supply device provided in another image forming device such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, an electrophotographic method is exemplified as a recording method. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, recording methods such as an ink jet method, a thermal transfer method, a heat-sensitive method, a wire dot method, and the like. Alternatively, other recording methods may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus provided with the process cartridge for forming a single-color image is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a two-color image, 3
It is also effective to apply the present invention to an image forming apparatus provided with a cartridge for forming a color image or full color.

The process cartridge described above is
It is provided with a photosensitive drum as an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one of processing means. Therefore, as a mode of the process cartridge, in addition to the above-described embodiment, for example, the photosensitive drum and the charging unit are integrally formed as a cartridge so as to be detachable from the apparatus main body. A photoreceptor drum and a developing means are integrally formed into a cartridge so that the photoreceptor drum can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. A photoreceptor drum and a cleaning means are integrally formed into a cartridge so that the photoreceptor drum can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. And a photoconductor drum,
There are, for example, one in which two or more of the above-mentioned process means are combined into a cartridge to be detachable from the apparatus main body.

That is, the above-described process cartridge is one in which the charging means, the developing means or the cleaning means and the photosensitive drum are integrally formed into a cartridge, and this cartridge is detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus. In addition, at least one of the charging unit, the developing unit, and the cleaning unit and the photosensitive drum are integrally formed as a cartridge so that the cartridge can be detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body. Further, at least the developing means and the photosensitive drum are integrally formed as a cartridge so as to be detachable from the apparatus main body.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the photosensitive drum and the developing means are formed into cartridges, and an apparatus for forming an image by mounting the process cartridge is illustrated. However, the photosensitive drum and the developing means are not formed into cartridges. The present invention can be similarly applied to an image forming apparatus directly attached to the apparatus main body.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the stacking means for stacking the sheet material can be set and held at a number of different angles according to the situation by the setting and holding means, for example, when used, the stacking means is opened to a substantially vertical state to occupy the stacking means. The area can be maintained substantially equal to the installation area of the apparatus main body, and furthermore, when paper jams or parts are replaced, the work can be easily performed by greatly opening the stacking means.

By providing a lock means for holding the loading means at each set angle, the set angle of the loading means can be changed only when the lock by the locking means is released, that is, the user can change the set angle of the loading means. The lock is released only when the set angle of the loading means is actively changed.

By providing a moving means for moving the apparatus main body in the horizontal direction, work for paper jam handling and parts replacement can be performed more easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet material supply device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the sheet material supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the sheet material supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the sheet material supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer including the sheet material supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet material supply device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective configuration diagram of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer including a sheet material supply device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer including a conventional sheet material supply device.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer including a conventional sheet material supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S: Sheet material 1 ... Printer body 2 ... Cassette 3 ... Feed roller 4 ... Registration roller pair 5 ... Image forming unit 6 ... Photoconductor drum 7 ... Transfer roller 8 ... Fixing roller pair 9 ... Intermediate roller pair 10 ... Discharge roller pair 11 loading section 12 laser scanner 12a laser transmitting device 12b mirror 13 developing means 14 process cartridge 21 tray 21a, 21b boss 22 body frame 22a, 22b, 22c hole 23a, 23b regulating member 24 … Cover 24a, 24b… Groove 24c… Boss 25… Sub-tray 26… Medium plate 27… Shaft 28… Feed roller 29… Electromagnetic clutch 30… Cam 31… Lever 31a… Boss 31b… Button part 32a, 32b… Rail member

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding sheets manually or feeding stacked sheets one by one, a stacking means capable of stacking a plurality of sheets, and a stacking means on the stacking means. And a setting and holding means for setting and holding the stacking means at a number of different angles. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting holding unit includes a plurality of bosses provided on the loading unit, a plurality of holes provided on a main body frame for rotatably holding the loading unit, and a plurality of holes on the main body frame. 2. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a boss that engages with the cover, and a cover having a groove that engages with the boss of the stacking unit. 3. The sheet material feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stacking means changes an angle in a direction in which the force is released when a certain force or more is applied. 4. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the boss provided on the cover is formed in a conical shape, and the cover is formed of an elastic member. 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a lock unit for holding said stacking unit at each set angle, wherein the angle of said stacking unit can be changed only when said lock unit is released. Item 3. The sheet material supply device according to Item 2. 6. The locking device according to claim 5, wherein the locking means is a lever rotatably supported by the cover, and the lever has a cylindrical boss that engages with a hole in the body frame. 4. The sheet material supply device according to 1. 7. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit for moving the apparatus main body in a horizontal direction. 8. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet material supply device according to claim 1. Description: