JPH10291655A - Paper feed cassette and paper feed cassette fixing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fix a bottom plate or the like without using a foaming styrene, corrugated fiberboard, etc. SOLUTION: A paper feed cassette 10 is provided with a bottom plate 62 making a paper feed side end part approximate to a paper feed position by pressing up recording-paper, in a rear end position of recording paper set onto this bottom plate 62, guide insert holes 18, 19, 20 are provided. In this guide insert hole 18, 19, 20, an insert part of an end guide 17 is inserted. Relating to partly the bottom plate 62 pressed down to a bottom surface side of a cassette main unit, one end part is press held in the end guide 17, its insert part is engaged with a bottom fixing hole, it is provided in a bottom surface.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette used in a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and the like, and a method of fixing the paper feed cassette.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile apparatus, a copying machine, and the like hold recording paper supplied to a transfer section for data printing during a printing operation in a paper feeding cassette for each recording paper size. The paper feed cassette is provided with a member called a bottom plate that pushes up the recording paper of the same size stacked to a predetermined thickness upward and adjusts the paper feed side of the top recording paper to a height that matches the paper feeding position. Have been.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of a paper feed cassette. As shown in the figure, a bottom plate 102 is disposed in a recording paper storage section inside a paper feed cassette 101. The bottom plate 102 is installed in an area from the center of the recording paper storage unit to the paper feed side end,
The end on the center side of the recording paper storage unit is the side wall 10 of the cassette body.
3 and 104 are attached rotatably.

A spring is provided between the bottom surface of the bottom end of the bottom plate 102 and the bottom surface of the cassette body to urge the bottom end of the bottom plate 2 upward. 1
02 or separation claw 10 for regulating the height of the recording paper to the paper feeding position
Rotating arms 108, 109 having 6, 107 are provided.

The rotating arms 108 and 109 are rotatably mounted on side guides 111 and 112 for positioning a set position in a direction perpendicular to the recording paper feeding direction. When it reaches the paper feed position, the height direction is regulated.

The position of the recording paper set in the cassette main body in the paper feeding direction is determined by separation claws 106 and 107, and the position of the end facing the paper feeding direction of the recording paper is determined by the end guide 113.

[0007] Incidentally, since the components such as the bottom plate 102 and the rotating arms 108 and 109 provided in the above-mentioned paper feed cassette are not completely fixed to the cassette main body, when transported in this state, the bottom plate 102
May be broken up and down by the vibration during transportation.

Conventionally, in order to prevent vibration of the bottom plate 102 and the rotating arms 108 and 109 at the time of transportation, a cushioning member 114 such as styrene foam or cardboard is used at the time of packing in order to prevent the bottom plate 102 and the separation claws 106 107 and is fixed.

[0009]

However, styrofoam and danballs used for fixing the bottom plate and the like at the time of packing are used only for transportation.
Once the facsimile machine, copier, etc. are installed, they become unnecessary and are discarded.

[0010] As described above, there is a problem that a cost is generated for a buffer member that is used only temporarily, and the buffer member should be disposed of after transportation, and thus should be improved from the viewpoint of consideration for the environment. It is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has been developed in consideration of a bottom plate or the like during transportation without using a temporarily used cushioning member such as styrofoam or a cardboard. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet cassette and a sheet cassette fixing method which can securely fix the sheet cassette, reduce costs, and do not generate useless waste after transportation.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention takes the following measures.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bottom plate for pushing up a recording sheet so that an end portion on a sheet feeding side is close to a sheet feeding position, and a guide difference provided at a rear end position of the recording sheet set on the bottom plate. And an end guide having an insertion portion inserted into the guide insertion hole, and an end guide having one end pressed against a part of the bottom plate pushed down on the bottom side of the cassette body. And a bottom plate fixing hole with which the recess is engaged.

According to this structure, the bottom plate is fixed to the bottom surface of the cassette body by using the end guide for aligning the trailing end of the recording paper. Therefore, a buffer which is used only temporarily, such as foamed styrene or cardboard. The bottom plate and the like can be securely fixed during transportation without using any members.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the bottom plate has an opening or notch formed in a region facing the bottom plate fixing hole when pressed down to the bottom side of the cassette body, and the end guide has an opening or notch in the bottom plate. The mounting end is brought into contact with the area adjacent to the notch, and the insertion portion is inserted into the bottom plate fixing hole through the opening or the notch.

With this configuration, an opening or notch is formed in the bottom plate, and a bottom plate fixing hole is provided on the bottom surface facing the opening or notch, so that the bottom plate can be fixed to the bottom surface of the cassette body by the end guide. it can.

The third aspect of the present invention employs a configuration in which an opening used for detecting the presence or absence of a recording sheet is used as an opening in the bottom plate into which the insertion portion of the end guide is inserted.

With this configuration, the opening for inserting the insertion portion of the end guide and the opening for detecting the presence or absence of the recording paper can be shared, and the manufacturing process of the bottom plate can be simplified.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the end guide for aligning the rear end of the recording paper set in the paper feed cassette is removed from the rear end position of the recording paper of the paper feed cassette, and the bottom plate for pushing up the recording paper to the paper feeding position is provided. By pushing down to the bottom side of the paper cassette, inserting the insertion portion of the end guide into an opening or notch formed in the bottom plate and engaging with a bottom plate fixing hole provided on the bottom surface of the paper cassette, A configuration for fixing the bottom plate is adopted.

According to this configuration, the bottom plate can be fixed to the bottom surface of the cassette body by using the end guide for aligning the trailing end of the recording paper, and a buffer member such as styrofoam or a cardboard that is used only temporarily. Waste can be reduced.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a sheet cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a case where the sheet cassette shown in FIG. 1 is used for a facsimile apparatus will be described. However, the sheet cassette may be used as a sheet cassette other than a facsimile apparatus such as a copying machine.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a facsimile apparatus provided with the sheet cassette shown in FIG. Facsimile machine 1
Is a facsimile main body 2 having a built-in transfer mechanism, a paper feed cassette 3 for storing recording paper for automatic paper feeding, a manual feeding mechanism 4 for manually feeding recording paper, a facsimile original insertion section 5, a facsimile It comprises an operation button section 6, a facsimile original discharge tray 7, a recording paper discharge tray 8, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed cassette 10 has a pair of side walls 12 and 13 opposed to the paper feed direction and is orthogonal to the paper feed direction so as to surround the outer periphery of the rectangular cassette body bottom surface 11 from all sides. A pair of side walls 14 facing each other,
15 is formed vertically and integrally with the outer periphery of the cassette body bottom surface 11.

On the bottom surface 11 of the cassette body, a trapezoidal portion 16 is formed so as to extend from one side wall 12 in the paper feeding direction to the center of the recording paper mounting area. On the upper surface of the trapezoidal portion 16, guide insertion holes 18, 19, and 2 for attaching an end guide 17 are provided at rear end positions of recording paper corresponding to each size of recording paper.
0 is formed. For example, the guide insertion hole 18 is A4
The guide insertion hole 19 is formed at the rear end position of the B5 size recording paper in the paper feeding direction, and the guide insertion hole 20 is formed at the rear end position of the B5 size recording paper in the paper feeding direction. At the rear end position in the sheet feeding direction.

Further, on the bottom surface 11 of the cassette main body, a pair of guide insertion bases 2 is provided at a position between the front end of the trapezoidal portion 16 and another side wall 13 in the sheet feeding direction and near the side wall 13.
1, 22 are provided. On the upper surfaces of the guide insertion bases 21 and 22, bottom plate fixing holes having the same shape as the above-mentioned guide insertion holes 18 and the like are formed at the same pitch on the left and right. That is, the end guide 17 can be attached to and detached from the guide insertion bases 21 and 22.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section and an end guide 17 at the rear end position of the A4 size of the trapezoidal portion 16. The trapezoidal portion 16 has key-shaped holes 31a and 31b formed symmetrically with respect to a center line parallel to the sheet feeding direction, and further has a pair of straight holes 32a and 32b formed on the same line and inside. I have. The key-shaped holes 31a and 31b are formed with engaging portions 33a and 33b whose outer inner walls slightly protrude inward (the center line side) near the openings. A5 of trapezoidal part 16
Guide insertion holes 19 and 20 formed of key-shaped holes 31a and 31b and straight holes 32a and 32b are also formed at the rear end positions of the size and the B5 size in the same positional relationship with respect to the center line.

The end guides 17 are keyed holes 31a, 31
b, and has insertions 34a, 34b with key-shaped projections on both sides of the mounting end, and a pair of slits 35a, 35 inside the insertions 34a, 34b.
b has been processed. The key-shaped projections provided at the tips of the insertions 34a, 34b protrude outward. The end guide 17 has straight insertions 36a, 36b inside the insertions 34a, 34b in the same positional relationship as the straight holes 32a, 32b.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the guide insertion tables 21 and 22 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. Guide insertion base 2
Inserting the end guide 17 into each upper surface of
Key-shaped holes 41a and 41b for inserting 4a and 34b and straight holes 42a and 42b for inserting the insertions 36a and 36b are formed. Key-shaped holes 41a, 4
1b and the insertions 36a, 36b constitute a bottom plate fixing hole.

On the bottom surface 11 of the cassette body, side walls 14 and 1
A pair of side guides 51 and 52 are arranged along 5. The side guides 51 and 52 are provided on the bottom surface 1 of the cassette body.
The guide 1 is slidably mounted in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. The side guides 51 and 52 are rear guide portions 53a and 54 having vertical positioning surfaces, respectively.
a and the front guide portions 53b and 54b.

A bottom plate 60 is arranged in a region from the center of the recording paper placing region on the bottom surface 11 of the cassette body to the end on the paper feed side. At the opposite end of the sheet feeding side end of the bottom plate 60, mounting pieces 61, 62 extending in the left-right direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction are vertically bent, and the bent portions are rear guide portions 53a, 54a of the left and right side walls 14, 15. And front guide parts 53b, 54
b and is rotatably attached to a rotation shaft 63 provided between the first and second members.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the paper feed end of the bottom plate 60 is urged upward between the lower surface of the paper feed end of the bottom plate 60 and the cassette body bottom surface 11. Spring 64 is provided. A pivot arm 65 having separation claws 65a and 65b at its ends is rotatably attached to the front guide portions 53b and 54b, and a bottom plate 60 urged upward by a spring 64.
And the recording paper is restricted to the paper feeding position. The bottom plate 60 has rectangular openings 66, 67 in regions facing the guide insertion bases 21, 22 when the bottom plate 60 is pressed down against the elastic force of the spring 64. In addition,
In FIG. 5, the separation claw 65a and the front guide portion 53b are
Not shown.

The opening 66 is formed in an opening larger than one of the guide insertion bases 21, and the upper surface of the guide insertion base 21 is viewed from above the cassette with the bottom plate 60 being pushed down to the cassette main body bottom plate 11 side. You can do it. The other opening 67 is formed in a size that covers the upper surface of the guide insertion base 22 and the detection range of the recording paper presence / absence detection sensor. That is, the opening 67 is also used for detection by the recording paper presence / absence detection sensor. Opening 6
The connecting portion 68 formed between 6, 67 is smaller than the dimension between the insertions 36a, 36b of the end guide 17.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In the paper cassette having the above configuration, the bottom plate 60 can be fixed to the cassette body bottom surface 11 by using the end guide 17.

When the bottom plate 60 is released from the bottom surface 11 of the cassette main body, the sheet feeding side of the bottom plate 60 is urged upward by a spring 64 and rotates about the left and right rotation shafts 63 as a fulcrum.
The state shown in FIG.

From the state shown in FIG. 5A, the connecting portions 68 of the bottom plate 60 are
So that the mounting end of the end guide 17 is
0, and push down (toward the cassette body bottom surface 11 side).

When the sheet feeding side end of the bottom plate 60 is pushed down against the restoring force of the spring 64, the bottom plate 60 rotates around the rotation fulcrum 63 as a fulcrum. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the bottom plate 60 is substantially horizontal, the insertions 34a, 34b and 36a, 36b provided at the mounting end of the end guide 17 are provided.
Are formed through the openings 66 and 67 of the bottom plate 60,
22 is inserted into the bottom plate fixing hole formed in the base plate 22.

The inserts 34a and 34b are the guide mounts 2
When inserted into the key holes 41a and 41b formed in the key holes 1 and 22, the taper at the tip of the insertions 34a and 34b comes into contact with the openings of the key holes 41a and 41b and receives an inward stress. Thereby, the insertions 34a and 34b are bent inward and smoothly inserted into the key-shaped holes 41a and 41b. After the insertion, it is inserted by natural reaction force.
a, 34b return to the original state, so that the key-shaped hole 4
1a, 41b are inserted into the convex portions of the opening portions 34a, 34b.
Are engaged. Therefore, even if a force in the pull-out direction (upward) by the spring 64 acts on the end guide 17, the insertions 34 a and 34 b of the end guide 17 engage with the key-shaped holes 41 a and 41 b of the guide mounts 21 and 22. Thus, the bottom plate 60 is kept fixed to the cassette body bottom surface 11 integrally formed with the guide mounts 21 and 22.

On the other hand, when the facsimile machine is used at the place where it is transported, both sides of the end guide 17 are pushed toward the slits 35a and 35b to insert the facsimile machines 34a and 34b.
After the engagement between the key guide holes 41a and 41b is released, the end guide 17 is pulled out upward. End guide 1 pulled out from guide mounts 21 and 22 on cassette body bottom surface 11
7 is inserted into the guide insertion hole (any one of 18 to 20) of the trapezoidal portion 16 selected according to the recording paper size. As a result, the original operation of the end guide for positioning the end of the recording paper set in the recording paper mounting area of the cassette body is achieved.

During operation of the facsimile machine, the recording paper set in the paper feed cassette is sequentially fed to the transfer section of the facsimile machine in conjunction with the automatic paper feeding operation. A recording paper presence / absence detection sensor provided in the facsimile apparatus irradiates light to an area corresponding to one opening 67 formed in the bottom plate 60, and detects the presence or absence of recording paper from the reflected light. When there is no recording paper in the paper cassette, the light is
7 and the amount of reflected light decreases rapidly, so that it can be detected that the recording paper has run out.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the bottom plate fixing holes (41 a, 41 b, 42 a, 42 b) in which the end guide 17 can be mounted are provided on the bottom surface 11 of the cassette main body, and face the mounting holes of the bottom plate 60. Openings 66, 6 in the area
7, the bottom plate 60 can be easily and securely fixed to the set body bottom surface 11 by the end guide 17 during transportation, and the end guide 17 used to fix the bottom plate 60 can be fixed to the end guide after transportation. It can be used for applications. Therefore, cushioning members such as foamed styrene and danball used for fixing the bottom plate during transportation can be reduced, and wasteful waste can be suppressed.

Further, since the opening 67 for inserting the insertion guides 34b and 36b of the end guide 17 formed on the bottom plate 60 is shared with the sensor for detecting the presence or absence of recording paper, there is an advantage that the manufacturing process of the bottom plate 60 can be simplified. is there.

In the above description, two openings 66 and 67 are formed in the bottom plate 60, and the guide insertion table 2
Although 1, 22 are provided, a pair of notches may be provided in the peripheral portion of the bottom plate 60, and a guide insertion stand may be provided in a region corresponding to the notch, and an end guide may be attached. Alternatively, an opening and a notch may be provided in the peripheral portion of the bottom plate 60, and a guide insertion base may be provided in a region corresponding to each of the openings, and an end guide may be attached.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, the bottom plate and the like can be securely fixed at the time of transportation without using a temporarily used cushioning member such as styrofoam or cardboard. Can reduce costs,
In addition, it is possible to provide a paper feed cassette and a paper feed cassette fixing method that do not discharge wasteful waste after transportation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a facsimile apparatus provided with a sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feed cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention at a recording paper rear end position.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a guide mount of the paper feed cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a side sectional view of a bottom plate portion in a state where a bottom plate of the paper feed cassette is released. FIG. 4B is a side cross-sectional view of the bottom plate portion in a state where the bottom plate of the sheet cassette is fixed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional paper feed cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Paper feed cassette 11 Cassette main body bottom surface 12, 13, 14, 15 Side wall 16 Trapezoid part 17 End guide 18, 19, 20 Guide insertion hole 21, 22 Guide insertion table 60 Bottom plate 66, 67 Opening 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b Bottom plate fixing holes

Claims (4)

[Claims] A bottom plate for pushing up the recording paper to bring the paper feed side end portion close to the paper feeding position; a guide insertion hole provided at a rear end position of the recording paper set on the bottom plate; An end guide having an insertion portion inserted into the insertion hole,
And a bottom plate fixing hole in which an insertion portion of the end guide has one end pressed against a part of the bottom plate pressed down to the bottom side of the cassette body. 2. The bottom plate has an opening or notch formed in a region facing the bottom plate fixing hole when pressed down to the bottom side of the cassette body, and an end guide is formed in a region adjacent to the opening or notch in the bottom plate. 2. The paper feeding cassette according to claim 1, wherein the mounting end is abutted, and the insertion portion is inserted into the bottom plate fixing hole through the opening or the notch. 3. The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the bottom plate into which the insertion portion of the end guide is inserted is an opening used for detecting the presence or absence of a recording sheet. 4. An end guide for aligning the rear end of the recording paper set in the paper cassette is removed from the rear end position of the recording paper in the paper cassette, and the bottom plate for pushing up the recording paper to the paper feeding position is attached to the bottom of the paper cassette. Side, and inserts the insertion portion of the end guide into an opening or notch formed in the bottom plate and engages with a bottom plate fixing hole provided on the bottom surface of the sheet cassette to fix the bottom plate. A paper cassette fixing method characterized by the above-mentioned.