JPH10291694A - Paper feed tray and supply method of paper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feed tray capable of stably holding paper even without holding a paper total unit to have sufficient paper feed performance and a supply method of paper. SOLUTION: A tray main unit 9 having a first holding surface 9a holding paper and an auxiliary tray 10 stored forward/backward movably in this tray main unit 9 to have a second holding surface 10a holding paper are provided, in the case of drawing out the auxiliary tray 10 from the tray main unit 9, the second holding surface 10a is tilted upward relating to the first holding surface 9a. Paper is held to a paper feed tray having the two holding surfaces 9a, 10a holding paper, in a condition that one holding surface 10a of the paper feed tray is tilted upward relating to the other holding surface 9a, paper is supplied in an image recorder.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feed tray used for an image recording apparatus such as a facsimile machine and a copying machine, and a method for feeding paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image recording apparatus such as a facsimile machine or a copying machine, a paper feed tray for holding a recording material such as a recording paper has a size substantially equal to the size of the recording material in order to securely hold the recording material. It is desirable that the size be the same or larger than the size of the recording material.

However, as the size of the apparatus has been reduced in recent years, it is necessary to reduce the size of the paper feed tray. Therefore, a paper feed tray is configured to be expandable and contractable so as to correspond to recording materials of various sizes.
With this paper feed tray, recording materials of various sizes can be held, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

[0004]

However, when a large recording material such as A3 type recording paper is held,
Even when the telescopic paper feed tray as described above is stretched to the maximum, its length is insufficient, and the entire recording material cannot be reliably held.

For this reason, when the recording material is supplied into the image recording apparatus, the rear end of the recording material in the sheet feeding direction is not held and is bent downward. Since the bent portion is pulled downward by gravity, the portion of the recording material held by the paper feed tray also floats above the paper feed tray, and the force of pulling the entire recording material backward is reduced. work. As a result, the recording material flaps on the sheet feeding tray, and the recording material is displaced from the set position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is capable of stably holding a recording material without holding the entire recording material, and having a sufficient paper feeding performance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper tray and a method for supplying a recording material.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the following means are provided to solve the above-mentioned problems. According to the first aspect of the present invention, a tray main body having a first holding surface for holding paper, and an auxiliary tray having a second holding surface for holding paper, which is housed in the tray main body so as to be able to advance and retreat. When the auxiliary tray is withdrawn from the tray body,
The second holding surface is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface.

According to this configuration, since the second holding surface of the auxiliary tray is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface of the tray main body, when holding a sheet larger than the size of the sheet feeding tray. Then, the end of the auxiliary tray holds the sheet above the first holding surface. As a result, the downward bending of the rear end portion of the sheet is reduced, and a force for pushing the sheet onto the sheet feed tray is generated, so that the sheet as a whole proceeds to the sheet feed side. Therefore, even if the entire sheet is not held by the sheet feeding tray, flapping of the sheet on the sheet feeding tray can be prevented, and the sheet can be stably held.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary tray has a projecting portion on an opposite side surface, and the tray body has a guide for guiding the projecting portion. Is provided with an inclined portion. When the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body, the projecting portion moves along the guide, whereby the second holding surface moves with respect to the first holding surface. And adopt a configuration inclined upward.

According to this structure, when the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body, the protrusion of the tray main body slides along the guide, and the protrusion rides on the inclined portion of the guide. Is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface of the tray body. Therefore, only by pulling out the auxiliary tray from the tray body,
Can be realized in a state where the holding surface is inclined with respect to the first holding surface. For this reason, there is no need to separately provide a means for inclining the second holding surface with respect to the first holding surface, and it is possible to satisfy the demand for miniaturization of the device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the paper is held in a paper feed tray having two holding surfaces for holding the paper,
A configuration is adopted in which paper is supplied into the image recording apparatus in a state where one holding surface of the paper feed tray is inclined upward with respect to the other holding surface connected to the image recording apparatus.

According to this configuration, the paper is supplied into the image recording apparatus in a state where one of the holding surfaces is inclined upward with respect to the other holding surface connected to the image recording apparatus. When a sheet larger than the size is supplied to the image recording apparatus, the sheet is supplied into the image recording apparatus in a state where the downward bending of the rear end of the sheet is reduced.
Therefore, even if the entire sheet is not held by the sheet feed tray, flapping of the sheet on the sheet feed tray can be prevented, and the sheet can be prevented from being shifted from the set position. Can be supplied within.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus having a paper feed tray according to the present invention. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a facsimile apparatus provided with the paper feed tray of the present invention. Box-shaped device main body 2 of facsimile device 1
Includes an image recording unit that transfers information from a document onto a recording sheet, develops the image, and fixes the image to record an image.

A sheet cassette 3 for storing recording paper for automatic sheet feeding is housed in the lower part of one side of the apparatus main body 2 so as to be able to be taken in and out. A paper feed tray 4 used for manually feeding recording paper is opened and closed in a direction indicated by an arrow A in FIG. Installed. A pair of side guides 4b are provided on the recording paper holding surface 4a of the paper feed tray 4 so as to interlock with each other. The pair of side guides 4b are moved in the direction of arrow B to supply the recording paper into the apparatus. The size in the width direction of the recording paper is specified.

A document insertion section 5 for inserting a document containing information to be recorded on a recording sheet is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 in the drawing. The document insertion section 5 is formed to have a slope that falls from the near side toward the center so that the document is smoothly fed into the apparatus. A pair of side guides 5b are provided on the inclined surface 5a of the document insertion section 5 so as to interlock with each other, and the document supplied to the apparatus by moving the pair of side guides 5b in the direction of arrow C. Is defined in the width direction.

An operation unit 6 for executing various operations of the facsimile apparatus is provided on the back side of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 in the drawing. Further, on the rear surface of the apparatus main body 2 (the surface on the back side in the drawing), a document discharge tray 7 for receiving a document discharged from the apparatus, and an image is recorded below the document discharge tray 7 to receive the recording paper discharged from the apparatus. A recording paper discharge tray 8 is attached. The document discharge tray 7 and the recording paper discharge tray 8 are tilted so that their leading ends face upward in order to prevent the document or recording paper discharged from the apparatus from jumping out due to its inertia. It is attached to the main body 2.

The paper feed tray of the present invention is used when manually supplying recording paper to the apparatus, and is housed in the apparatus when automatically feeding paper. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the sheet feeding tray 4 of the present invention is opened from the tray attaching / detaching portion 2a of the apparatus main body 2. FIG. 3A is a plan view showing the paper feed tray in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing the paper feed tray in FIG.

The tray main body 9 of the paper feed tray 4 has a rectangular shape, and has a rotating plate 2b erected in a direction perpendicular to the surface thereof. This rotating plate 2b
Is fixed to a first rotating shaft 2c provided below the attaching / detaching portion 2a of the apparatus main body 2, and can be opened and closed by rotating around the first rotating shaft 2b. Have been. The tray body 9 rotates downward about the first rotation shaft 2c until it comes into contact with the stopper 2d of the tray attaching / detaching portion 2.

The rotating plate 2b of the tray body 9 is provided with a second rotating shaft 2e, and the recording paper introducing plate 2f is fixed to the second rotating shaft 2e.
A spring 2g is sandwiched between the recording paper introduction plate 2f and the tray main body 9, and the recording paper introduction plate 2f is urged upward. Therefore, when the recording paper is pulled into the apparatus by a roller (not shown), the recording paper introduction plate 2f is pushed down by the thickness of the recording paper against the urging force, whereby the recording paper of various thicknesses is formed. Is well introduced into the apparatus.

In the tray body 9, an area capable of accommodating a rectangular auxiliary tray 10 is formed, and in the area, an auxiliary tray 10 having a second holding surface 10a for holding recording paper is provided. Is stored so that it can advance and retreat. On the upper surface of the exposed end of the auxiliary tray 10 (the end on the right side in FIG. 2 as viewed in the drawing), a protruding ridge 10b is provided along the periphery of the exposed end and having a convex shape. ing. The ridge 10b functions as a handle when pulling out the auxiliary tray 10 from the tray main body 9, and also functions as a stopper when storing the auxiliary tray 10 in the tray main body 9. Further, the protruding ridge portion 10b can
It also functions as a non-slip of the recording paper when it is held on the holding surface 10a.

Further, on both sides of the storage end of this auxiliary tray 10 (the end on the left side in FIG. 2), a flat plate-like projection 11 sliding on a guide rail 12 described later is provided.
Are formed. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
That is, a pair of guide rails 12 functioning as a guide for guiding the protrusion 11 is provided in a region corresponding to a region where the protrusion 11 moves when the auxiliary tray 10 advances and retreats from the tray main body 9. As shown in FIG. 3B, an inclined portion 12a is provided on the distal end side of the guide rail 12, that is, on the side of the ridge portion 10b of the auxiliary tray 10, and before the inclined portion 12a, that is, the auxiliary tray 10 is provided. A protruding part 12b is formed near the protruding part 12.

As described above, the tray main body having the first holding surface for holding the recording paper and the auxiliary tray having the second holding surface for holding the recording paper, which is housed in the tray main body so as to be able to advance and retreat, are provided. Since the auxiliary tray is provided, when the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the second holding surface is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface.

Accordingly, when holding a recording sheet larger than the size of the sheet feeding tray, the end of the auxiliary tray is moved to the first position.
The recording paper is held above the holding surface. This allows
The downward bending of the trailing end of the recording paper is reduced, and a force is generated to push the paper onto the paper feed tray, so that the paper as a whole proceeds to the paper feed side. Therefore, even if the entire recording paper is not held by the paper feed tray, flapping of the recording paper on the paper feed tray can be prevented, and the recording paper can be stably held.

The auxiliary tray 10 has a protruding portion 11 on the opposite side surface, and the tray main body 9 has a guide 12 for guiding the protruding portion. The guide is provided with an inclined portion 12a. When the projection 10 is pulled out of the tray main body 9, the protrusion moves along the guide, so that the second
Is configured to be inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface. Therefore, when the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body, the protruding portion of the tray main body slides along the guide, and the protruding portion rides on the inclined portion of the guide. For this reason, a state where the second holding surface is inclined with respect to the first holding surface can be realized only by pulling out the auxiliary tray from the tray main body. As a result, there is no need to separately provide a means for inclining the second holding surface with respect to the first holding surface, and it is possible to satisfy the demand for miniaturization of the apparatus.

The above operation will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows the auxiliary tray 10 connected to the tray body 9.
It is a side view which shows the state pulled out from. FIG.
(A) is a top view which shows the paper feed tray in FIG. 4,
FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing the sheet feed tray in FIG.

When image recording is performed on a large recording sheet such as an A3-type recording sheet, the recording sheet cannot be held in the state shown in FIG. 2 and the recording sheet is satisfactorily supplied into the image recording apparatus. Can not. In this case, as shown in FIG.
The auxiliary tray 10 is pulled out from the tray main body 9, and the recording paper is held by the first holding surface 9a of the tray main body 9 and the second holding surface 10a of the auxiliary tray 10.

First, when the auxiliary tray 10 is pulled out from the tray main body 9 while holding the ridge portion 10b of the auxiliary tray 10, the protrusion 11 of the auxiliary tray 10 comes into contact with the guide rail 12 and Move while sliding.

Further, when the auxiliary tray 10 is pulled out, the projecting portion 11 moves along the inclined portion 12a through the drop portion 12b of the guide rail 12. At this time, since the guide rail 12 is provided with the drop portion 12b, when the projecting portion 11 slides along the inclined portion 12a,
The drop portion 12b allows a rear end portion of the protrusion 11 in the pull-out direction. Thereby, when the protruding part 11 moves along the inclined part 12a, it is prevented from being caught and the sliding movement is made smooth.

When the auxiliary tray 10 is most pulled out in this way, as shown in FIG. 4, the protruding portion 11 moves along the guide rail 12, and the second holding surface 10a of the auxiliary tray 10 is moved to the tray main body. 9 is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface 9a. The angle α between the second holding surface 10a and the first holding surface is such that the recording paper can be stably held on the first and second holding surfaces, Make settings so that the paper feed performance does not deteriorate. Specifically, the angle α is preferably around 20 degrees.

As described above, the auxiliary tray 10 is
When a large-sized recording paper such as an A3 type paper is held by a paper feed tray drawn out of the paper tray, that is, a paper feed tray having two holding surfaces, the auxiliary tray 10, particularly the ridge 10b, in the paper feeding direction of the recording paper. Lift the rear end upward.
Therefore, sagging of the recording paper can be suppressed as much as possible without holding the entire recording paper.

In this state, that is, a state where one holding surface (second holding surface) of the sheet feeding tray is inclined upward with respect to the other holding surface (first holding surface) connected to the facsimile machine. When the recording paper is supplied into the facsimile apparatus in the above manner, when the recording paper larger than the size of the paper feed tray is supplied to the image recording apparatus, the downward bending of the rear end of the recording paper is reduced. Thus, the recording paper is supplied into the image recording apparatus. As a result, it is possible to prevent the recording paper from fluttering on the paper feed tray, prevent the recording paper from deviating from the set position, and stably supply the recording paper into the facsimile apparatus.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a facsimile machine has been described.
The present invention can also be applied to other image recording apparatuses that perform image recording on recording paper, for example, copiers and printers.

In the above embodiment, the case where the angle α between the first holding surface of the tray main body and the second holding surface of the auxiliary tray is constant is described. The angle α to be formed may be made variable in accordance with the size and paper feeding performance.

In the above embodiment, the case where the recording paper is used as the paper is described. However, the present invention can be applied to a case where the paper is an original.

[0035]

As described above, according to the sheet feeding tray of the present invention, the second holding surface of the auxiliary tray is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface of the tray main body. When holding a sheet larger than the size of the tray, the end of the auxiliary tray holds the sheet above the first holding surface. As a result, downward bending of the rear end of the sheet is reduced. Therefore, even if the entire sheet is not held by the sheet feeding tray, flapping of the sheet on the sheet feeding tray can be prevented, and the sheet can be stably held.

According to the paper feed tray of the present invention, when the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body, the protruding portion of the tray main body slides along the guide, and the protruding portion rides on the inclined portion of the guide. As a result, the second holding surface of the auxiliary tray is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface of the tray main body. Therefore, a state where the second holding surface is inclined with respect to the first holding surface can be realized only by pulling out the auxiliary tray from the tray main body. For this reason, there is no need to separately provide a means for inclining the second holding surface with respect to the first holding surface, and it is possible to satisfy the demand for miniaturization of the device.

According to the paper supply method of the present invention, the paper is supplied into the image recording apparatus in a state where one of the holding surfaces is inclined upward with respect to the other holding surface connected to the image recording apparatus. When a sheet larger than the size of the sheet feed tray is supplied to the image recording apparatus, the sheet is supplied into the image recording apparatus in a state where the downward bending of the rear end of the sheet is reduced. . Therefore, even if the entire sheet is not held by the sheet feed tray, flapping of the sheet on the sheet feed tray can be prevented, and the sheet can be prevented from being shifted from the set position. Can be supplied within.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus having a paper feed tray according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a use state of the paper feed tray of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a plan view showing a sheet feeding tray in FIG. 2; (B) Sectional drawing which shows the paper feed tray in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing another use state of the paper feed tray of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a sheet feed tray in FIG. 4; (B) Sectional drawing which shows the paper feed tray in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile apparatus 2 Main body 2a Tray attaching / detaching part 2b Rotating plate 2c 1st rotating shaft 2d Stopper 2e 2nd rotating shaft 2f Recording paper introduction plate 2g Spring 3 Paper feed cassette 4 Paper feed tray 4a Holding surface 4b, 5b Side guide 5 Document insertion section 5a Inclined surface 6 Operation section 7 Document discharge tray 8 Recording paper discharge tray 9 Tray main body 9a First holding surface 10 Auxiliary tray 10a Second holding surface 10b Ridge 11 Projecting portion 12 Guide rail 12a Inclined part 12b Drop-in part

Claims (3)

[Claims] A tray body having a first holding surface for holding a sheet; a tray body movably accommodated in the tray body;
An auxiliary tray having a second holding surface for holding a sheet, wherein the second holding surface is inclined upward with respect to the first holding surface when the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body. A paper feed tray. 2. The auxiliary tray has a protruding portion on an opposite side surface, and the tray main body has a guide for guiding the protruding portion,
The guide is provided with an inclined portion, and when the auxiliary tray is pulled out from the tray main body, the projecting portion moves along the guide so that the second holding surface becomes the first holding surface. The paper feed tray according to claim 1, wherein the paper feed tray is inclined upward with respect to. 3. The sheet is held on a sheet tray having two holding surfaces for holding the sheet, and one holding surface of the sheet tray is positioned upward with respect to the other holding surface connected to the image recording apparatus. A method for feeding a sheet, wherein the sheet is fed into the image recording apparatus in a state of being inclined.