JPH11157671A - Paper feeding cassette, handle of paper feeding cassette and its forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve assembly workability of a paper feeding cassette and to intend common handles for inter changeability. SOLUTION: A cassette case having an opening part 38 on its front surface 37 and a handle 25 on which a plural number of engagement clicks 47 to be elastically engaged with an edge of the opening part 38 of this cassette case 21 are integrally molded and installed on the opening part 38 are furnished. Consequently, it is possible to assemble the handle 25 on the cassette case 21 by one touch without using a screw and a driver only by inserting the handle 25 in the opening part 38 formed on the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21. Additionally, the handle 25 is intended to be common for interchangeability by fitting dimensions of the opening part 38 to dimensions of the handle 25 even when size of the cassette case 21 differs in accordance with its type.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet cassette for storing sheets to be fed to an image forming apparatus, a handle of the sheet cassette, and a method of forming the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is necessary to provide a handle on the front surface of a paper feed cassette housed in an outer casing of a paper feeder so that it can be pulled out. It is difficult because the type is very complicated. Therefore, a cassette case having an upper surface opening integrally formed with three sides excluding the front surface and a bottom plate is formed, a front plate constituting the front surface of the cassette case is integrally formed together with a handle, and the front plate is screwed into the cassette case. There is a paper cassette fixed to.

[0003]

In the above-described paper feed cassette, the front plate must be fixed to the cassette case with screws. Further, since the front plate on which the handle is formed constitutes the front surface of the cassette case, it is necessary to securely screw the front plate in order to maintain the strength of the cassette case. As a result, screws are required for assembling, and a driver is required for assembling, which complicates the assembling work.

Further, the size of the paper feed cassette may vary depending on the type of paper loaded therein or the type of image forming apparatus. To cope with such a case, a front plate having a handle is required. And the handle cannot be commonly used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to reduce the number of parts and to facilitate an assembling operation, and to allow a common handle to be used even when the cassette case is different in size.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding cassette having a sheet storing portion having an upper surface opening and an opening having a front opening, and each portion is integrally formed and provided in an outer casing of the sheet feeding device. The cassette case includes a cassette case that is removably inserted, and a handle that is integrally formed with a plurality of engaging claws elastically engaged with an edge of the opening of the cassette case and is attached to the opening.

Therefore, the handle can be assembled to the cassette case simply by inserting the handle into the opening formed in the front surface of the cassette case.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding cassette.
In the invention described above, a frame protruding from the edge of the opening toward the paper storage unit side is integrally formed on the back side of the front surface of the cassette case.

Therefore, it is possible to increase the mounting strength of the periphery of the opening and the handle.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the handle of the paper feed cassette has a cylindrical portion having both ends opened to be fitted into an opening formed in a front surface of a cassette case for storing sheets, and a handle at a front end of the cylindrical portion. Finger hanging plate part arranged to close the part,
A flange that is continuous with the front surface of the finger hanging plate portion and is expanded in the outer peripheral direction of the cylindrical portion and is in close contact with the front surface of the cassette case, and faces the finger hanging plate portion at a rear end of the cylindrical portion. A closing plate portion that opens a part of the region and closes the other region is integrally provided with a locking claw protruding from the back surface of the flange and locked to an edge of an opening of the cassette case.

Therefore, the handle depth is fixed at the opening of the cassette case by the contact of the front surface of the cassette case with the flange of the handle, and the edge of the opening and the locking claw are locked with each other. The drop of the handle from the section is prevented. In the state where the handle is assembled to the cassette case, the inside of the cassette case can be hidden by the finger-hook plate portion and the closing plate portion on which the finger is put when the sheet cassette is pulled out, as viewed from the front. Further, the handle having the above-described shape crosses the first and second dies which are arranged opposite to each other with the back surface of the flange as a parting line, and a plurality of movable cores which are arranged opposite to each other to form a locking claw. The mold can be easily formed by a relatively simple mold having a mold structure in which the mold is moved in the direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the handle of the paper feed cassette, a plurality of ribs are integrally formed on the back surface of the finger hook plate at intervals smaller than the width of the finger. I have.

Therefore, it is possible to increase the thickness by increasing the thickness of the finger hanging plate portion on which the finger is hung by the rib, and to increase the thickness of the finger hanging plate portion since the back surface is reinforced by the plurality of ribs. It becomes possible to prevent sinks during molding by making them even.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the handle of the sheet cassette is provided on the back surface of the flange with an inner surface of an opposing side of an opening formed in the front surface of the cassette case. The elastic piece which comes into contact with is formed integrally.

Therefore, when the handle is attached to the opening of the cassette case, it is possible to eliminate play of the handle in the opening.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the handle of the third, fourth, or fifth aspect, a label sticking area for indicating the type of paper is formed on the front surface of the finger hook plate.

Therefore, by attaching a label created for each type of paper to the affixing area formed on the handle, the type of paper in the paper feed cassette to which the handle is attached is displayed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a handle of a sheet cassette, comprising the steps of forming a handle of a sheet cassette according to any one of the third to sixth aspects. The first and second molds are arranged so as to be able to contact and separate from each other with the back surface of the flange to be gripped as a parting line, and the first and second molds are formed for forming the locking claws. A cavity formed by a plurality of movable cores movable in a direction perpendicular to the separating direction is filled with a molten synthetic resin, and after the filled synthetic resin is solidified, the first and second molds are formed. And the movable core are opened in a direction away from each other to take out a solidified product of the synthetic resin.

Therefore, the handle can be formed in one shot.

[0020]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. An image forming section 3 is disposed inside the apparatus main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be close to one side.
Since the image forming unit 3 is of a known electrophotographic type, only a brief description will be given. However, a latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 4 and developed, and the image is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer unit 5. The fixing unit 6 fixes the transferred image. Further, the apparatus main body 2 is provided with a paper transport path 8 extending from the bottom surface thereof to the paper discharge port 7 through the image forming section 3, and registration rollers 9 and transport rollers 10 are arranged in the paper transport path 8. . A rotatable switching claw 11 that is driven by a solenoid (not shown) to switch the paper discharging direction is provided above the paper transport path 8, and the paper guided by the switching claw 11 is discharged from the paper discharge port 7. Discharge roller 1 for paper
2 are arranged. A paper discharge tray 1 is located beside the paper discharge port 7.
3 are formed. Further, a scanner 14 is provided at an upper portion of the apparatus main body 2.

An optional double-sided printing unit 15 is selectively mounted on the apparatus main body 2. When the duplex printing mode is set, the duplex printing unit 15 guides the sheet S that has passed through the fixing unit 6 by the switching claw 11 and conveys the sheet S to the switchback path 16, and then the sheet S fed from the switchback path 16. S is bent in a U-shape and conveyed to the re-feeding path 17, and the sheet S is fed again from the re-feeding path 17 below the sheet conveying path 8 of the apparatus main body 2.

Next, the configuration of the sheet feeding device 18 will be described. A plurality of paper feed cassettes 20 are attached to the outer casing 19 that supports the apparatus main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 in a mounted state so as to be able to be pulled out toward the front (in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 8).
These sheet cassettes 20 include a cassette case 21 having an upper surface opening, a sheet pressing plate 22 supported on the cassette case 21 so as to be able to undulate and support the sheets S in a stacked state, and side fences for defining positions on both sides of the sheets S. 23 (see FIG. 6), and an end fence 24 that determines the position of the edge of the sheet S opposite to the sheet feeding direction. Cassette case 2
A handle 25 is attached to the front of the device 1.

In the outer casing 19 of the sheet feeding device 18, there is provided a separation sheet feeding section 26 for separating and feeding the sheets S stacked in the respective sheet feeding cassettes 20 one by one. Further, a paper feed path 27 for guiding the paper S fed from each paper feed cassette 20 toward the lower end of the paper transport path 8 is formed in the outer casing 19. Transport rollers 28 are arranged.

In such a sheet feeding device 18, the sheets S in the sheet feeding cassette 20 are sequentially fed from the uppermost sheet S through the sheet feeding path 27 and the sheet conveying path 8 by the separation sheet feeding section 26. The sheet S fed to the image forming unit 3 and passed through the fixing unit 6 in the case of single-sided printing is discharged to the sheet receiving tray 13. In the case of double-sided printing, the sheet S is fed again to the image forming unit 3 through the duplex unit 15. Then, the sheet S that has passed through the fixing unit 6 is discharged to the discharge tray 13.

Here, the schematic configuration of the paper feed cassette 20 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG.
, That is, a plurality of locking holes 30 for positioning the side fence 23 in accordance with the width of the paper S are formed in the bottom of the paper storage unit 29. At the lower edge of the side fence 23, locking pieces (not shown) that are locked in the locking holes 30 are formed. Further, a groove 31 for moving the end fence 24 in accordance with the length of the sheet S is formed on the bottom surface of the sheet storage unit 29. The end fence 24 has locking claws 32 elastically bent on both sides, and a plurality of locking portions (FIG. 4) elastically engaging with the locking claws 32 of the end fence 24 according to the length of the sheet S. (Not shown) are formed on both sides of the groove 31.

When the sheet S having the maximum length is used, the reference surface 3 for positioning the trailing edge of the sheet S in an abutting state.
3 is formed on the inner surface of one side of the sheet storage unit 29. Further, a concave portion 34 is formed on the inner surface of the paper storage portion 29 in which the reference surface 33 is formed. Furthermore, cassette case 2
A storage portion 35 having an upper surface opening for storing the end fence 24 is formed on the upper surface outside the one paper storage portion 29. Expanding concave portions 36 are formed on both sides of the central portion of the storage portion 35.

As described above, since the reference surface 33 for determining the position of the trailing edge of the maximum length paper S is formed on the inner surface of one side of the paper storage portion 29 on the inner surface of the cassette case 21, the maximum length paper When a sheet S other than S is used, the rear edge is positioned by the end fence 24 set at a predetermined position of the cassette case 21, but when the sheet S having the maximum length is used, the end fence 24 is Reference surface 3 formed on the inner surface of paper storage unit 29 by removing from the bottom of unit 29
3 allows positioning. Therefore, a space for setting the end fence 24 in accordance with the sheet S having the maximum length is not required. This can contribute to downsizing of the image forming apparatus 1.

Further, the end fence 24 removed from the paper storage section 29 can be stored in the storage section 35, so that it is not lost. Since the expansion recesses 36 are formed on both sides of the central portion of the storage portion 35, the fingers are inserted into the expansion recesses 36 and the end fences 24 are picked up, so that the elastically supported side fences 23 are formed. It can be easily taken out. Further, since a concave portion 34 is formed on the inner surface of the paper storage portion 29 in which the reference surface 33 is formed so that a dent can be inserted into the reference surface 33, the maximum length in the paper storage portion 29 is set. When taking out the sheet S, the user can easily insert the hand between the trailing edge of the sheet S and the inner surface of the sheet storage portion 29 to take out the sheet S having the maximum length.

Next, the configurations of the sheet cassette 20 and the handle 25 will be described in more detail. FIG. 1 is a central vertical sectional side view showing a structure for attaching the handle 25 to the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing a part of the front surface of the cassette case 21, FIG. 4 is a front view of the handle 25, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section taken along line AA in FIG. It is a side view.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a rectangular opening 38 is formed at the center of the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21 in which the respective parts are integrally formed. An annular frame 39 protruding toward is formed. On the back side of the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21, a concave portion 40 (see FIG. 1) having a lower surface opening is formed. FIG.
22a is a hinge piece for supporting the paper pressing plate 22 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 25 has a tubular portion 41 having both ends opened to be fitted into the opening 38 of the cassette case 21, and an upper portion (part) of the front end of the tubular portion 41.
And a flange 43 which is arranged so as to close the front surface of the cassette case 21, and which is connected to the front surface of the finger hanging plate portion 42, and is expanded in the outer peripheral direction of the tubular portion 41 to be in close contact with the front surface of the cassette case 21. At the rear end of the cylindrical portion 41, a closing plate portion 46 that opens an upper region (partial region) 44 facing the finger hanging plate portion 42 and closes a lower region (other region) 45, and a rear surface of the flange 43. A plurality of locking claws 4 which are projected and locked to the edge of the opening 38 of the cassette case 21
7 are integrally provided. A large number of ribs 48 arranged in a horizontal direction and a large number of ribs 49 arranged in a vertical direction are integrally formed on the back surface of the finger hanging plate portion 42. The arrangement interval of these ribs 48 and 49 is determined to be smaller than the width of the finger 50 of the operator. On the front surface of the finger hanging plate portion 42, a concave portion 52 is formed as a sticking area for sticking a label 51 indicating the type of the paper S (see FIG. 8). A groove 54 is formed at the center of the upper edge of the opening 38 of the cassette case 21 so that a projection 53 projecting from the center of the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 41 of the handle 25 is fitted. In this embodiment, the handle 25 is provided on the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21.
A concave step portion 37a for fitting the flange 43 is formed, and the bottom of the step portion 37a is also used as a front surface to which the flange 43 adheres. Of course, there is no problem even if the step portion 37a is omitted.

The opening 38 of the cassette case 21 has a rectangular shape whose opposing sides are substantially parallel to each other, while the cylindrical portion 41 of the handle 25 has a width in the vertical direction, as is apparent from FIG. Is not rectangular so that both sides are narrower than the center. This is achieved by passing locking claws 47 disposed on the upper and lower sides of the rear surface of the flange 43 through the inner surface of the opening 38 so that the opening
This is for engaging the edge of the opening 38 with the inside from the inside. As a result, on both sides of the upper surface and the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 41 of the handle 25, protruding pieces 55 that abut on the inner surface of the opening 38 and regulate the play of the handle 25 in the vertical direction are integrally formed. Further, the width of the cylindrical portion 41 of the handle 25 is set to be smaller than the width of the opening 38, and elastic pieces 56 that elastically contact both inner surfaces of the opening 38 are integrally formed on the back surface of the flange 43. Is formed.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, when the handle 25 is inserted into the opening 38 of the cassette case 21,
In order to deflect the tip of the elastic piece 7 and the elastic piece 56 toward the center of the opening 38, a small slope 57 corresponding to the position of the locking claw 47 is provided at the entrance edge of the opening 38 (see also FIG. 3).
Is formed, and the outer end of the elastic piece 56 is tapered.

In such a configuration, the locking claw 47 is locked to the edge of the opening 38 only by inserting the handle 25 into the opening 38 formed in the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21. The handle 25 can be assembled to the cassette case 21 with one touch without using a driver. In this state, the cassette case 2 is brought into contact with the front surface 37 of the cassette case 21 and the flange 43 of the handle 25.
The insertion depth of the handle 25 into the first opening 38 is fixed, and the locking claw 47 is locked to the edge of the opening 38 to prevent the handle 25 from dropping out of the opening 38.

A frame 39 is formed on the periphery of the opening 38 so as to protrude inward.
Since the hook 7 is locked, the mounting strength of the edge of the opening 38 and the handle 25 can be increased.

Further, when the handle 25 is attached to the opening 38 of the cassette case 21, the protrusion 55 abuts on the inner surface of the opening 38 in the vertical direction. Play can be eliminated and the load on the locking claw 47 can be reduced. In addition, the elastic piece 56 is
8 to elastically contact the inner surface of the opening 8 in the left-right direction.
The play in the lateral direction of the handle 25 in the inside 8 can be eliminated.

As described above, the handle 25 is attached to the cassette case 21.
When the handle 25 is viewed from the front, the cassette case 21 is
Can hide inside. Paper cassette 2 assembled
0 is pulled out from the outer casing 19 (see FIG. 8) of the paper feeding device 18, the finger 50 (see FIG. 1) is hooked on the back surface of the finger hanging plate portion 42 of the handle 25 and pulled out. Since the ribs 48 and 49 are arranged, the finger hanging plate portion 4
2, the thickness can be increased to increase the strength. Further, since the ribs 48 and 49 are arranged at a small interval, a large pressure is not locally applied to the finger 50 of the operator, and the operational feeling is not spoiled. Further, since the finger hanging plate portion 42 is not thickened in a wide area but is reinforced by the ribs 48 and 49, the thickness of each portion of the handle 25 is made thinner and equal to prevent sink marks during molding. be able to.

Further, the type of the paper S stored in the paper feed cassette 20 can be recognized by looking at the label 51 attached to the handle 25. This allows the cassette case 21 and the handle 25 to be commonly used, even if the type of paper S used is different. Further, even when the size of the cassette case 21 is changed, the size of the opening 38 is made to correspond to the size of the handle 25 so that
Can be commonly used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front end of the tubular portion 41 of the handle 25 is closed by a finger hook plate 42, but the upper region of the rear end of the tubular portion 41 facing the finger hook plate 42. The (partial region) 44 is opened, and the lower region (other region) 45 at the other end of the tubular portion 41 is closed by a closing plate portion 46, but the closing plate portion at the front end of the tubular portion 41 is closed. As shown in FIG. 7, the portion excluding the locking claw 47 is open at the part opposing the locking claw 47, and the first and second parts are disposed so as to be able to approach and separate from each other with the back surface of the flange 43 as the parting line P. It can be formed by the two dies A and B. The portion of the locking claw 47 can be formed by the movable cores C and D incorporated in the second mold B so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the first and second molds A and B come and go. .

When the handle 25 is formed by using such a molding die, the synthetic resin melted in the cavity E formed by the first and second dies A and B and the movable cores C and D. After the resin is filled and the filled synthetic resin is solidified, the first and second molds A and B and the movable cores C and D are opened in directions of arrows away from each other to take out a solidified material of the synthetic resin. Thus, the handle 25 can be formed in one shot. As described above, the molding die having the first and second dies A and B and the movable cores C and D moving in the cross direction has a relatively simple mold opening structure, and the number of shots per unit time is small. High and good productivity during molding.

Although the finger hanging plate 42 is formed at the upper part on the front surface of the handle 25, it may be formed at either the lower part or the left or right. Even in this case, the closing plate 46 may be provided at a position where a part of the region facing the finger hanging plate 42 is opened and other regions are closed. In this case, a part of the area (upper area 4 in FIG.
4) is an area in which the movement of the second mold B from the first mold A in the separating direction (the direction of the arrow) in FIG. 7 is permitted. Therefore, the other area (corresponding to the lower area 45 in FIG. 1) that is shielded by the shielding plate part 46 needs to be determined within a range that does not interfere with a part of the area facing the finger hanging plate part 42.

[0042]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, the cassette case having the opening on the front surface and the plurality of engaging members elastically engaged with the edge of the opening of the cassette case. Since the pawl is integrally formed with a handle attached to the opening, the handle is inserted into the opening formed on the front surface of the cassette case, and the handle is inserted into the cassette case without using a screw or a driver. Can be assembled with one touch. Even if the size of the cassette case differs depending on the model, the handle can be commonly used by adjusting the size of the opening to the size of the handle.

The paper feed cassette according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
In the invention described in the above, since the frame protruding from the edge of the opening toward the paper storage section is formed integrally on the back side of the front surface of the cassette case, the peripheral edge of the opening and the mounting strength of the handle can be increased. it can.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the handle of the paper feeding cassette has a cylindrical portion having both ends opened to be fitted into the opening formed in the front surface of the cassette case and a front end of the cylindrical portion. A finger hanging plate portion arranged so as to close a part,
A flange that is continuous with the front surface of the finger hanging plate portion and is expanded in the outer peripheral direction of the cylindrical portion and is in close contact with the front surface of the cassette case, and faces the finger hanging plate portion at a rear end of the cylindrical portion. Since a closing plate portion that opens a part of the area and closes the other area, and a locking claw that is projected from the back surface of the flange and locked to the edge of the opening of the cassette case are integrally provided, By simply inserting the handle into the opening formed in the front surface of the cassette case, the handle can be assembled to the cassette case with one touch without using screws or a driver. Even if the size of the cassette case differs depending on the model, the handle can be commonly used by adjusting the size of the opening to the size of the handle. When the handle is inserted into the opening, the depth of the handle is fixed at the opening of the cassette case by the contact between the front surface of the cassette case and the flange of the handle. Handle can be fixed. Further, the inside of the cassette case can be hidden by the finger hanging plate portion and the closing plate portion when viewed from the front of the handle. Further, the handle having such a shape includes first and second dies which are arranged to face each other with the back surface of the flange as a parting line, and a plurality of movable cores which are arranged to form a locking claw. The mold structure for moving in the cross direction can be easily formed by a relatively simple forming die.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the handle of the paper feed cassette, a plurality of ribs are integrally formed on the back surface of the finger hook plate at intervals smaller than the width of the finger. As a result, it is possible to increase the strength of the finger hooking plate portion by the ribs, and since the back surface of the finger hooking plate portion is reinforced by a plurality of ribs, the thickness of each portion is made thin and uniform so that the sink in molding is reduced. It is possible to prevent occurrence.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the handle of the paper feed cassette is provided on the back surface of the flange with an inner surface of opposing sides of an opening formed in the front surface of the cassette case. Since the elastic piece that comes into contact with the cassette case is integrally formed, play of the handle in the opening can be eliminated when the handle is attached to the opening of the cassette case.

In the handle of the paper feed cassette according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third, fourth or fifth aspect, a label sticking area indicating the type of paper is formed on the front surface of the finger hook plate. By affixing a label created for each type of paper to the affixing area formed on the handle, the type of paper in the paper cassette on which the handle is mounted can be recognized. Even if the type of paper is different, the handle can be shared by replacing the label.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a handle of a sheet cassette, comprising the steps of forming a handle of a sheet cassette according to any one of the third to sixth aspects. The first and second molds are arranged so as to be able to contact and separate from each other with the back surface of the flange to be gripped as a parting line, and the first and second molds are formed for forming the locking claws. A cavity formed by a plurality of movable cores movable in a direction perpendicular to the separating direction is filled with a molten synthetic resin, and after the filled synthetic resin is solidified, the first and second molds are formed. The handle can be formed in one shot by opening the movable core and the movable core in directions away from each other and taking out the solidified material of the synthetic resin.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a central vertical sectional side view showing a structure for attaching a handle to a front surface of a cassette case according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing a structure for attaching a handle to a front surface of a set case.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a part of the front surface of the cassette case.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a handle.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view taken along line AA in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sheet cassette.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view schematically showing a molding die for molding a handle.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus and a sheet feeding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Paper feeder 19 Outer case 21 Cassette case 25 Handle 29 Paper storage part 37 Front surface 38 Opening 39 Frame 41 Cylindrical part 42 Finger hanging plate part 43 Flange 44 Partial area 45 Other area 46 Closing plate part 47 Locking claw 48, 49 Rib 51 Label 52 Adhering area 56 Elastic piece P Parting line A First mold B Second mold C, D Movable core E Cavity

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cassette case having a paper storage portion having an upper surface opening and an opening portion opened in the front surface, wherein each portion is integrally formed, and is inserted into an outer housing of a paper feeding device so as to be able to be pulled out. A paper feed cassette comprising: a plurality of engaging claws elastically engaged with an edge of the opening; and a handle attached to the opening and integrally formed. 2. The paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein a frame protruding from the edge of the opening toward the paper storage section is integrally formed on the back side of the front surface of the cassette case. 3. A cylindrical portion having both ends opened to be fitted in an opening formed in a front surface of a cassette case for storing sheets, and a finger hook disposed so as to close a part of a front end of the cylindrical portion. A plate portion, a flange which is continuous with the front surface of the finger hanging plate portion, is expanded in an outer peripheral direction of the tubular portion, and is in close contact with the front surface of the cassette case, and the finger hanging plate at a rear end of the tubular portion. A closing plate portion for opening a part of the region facing the portion and closing the other region, and a locking claw protruding from the back surface of the flange and locked to an edge of an opening of the cassette case. Handle of the paper cassette that is in use. 4. The handle of the paper feed cassette according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of ribs are integrally formed on the back surface of the finger-holding plate at intervals smaller than the width of the finger. 5. An elastic piece which is elastically in contact with inner surfaces of opposing sides of an opening formed in the front surface of the cassette case is integrally formed on the back surface of the flange.
Handle of the paper cassette described. 6. A label sticking area for indicating a type of paper is formed on a front surface of the finger hanging plate portion.
Handle of the paper cassette described. 7. A method for forming a handle of a paper feed cassette according to claim 3, wherein a back surface of a flange of the handle to be formed is used as a parting line. First and second dies which are disposed so as to be able to contact and separate from each other, and a plurality of dies which can move in a direction orthogonal to the direction of contact and separation of the first and second dies for forming the locking claws. The cavity formed by the movable core is filled with molten synthetic resin, and after the filled synthetic resin is solidified, the first and second molds and the movable core are opened in directions away from each other. A method of forming a handle of a paper feed cassette for removing solidified synthetic resin.