JPS634043Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a sheet material storage tray, and more specifically, it is provided near the sheet ejection section of an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine or a copying machine to receive the sheet material ejected from the image forming apparatus. This invention relates to a sheet material storage tray.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a strong demand for image forming apparatuses such as facsimile machines and copying machines to be smaller and lighter.
As a result, in the past, trays for storing recording paper, manuscripts, and other sheet materials ejected from image forming devices were not built into the machine body, but were attached in a way that protruded outside the machine. It was common practice to downsize the . As a result,
Even if the main body of the machine was made smaller, the installation space during use became larger due to the protrusion of the tray section, and there was a drawback that the machine was not miniaturized in an actual sense. In addition, rolled paper such as thermal recording paper used in facsimiles and the like has a disadvantage in that it has a strong curl and is difficult to store in an orderly manner on a conventional linear tray surface. Recently, there has been a trend to reduce the outer diameter of the paper while keeping the length the same, especially in response to the demand for downsizing of the main body of the machine. As paper curls become more noticeable, there is a strong desire to develop a paper storage method that can accommodate this.

In addition, when creating records of multiple original documents using such an image forming apparatus, if the recording is performed sequentially from the first page of the original, the recorded sheets ejected from the apparatus will be placed with the image side facing upward. Since the recorded sheets stored in the conventional tray are stacked sequentially with the first page facing down and the second and subsequent pages on top of it, the sheets stacked in the tray are It will be in the reverse order of the original. For this reason, conventionally, after the recording operation is completed, it is necessary to rearrange the recorded sheets in order from the first page, that is, perform a page alignment operation, which is very time-consuming.

In order to eliminate the drawbacks of the sheet material storage tray of the conventional image forming apparatus as described above, the present inventor has proposed a first guide member against which the leading edge of the ejected sheet is brought into contact and guides the ejected sheet downward; A second guide member facing the first guide member and forming a seat storage space.
A narrow closing part is formed in the lower part of the storage space to grasp the leading end of the sheet fed downward, and a long type sheet rear end is formed at the upper end of the first guide member. We have developed a sheet material storage tray that features an opening that allows the edges to be turned over.

This sheet material storage tray eliminates the drawbacks of sheet material storage trays used in conventional image forming apparatuses, and can be attached to the device main body without protruding significantly outside the device main body, thus reducing the overall size of the device. It is possible to securely hold a large number of sheet materials in the tray, hold even tightly curled sheet materials correctly, and make it easy to take out sheet materials when taking them out. There is no need to perform page alignment operations after storage.

However, in this sheet material storage tray,
In the case of a long type of sheet material that is stored so that its leading end is gripped by the closed part of the sheet storage space and its rear end hangs down behind the first guide member, as the number of stored sheet materials increases, the sheet material The leading edge is no longer gripped sufficiently and eventually falls due to the weight of the sheet material itself.

An object of the present invention is to increase the number of sheet materials that can be stored in the tray without falling in the sheet material storage tray of the above type.

The sheet material storage tray according to the present invention includes a sheet material clamping means for clamping the front end side of the sheet material being conveyed, an opening for feeding out the rear end side of the sheet material clamped by the sheet material clamping means, and the sheet material It is located above the material clamping means, and has a supporting upper end portion whose leading end side is clamped and whose rear end side supports an intermediate portion of the sheet material fed out from the opening, and The present invention is characterized in that it has a support member that receives the rear end side of the sheet material that hangs down.

This will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional facsimile machine equipped with this type of sheet material storage tray. The illustrated facsimile device 1 includes an image reading and transmitting system that reads information from the document using an optical system 3 and transmits image information while feeding the document on a document table 2, and a recording paper according to the received image information. An image receiving and recording system is provided for recording an image by a thermal head 7 onto a thermal recording paper 6 that is fed out from a roll 4 and transported by a platen roller 5. 8 is a power supply section including a power supply device and the like.

On the left side of the image forming apparatus main body 1, there is provided a document storage tray 10 for storing original documents 9 that are sequentially sent out from the document table 2, and on the right side of the apparatus main body 1, a document storage tray 10 is provided where images are recorded by a thermal head 7. After that, cut the cutter 11 to a predetermined length, e.g.
A recording paper storage tray 12 is provided to store recorded recording paper cut into lengths of A4 size.

In such a conventional image forming apparatus, the trays 10 and 12 protrude from both sides of the apparatus main body 1, so even if the apparatus main body is downsized, the actual installation space is still small due to the protrusion of these trays. Can't make it smaller. If these trays are installed together on one side of the device main body, the installation space can be reduced by one tray, but if they are installed all together on one side of the device main body, documents and records will be Both paper drive systems are concentrated on one side, which impairs the space efficiency inside the main body of the apparatus and complicates the drive system, which not only leads to a decrease in reliability but also to a significant increase in costs.

Also, the recording paper that is ejected onto the tray 12 is ejected with the image side facing up, so when creating multiple sheets of recording in sequence, the first page will be at the bottom and the last page will be at the top. Therefore, page alignment is required after the recording operation is completed.

Figure 2 shows a sheet material storage tray developed by the present inventor to solve these conventional drawbacks.
It is shown mounted on a facsimile machine similar to that shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

A sheet material storage tray 13 is provided in the vicinity of the lower part of the recording paper sheet output of the facsimile apparatus. Details of the sheet material storage tray 13 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet material storage tray 13 includes a first guide member 14 against which the ejected sheet is brought into contact and guides it downward, and a sheet storage tray facing the first guide member. It is constituted by a second guide member 16 for forming a space 15. The second guide member 16 is made of a plastic plate or the like fixed to the stay 17 of the facsimile device main body 1, and the lower end of the first guide member 14 is connected to the pin 18 at the lower end of the second guide member. It is pivotally mounted. Although these guide members are shown as plates, these guide members do not necessarily have to be plate-shaped, and may be, for example, a plurality of wires arranged in the vertical direction.
Any member may be used as long as it can prevent the recording paper from moving and guide it into the storage space 15.

A third guide member 14 is inserted between the facsimile device main body 1 and the first guide member 14.
A click mechanism (not shown) is provided to lock the first guide member 14 in the state shown in the figure.
is held in the closed position shown in FIG. Thus, the first guide member 14 can be opened by rotating around the pin, and in the open position shown by the two-dot chain line, the first guide member 14 is locked by the stay 17 of the main body 1. As shown in FIG. 4, when the first guide member 14 is open, the ejected recording paper 6 moves along the first guide member 14. forms a discharge guide. If the recording paper is too short or too long,
It is preferable to use the first guide member 14 in an open state as described above. Furthermore, when a large amount of recording paper is stored at once and the storage capacity is exceeded, the click mechanism that locks the first guide member 14 in the closed state is automatically released by the weight of the stored recording paper. Thus, the first guide member 14 can be placed in an open state.

When the first guide member 14 is closed as shown in FIG. 3, the sheet material storage space 15 formed between the first guide member 14 and the second member 16 constituting the sheet material holding means is A narrow closing portion 19 is formed at the lower portion for gripping the leading end of the sheet material fed downward. In the illustrated example, the sheet material storage space 15 is formed in a V-shape, and a closing portion 19 is formed at the bottom.
This does not necessarily have to be V-shaped, and the wall surfaces formed by both members may be slightly apart at the lower end. In addition, when the first guide member 14 is closed, the angle formed between the recording paper and the guide member 14 is an obtuse angle so that the recording paper contacts the guide member 14 and is smoothly guided downward into the storage space 15. It is enough.

Further, when the first guide member 14 is closed, an open portion 20 is formed at the upper end 14a of the first guide member 14 to allow the rear end of the sheet material to be reversed when a long type sheet material is stored. Ru. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the first guide member 1
4 is closed, an opening 20 is formed between the upper end of the first guide member 14, the upper case 22 of the main body 1, and the guide 23, which is large enough to allow the loop-shaped recording paper 6 to be ejected. . Therefore, the leading edge 6' of the recording paper 6 is introduced into the wedge-shaped storage space 15 of the storage tray 13, and the leading edge 6' of the recording paper 6 is gripped at the bottom of the storage space, and at the same time, the recording paper 6 is continuously fed out. When the rear end of the recording paper is cut by the cutter 11, the rear end of the recording paper is reversed and sent out of the device due to the elasticity of the paper and the rotational force of the cutter blade, and the leading edge 6' of the recording paper 6 is fed into the machine. Storing is completed with the rear end hanging out of the machine while it is held in the paper, and the operation can be continued to store the next recording paper.

The above series of operations will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.

First, the thermal recording paper 6 is fed out from the roll 4.
is heated by a thermal head 7 according to the information, and image information is recorded on the surface of the recording paper 6. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the recording paper 6 is conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller 5 and passes through the cutter 11.
Its tip abuts at an obtuse angle on the first guide member 14 forming a wedge-shaped or V-shaped storage space 15 . At this time, a plurality of ribs 25 are provided on the inner wall surface of the first guide member 14 as shown in FIG. 6 to reduce the contact resistance with the leading edge of the recording paper and to allow the leading edge of the recording paper to be smoothly stored in the storage tray 13. Introduce it into space 15. At this time, due to the wedge effect, the leading end 6' of the recording paper 6 becomes wedged in the closed part at the bottom of the storage space.

If the recording paper is continuously fed out in this state,
As shown in FIG. 7, the recording paper 6 forms a loop from the opening 20, and this loops between the surface of the guide 23 and the upper case 2.
Using the end face of 2 as a guide surface, it is discharged outside the machine, and finally, as shown in FIG. 8, it curls greatly and hangs down outside the machine body.

When the cutter 11 operates in this state and cuts off the rear end of the recording paper 6, the recording paper hanging outside the machine is reversed in the direction of the arrow using its own weight and the rotational force of the cutter blade. This series of movements of the recording paper 6 is repeated until the recording paper 6 reaches the state shown in FIG. Recording paper sheets accumulate.

As described above, the recording sheets 6 are introduced one after another into the storage space 15, and stored in the tray with their leading ends 6' held in the wedge-shaped blockage and their trailing ends hanging down outside the machine. However, the recording paper 6 to be stored
As the number of sheets increases, the leading end 6' cannot be gripped sufficiently, and eventually the recording sheets will fall due to the weight of the recording sheets hanging out of the machine.

The sheet material storage tray according to the present invention supports the rear end of the inverted and hanging sheet behind the first guide member 14 in order to increase the number of sheets that can be stored in the tray without falling. A support member is provided. Examples of trays provided with such support members are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.
12 and 13.

FIG. 10 shows a supporting stand 32 that holds the rear end 6'' of the recording paper 6, the leading end 6' of which is held in the wedge-shaped blockage part and the rear end hanging down outside the machine. 6's own weight, the leading edge of the recording paper 6'
The aim is to prevent this from slipping up from the closed part. In FIG. 10, the first guide member 14 is further provided with an openable and closable recording paper support stand 32, and is rotated around a support shaft 33 to be in the state shown in FIG. It supports the rear end portion 6'' of the recording paper.

FIG. 11 shows a similar support stand 32' pulled out horizontally from the bottom of the tray as shown by the arrow to support the rear end 6'' of the recording paper.

FIG. 12 shows a recording paper support stand 32 attached to the first guide member 14 so as to be openable and closable, similar to that shown in FIG.
In order to prevent the paper trailing edge 6'' from shifting on the recording paper 2 and more reliably support the recording paper trailing edge 6'', a structure is shown in which unevenness 34 to prevent shearing is provided on the surface of the support base 32. FIG. 13 shows a support stand 32 for the same purpose.
A structure is shown in which a friction member 35 such as a rubber material is attached to the surface to prevent the rear end 6'' of the paper from shifting and to reliably support the paper.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, the leading end of the sheet material is inserted into the closed part at the bottom of the sheet material storage space, and the rear end is turned over and hung outside the machine, thereby allowing the special material to be removed from the machine body. The installation space of the machine can be significantly reduced without having to carry a tray, and the sheet materials can be stored in an orderly arrangement regardless of the winding pattern. The paper can be stored in the tray with the pages facing up in order, which not only improves the installation space but also greatly improves operability such as handling of sheet materials. The above-mentioned tray has a function to pinch and hold the leading edge of the ejected sheet, which eliminates the need for ejecting rollers, simplifies the mechanism, and is expected to significantly reduce costs and improve reliability. Furthermore, in the present invention, the number of sheets that can be stored in the tray is significantly increased by providing a support member that supports the rear end of the inverted and hanging sheet without impairing the original function of the tray. can do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional facsimile machine, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a facsimile machine equipped with a new type of tray developed by the present inventor, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a facsimile machine shown in Fig. 2 with the recording paper storage section closed. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the recording paper storage section in an open state. FIGS. 5 to 9 are explanatory diagrams showing a series of movements of paper in the paper storage section. FIG. 10 , 11th
12 and 13 are side views respectively showing embodiments of the tray according to the present invention. 1...facsimile device body, 2...document stand,
3...Optical system, 4...Recording paper roll, 5...Platen roller, 6...Recording paper, 6'...Recording paper leading edge,
6″...Rear end of recording paper, 7...Thermal head,
8...Power supply unit, 9...Document, 10...Document tray, 11...Cutter, 12...Recording paper tray, 13...Sheet material storage tray, 14...First
Guide member, 15...Sheet material storage space, 16...
...Second guide member, 17...Stay, 18...Pin, 19...Closing part, 20...Opening part, 22...
Upper case, 23... Guide, 32, 32'...
Support stand, 33... Support shaft, 34... Unevenness, 35...
Friction member.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] Sheet material clamping means 14, 16, 19 that clamp the leading end side of the sheet material being conveyed, and the rear end of the sheet material clamped by the sheet material clamping means 14, 16, 19. Opening 2 that sends out the side
0, which is located above the sheet material clamping means 14, 16, and 19, and whose leading end side is clamped and whose rear end side supports the midway portion of the sheet material sent out from the opening 20. supporting upper end 14
a, and support members 32, 32' that receive the rear end side of the sheet material fed out from the opening 20 and hanging down.
A sheet material storage tray having;