JPS636116Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a sheet material storage tray, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a sheet material storage tray, and more specifically, a sheet material storage tray that is provided near the bottom of the sheet ejection part of an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine or a copying machine, and is used to store sheet material ejected from the image forming apparatus. This relates to a sheet material storage tray that receives and stores sheets.

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 with the first page facing down and the second and subsequent pages are stacked 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.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the drawbacks of the sheet material storage trays used in conventional image forming apparatuses as described above, to be able to be attached to the apparatus main body in a form that does not protrude significantly outside the apparatus main body; An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material storage tray that can be downsized as a whole.

Another purpose of the present invention is to store a sheet material that can securely hold a large number of sheet materials in a tray, hold even tightly curled sheet materials correctly, and make it easy to take out the sheet materials when taking them out. It is to provide a tray.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material storage tray that can sequentially store a large number of sheet materials so that there is no need to perform a page alignment operation after storing a large number of sheet materials.

The sheet material storage tray according to the present invention is characterized by a sheet material holding section provided with opposing members that are provided opposite to each other and that hold the leading end side of the sheet material being conveyed, and a sheet material holding section that is A sheet material formed between the outer wall of the image forming apparatus and the supporting upper end of the outer opposing member, which allows reversal feeding of the loop-shaped rear end of a sheet material whose leading end is pinched and a loop is formed at the rear end. an opening part and a part located above the sheet material clamping part, the leading end of which is clamped by the clamping part, and the rear end of which clamps the midway part of the sheet material that is sent out from the opening part and hangs down. the sheet material clamping part is formed within the image forming apparatus; The inner member extends upward and is configured on substantially the same plane as or inside the outer wall of the image forming apparatus, and the inner member is an elastic body that elastically presses and grips the tip of the sheet material.

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 producing 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.

The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of the sheet material storage tray of the conventional image forming apparatus, and one embodiment thereof is shown in FIG.

Fig. 2 shows the facsimile machine shown in Fig. 1 equipped with a sheet material storage tray according to the present invention. The detailed explanation will be omitted.

A sheet material storage tray 13 according to the present invention is provided near the lower part of the recording paper sheet output of the facsimile apparatus described above. Details of the sheet material storage tray 13 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet material storage tray 13 is a first opposing member against which the discharge sheet is brought into contact and guides it downward.
a guide member 14, and a second guide member 14 for forming a seat storage space 15 facing the first guide member.
The guide member 16 includes a guide member 16. Second
The guide member 16 is made of a plastic plate or the like fixed to the stay 17 of the facsimile device body 1, and the lower end of the first guide member 14 is connected to the lower end of the second guide member by a pin 18. connected. In the illustrated embodiment, these guide members are shown as plates, but these guide members do not necessarily have to be plate-shaped, and may be, for example, a plurality of wires arranged vertically. In short, any member can 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 in the closed state as shown in FIG.
Sheet material storage space 1 formed between members 16 of
A closing part 19 is formed at the lower part of the sheet material 5 as a narrow gripping part for gripping the leading end of the sheet material fed downward. In the illustrated embodiment, the sheet material storage space 15 is formed in a V-shape, and a closing part 19 is formed at the bottom thereof, but this does not necessarily have to be a V-shape. The walls may be slightly apart. In addition, when the first guide member 14 is closed,
The angle formed between the recording paper and the guide member 14 is such that the recording paper contacts the guide member 14 and smoothly moves into the storage space 1.
It suffices if it forms an obtuse angle so that it can be guided downward into the inside of 5.

However, in order to ensure and effectively grip the leading edge of the recording paper 6 fed into the sheet material storage space 15 as described above, there is a device at the bottom of the storage space 15 that elastically presses and grips the leading edge of the recording paper. An elastic body is provided. An example of such an elastic body is shown in FIG.
In FIG. 5, the elastic body is made up of a plate spring 26 attached to the lower part of the second guide member 16, and securely holds the leading edge of the recording paper 6 fed into the storage space 15 from above. This prevents the recording paper from sliding up inside the storage space 15.

Further, when the first guide member 14 is in a closed state, an open portion 20 is formed at the upper end 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. 6, when the first guide member 14 is closed, the upper end 14 of the first guide member 14
An opening 20 sufficient to allow the loop-shaped recording paper 6 to be ejected is formed between the upper case 22 and the guide 23 of the main body 1. 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 at the same time, the leading edge of the recording paper 6 is gripped by the leaf spring 26 at the bottom of the storage space. When the cutter 11 cuts the rear end of the recording paper 6 that is fed out, the rear end of the recording paper is reversed and fed out of the device due to the elasticity of the paper and the rotational force of the cutter blade. 6
Storing is completed with the leading end 6' held inside the machine and the rear end hanging down outside the machine, and the operation can be continued to store the next recording paper.

Next, the operation of storing sheet materials in the sheet material storage tray according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11.

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. 7, 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. 8 to reduce the contact resistance with the leading edge of the recording paper and to smoothly store the leading edge of the recording paper in the storage tray 13. Introduce it into space 15. At this time, the leading end 6' of the recording paper 6 is wedged between the leaf spring 26 and the first guide member 14 at the bottom of the storage space 15. If the recording paper is fed out continuously in this state. As shown in FIG. 9, the recording paper 6 forms a loop through the opening 20, is ejected out of the machine using the upper surface of the guide 23 and the end surface of the upper case 22 as guide surfaces, and finally reaches the first
As shown in Figure 0, it will curl and hang 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. , with the tip 6' held by the leaf spring 26 and the rear end hanging down to the outside of the machine.
This series of operations of the recording paper 6 resulting in the state shown in FIG. 1 is repeated, and the recording paper sheets accumulate in the tray 13.

In addition, to further explain how the leaf spring 26 grips the leading edge of the recording paper, and how the leaf spring 26 grips and supports the recording paper whose rear end hangs down outside the machine after being stored, Let f ₁ be the force by which the recording paper tries to come out of the leaf spring 26 due to drooping, and
Let F be the gripping force that tries _to prevent this due to the spring force of Shedding is regulated.

On the other hand, when the leading edge of the recording paper is guided into the storage tray and gripped by the leaf spring 26, the posture of the recording paper is corrected within the narrow sheet space, and the phenomenon of so-called stiffness of the paper becomes less likely to occur. Therefore, the conveyance force applied by the platen roller is efficiently transmitted to the leading edge of the recording paper. Letting this conveying force be _f2 , and considering the force that obstructs the gripping of the leaf spring 26 in substantially the same manner as F above, if the relationship F+C< _f2 , then the part of the leaf spring 26 at the leading edge of the recording paper It is generally understood that this is done. Generally, f ₁ and f ₂ are f ₁ < f ₂ , so there is no problem in satisfying the above relationship, and the shape of the leaf spring 26, the value of the spring force, etc. can be determined empirically.
This example can be realized by setting it experimentally.

In addition, when the accumulated number of recording sheets exceeds the storage capacity of the tray, the click mechanism that locks the first guide member 14, which forms a wedge-shaped sheet material storage space, in the closed state releases the weight of the recording paper 6. The first guide member 14 is automatically released and the first guide member 14 is opened, thereby preventing a paper jam inside the machine.

As is clear from the above description, according to the embodiment of 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. The installation space of the machine can be significantly reduced without protruding a special tray from the main body, and the effect can be obtained that the sheet material can be stored in a well-aligned state regardless of the winding of the sheet material.

Furthermore, multiple sheets can be stored in the tray with the information side facing up and arranged in page order.
The effect is that not only is the installation space improved, but also the operability, such as handling of sheet materials, is significantly improved. Additionally, since the paper can be guided into the tray immediately after passing through the cutter, there is no need for paper ejection rollers, which simplifies the mechanism and can be expected to significantly reduce costs and improve reliability.

Furthermore, unlike the conventional method of placing sheet materials on a tray, the tray holds only the leading edge, so even extremely long sheet materials can be stored. Moreover, in order to hold the sheet material more effectively, an elastic body such as a leaf spring is provided to elastically press and hold the sheet tip, such as a tip holding section, so the holding effect is increased and the sheet material is significantly longer. Even sheet materials can be held securely.

It goes without saying that the sheet material storage tray according to the present invention can be applied not only to storage of recording paper but also to storage of original documents. Furthermore, although the above embodiments have been described only for cutting continuous paper, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that uses pre-cut paper.

Since the sheet material storage tray according to the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, there is no need to protrude a special tray from the machine body, and the miniaturization of the machine can be promoted.
This has the effect of significantly reducing the installation space for the machine. Furthermore, since the sheet material is pressed elastically, the sheet material can be held even more reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional facsimile machine, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a facsimile machine equipped with a tray according to the present invention, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the part shown in Fig. 2 in which the tray of the present invention is mounted. Figure 4 is the third
5 is an enlarged side view of the tray of the present invention; FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the formation of a recording paper loop at the top of the tray; FIG. Figures 1 to 11 are explanatory diagrams showing a series of movements of paper in the paper storage section of the tray of 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,
7...Thermal head, 8...Power unit, 9...Document, 10...Document tray, 11...Cutter,
12... Recording paper tray, 13... Sheet material storage tray according to the present invention, 14... First guide member,
15... Sheet material storage space, 16... Second guide member, 17... Stay, 18... Pin, 19...
Closed part, 20... Open part, 22... Upper case,
23... Guide, 25... Rib, 26... Leaf spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] Opposing members 14 and 2 that are provided opposite each other and sandwich the leading end side of the sheet material being conveyed.
6, and an image forming apparatus that allows reversal feeding of a loop-shaped rear end side of a sheet material whose leading end side is clamped by the sheet material clamping section 19 and a loop is formed at the rear end side. an open part 20 formed between the outer wall of the outer wall and the upper supporting end of the outer opposing member; a supporting upper end portion 14a that is pinched and holds a midway portion of the sheet material whose rear end side is sent out from the opening portion 20 and hangs; the sheet material holding portion 19 is formed within the image forming apparatus; The outer member 14 of the opposing members 14 and 26 extends upward with respect to the sheet material holding part 19 to form the upper support end part 14a, and is arranged substantially flush with or inside the outer wall of the image forming apparatus. The sheet material storage tray is characterized in that the inner member 26 is an elastic body 26 that elastically presses and grips the tip of the sheet material.