JPS6397524A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make sheets of thick paper separable accurately piece by piece, by supporting a thick paper front edge on a support piece continuing a separate surface of a pair of paper receiving members in the state that engagement of the thick paper to a separate claw is avoided, and making the top so as to be pressed by a feed roller. CONSTITUTION:In case of paper feeding for thick paper P2, a presser body 22 for thin paper is set to a stand-by position, and a pair of paper receiving members 30 for thick paper exclusive use are set onto a paper receiving surface. Next, the specified number of stacked sheets of the paper P2 are set between a presser plate 39 and an upper plate and then if a lever 43 is pressed and its latch is released, the paper P2 is pushed up. Under this state, a front end of the paper P2 is supported by a support piece 35, and symmetrical both side edges are supported by a side wall 33, so that engagement of the paper P2 to a separate claw 19 for the thin paper is thus avoided. In addition, the paper P2 is pressed by the presser plate 39, and the top of the paper P2 for the thick paper is supported by an upper plate projecting strip 34a. Next, when a feed shaft 27 is driven, a feed roller 24 is rotated together with this shaft 27 as one body, whereby only the paper P2 on the topmost layer is accurately delivered to space between a platen 3 and a roller 6 after going across a separate surface 37.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a paper feeding device for feeding sheets one by one to various printers, copying machines, and the like.

′ (Prior art) This type of paper feeding device uses general-purpose printing paper,
Supports thin paper such as copy paper in a layered manner and
A pair of left and right paper holders to the right of the separation claw that engages with the upper corner of the front end of the thin paper output side have a body, and a feed roller that contacts the top surface of the thin paper and feeds out the paper one by one. There are some that are equipped with. When paper is fed by the operation of the feed roller, the pair of paper receivers separates the thin paper by bending the left and right corners of the front edge of the paper at each separating claw on the body. It is designed to be sent out one by one.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, when attempting to feed thick paper such as peel-off paper using the paper feeding device configured as described above,
Due to the rigidity of the thick paper, there is almost no bending at the front corner of the paper.

As a result, the front corner of the thick paper remains engaged with the separation claws of the pair of paper receivers, making it impossible to feed the thick paper.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, in the present invention, a pair of left and right paper supports thin paper in one layer and has separation claws that engage with left and right corners of the upper surface of the feeding side edge of the thin paper. In the paper feeding device, the paper tray has a body and a feed roller that contacts the top surface of the thin paper and feeds out the paper one sheet at a time. Inside, a pair of left and right paper holders dedicated to thick paper, which support thick paper such as postcard paper in a stacked manner, are provided with removable members. A pressing means for pressing the feed roller so as to contact the feed roller is disposed, and the pair of paper receivers is further provided with a protruding support piece that abuts and supports the front end of the vAFi-shaped thick paper. The upper edge of the support piece is configured to have a separation surface such as a sloped surface or a curved surface that is inclined toward the front.

(Function) Therefore, when feeding thick paper such as postcard paper, the present invention provides a pair of left and right paper holders on the top surface of the body, and a pair of left and right paper holders exclusively for thick paper on the inside of the separating claw. By attaching the members, these pair of paper receivers support thick sheets of paper in a stacked manner on the members. When the pair of paper holders are in a state where the engagement of the thick paper with the separation claw of the body is avoided, the front edge of the thick paper is supported in contact with the support piece of the member of the pair of paper holders, and the The upper surface of the thick paper is pressed by the pressing means so as to contact the feed roller. By operating the feed roller, the thick sheets of paper are reliably separated one by one from the separation surface of the upper edge of the support piece and sent out.

(Example) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 6, which shows a paper feed device of a printer in side cross section, a platen 3 that is rotatably driven around a drive shaft 2 is disposed at the rear of the printer main body 1, and a print head is mounted in front of the platen 3. 4 is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable along the platen 3.

A predetermined number of feed rollers 6.7.degree. 8 are disposed at the rear side and lower part of the platen 3 and are in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the platen 3 and are driven to rotate to feed the paper.

Furthermore, a guide plate 9 is disposed on the lower outer periphery of the platen 3 across the paper guide path, and a vapor pail 1 that can come into contact with and separate from the outer periphery of the platen 3 is provided on the upper front side of the platen 3.
0 is placed.

Further, on the outer surface of the rear wall of the printer main body 1, a continuous paper feeding mechanism including a pair of feeding sprockets 11 for feeding the continuous paper P3 toward the entrance of the paper guide path is disposed.

At the rear upper part of the printer main body 1, cut sheets (there are thin paper P1 such as general-purpose printing paper and thick paper P2 such as postcard paper) are placed on the platen 3.
A paper feeding device 12 for feeding the paper toward the paper feeder 12 forms one unit and is removably mounted.

In the paper feeding device 12, a pair of left and right paper receivers 15 for supporting the thin paper P1 in Vj4 layers is mounted on the rear wall 14 of the support 13 installed between the left and right side frames. The lower end protrusion 1 of the support leg 16 formed at the lower part of the
6a is attached to a groove 14a formed on the back surface of the rear wall 14 so as to be slidable left and right and tilted at a predetermined angle.

The pair of paper holders are provided at the front end of the body 15, and the paper holders of the body 15 are used to support thin paper that abuts and supports the sending-out side edges of the thin paper P1 stacked on the surface. The pieces 17 are formed substantially perpendicularly to the surface of the paper tray, and each paper tray has one side of the body 15, as shown in FIG.
Side walls 18 are formed to support the left and right side edges of 1.

Further, each paper receiver is provided on one side of the upper edge of the support piece 7 of the body 15 to engage with the left and right corners of the upper surface of the feeding side edge of the thin paper P1, and to engage with the right and left corners of the upper surface of the feeding side edge of the thin paper P1, and to engage with both the left and right corners of the front edge of the top layer of thin paper during paper feeding. Separation claws 19 are formed to feed the paper by bending the corners.

A pair of support arms 20 are disposed on the outer surface of the side wall 18 of the body 15 so as to be swingable about a pin 21 at its upper end.

In the lower part between these support arms 20, thin paper P1
A suppressor 22 is provided. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. It is designed to be switched to a standby position which is substantially flush with the plane by means of a switching lever or the like. A driving feed shaft 27 is rotatably disposed above the front part of the body 15 of the pair of paper receivers, and this feed shaft 27
The pair of left and right feed rollers 24 can rotate together with the feed shaft 27 at their boss portions, and
7 is slidably fitted in the axial direction.

The outer periphery of the feed roller 24 is formed of a rubber layer made of a 1g high raw material, and the pair of paper receivers are formed on the body 15.
It is formed into a substantially half-moon shape by an arc-shaped feeding surface 25 that feeds the paper in contact with the uppermost layer of thin paper P1, and a non-feeding surface 26 that forms the chord of the arc of this feeding surface 25. and,
During one rotation of the feed shaft 27, each feed roller 24
The uppermost layer of thin paper P1 is fed to a space between the platen 3 and the feed roller 6 which is in contact with the rear outer circumferential surface of the platen 3 by the feeding surface 25.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
8 and a protrusion 29 are formed at a predetermined interval in the axial direction, and between these two parts, a semicircular engagement part 18a formed at the front lower end of the side wall 18 of the body 15 is able to rotate freely. is combined with

The pair of left and right paper receivers moves each feed roller 24 in the axial direction of the feed shaft 27 by making one learning movement of the body 15! FIl
It is now possible to do so.

On the surface of the pair of paper receivers of the body 15, on the inside of the separation claw 19, thick paper P2 such as postcard paper is inserted.
A pair of left and right paper holders dedicated to thick paper for supporting 81 layers of paper are removably disposed as a member 30S.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pair of paper receiver members 30 include a body 150, a bottom plate 31 that is supported in contact with the surface of the paper receiver, and FIGS. 3 and 5. As shown, the bottom plate 31
At the inner edge of the body 15, the paper receiver is folded back in an oval shape toward the back surface of the body 32, and at its tip, the paper receiver engages with an engagement groove 15a formed in an L-shape on the back surface of the body 15. The holding piece 32 is provided with a locking piece 32a that is bent upward along the outer edge of the bottom plate 31 at a right angle, and is attached to a thick paper P2.
and a predetermined number of protrusions 34a that are bent at the upper edge of the side wall 33 to face the upper surface of the bottom plate 31 and support the upper surface of the thick paper P2 on the lower surface in the paper feeding direction. a top plate 34 protruding parallel to the bottom plate 3;
The front edge of 1 is bent upward at a right angle,
Support piece 35 that supports the front edge of the thick paper P2 on the sending side
It is composed of the following as a main body. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the engaging piece 32a of the holding piece 32 is engaged with the engaging groove 15a of the paper receiver body 15, and the supporting piece 35 is
As shown in FIG. 1, the paper receiver member 30 is attached to the body 15 with the paper receiver surface facing upward by bringing the paper receiver into contact with the thin paper support piece 17 of the body 15. On the contrary, the paper receiver is attached to the engagement piece 32a of the holding piece 32 along the engagement groove 15a of the body 15.
The paper receiver member 30 is removed from the paper receiver body 15 by sliding the member backward and disengaging from the engagement groove 15a.

The pair of paper receivers are fitted into the front central part of the upper plate 34 of the member 30 so that the feed surface 25 of the feed roller 24 can come into contact with the upper surface of the thick paper P2, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The same opening 36 into which it is inserted is formed in the shape of a notch. Further, protrusions 36a are formed on the left and right sides of the opening window 36 to face both sides of the feed roller 524.
The front end of the paper receiving member 30 is positioned relative to the paper receiving member 30.

Furthermore, the pair of paper receivers has a slope surface sloped toward the front on the upper edge of the support piece 35 formed at the front end of the member 30.
A separating surface 37, such as a curved surface, is formed continuously on the paper supporting surface of the supporting piece 35. A sheet F138 made of a high friction material such as felt material or rubber material is adhered to the paper support surface and separation surface 37 of these support pieces 35.

The pair of paper holders are mounted on the upper surface of the bottom plate 31 of the member 30, and these paper holders are provided with thick sheets of paper P supported in a layered manner by the member 30.
A pressing means consisting of a pressing plate 39 and a leaf spring 40 for pressing the roller 2 into contact with the feeding surface 25 of the feeding roller 24 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the suppressing plate 39 is formed of a flat plate material having approximately the same size as the bottom plate 31 of the member 30, and has a rear end portion of the bottom plate 31 on its rear edge. A latching piece 39 that is latched by a pair of latching pieces 31a cut up in
a is bent. Between the pressing plate 39 and the bottom plate 31 of the member 30, there is a hooking piece 39a.
The pressing plate 39 uses the engaging portion of the locking piece 31a as a fulcrum.
A leaf spring 40 is interposed to bias the . This leaf spring 4
The rear end of 0 is formed to have a narrow width so as to be located between the locking pieces 318, and as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. A connecting claw 42 that is connected to the connected connecting hole 41 is formed. The plate spring 40 has its connecting claw 42 connected to the connecting hole 4 of the hooking piece 39a.
1, the leaf spring 40 is supported in a cantilevered manner, and the tip of the leaf spring 40 is constantly pressed against the front lower surface of the pressing plate 39, so that the pressing plate 39 is pressed against the upper plate of the member 30. 34 and is designed to be pressed toward the bottom surface. Furthermore, in the state in which the connecting claw 42 of the leaf spring 40 is fitted into the connecting hole 41 of the pressing plate 39, the locking piece 39a of the pressing plate 39
The paper receiver is engaged with and deeply supported by a locking piece 31a of the bottom plate 31 of the member 30 so as to be slidable in the front-back direction. In other words,
Between the tufted part of the narrow J section at the rear end of the leaf spring 40 and the rising part of the locking piece 31a, and between the rising part of the locking piece 39a and the tip of the locking piece 31a. A predetermined gap is formed, and only the center of the gap can be slid in the front-rear direction. A frontage 44 is formed in the side wall 33, into which a protruding piece 39b protruding from the rear edge of the pressing plate 39 enters, and a step 44a is formed at the front end of the opening 44.

In this embodiment configured as described above, when feeding thick paper P2 such as postcard paper, the presser 22 for thin paper is placed in the holding position 4 by the switching lever as shown in FIG. In this state, the pair of paper receivers are closed.
The paper holder 5 is on the surface, and the pair of paper holders for thick paper are member 30.
Attach.

After A, in accordance with the left and right width of the thick paper P2, the paper holders for thick paper P2 are attached to member 30, and the paper holders for thin paper are integrated with member 30 to the left and right 1'fi fh L/, and these paper holders are attached to member 30. Adjust the spacing.

Here, the pair of paper receivers presses down the pressing plate 39 of the member 30 against the biasing force of the leaf spring 40 using the operating lever 43 fixed to the projecting piece 39b, and also slides the pressing plate 39 forward. , with the protruding piece 39b hooked to the stepped portion 44a of the opening 44, the pressing plate 39 and the paper receiver are attached to the member 3.
A predetermined number of thick sheets P are stacked together with the upper plate 39 of 0.
Set 2. Thereafter, when the operating lever 43 is pushed rearward to release the engagement between the protruding piece 39b and the stepped portion 44a, the paper P2 is pushed upward by the action of the leaf spring 40.

In this state, the front end of the thick paper P2 is supported by the pair of paper holders by the support pieces 35 of the member 32, and the left and right edges of the thick paper P2 are supported by the side walls 33 of the member 30. The thin paper paper tray prevents the thick paper P2 from engaging with the separation claw 19 of the body 15. Furthermore, the thick paper P2 is pressed by the suppression plate 39 which receives the spring force of the leaf spring 40, and the 17th paper P2 of the uppermost layer is pressed.
The upper surface of the paper receiver 2 is supported by a protrusion 34a of the upper plate 34 of the member 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the feed roller 24 has a non-feeding surface 26 that is connected to the top layer of the thick paper P2.
It faces the upper surface of with a predetermined gap.

When the feed shaft 27 of the feed roller 24 is driven here, the feed roller 24 rotates one revolution together with the feed shaft 27. During one rotation of these feed rollers 24,
The feeding surface 25 ensures that only the top layer of thick paper P2 passes over the separating surface 37 at the upper edge of the support piece 35, and is sent through the feeding guide path to between the platen 3 and the feed roller 6 in contact with its rear outer peripheral surface. be done.

The thick paper P is
2 is fed to a predetermined position, each feed roller 24
Subsequently, the non-feeder 26 is rotated to its original position facing the thick paper P and stopped at this position.

In addition, when feeding thin paper P1, the member 30 of the pair of paper receivers is removed from the body 15, and the paper receiver of the body 15 has the thin paper P1 on its surface in a v4 layer. This is done with the device placed on the When the paper is fed by the rotation of the feed roller 24, the pair of paper receivers is moved to the separating claw 1 of the body 15.
At step 9, the paper is separated by bending the left and right corners of the front end of the thin paper P1, and the thin paper P1 is reliably fed out one by one.

In this embodiment, a pair of paper holders are attached to the body 15, and a pair of paper holders for thick paper serve as means for removably attaching the member 30. Although the holding piece 32 formed on the body 15 and the engagement groove 15a formed on the back surface of the body 15 are the main components of the paper holder, the present invention is not limited to this. In contrast to the paper tray 15, the paper tray dedicated to thick paper may be constructed so that the member 30 is removably attached thereto.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the pair of paper holders are resting 15, if the intermediate paper holder that supports the middle part of the thin paper has a body 45, the part 148 into which the protrusion 16a of the support leg 16 fits is The intermediate paper holder is notched upward at the position where the stop 45 is slid to the extreme left or right end, and the body 45 of the intermediate paper holder can be removed from the paper feeder 12. As a result, when setting postcard paper in a portrait orientation, the intermediate paper tray 45 can be removed and the paper tray member 30 can be brought close to the width of the postcard paper together with the paper tray body 15.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, during general feeding by the operation of the feed roller, the pair of paper holders that support the thin paper in a V4 layer form are moved to the front edge of the normal paper by the separating claws of the body. When feeding thick paper such as postcard paper, the paper feed device separates the paper by bending the left and right corners of the paper and feeds thin paper one sheet at a time. ,
The pair of paper holders are equipped with members on the upper surface of the body, inside the separating claws, and the left and right pair of paper holders dedicated to thick paper are attached to the members, so that the pair of paper holders can hold the stacked thick paper on the members.
It can be supported without being engaged with the separation claw. When the pair of paper holders are in a state where the engagement of the thick paper with the separation claw of the body is avoided, the front edge of the thick paper is supported in contact with the support piece of the member of the pair of paper holders, and the The upper surface of the thick paper is pressed by the pressing means so as to contact the feed roller.

Furthermore, since a separation surface inclined forward is formed above the support piece, by driving the feed roller, the thick paper can be reliably separated one by one by the separation surface of the support piece. It has the effect of being able to be separated and sent out smoothly.

Therefore, by attaching and detaching the paper numbering member to the paper feeder like an attachment, it can be used for both thin paper and thick paper, and there is no need for a special feed roller frame etc. for thick paper. Because it does not cover the paper, it can be manufactured at low cost, and the position of the paper tray can also be determined by adjusting the position of the paper tray according to the width of the paper, so it can not only set postcard paper in either portrait or landscape orientation, but also can handle various thick paper. can be used, and its uses are wide.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings do not show one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a paper holder for thin paper is attached to the body, and a paper holder for thick paper has a member attached, and Fig. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts of the paper feeding device; Fig. 4 shows the ring holder as a body, the paper holder as a member, the pressing plate, and the leaf spring. The mutual assembly is shown in an enlarged side sectional view, Fig. 5 is a view taken along the line v-V in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 shows the paper holder for thick paper with its members removed and used for normal paper. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a paper feeding state, and an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment. 1...Printer main body 3...Platen 12...Paper feeder 15...Paper receiver is body 19...Separation claw 24...Feed roller 30...Paper receiver is member 35...・Support piece 37...Separation surface 39...Press plate 40...Plate spring P1...Thin paper P2...Thick paper Applicant Brother Industries, Ltd. Agent Patent attorney Hidehiko Okada ( Other 3 people) Bill No.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A pair of left and right paper receivers that support thin sheets of paper in a layered manner and have separating claws that engage with right and left corners of the top surface of the front end of the thin sheets of paper, and a top surface of the thin sheets of paper. A paper feeding device comprising a feed roller that feeds the paper one sheet at a time in contact with the paper receiver, wherein thick paper such as postcard paper is stacked on the upper surface of the pair of paper receivers inside the separating claw. A pair of left and right paper receiving members dedicated to supporting thick paper in a shape are removably disposed, and pressing means for pressing the thick paper so as to come into contact with the feed roller is disposed on these pair of paper receiving members. Furthermore, the pair of paper receiving members is provided with a supporting piece that abuts and supports the front end of the laminated thick paper, and the upper edge of the supporting piece is provided with a slope that is inclined toward the front. A paper feeding device characterized by forming a separation surface such as a surface or a curved surface.