JPH0328040Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Technical Field The present invention involves carrying a copy paper that has been copied on at least one side and placing it on a tray, and then transferring the copy paper from the tray in order to copy the copy paper onto the copy paper. An intermediate paper feeding device in a double-sided copying machine that feeds paper,
An intermediate feeder in which the tray is supported such that the end of the tray, which is the leading edge of the copy paper when the copy paper is fed, is lowered when the copy paper is carried into the tray and raised when the copy paper is fed. Regarding paper devices.

Prior Art The intermediate paper feeding device of the above type has conventionally lowered the tray when carrying the copy paper into the tray so that other elements do not obstruct the entry of the copy paper, and raised the tray when feeding the copy paper. It is well known.

On the other hand, it is also known to provide an intermediate sheet feeding device with a side fence that guides the side edges of the copy sheet when it is fed. In this case, if the side fence is integrally fixed to the tray, when the copy paper is carried into the tray, the incoming copy paper may hit the side fence, causing trouble in conveying the copy paper. Therefore, when carrying copy paper into the tray, the side fence is moved to the retracted position so that it does not get in the way of the copy paper entering, and when the copy paper is fed, the side fence is moved so that it approaches the side edge of the copy paper. Alternatively, it is advantageous to configure it so that it can be actuated into an abutting position of use. One possible method is to arrange side fences above the tray, and configure the fences to be operated between a retracted position and a use position by means of a drive means. However, with this configuration, when the tray is supported so as to be able to rise and fall as described at the beginning, the tray inevitably interferes with the side fence during its movement up and down.
Therefore, it is conceivable to support the tray so that the side fence moves up and down with the tray to prevent these interferences, but since the side fence is connected to the drive means that operates it, The drive means and the side fence that moves up and down must be connected by a complicated member,
The structure of the driving means becomes complicated.

Therefore, by forming a notch in the tray that extends transversely to the copy paper feeding direction, making the side fence protrude upward through the notch from below the tray, and arranging the drive means for the side fence below the tray, the side Interference between fence and tray can be prevented.
Furthermore, there is no need to raise and lower the side fences, which is very convenient because the structure of the device can be simplified.

However, the problem here is that if the tray has a cutout, when feeding copy paper onto the tray,
If the leading edge of the copy paper gets stuck in the notch or gets caught on the edge, the copy paper will not be placed in the designated position on the tray, and there is a risk of trouble conveying the copy paper when feeding it from the tray. There is a certain point.

Purpose This invention was made based on the above-mentioned novel recognition, and its purpose is to develop a new structure that solves the problems peculiar to intermediate paper feed devices of double-sided copying machines, as described above. The goal is to provide the following.

Structure In order to achieve the above object, the present invention operates in the intermediate paper feeding device described at the beginning to a retracted position that does not obstruct the entry of copy paper when carrying the copy paper into the tray, and also allows copy paper to be transferred from the tray. A side fence that operates to a use position that approaches or comes into contact with the side edge of copy paper when paper is fed;
a drive means operated between a retracted position and a use position, a notch is formed in the tray, the side fence is made to pass through the notch from below the tray and protrude above the tray; supporting the side fence so as to move between the retracted position and the use position by moving through the notch, and disposing the driving means below the tray; and transporting copy paper into the tray. The intermediate feeder is provided with a shutter member that closes the entire notch closer to the copy paper than the side fence, and the shutter member is disposed on the back side of the tray and movably supported integrally with the side fence. We propose a paper device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The intermediate paper feeder 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is supported by the main body (not shown) of an electronic copying machine, and has a pivot shaft 4 mounted on two side plates 2 and 3 spaced apart from each other.
It has a tray 5 rotatably supported in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 1) via the tray. Above the tray 5 is a paper feed roller 6 used to feed copy paper.
The roller 6 is rotatably supported by the side plates 2 and 3.

When the operator selects the double-sided copy mode or the multiplex copy mode and presses a copy button (not shown), the tray 5 is lifted up by the driving force from the lifting device (not shown) or by the tray's own weight. 1, and a relatively wide space is created between the paper feed roller 6 and the tray 5.

The above-mentioned double-sided copy mode is a mode in which a copy image is formed on each side of copy paper, and the multiple copy mode is a mode in which copy images are formed on the same side of copy paper in a superimposed manner. When such a mode is selected, the copy paper, which has been copied on at least one side by an image forming means such as a photoreceptor and a fixing device (not shown), is reversed by a reversing device (not shown). (double-sided copy mode), or is transported to the intermediate paper feeder 1 as shown by arrow B without being reversed (multiple copy mode). This copy paper 10 is 2
While being guided by the entrance guide plate 7 fixed to the two side plates 2 and 3, the material is discharged onto the tray 5 by a pair of rotating discharge rollers 8, and is placed on the tray 5 while being guided by the upper guide 9. (arrow C). At this time, the copy paper 10 is aligned by a known copy paper aligning device, for example, an inclined roller (not shown).
side edge 10a and tip edge 10b of the tray 5, a side reference plate 11 is placed upright on one side edge of the tray 5, and a front reference plate 12 is placed in front of the tray 5 (left side in FIGS. 1 and 2). position the copy paper. In this way, a predetermined number of copy sheets 10 are stacked on the tray (see FIGS. 3 and 4). At this time, the above-mentioned elevating device (not shown) is activated, and the tray 5 rotates around the pivot shaft 4 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1, and as shown in FIG. It can be raised to a position where it hits.

Next, in order to perform further copy processing on the copy paper 10 on the tray 5, when the operator presses the copy button, the paper feed roller 6 rotates clockwise in FIG. It is fed in the direction of arrow D. As copy paper decreases,
The trays are raised one after another, and the uppermost copy sheet always comes into contact with the paper feed roller 6.

In the intermediate paper feeding device 1 illustrated as described above, the end of the tray, which is the leading edge of the copy paper when the copy paper 10 is fed, is lowered when the copy paper is carried into the tray, and the end of the tray is lowered when the copy paper is carried into the tray. Sometimes it rises.

When the copy paper 10 is fed, if the copy paper deviates laterally from the feeding direction D, a trouble in conveying the copy paper will occur. In order to prevent this problem, as shown in FIG.
The side reference plate 11 is arranged in contact with or close to the
The copy paper 10 is configured to be able to be correctly guided in a predetermined direction D by cooperating with the guide. Let L be the distance between the guide member 13 and the side reference plate 11 at this time.

By the way, if the guide member 13 occupies the position shown in FIG. 4 when the copy paper 10 is fed into the tray 5, this guide member 13 will obstruct the entry of the copy paper fed onto the tray. It turns out. Therefore, when carrying copy paper into the tray 5, the guide member 13 is retracted to the position shown in FIG. It is composed of In order to allow the guide member 13 to move in this manner, a notch 14 is formed in the tray 5 and extends transversely to the copy paper carrying direction or feeding direction. can move in a direction E transverse to the copy paper feeding direction D.

As shown in FIG. 5, two guide shafts 15 fixedly supported by both side plates 2 and 3 are provided below the tray 5, and a guide member 13 is slidably fitted into these shafts 15. A guide member 13 is fixedly connected to a chain 16 disposed below the tray 5 at a portion indicated by a reference numeral 13a,
The guide member 13 passes through the notch 14 from below the tray 5 and projects upward. chain 16
is the driving sprocket 17 and the driven sprocket 1.
It is wrapped around 8. The chain 16 and sprockets 17, 18 constitute one example of a drive means for operating the guide member 13 between the use position and the retracted position as will be described below.

When the copy paper is carried onto the tray 5, the guide member 13 occupies the retracted position shown in FIG. The guide member 13 is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. 2, thereby operating the guide member 13 while being guided by the guide shaft 15 to the use position shown in FIG.

With the above-described configuration, when the copy paper 10 is fed into the tray 5, it hits the guide member 13,
There will be no impediment to its progress. Further, since the guide member 13 protrudes upward from the bottom of the tray in the notch formed in the tray 5, it prevents interference between the tray 5 and the side fence, and prevents the side fence from moving when the tray 5 is raised or lowered. There is no need to raise or lower it. Therefore, the structure of the device can be simplified and costs can be reduced.

However, if the notch 14 extending between the guide member 13 and the side reference plate 11 is formed and left open, the leading edge 10b of the copy paper 10 discharged onto the tray 5 by the discharge roller pair 8 There is a possibility that the copy paper may not be placed in the predetermined position due to, for example, getting into the notch 14. In particular, copy paper 10
is the tray 5 in the state shown by the chain arrow F in Fig. 1.
When it is fed into the notch 14, its leading edge 10b tends to enter the notch 14.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the shutter member 20 is fixed to the guide member 13 as clearly shown in FIGS. It is configured to close the entire notch on the side. That is, in this embodiment, the shutter member 20 closes the entire notch between the guide member 13 and the side reference plate 11 located at the position shown in FIG. Therefore, the copy paper 1 discharged onto the tray 5
This prevents the leading edge 10b of the 0 from entering the notch 14 and resulting in a poor placement.

In particular, since the shutter member 20 closes the entire notch closer to the copy paper than the guide member 13, it is possible to prevent the leading edge from entering the notch, regardless of the width of the copy paper being carried in.

Further, the shutter member 20 is located on the back side of the tray 5,
That is, since the guide member 13 is located on the back side opposite to the tray surface on which the copy paper is placed and closes the notch 14, the guide member 13 closes the side edge 10c of the copy paper 10 on the tray 5 (FIG. 4). When operating in a direction approaching
Regardless of the width of the copy paper, the shutter member 20 smoothly enters the underside of the copy paper and the member 2
There is no fear that the 0 will shift the copy paper.

It is sufficient that the shutter member 20 can move integrally with the guide member 13. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the shutter member 20 to the guide member 13 as in the above embodiment.
There is no need to stick to it. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a long hole 21 extending in the lateral direction E is bored in the shutter member 20, and a guide pin 22 fixed to the back surface of the tray 5 is fitted into this long hole 21. The pin 22 prevents the shutter member 20 from falling off while allowing the member 20 to slide on the pin 22. And the protrusion 2 of the shutter member 20
It is also possible to provide a tension spring 24 between Oa and the pin 23 fixed to the tray 5, and use this spring 24 to press the end surface 20b of the shutter member 20 against the guide member 13. With this configuration as well, the shutter member 20 can be slid in the lateral direction E together with the guide member 13 against the action of the spring 24, and the notch 14 can be closed by the shutter member 20.
The other configurations in FIGS. 6 and 7 are completely similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, and the shutter member 20 is located on the back side of the tray 5, and the copy paper is placed in the tray. 5, the shutter member 20 closes the entire notch closer to the copy paper than the guide member 13. As a result, the same effects as in the previous embodiment can be obtained.

Above, an embodiment has been described in which the shutter member according to the present invention is added to the guide member that guides the copy paper when feeding it out, but the shutter member according to the present invention can also be provided on a side fence other than the guide member. . For example, an intermediate paper feed device configured to align the copy sheets by reciprocating a side fence and applying it to the side edges of the copy sheets when one or more sheets of copy paper have been placed on a tray. A similar effect can be obtained by providing a shutter member on the side fence in the same manner as in the previously described embodiment. Also, when the side fence serving as a side reference plate as shown in the illustrated embodiment is supported so as to be movable according to the size of the copy paper carried into the tray, the shutter member can be attached to this side reference plate. It can be attached to the tray to close the notch formed in the tray.

It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied when the side fence is configured to operate not only in the lateral direction orthogonal to the copy paper feeding direction but also in the diagonal lateral direction.

Effects According to the present invention, the side fence that operates between the use position and the retracted position is passed through the notch formed in the tray, and the drive means for the side fence is placed below the tray, which simplifies the structure of the device. It is possible to reduce costs. Further, when copy paper is carried into the tray, a shutter member is provided that closes the entire notch closer to the copy paper than the side fence, and the shutter member is disposed on the back side of the tray and integrated with the side fence. Since it is movably supported, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the copy paper being fed into the tray from entering the notch, resulting in poor placement of the copy paper on the tray. Further, since the shutter member is located on the back side of the tray, it is possible to eliminate the fear that the shutter member may shift the copy paper when the side fence approaches the side edge of the copy paper.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 was cut along the - line in Figure 2.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 with some of the elements shown in FIG. 1 omitted, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate paper feeding device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 shown in the same state as FIG.
FIG. 6 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 showing another embodiment of the intermediate sheet feeding device, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- of FIG. 6. 1... Intermediate paper feeder, 5... Tray, 10...
Copy paper, 10c...Side edge, 14...Notch, 20...
...Shutter parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] Double-sided copying in which copy paper that has been copied on at least one side is carried into a tray and placed thereon, and then the copy paper is fed from the tray for copying processing onto the copy paper. An intermediate paper feeding device in a machine, in which the edge of the tray, which is the leading edge of the copy paper when the copy paper is fed, is lowered when the copy paper is carried into the tray, and raised when the copy paper is fed. , in the intermediate paper feeding device in which the tray is supported, when the copy paper is carried into the tray, it is operated to a retracted position where it does not interfere with the entry of the copy paper, and when the copy paper is fed from the tray, the copy paper is moved to the retracted position. a side fence operative in a use position approaching or abutting the side edge;
A driving means for operating the side fence between a retracted position and a use position is provided, a notch is formed in the tray, and the side fence is made to penetrate from below the tray through the notch and protrude above the tray. , the side fence is supported so that the side fence moves in the notch and operates between the retracted position and the use position, and the driving means is disposed below the tray; and copy paper is provided. A shutter member is provided that closes the entire notch closer to the copy paper than the side fence when the copy paper is carried into the tray, and the shutter member is disposed on the back side of the tray and is movably supported integrally with the side fence. The intermediate paper feeding device characterized by: