JPH0361223A - Feed cassette mounting device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an improvement in an image forming apparatus equipped with a mounting device that holds a number of paper feed cassettes vertically or diagonally. The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette mounting device that prevents the recording paper from buckling when the recording paper has a low current.

(Prior Art) In image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimile machines, IC! A paper feed cassette containing a stack of recording paper stacks is attached to the main body of the device in a detachable or movable manner, and the recording paper is taken out by the rotation of a paper feed roller in contact with the recording paper in the paper cassette and sent to the image forming section or The paper is fed to the printing section, etc.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-36930 discloses a system in which a large number of paper feed cassettes are stored vertically and the recording paper is taken out one by one from a paper feed port located at the upper end of each paper feed cassette. A paper feeding device is disclosed.

By the way, in devices where the paper feed cassettes are installed horizontally in one device (especially front loading type), multiple paper feed cassettes are arranged vertically, so the bottom paper feed The cassette is placed just below the floor. For this reason, when replenishing recording paper, the user had to bend over to attach and detach the paper cassette located at the bottom. For paper feeders such as those in which the paper cassette is installed vertically relative to the main body of the device, the insertion/removal position of the paper cassette is relatively high.
Since it is constant, the work of attaching/detaching the paper feed cassette and replenishing it becomes easy for the user.

However, since the paper feed cassette in the device described in the above document is stored in a vertically long state with the paper feed opening (feed end) facing upward, if the number of recording papers in the cassette is small, The recording paper may slide downward under its own weight, causing buckling (curving), creating wavy or curled patterns on the recording paper, or causing creases at the trailing edge of the recording paper when it is attached to the main unit. There will be more. This causes jams, skews, and wrinkles on the conveyance path.

(Objective of 9! Ming) The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an image having a mounting device for mounting a paper feed cassette in a vertically or diagonally erected state with the paper feed port facing upward. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding cassette mounting device that prevents buckling even if there is a small amount of recording paper in the cassette in a forming apparatus.

(Structure of the Invention) To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a mounting device for mounting a paper feed cassette in a vertically or diagonally placed state, wherein the paper feed cassette has an opening in the bottom surface. The cassette base has a box-shaped cassette base having a cassette base, and a bottom plate supported within the cassette base so as to be movable in the thickness direction of the cassette base.

The mounting device includes a recess for receiving the lower longitudinal edge of the paper feed cassette, a spring disposed in the recess, and a spring for receiving the paper feed cassette when the lower edge is incompletely installed in the recess. an obstruction member that prevents the upper end of the paper cassette from being installed in the longitudinal direction; and an obstruction member that protrudes into the base from an opening at the bottom of the cassette and presses the lower part of the bottom plate when the lower end edge is in the incompletely installed state. A first bottom plate pressing member that protrudes into the base from the bottom opening and presses the top of the bottom plate until the paper feed cassette is completely installed while avoiding the obstruction member, and after the paper feed cassette is completely installed, The second bottom plate pressing member cooperates with the first bottom plate pressing member to push up the bottom plate and bring the recording paper on the bottom plate into a non-buckling state.

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

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are a plan view and a front view showing the structure of a paper feed cassette mounted on the mounting device of the present invention,
This paper feed cassette I includes a base 2 forming a box-shaped outer frame, a side fence 4 and a back fence 5 protruding from the bottom surface 3 of the base 2, and an upper surface supported movably in the thickness direction of the base 2. It has a bottom plate 6 for holding the recording paper, and corner claws 7 disposed at the leading corner in the feeding direction to assist in separating the recording paper. The bottom surface 3 has openings 3a and 3b.
is formed. A hole 8 for avoiding the back fence 5 is formed in the bottom plate 6. Reference numeral 9 is a lid that opens and closes the upper opening of the base.

The paper feed cassette l having the above configuration is placed diagonally or vertically inside the main body IO of the image forming apparatus with the paper feed port (where the corner claws 7 are located) facing up, as shown in FIG. When each paper feed cassette I is properly set in the storage unit 11 of the paper feed roller I3, It comes into contact with the upper surface of the recording paper, rotates based on a paper feed start signal, takes out the recording paper from the specified paper feed cassette one by one, and feeds it to a registration roller (not shown).

A mounting device 20 for mounting and supporting each paper feed cassette I is disposed within the storage section Il.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of this mounting device 20 and the mounting procedure, and this mounting device rI! , 20 are a pedestal 2I fixedly supported by the device main body IO and a first pedestal 21 supported on the mounting surface 21a of the pedestal 21 so as to be able to protrude and enter.
and a second bottom plate pressing member 25, 26, a recess 28 that supports the lower end la of the cassette I when the paper feed cassette l is mounted substantially parallel to the mounting surface 21a, and a recess 28 disposed within the recess 28. A spring 30 is provided to press the lower end portion 1a in a direction that prevents the cassette I from being installed, a blocking member 31 that urges the upper end portion tb of the cassette to be installed when the cassette I is in the incompletely installed state, and a blocking member 31 that urges the upper end portion tb of the cassette to be installed when the cassette I is in the incompletely installed state. It has a support piece 32 that supports the upper end portion tb when the upper end portion tb is held.

The first and second bottom plate pressure members 25 and 26 are rod-shaped members 37 and 38 whose proximal ends are supported so as to be able to protrude and retract into support holes 35 and 36 formed in the mounting surface 21 of the pedestal 21, respectively. , a pressing piece 40.4I consisting of a roller or the like rotatably supported at the tip of each rod member 37.38, and pressing piece 40.4.
1 and the peripheral edge of the support hole 35, 36.
It has springs 42 and 43 that always bias 0.41 in the projecting direction.

The shape, arrangement position, etc. of each pressing piece 40, 41 are set so that it can protrude into the base from the openings 3a, 3b of the bottom surface 3 of the cassette base and push up the bottom plate 6.

The operating procedure of the paper feed cassette loading device of the present invention having the following configuration will be described below.

First, when the recording paper P is stored in the cassette opening as shown in FIG. 3, if the cassette is placed vertically as shown, the recording paper P will buckle as shown. To attach a certain cassette to the attachment device 20, while pushing the longitudinal lower end Ia of the cassette into the recess 28 against the spring 30, the upper end 1b of the cassette is seated on the support piece 32h as shown in FIG. let If the spring 30 is not pushed in enough, the upper end 1b will be caught by the obstruction member 31 and installation will be blocked, so incomplete installation can be detected and incomplete installation can be prevented.

At the time of starting the vt attachment shown in FIG. 3, the first bottom plate pressing member 25 enters into the opening 3a of the bottom plate 3, so that the lower part of the bottom plate 6 is pushed upward A in the thickness direction of the base. When the second bottom plate pressing member 26 protrudes into the base from the opening 3b, the upper part of the bottom plate 6 is pushed upward A in the thickness direction of the base. For this reason, the bottom plate 6 is sequentially pushed upward A in the thickness direction of the base from the bottom end to the top end, and the small amount of recording paper P supported on the bottom plate 6 is squeezed upward from r to the top A in the thickness direction. It is pushed upward A, and is finally compressed and expanded between M9 and the bottom plate 6,
The posture is corrected to a flat state (non-buckled state).

Even if there are a sufficiently large number of recording sheets 1 on the bottom plate, the cassettes can be loaded using the same operation.

(9! Bright effect) As described above, the present invention provides a mounting device @20 in which the paper feed cassette l is mounted vertically or diagonally with the paper feed port facing upward, and the base 2 of the paper feed cassette 1 is A bottom plate 6 is disposed in the cassette base 2 so as to be movable in the thickness direction A of the cassette base, and the mounting device 2o has a recess for receiving the lower edge 1a of the paper feed cassette l. a spring 3o disposed within the recess 28;

- The upper end of the paper feed cassette I when the paper W#41a is incompletely installed in the recess 28! a first bottom plate pressing member that protrudes into the base from the opening 3a at the bottom of the cassette and presses the lower part of the bottom plate when the lower edge 1a is in an incompletely installed state; 25, and the support piece 3 with the paper feed cassette I avoiding the obstruction member 31.
The second bottom plate pressing member 2 protrudes into the base from the bottom opening 3b and presses the upper part of the bottom plate until the second bottom plate pressing member 2 is completely installed on the second bottom plate.
6.

Therefore, just by installing the paper feed cassette, the bottom plate
i9 (on the bottom plate because it is pressed to IN! The connection is moat 9
The buckled posture is corrected by being compressed between the body and the body and gradually extending from the bottom without any force. Therefore, it is possible to prevent sheet feeding failures caused by buckling of recording sheets, which is the biggest drawback of conventional vertically or diagonally placed sheet feeding cassettes.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1(b) is a plan view and a front view showing the configuration of a paper feed cassette mounted on the mounting device of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the specific configuration and mounting procedure of the mounting device of the present invention. I...Paper cassette la...Lower end tb...
Upper end 2...Cassette base 3...Bottom surface 3a,
3b...Opening 6...Bottom plate 9...Moat IO...
Image forming apparatus main body 13... Paper feed roller 20... Mounting device 21... Pedestal 21a... Mounting surface 25.26... First and second bottom plate pressure members 28...
・Recess 30...Spring 31...Obstruction member 32・
・・Support piece 35.36・・Support hole 37.38・・
・Rod-shaped member

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] In an image forming apparatus having a mounting device for mounting a paper feed cassette in a vertically or diagonally placed state, the paper feed cassette includes a box-shaped cassette base having an opening at the bottom; A bottom plate is supported within the cassette base so as to be movable in the thickness direction of the cassette base, and the mounting device includes a recess for receiving the lower edge of the paper feed cassette in the longitudinal direction, and a bottom plate disposed within the recess. a spring provided therein; a blocking member that prevents the longitudinal upper end of the paper feed cassette from being installed when the lower end edge is in the incompletely installed state in the recess; a first bottom plate pressing member that protrudes into the base from an opening in the bottom of the cassette base and presses a lower part of the bottom plate when the paper feed cassette is completely installed while avoiding the obstructing member; At this stage, it protrudes into the base from the bottom opening and presses the upper part of the bottom plate, and after it is completely attached, the bottom plate is pushed up in cooperation with the first bottom plate pressing member to bring the recording paper on the bottom plate into an unbuckled state. A mounting device for a paper feed cassette, characterized in that it has a second bottom plate pressing member.