JPH04303343A - Paper loosening mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a paper loosening mechanism capable of loosening sheets without requiring the troublesome loosening by hand. CONSTITUTION:A placing plate 2 for stacking and placing sheets is provided within a paper feed cassette 1. On the inserting side of the paper feed cassette 1, a push-up member 6 pushing the lower part of the sheet upward is supported through the placing plate 2 in such a manner as to be vertically movable, and on both side parts on the inserting side of the paper feed cassette 1, side regulating plates 5, 5 for regulating the positions of both sides of the sheet are erected with the lower ends being rotatably supported so as to energize the upper ends outward. On the bottom part 10 of the inserting hole 4 of the paper feed cassette 1 in an image forming device 3, a bottom pushing part 8 which makes contact with the push-up member 6 provided in the push-up member 6 to push the push-up member 6 upward is formed, and on both sides of the inserting hole 4, transverse pushing parts 7, 7 which make contact with the outsides of the side regulating plates 5, 5 to fall the side regulating plates 5, 5 inward are formed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a paper sorting mechanism, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a paper sorting mechanism for preventing malfunctions such as poor paper feeding, overlapping paper feeding, or paper jams in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines. It is about the mechanism.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, problems occur such as paper not being fed from a paper cassette, paper being fed overlapping each other, or paper jamming occurring internally. Sometimes. Such a problem often occurs when paper is taken out of its wrapping paper and placed directly into a paper feed cassette. In other words, when sheets of paper are stacked in a paper cassette without being sorted, the sheets often remain in close contact with each other due to stacking during packaging, etc. In such cases, multiple sheets of paper may be fed at once by the paper feed roller. Furthermore, if the topmost sheet is in close contact with many sheets below, the sheet feed roller may not be able to feed it. Alternatively, the paper feeding direction or timing may be incorrect, causing a paper jam inside. For this reason, in the past, before removing the paper from the wrapping paper and placing it in the paper cassette, the paper was manually separated to allow air to flow between each paper to avoid the above-mentioned problems. It prevented the occurrence.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, the above-mentioned manual handling work is quite time-consuming and requires some experience, so not everyone can do it well, and in some cases, they may fail and waste paper. Sometimes they were scattered. Further, even though the sheets are separated, the air layer formed between the sheets may disappear over time, and in such a case, it is necessary to separate the sheets again. Therefore, it has been desired to propose a means for easily handling paper without requiring such troublesome manual handling work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper handling mechanism that can handle paper without requiring troublesome manual handling.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In the present invention, means for achieving the above object are constructed as follows. That is, in the first invention, a mounting plate for stacking sheets is provided in a paper feed cassette that is inserted into the main body of the apparatus to supply paper, and at the bottom of the paper feed cassette on the insertion side, A projecting member for pushing up the lower part of the paper passes through the mounting plate and is supported movably up and down, while a projecting member is attached to the bottom of the mounting plate at the bottom of the insertion opening for the paper feed cassette in the main body of the apparatus. A bottom protrusion is formed for abutting the provided protruding member and pushing the protruding member upward.

Further, in the second invention, a mounting plate for stacking sheets is provided in the paper feed cassette that is inserted into the main body of the apparatus to supply paper, and a board is provided on both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette. A side regulating plate for regulating the position of both sides of the paper is erected in the section so that the lower end thereof is rotatably supported and the upper end is urged outward. Horizontal protrusions are formed on both sides of the insertion opening of the paper cassette to abut on the outside of the side regulating plate and cause the side regulating plate to fall inward.

Alternatively, a paper feed cassette that is inserted into the main body of the apparatus to supply paper is provided with a mounting plate for stacking the paper, and the bottom of the paper feed cassette on the insertion side is provided with a board for stacking the paper.
A protruding member for pushing up the lower part of the paper passes through the mounting plate and is supported movably up and down, and on both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette, there are provided members for regulating the positions of the paper on both sides. The side regulating plate is erected so that its lower end is rotatably supported and its upper end is urged outward. A bottom protrusion is formed to abut the protrusion member provided on the mounting plate and push the protrusion member upward, and a bottom protrusion is provided on both sides of the insertion opening that abuts on the outside of the side regulating plate. A lateral protrusion may be formed to cause the side regulating plate to fall inward.

[0008]

[Operation] According to the above structure, when the paper feed cassette is inserted into the main body of the apparatus, the protruding member provided at the bottom of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette passes through the mounting plate and moves to the bottom of the insertion opening. When the projecting member comes into contact with the bottom protrusion formed on the board and is pushed upward, the bottom of the sheets stacked on the mounting plate is pushed upward by the projecting member,
The sheets of paper are bent into a chevron shape and are handled with air layers formed between each sheet of paper.

[0009] Furthermore, the side regulating plates provided inside the paper feed cassette come into contact with the horizontal protrusions formed on both sides of the insertion opening of the main body of the apparatus, and are rotated so as to fall inward about their lower ends. As a result, both sides of the sheets stacked on the mounting plate are pushed inward by the side regulating plates, and stress is applied to the sheets to cause them to curve into a chevron shape. As a result, an air layer is formed between each sheet of paper, and the sheets are separated. Note that due to the inward tilting of the side regulating plates, the stress on the upper sheet of paper is greater than that on the lower sheet, making it easier to form a chevron and an air layer.

Alternatively, if the above-mentioned two sorting operations are performed simultaneously, an even better sorting effect can be obtained. That is, when a paper feed cassette is inserted into the main body of the apparatus, the protruding member provided at the bottom of the insertion side comes into contact with the bottom protrusion formed at the bottom of the insertion port, and the protruding member Side regulating plates, which pass through the loading plate and are pushed upward and are erected on both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette, are connected to side regulation plates formed on both sides of the insertion opening of the apparatus main body. It comes into contact with the protrusion and is rotated about its lower end so as to fall inward. As a result, the bottom of the sheets of paper stacked on the loading board is pushed upward by the uplifting member, and both sides of the paper are pushed inward by the side regulation plates, making the paper even more secure. It becomes curved into a chevron shape and can be handled well.

[0011]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is a paper feed cassette, 2 is a loading plate attached to the inner bottom of the paper feed cassette 1 so that the insertion side can be moved upwardly, and paper 9 (see FIG. 4, 5) are stacked, the paper feed cassette 1 is inserted into an insertion opening 4 formed in the image forming apparatus 3, which is the main body of the apparatus, and the paper 9 is supplied. On both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette 1, side regulation plates 5, 5 for regulating the positions of the paper 9 on both sides are rotatably supported at their lower ends, and their upper ends are attached outward. At the center of the front part of the bottom 12 on the insertion side of the paper feed cassette 1, a projecting member 6 that pushes up the lower part of the paper 9 passes through the loading plate 2 and moves up and down. movably supported.

On the other hand, on both sides of the insertion port 4 into which the paper feed cassette 1 of the image forming apparatus 3 is inserted, there are side regulating plates 5, 5 which come into contact with the outside and cause the side regulating plates 5, 5 to fall inward. Horizontal protrusions 7, 7 are formed on the bottom 10 of the insertion port 4 to abut the protruding member 6 provided on the mounting plate 2 and push the protruding member 6 upward. A bottom protrusion 8 for pushing up is formed.

With this configuration, when the paper feed cassette 1 is inserted into the insertion port 4 of the image forming apparatus 3 (see FIG. 5),
The protrusion member 6 provided on the bottom 12 on the insertion side through the mounting plate 2 comes into contact with the bottom protrusion 8 formed on the bottom 10 of the insertion port 4, and is pushed upward. At the same time, the side regulating plates 5 , 5 erected on both side walls 14 on the insertion side of the paper feed cassette 1 are aligned with the insertion opening 4 of the image forming apparatus 3 .
It comes into contact with the horizontal protrusions 7 formed on both wall sides 11, and is rotated so as to fall inward about its lower end. As a result, the center portion of the front bottom of the sheets 9 stacked on the loading plate 2 is pushed upward by the protrusion member 6, and both sides of the front portion of the sheets 9 are pushed inwards by the side regulating plates 5, 5. As a result, the paper 9 is bent into a mountain shape, and an air layer is formed between each paper (see FIG. 4). In other words, the paper 9 can be sorted simply by inserting the paper feed cassette 1 into the image forming apparatus 3 without requiring troublesome manual handling.

More specifically, the paper feed cassette 1 (see FIG. 1) is formed in the shape of a box with a bottom and has a lid (not shown) that can be opened and closed up and down. It is designed to be inserted into the insertion port 4 of the device 3, and a mounting plate 2 whose rear ends are rotatably supported by pin shafts 13, 13 is attached to the bottom 12 of the device 3, and the insertion side thereof is directed upward. It is arranged so that it can rotate freely. A lateral groove 15 is formed in the longitudinal direction at approximately the center height of the front portion of both side wall portions 14, and a pair of rectangular plate-shaped side regulating plates 5 are erected so as to correspond to the lateral groove 15 from the inside. A portion of the outer side thereof projects into the horizontal groove 15, and the projecting portion 16 is brought into contact with the horizontal projection 7 formed in the insertion port 4. At the lower end of the side regulating plate 5, bearing parts 18 and 1 support a pin shaft 17 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) fixed to the inner lower end of the side wall part 14 of the paper feed cassette 1.
8 to rotatably support the lower end of the side regulating plate 5, and a helical spring 19 is interposed between the bearing parts 18, 18, so that the side regulating plate 5 supports the upper end thereof. It is erected so as to be biased outward and abut against the inside of the side wall portion 14 .

The inside of the side wall portion 14 of the paper feed cassette 1 is dug so that the side regulating plate 5 fits therein, and when the side regulating plate 5 is erected, the inner surface of the side regulating plate 5 meets the side wall. The part 14 is flush with the inner surface of the side wall part 14, and as described above, a part of the outer side of the side regulating plate 5 protrudes into the lateral groove 15 formed in the side wall part 14 to form a protruding part 16.
is formed (see FIG. 2), and when the paper feed cassette 1 is inserted into the insertion slot 4, the protruding portion 16 is inserted into the paper feed cassette 1.
The side regulating plate 5 comes into contact with a lateral protrusion 7 formed on the side wall 11 of the insertion opening 4, and the side regulating plate 5 is moved inward (see FIG. 4). Further, a curved tip 22 of a push-up member 21 (see FIG. 5) attached to the insertion port 4 of the image forming device 3 protrudes from the front left and right positions of the bottom portion 12 of the paper feed cassette 1, and a mounting board A pair of rectangular notches 24, 24 are formed so that the holder 2 can be pushed upward.

A common longitudinal notch 25 is formed at approximately the center of the front of the paper feed cassette 1 and the mounting plate 2 (see FIG. 1) disposed thereon. A projecting member 6 is elastically supported in the inside 25 by two pairs of left and right coil springs 26, 26 so as to be vertically movable. The protruding member 6 has an upper half formed in an arc shape, and hooking portions 2 on both sides of which each end of the coil springs 26, 26 is hooked.
7 and 27, and a longitudinal guide groove 28 is provided at the lower part of the guide groove 28, which abuts on and is guided in sliding contact with the bottom protrusion 8 formed on the bottom 10 of the insertion port 4 of the image forming apparatus 3. It is formed. In the free state, the upper end of the protruding member 6 is located at the same level as the upper surface of the mounting plate 2, as shown in FIG. When it is pushed up, it moves to the position shown by the two-dot chain line and pushes up the front center of the sheet 9 (see Fig. 4).
It is set. The other ends of the coil springs 26, 26 are hooked to hooks 29, 29 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) that are formed protrudingly on both sides of the notch 25 in the bottom 12 of the paper feed cassette 1. .

On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) is a copying machine or the like capable of feeding paper in a so-called cassette.
It has an insertion port 4 on one side into which the paper feed cassette 1 is inserted, and a guide groove 28 of the raised member 6 attached to the mounting plate 2 is provided at the approximate center of the bottom 10. A bottom protrusion 8 (see FIG. 4) is formed to protrude in the front-rear direction in the shape of a substantially trapezoidal plate, and the upper part of the bottom protrusion 8 (see FIG. 4) fits into this abutment and guides and moves the protrusion member 6 upward. On both sides thereof, a pair of push-up members 21, 21 are provided for pushing up the mounting plate 2 when the paper feed cassette 1 is inserted into the insertion port 4.
(see FIG. 1) is provided so that its base 23 is fixed to a support shaft 32 and its curved tip 22 is rotatable upward. The support shaft 32 is pivotally supported at the lower part of the side wall 11 of the insertion port 4, and lever members 33, 33 are attached to both ends protruding outward. By operation, push up member 2
1 can be rotated upward. In addition, in FIG. 1, the reference numeral 34 is a lever return spring.

The sorting operation of the paper sorting mechanism of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be explained in sequence based on FIG. When the insertion side is inserted into the insertion port 4 of the image forming apparatus 3 (in the direction of arrow 35), the lower part of the projecting member 6, which is elastically supported by the mounting plate 2 so as to be able to move up and down, is inserted into the insertion port 4. The guide groove 28 of the protrusion member 6 comes into contact with the formed bottom protrusion 8 and is guided in sliding contact along the upper end of the bottom protrusion 8, and as shown in FIG. Move upward and push up the front bottom center portion of the paper 9. At the same time, the protruding portion 16 of the side regulating plate 5 protruding into the lateral groove 15 of the side wall 14 of the paper feed cassette 1 comes into contact with the lateral protrusion 8 formed on the side wall 11 of the insertion port 4. , the side regulating plate 5 is tilted inward, and both sides of the paper 9 are pushed inward. As a result of these two cooperative actions, the stacked sheets 9 form a mountain shape with an upwardly curved central portion, and gaps are created between each sheet of paper, and air flows into the gaps to form an air layer. It will be in a state of being disposed of. Note that due to the inward tilting of the side regulating plate 5, the stress on the upper paper 9 is greater than that on the lower paper, making it easier to form a mountain shape and more effectively form an air layer. Become.

When the paper feed cassette 1 is further inserted,
The protrusion member 6 and both side regulation plates 5, 5 pass through the bottom protrusion 8 and the side protrusion 7, and the protrusion member 6 is in contact with the bottom protrusion 8, and the side regulation plates 5 are in contact with each other. The state of contact with the portion 7 is released, and both the projecting member 6 and the side regulating plate 5 return to their initial positions (see solid lines in FIG. 3). As a result, paper 9
The sheets are stacked substantially horizontally on the loading board 2 in a separated state with an air layer formed between each sheet.

Further, when the paper feed cassette 1 is inserted and reaches the insertion end position (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5), the push-up member 21 is moved by manual or electric lever operation.
, 21 are rotated upward, both ends 2 of them are rotated upward.
2 and 22 protrude from the notches 24 and 24 of the paper feed cassette 1, push up the front end of the bottom of the mounting plate 2, and press the top paper 9 against the paper feed roller 36, completing preparation for paper feeding. . In this state, the air layer formed between the sheets by the above-described separating operation is still maintained. In other words, the paper feeding preparation can be completed before the air stored between the sheets escapes due to the separating operation. Therefore, by simply inserting the paper feed cassette 1 without the need for troublesome manual handling, it is possible to avoid problems such as paper feeding failure, overlapping feeding, or paper jams, which are conventional.

FIG. 6 shows a different embodiment in which vertical protrusions 41, 41 formed on both sides of the protruding member 6 are replaced by guide grooves 42, 42 formed vertically on the bottom 12 of the paper feed cassette 1.
It was designed to guide you. In this case, the protruding member 6 is moved upward from the initial position shown in the figure by the bottom protrusion 8 (see FIG. 1), and when the contact with the bottom protrusion 8 is released,
It returns to its initial position under its own weight.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment, in which the side regulating plate 5
A notch 51 is formed at the rear of the
This is configured to release the side regulating plate 5 from abutting against the horizontal protrusion 7 provided in the insertion port 4 of the image forming apparatus 3. Also in this case, a part of the outside of the side regulating plate 5 is
A lateral protrusion 7 protrudes into a lateral groove 15 formed in the side wall 14 of the paper feed cassette 1, and the protruding portion is formed in the insertion port 4.
However, by forming the notch 15, the insertion depth of the paper feed cassette 1 and
The degree of freedom in setting the relative relationship with the position of the horizontal protrusion 7 can be made relatively large. Further, the width dimension of the side regulating plate 5 can also be set relatively large.

FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment, in which the horizontal protrusion 7 is released into a round hole 61 formed in the side regulating plate 5, and the contact state of the side regulating plate 5 with the horizontal protruding part 7 is released. This is how it was done.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the projecting member for pushing up the lower part of the paper may be supported in a vertically movable manner. It goes without saying that the projecting member may be supported by a mechanism or the like. Further, a plurality of projecting members may be arranged in parallel or in different stages.

[0025]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
A mounting plate for stacking sheets of paper is provided in the paper feed cassette, and at the bottom of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette 1, a projecting member that pushes up the lower part of the paper is passed through the mounting plate. On the other hand, at the bottom of the insertion opening of the paper feed cassette in the image forming apparatus, there is a protrusion member that comes into contact with a protrusion member provided at the bottom of the paper feed cassette. When the paper feed cassette is inserted into the image forming apparatus, the bottom of the sheets stacked on the mounting plate is pushed upward by the protruding member. The paper is then bent into a chevron shape, and the paper is handled with an air layer formed between each paper.

Further, side regulation plates for regulating the positions of both sides of the paper are provided on both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette, the lower ends of which are rotatably supported, and the upper ends of which are urged outward. horizontal protrusions are formed on both sides of the insertion opening of the paper feed cassette in the image forming apparatus to abut on the outside of the side regulation plate and cause the side regulation plate to fall inward; In some cases, when a paper cassette is inserted into an image forming apparatus, both sides of the paper stacked on the loading board are pushed inward by the side regulation plates, creating stress that causes the paper to curve into a chevron shape. As a result, an air layer is formed between each sheet of paper, and the sheets are separated.

Alternatively, at the bottom of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette, a projecting member for pushing up the lower part of the paper is provided so as to pass through the mounting plate and be movably supported up and down, and the insertion side of the paper feed cassette is Side regulating plates for regulating the positions of both sides of the paper are erected on both sides of the paper so that their lower ends are rotatably supported and their upper ends are biased outward. A bottom protrusion is formed at the bottom of the insertion port in the device for abutting against the protrusion member provided at the bottom of the paper feed cassette and pushing the protrusion member upward. When horizontal protrusions are formed on both sides that abut against the outside of the side regulating plate and cause the side regulating plate to fall inward, the two above-mentioned handling operations are performed simultaneously and in cooperation with each other. A better handling effect can be obtained. That is, when a paper feed cassette is inserted into the image forming apparatus, the bottom of the sheets stacked on the loading plate is pushed upward by the protruding member, and both sides of the sheets are pushed inward by the side regulating plates. As a result, the paper is more likely to be bent into a mountain shape, and an air layer can be more reliably formed between each paper.
A good handling effect can be obtained.

[0028] As described above, the present invention is capable of effectively handling paper by simply inserting the paper feed cassette into the main body of the apparatus, without requiring the troublesome manual handling work required in the past, regardless of the configuration. This allows the image forming apparatus to be used functionally without waste.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a paper feed cassette corresponding to an insertion port of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a raised member and a side regulating plate.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feed cassette showing the arrangement of the raised member and the side regulating plate.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feed cassette showing a state in which the paper is pushed upward by the push-up member.

FIG. 5 is a partially vertical cross-sectional side view showing a state in which the paper feed cassette is inserted into the insertion port of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a supported state of the protruding member in a different embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a side regulating plate in another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a side regulating plate in yet another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1-Paper feed cassette, 2-mounting plate, 3-device main body (image forming device), 4-socket, 5-side regulation plate, 6-protrusion member, 7-side protrusion, 8-bottom protrusion Part, 9─Paper, 10,12─
bottom.

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: A paper feed cassette that is inserted into the main body of the apparatus and supplies paper is provided with a mounting plate for stacking paper, and the bottom of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette is provided with a board for stacking paper. A projecting member that pushes up the lower part of the mounting plate passes through the mounting plate and is supported to be movable up and down. A paper handling mechanism characterized in that a bottom protrusion is formed for abutting a protruding member provided on the paper and pushing the protruding member upward. 2. A paper feed cassette that is inserted into the main body of the apparatus and supplies paper is provided with a mounting plate for stacking the paper, and on both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette,
A side regulation plate for regulating the position of both sides of the paper is rotatably supported at its lower end and erected with its upper end urged outward. A paper handling mechanism characterized in that horizontal protrusions are formed on both sides of the inlet to abut on the outside of the side regulating plate and cause the side regulating plate to fall inward. 3. On both sides of the insertion side of the paper feed cassette, side regulation plates for regulating the positions of both sides of the paper are rotatably supported at their lower ends, and their upper ends are attached outward. lateral protrusions are formed on both sides of the insertion port to abut on the outside of the side regulation plate and cause the side regulation plate to fall inward. Claim 1
Paper handling mechanism described in .