JP2912984B2 - Paper tray - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feed tray for an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A transfer plate is stacked, and a bottom plate which is biased and held so that an end portion on a sheet feeding side can move upward with the feeding of the transfer sheet, and both side edges of the transfer sheet are regulated. A so-called corner claw separation type paper feeder having a movable side fence and a corner claw that is rotatably supported by the side fence and regulates the leading end corner of the transfer paper to separate the paper when feeding. Trays are widely used. In this type of paper feed tray, the amount of corner nails applied to the transfer paper is an important factor in paper feed performance. If the applied amount is too large, ear breakage and non-feeding may occur, and if it is small, double feeding may occur. In other words, if the rattling of the corner claws is reduced as much as possible, the paper feeding conditions become constant and stable paper feeding performance can be obtained.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a side fence and a corner claw. Reference numeral 1 denotes a side fence, reference numeral 2 denotes a corner claw, and a corner claw 2 is provided on a tip of an inner surface of the side fence 1 by a screw 3 so as to be swingable. Have been. A gap 1a slightly wider than the thickness (plate thickness) of the corner claw 2 is formed on the inner surface of the distal end of the side fence 2, and the corner claw 2 is sandwiched between the gap 1a and rattle. Was configured to suppress.

[0004]

In the case of such a conventional apparatus, when only one type of transfer paper is used and the side fence 1 is fixed, the side fence 1 is brought as close as possible to the tip of the corner claw 2. Thereby, rattling of the corner claw 2 can be suppressed to approximately (side fence gap)-(corner claw plate thickness).

However, in the case of the side fence 1 which can be moved to various transfer paper sizes, the side fence 1 interferes with the tray bottom plate and the transfer paper, so that the side fence 1 can be moved.
Cannot be brought close to the tip of the corner claw 2. The rattling of the corner claw 2 at this time is approximately [(side fence gap)-(corner claw plate thickness)] in FIG.
× β / α, and β / α times the backlash is larger than that obtained when the side fence 1 is closer to the tip of the corner claw 2, which is disadvantageous to the sheet feeding performance.

The present invention has been made based on such a background, and it is possible to improve the sheet feeding performance even in a movable side fence by suppressing rattling near the tip of a corner claw. It is intended to provide a paper tray.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a bottom plate on which transfer papers are stacked and which is biased and held so that a paper feed side end can move upward with the transfer papers being fed. A feeder having a movable side fence that regulates both side edges of the transfer paper, and a corner claw that is rotatably supported by the side fence and regulates the leading end corner of the transfer paper to separate the paper when feeding the paper. In the paper tray, a protruding restricting piece is provided at the tip of the corner claw, and an appropriate number of cutouts are provided on the paper supply side wall to engage with the restricting piece and prevent rattling of the corner claw. Is achieved by

[0008]

The cutout is formed at the position corresponding to the paper width of various sizes on the feeder side wall (side wall on the leading end side in the feed direction) of the feeder tray. A restricting piece that fits relatively tightly is formed. Then, when the side fence is adjusted to the paper width, the regulating piece is fitted into the notch, thereby preventing the ratchet of the corner claw. If the tapered portion or the arc-shaped portion is provided in the opening of the notch, or if the opening itself is widened on the premise that the corner claw is pressed by the central hemispherical portion, the fitting of the corner claw becomes easy.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 5 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the main part. In FIG. 5, 1 is a side fence, 2 is a corner claw, 3 is a tray body, 4 is an end fence, 5 is a tray bottom plate, Reference numeral 6 denotes a paper feed side plate.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 7 denotes a release lever;
Denotes a pressure spring, 9 denotes a bottom plate locking claw, and 10 denotes a rear plate.

When feeding the transfer paper to the tray main body 3, first, the tray bottom plate 5 is pushed down, the bottom plate locking claw 9 is hooked on the release lever 7, and the tray bottom plate 5 is held in a lowered state. At this time, since the corner claws 2 are in a free state, FIG.
(A), and the corner claw 2 moves as the side fence 1 moves. Thereafter, when the transfer paper is placed and the tray main body 3 is set on the image forming apparatus main body in the direction A, the release lever 7 comes into contact with the rear side plate 10 and
Pressed relatively in the opposite direction to A. As a result, the bottom plate locking claw 9 is disengaged from the release lever 7, and the pressure spring 8 urges the tray bottom plate 5 and the transfer paper upward.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the corner claw 2. A restricting piece 2 a is formed at the tip of the corner claw 2 so as to protrude forward. As shown in the front view and the explanatory view of the positional relationship between the paper feed side plate 6 and the corner claw 2 in FIG. 3, an appropriate number of cutouts are formed in the paper feed side plate 6 according to the width direction size of the transfer paper. 10 are formed.

When the tray bottom plate 5 moves upward as described above, the restriction 2a fits into the notch 10 (see FIG. 3 (b)), and the transfer paper and the tray bottom plate 5 move upward. In addition to restricting the position, the ratchet of the corner claw 2 is suppressed. As an example, the thickness of the corner claw 2 is 1 m
m, and the width of the notch 10 is 1.2 mm, the rattling of the corner claw 2 can be suppressed to ± 0.1 mm.
However, if the notch width is set to a high precision, rattling can be suppressed. However, there may be a case where the restriction piece 2a does not fit into the notch 10 due to a user's side fence setting mistake.

Therefore, the shape of the notch 10 as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C is adopted. In FIG.
A tapered portion 10a is formed on the opening side. In FIG. 2B, an arc-shaped portion 10b is formed on the opening side. Further, in FIG. 3C, the opening is widened, and a hemispherical portion 10c for holding the regulating piece 2a is formed inside. With such a configuration, the restriction piece 2a can easily enter the notch 10, and the variation in the amount of the corner claw 2 applied to the paper can be suppressed regardless of the presence or absence of a setting mistake by the user.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by fitting the regulating piece of the corner claw into the notch of the sheet feeding side plate,
The rattling of the corner claw is determined by the proximity of this corner claw,
Variations in the amount of corner nails applied to the transfer paper can be suppressed, paper feed conditions can be kept constant, and paper feed performance can be improved. According to the second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention, the corner claw regulating piece is easily inserted into the cutout of the sheet feeding side plate. Can be suppressed, and the paper feeding performance can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a corner claw of a sheet feeding tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a paper feed side plate of the paper feed tray according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a corner claw and a paper feed side plate.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing each shape of a notch.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding tray according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a main part configuration diagram of a paper feed tray according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a paper feed tray according to a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a paper feed tray according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Side fence 2 Corner claw 2a Restriction piece 6 Paper feed side plate 10 Notch 10a Tapered part 10b Arc-shaped part 10c Hemisphere part

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a bottom plate on which the transfer paper is stacked and which is biased and held such that a paper feed side end thereof can move upward with the supply of the transfer paper, and both side edges of the transfer paper. In a paper feed tray having a movable side fence and a corner claw rotatably supported by the side fence and for controlling a leading end corner of a transfer sheet to separate a paper when feeding, the corner claw tip Paper feed tray, wherein a number of notches are provided on the side wall on the paper feed side to prevent the corner claws from rattling. . 2. The paper feed tray according to claim 1, wherein the notch comprises a tapered portion on the opening side and a parallel portion connected to the tapered portion. 3. The sheet feeding tray according to claim 1, wherein the notch comprises an arcuate portion on the opening side and a parallel portion connected to the arcuate portion. 4. The paper feed tray according to claim 1, wherein the notch comprises a parallel portion and a hemispherical portion at the center thereof.