JP4099088B2 - Output storage device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper discharge storage apparatus that stores paper discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a stencil printing apparatus or a copying apparatus, and more particularly to a large-capacity paper discharge storage apparatus having a paper discharge tray that can move up and down.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as a printing apparatus and a copying apparatus that pass a sheet through a sheet conveying path from a sheet feeding unit to a sheet discharging unit and perform image formation on the sheet in the conveying process are known. When forming an image using such an image forming apparatus, the image is formed for the purpose of continuously forming an image from the same document or reducing the number of times of replenishment of frequently used size paper. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-259008 discloses a large-capacity paper feeding device that can be connected to the paper feeding unit of the device and can stack about 3000 sheets.
[0003]
However, in a normal image forming apparatus, it is not possible to stack a large amount of sheets of 1000 sheets or more on a paper discharge tray provided in the paper discharge unit. Therefore, when printing more than 1000 sheets using a large-capacity paper feeder, it is necessary to interrupt the printing operation halfway and remove the printed paper from the paper discharge tray, and the workability is very poor. It was.
[0004]
Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problems, for example, “Patent Document 1” describes a large-capacity discharge storage device that can be connected to an image forming apparatus and can stack 1000 sheets or more. Yes.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-48596 (page 5-8, FIG. 1)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above-described large-capacity paper discharge storage device has a paper discharge tray that can move up and down and a cover member that is rotatably provided on the main body of the storage device so as to cover the paper discharge tray from above, and is suspended from the cover member. A pair of side fences that guide the width direction of the paper discharge in a lowered state and one end fence that receives the front end of the paper discharge are provided. The paper discharge tray is configured to automatically lower when the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus reaches a predetermined height, and the height from the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus until the paper is stacked. A large amount of paper can be continuously stored while maintaining a substantially constant state. As a result, the behavior of the paper at the time of dropping can be averaged, and the phase alignment can be improved.
[0007]
However, in the above-described technique, since the end fence is fixed to the cover member, the angle of the end fence with respect to the sheet discharge tray cannot be adjusted. The paper discharged from the image forming apparatus has different discharge trajectories due to differences in type and thickness, etc., so if the angle of the end fence is constant, the rebound after the end fence collision will be different and the paper discharge alignment will deteriorate. .
[0008]
In addition, the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus may be skewed depending on the image forming conditions or the state of the apparatus. However, the skewed paper does not collide with the end fence evenly, so either one of the paper width directions. The paper is stacked on the paper discharge tray in a biased state.
[0009]
The present invention solves the above-described problems, and a large-capacity paper discharge storage device that can improve the paper discharge alignment on the paper discharge tray regardless of the type and thickness of the paper. An object of the present invention is to provide a large-capacity paper discharge device capable of improving the paper discharge alignment on the paper tray.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus main body connected to a paper discharge unit of an image forming apparatus, and a discharge paper that is capable of stacking sheets discharged from the paper discharge section and is supported by the apparatus main body so as to be movable up and down. A paper tray, a tray up-and-down moving means for moving the discharge tray up and down, a pair of side fences for aligning the width of the paper discharged onto the discharge tray, and discharging onto the discharge tray in discharge housing unit that includes a one end fence intends line justification in the conveying direction of the sheet to be provided on the upper corner portion of the apparatus main body, the arm-shaped having a support shaft extending in the transport direction An end fence support member, a slide member supported slidably on the end fence support member via the support shaft, and the end fence so that the angle of the end fence can be adjusted with respect to the discharge tray. own pivoting the sliding member Comprising a supported support bracket, and a rotating shaft for supporting the end fence is fixed to the support bracket rotatably in the width direction, the end fence is pivotably by the pivoting axles Is supported by the sliding member via the pivot support shaft and the support bracket, and is pivoted in the width direction and in a neutral position perpendicular to the transport direction. The end fence is biased by a biasing force so as to return, and when the sheet collides, the end fence can rotate in the width direction around the pivot shaft and the sheet does not collide. The neutral position is returned to by the urging force .
[0014]
【Example】
1 and 2 show a paper discharge storage device that employs a reference example of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a paper discharge storage device 1 is connected to a stencil printing device 2 as an image forming device. First, the stencil printing apparatus 2 to which the paper discharge storage apparatus 1 is connected will be briefly described.
[0015]
The stencil printing apparatus 2 includes a printing unit 4 at a substantially central portion of the housing 3, a paper feeding unit 5 on the right side, and a paper discharge unit 6 on the left side. The printing unit 4 includes a plate cylinder 7 that rotates by winding a master that has been made, and a pressure cylinder 8 that rotates in synchronization with the plate cylinder 7 and presses the paper P against the plate cylinder 7. . The paper feeding unit 5 includes a paper feeding tray 9 on which the paper P is stacked, and a paper feeding mechanism unit (not shown) that feeds paper from the paper feeding tray 9 toward the printing unit 4. The paper discharge unit 6 includes a paper discharge conveyance member 10 that discharges the paper P printed by the printing unit 4 to the outside of the apparatus. Further, inside the housing 3, a plate making unit (not shown) for making the master and a plate discharging unit (not shown) for peeling the used master from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 are provided. With this configuration, the stencil printing apparatus 2 prints the paper P fed from the paper supply unit 5 by the printing unit 4, and discharges the printed paper P to the outside of the housing 3 by the paper discharge unit 6.
[0016]
Next, the paper discharge device 1 which is a characteristic part of the present invention will be described. The paper discharge device 1 includes a housing 11 as a device main body, a paper discharge tray 12, a pair of side fences 13, and a single end fence 14.
[0017]
The paper discharge tray 12 is supported by a vertical movement mechanism (not shown) provided inside the housing 11 and is moved up and down by a drive motor 15 as a tray vertical movement means attached to a side portion of the housing 11. . As a vertical movement mechanism (not shown), for example, one similar to that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-226122 is used, and the vertical movement mechanism defines the upper surface position of the paper P stacked on the paper discharge tray 12. An upper surface detection sensor (not shown) for detection is provided. When the upper surface detection sensor (not shown) detects the paper P, the discharge tray 12 is configured to be lowered by a predetermined amount. Further, on the upstream side of the paper discharge tray 12 in the paper conveyance direction, four escape holes (not shown) for allowing movement of a side fence support member 16 described later are provided in the paper width direction. The paper discharge tray 12 is disposed so that about half of the length in the paper conveyance direction protrudes outward from the housing 11.
[0018]
Each side fence 13 has a fixed portion 13a located on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction and a movable portion 13b located on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction, and is movable in the paper width direction inside the housing 11. Each fixing portion 13a is attached in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the supported side fence support member 16.
[0019]
A movable portion 13b is rotatably attached to a downstream end portion of each fixed portion 13a in the sheet conveying direction by a hinge (not shown). In addition, a magnet catch (not shown) is provided at a connection portion between each fixed portion 13a and each movable portion 13b, and each movable portion 13b is flush with each fixed portion 13a, which is indicated by a solid line in FIG. The guide position for guiding both side edges of the paper P to be printed and the paper from the top of the paper discharge tray 12 opened by about 90 degrees from the guide position to the outside of the paper discharge tray 12 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It selectively occupies open positions that facilitate the removal of P, and is fixed by magnetic force at each position.
[0020]
Four side fence support members 16 are provided in the housing 11 so as to extend in the moving direction of the paper discharge tray 12, and the upper ends thereof are located at positions corresponding to paper discharge ports (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 2. The lower end of the paper discharge tray 12 is positioned so as to be located below the lowest position of the paper discharge tray 12 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Yes.
[0021]
Each side fence support member 16 supports two side fences 13, and each side fence support member 16 has a two-to-one pair configuration, and each pair of two side fence support members 16 is integrated with each other. It is configured. Each side fence support member 16 is supported by a support member (not shown) so as to be movable in the paper width direction, and each set is synchronized with each other by a side fence moving mechanism 17 disposed at the upper end portion and the lower end portion thereof. It is configured to be able to contact and separate.
[0022]
A rack member (not shown) is integrally provided in the vicinity of the upper end and the lower end of each set of side fence support members 16, and the rack members are provided so that their tooth portions face each other. Each rack member is provided with a pinion (not shown) that meshes with each tooth portion, and each pinion can be integrally rotated by a drive shaft 18 extending in parallel with each side fence support member 16. It is connected to the. The drive shaft 18 is rotationally driven by manually rotating a handle (not shown), and the side fence moving mechanism 17 is configured by the rack members, the pinions, the drive shaft 18, and the handle.
[0023]
The end fence 14 is supported by an end fence support member 19 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The arm-shaped end fence support member 19 has an open upper surface and a lower surface. One end of the arm-shaped end fence support member 19 is formed in a notch portion 11a formed in the upper end corner of the casing 11 on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. 20 is rotatably supported. The notch 11 a is provided with a stopper (not shown) that regulates the rotation angle of the end fence support member 19.
[0024]
At the center of the end fence support member 19 in the sheet conveyance direction, a fence support shaft 21 extending in the sheet conveyance direction is disposed over almost the entire length thereof, and the end fence 14 is integrally supported by the fence support shaft 21. A sliding member 22 is attached so as to be slidable on the fence support shaft 21. On the sliding member 22, a positioning screw 23 is provided for fixing the sliding member 22 and the end fence 14 at predetermined positions in the paper transport direction.
[0025]
With the above-described configuration, the end fence 14 is indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, a discharge position where the free end receives the leading edge of the paper P discharged near the discharge tray 12, and a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1. And a retraction position in which the entire position is retracted from above the discharge tray 12 so that the paper P can be easily taken out from the discharge tray 12. Selectively occupy. The end fence 14 corresponds to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2 corresponding to the maximum size paper P that can be printed by the stencil printing apparatus 2 and the minimum size paper P that can be printed by the stencil printing apparatus 2. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the position is positioned at an arbitrary position between the position corresponding to the connecting portion between the fixed portion 13a and the movable portion 13b.
[0026]
Here, the support structure of the end fence 14 which employ | adopted the reference example of this invention is demonstrated. The end fence 14 is integrally composed of a cushion portion 14a made of an elastic material such as sponge with which the leading end of the paper P abuts, and a metal fence main body 14b that supports the cushion portion 14a. At the lower end of the fence body 14b, there are formed two claw portions 14c projecting downward as shown in FIG. 5, and each claw portion 14c is formed on the paper stacking surface of the paper discharge tray 12 in the paper transport direction. It is comprised so that a fitting is possible in the two long holes 12a formed toward the direction respectively. As a result, there is no gap between the end fence 14 and the paper discharge tray 12, and the paper P is prevented from dropping off from the paper discharge tray 12.
[0027]
A support bracket 24 is fixed to the back surface of the fence body 14b. The support bracket 24, which is a plate-like member, is disposed downward from the vicinity of the upper end of the fence body 14b to substantially the middle, and a pair of wall portions 24a that form pairs on both the upper side and the lower side. , 24b are formed in the direction of rising from the fence main body 14b, and the lower ends thereof are lifted from the back surface of the fence main body 14b to form contact pieces 24c. Each wall portion 24a is formed with a long hole 24d, and each wall portion 24b is provided with a protrusion 24e facing outward.
[0028]
On the other hand, the sliding member 22 formed by bending a plate-like member and having one end bent in a U-shape slidably supported by the fence spindle 21 via two sliding bearings 22a is provided at the other end. A pair of wall portions 22b are formed downward in the portion. Each wall part 22b is provided in the space | interval which can be fitted between each wall part 24a, and each wall part 22b is provided with the protrusion 22c engaged with each long hole 24d, respectively. An extending piece 22 d extending downward is integrally attached to the back surface of the sliding member 22. The extending piece 22d extends to a position facing the contact piece 24c, and a tap is formed at the lower end portion of the extending piece, and an angle adjusting screw 25 is screwed to the tap. Moreover, the tension spring 26 is spanned over each protrusion 22c, 24e, respectively.
[0029]
With the configuration described above, the end fence 14 is supported by the sliding member 22 so as to be rotatable about each protrusion 22c, and the contact piece 24c is brought into contact with the tip of the angle adjusting screw 25 by the urging force of the tension spring 26. Is being energized. By turning the angle adjusting screw 25 from this state, the end fence 14 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, and the angle of the end fence 14 with respect to the paper discharge tray 12 can be arbitrarily adjusted. Thus, by adjusting the angle of the end fence 14 according to the type and thickness of the paper, the rebound of the paper P after the collision with the end fence 14 can be made uniform, and a good paper discharge alignment can be performed. .
[0030]
Next, the support structure of the end fence 14 which employ | adopted the other reference example of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. 6, FIG. In another reference example , a sliding member 27 is used instead of the sliding member 22. Two support plates 28a and 28b are fixed to the back surface of the fence body 14b. Each support plate 28a, 28b is formed with holes 28c, 28d into which a rotation support shaft 29 (described later) is fitted, and the mounting position of each support plate 28a, 28b is the length of the shaft portion of the rotation support shaft 29. And a corresponding interval.
[0031]
A sliding member 27 formed by bending a plate-like member and having one end bent in a U-shape slidably supported by the fence spindle 21 via two sliding bearings 27a has the other end side. It is formed so as to be bent into an approximately S shape. On the upper part of the sliding member 27, a positioning screw (not shown) similar to the positioning screw 23 shown in the first embodiment is provided.
[0032]
On the bottom surface 27 b facing the paper discharge tray 12, which is the lower end portion of the sliding member 27, the upper end of the rotating support shaft 29 erected downward is fixed to the center of the bottom surface 27 b in the paper width direction. The rotating support shaft 29 has two groove portions into which a retaining ring can be fitted, and the interval between the groove portions is set equal to the interval between the outer sides of the support plates 28a and 28b. The other end 27c of the sliding member 27 extends to a position facing the support plate 28a and is bent downward, and the vertical wall portion 27d connected to the bottom surface 27b of the sliding member 27 is a back surface of the fence body 14b. It is formed so that it may be located in parallel at a slight distance.
[0033]
The end fence 14 is fitted to a rotation support shaft 29 in holes 28c and 28d formed in the respective support plates 28a and 28b, and both outer portions thereof are fixed by a retaining ring, whereby the end fence 14 is rotated around the sliding member 27. It is supported movably. A tension spring 30 is stretched between the support plate 28a and the other end 27b. The urging force of the tension spring 30 is such that when the paper P collides with the end fence 14, the end fence 14 can rotate in the paper width direction around the rotation support shaft 29, and the paper P collides with the end fence 14. The biasing force is set to such an extent that the front surface of the cushion portion 14a occupies a neutral position orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper P to be ejected when not.
[0034]
With the above-described configuration, when the paper P skewed as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 from the state where the end fence 14 occupies the neutral position, the end fence 14 is illustrated by the collision force of the paper P. 7 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the front surface of the cushion portion 14a follows the front end surface of the paper P to be discharged. As a result, even if the paper P is skewed, it is possible to perform good paper discharge alignment. When the end fence 14 is rotated, the angle of rotation is regulated by the back surface of the end fence 14 coming into contact with both side corners of the vertical wall 27d . Therefore, the rotation angle of the end fence 14 can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the back surface of the fence body 14b and the vertical wall portion 27d .
[0035]
Next, the support structure of the end fence 14 which employ | adopted one Example of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. 8, FIG. This embodiment has a configuration in which the above-described reference example and other reference examples are combined, and members similar to those already described in the reference example and other reference examples are given the same reference numerals, Individual detailed explanations are omitted.
[0036]
In this embodiment , a sliding member 32 is used instead of the sliding members 22 and 27. A sliding member 32 formed by bending a plate-like member and having one end bent in a U-shape slidably supported by the fence spindle 21 via two sliding bearings 32a is provided at the other end. The pair of wall portions 32b are formed downward. Each wall 32b is provided with a protrusion 32c facing outward. An extending piece 32 d extending downward is integrally attached to the back surface of the sliding member 32. A tap is formed at the lower end of the extension piece 32d, and an angle adjusting screw 25 is screwed into the tap.
[0037]
Support plates 28a and 28b are fixed to the back surface of the fence body 14b, and a rotation support shaft 29 is pivotally attached to each support plate 28a and 28b by a retaining ring 31. The upper end of the rotation support shaft 29 is fixed to the support bracket 33.
[0038]
The support bracket 33 disposed at a predetermined interval from the back surface of the fence main body 14b is disposed downward from the vicinity of the upper end of the fence main body 14b to almost the middle, and is located on both sides of the upper portion and the lower portion. A pair of wall portions 33a and 33b are formed on both sides in the direction of rising from the fence body 14b. The wall portions 33a are provided at intervals between which the wall portions 32b can be fitted, and each wall portion 33a is formed with a long hole 33d into which the protrusion 32c can be fitted. The wall portions 33b are also arranged at the same intervals as the wall portions 33a. The wall portions 33b are provided with protrusions 33e facing outward from each other. The support bracket 33 is bent to the left at a right angle from the lower side of each wall portion 33b formation position, and the lower end portion thereof is bent further downward to form a contact piece 33c. The formation position of the contact piece 33c is determined at a position where the tip of the angle adjusting screw 25 can contact.
[0039]
The support bracket 33 is supported by the sliding member 32 by engaging the elongated holes 33d with the projections 32c and spanning the tension springs 26 over the projections 32c and 33e. Further, a tension spring 30 is stretched between the support plate 28a and the contact piece 33c.
[0040]
With the configuration described above, the end fence 14 is supported by the sliding member 32 so as to be rotatable about each protrusion 32c, and the contact piece 33c is brought into contact with the tip of the angle adjusting screw 25 by the urging force of the tension spring 26. Is being energized. By turning the angle adjusting screw 25 from this state, the end fence 14 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8, and the angle of the end fence 14 with respect to the paper discharge tray 12 can be arbitrarily adjusted. Further, the end fence 14 is rotatably supported by a rotation support shaft 29, and the paper P skewed as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9 from the state where the end fence 14 occupies the neutral position contacts the end fence 14. Then, the end fence 14 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7 by the collision force of the paper P, and the front surface of the cushion portion 14a follows the front end surface of the paper P to be discharged. As a result, the operational effects of both the first and second embodiments can be obtained.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the angle of the end fence with respect to the paper discharge tray can be arbitrarily adjusted. Therefore, by adjusting the angle of the end fence according to the type and thickness of the paper, the sheet after the collision with the end fence can be adjusted. It is possible to align the bounces, and to perform excellent sheet discharge alignment.
[0042]
In addition, when the paper collides, the end fence is rotated in the width direction, and the front surface of the end fence follows the front end surface of the paper to be ejected. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus and a paper discharge storage device to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied .
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an image forming apparatus and a paper discharge storage apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied .
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a support structure for an end fence in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic front view for explaining a support structure of an end fence in a reference example of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view for explaining an end fence used in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic front view for explaining a support structure of an end fence in another reference example of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view for explaining a support structure of an end fence in another reference example of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic front view for explaining a support structure of an end fence in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view for explaining a support structure of an end fence in one embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Discharge storage apparatus 2 Image forming apparatus (stencil printing apparatus)
6 Paper Discharge Unit 11 Main Unit (Case)
12 Discharge tray 13 Side fence 14 End fence 15 Tray vertical movement means (drive motor)
P Paper P

Claims (1)

An apparatus main body connected to a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus; a paper discharge tray on which sheets discharged from the paper discharge unit can be stacked and supported by the apparatus main body so as to move up and down; and the paper discharge tray A tray up-and-down moving means that moves the paper up and down, a pair of side fences that align the width direction of the paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray, and a conveyance direction of the paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray. in discharge housing unit that includes a one end fence intends line justification,
An arm-shaped end fence support member provided at an upper end corner of the apparatus main body and having a support shaft extending in the transport direction, and slidably supported by the end fence support member via the support shaft . A sliding member, a support bracket rotatably supported by the sliding member so that the angle of the end fence can be adjusted with respect to the paper discharge tray, and the end fence fixed to the support bracket. A rotation support shaft that is rotatably supported in the width direction,
The end fence is rotatably supported by the rotation support shaft, and is rotatably supported by the sliding member via the rotation support shaft and the support bracket, and is rotated in the width direction. And is biased by a biasing force so as to return to a neutral position orthogonal to the transport direction, and the end fence is moved in the width direction around the pivot shaft when the paper collides. A paper discharge storage device that is rotatable and returns to the neutral position by the biasing force when the paper does not collide .

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