JPS6259008B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention stores paper or a sheet-like material equivalent or similar thereto (hereinafter referred to as a sheet), and supports the storage sheet in a predetermined shape. Regarding cassettes.

(Prior Art) Paper cassettes for sheet processing devices such as copying machines, printers, and facsimile machines are generally boxes with an open top or a box with a top that can be opened and closed. It is slightly larger than the size. Therefore, in a design in which the entire cassette is housed within the copying machine, the external size of the copying machine, especially the shape of the recording paper storage section, becomes large, so that the size of the recording paper used is set to be relatively small. In a copying machine in which a part of the cassette is inserted into the copying machine from the outside, the larger the cassette that is stored, the longer the cassette protrudes from the copying machine, and a wider play space must be provided around the copying machine. There are also other problems, such as the sorter device being disabled and the cassettes having to be made more sturdy because of the large bending moment applied to them.

Japanese Utility Model Application No. 53-78105 discloses a combination of a flexible cassette and a plate making machine. The flexible cassette is curved and its leading and trailing ends are engaged with the hooks of the plate making machine. The cassette stores a stack of sheets that are longer than the entire length of the cassette. When the cassette is installed in the plate-making machine as described above, the leading edge of the stacked sheets is pressed by the plate-making machine's support plate and the intake air is removed. It faces the paper feed roller, and its rear end is supported by the paper feed shelf of the plate making machine. In other words, the flexible cassette supports only the front and rear central portions of the laminated sheet in a curved shape. Therefore, when the cassette is attached to the plate-making machine, the protrusion length of the cassette from the plate-making machine is small, so that the above-mentioned problem will be considerably improved.

JP-A-53-147369 discloses a cassette comprising an L-shaped sheet storage box and an L-shaped opening/closing lid. The laminated sheet is bent into an L shape and stored in this cassette. This will also significantly improve the above problems.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the combination of the plate-making machine and the flexible cassette disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-78105, the feed roller is placed at a certain distance (the smaller the laminated thickness of the sheets, the more (large) and the laminated sheets are facing each other,
The paper feed roller must be equipped with special suction means, such as air suction. This limits the use of flexible cassettes considerably. Also, the cassette must be flexible. A flexible cassette that curves while supporting the bottom and both sides of the laminated sheet and smoothly guides both sides of the laminated sheet in the curved state naturally has a limit to its curvature and cannot be bent too much. . This means that the exclusive space (length x width) of the cassette cannot be made very small. Furthermore, only the central part of the long sheet is supported by a flat cassette, one end of the sheet is inserted into the opening of the paper feed shelf of the plate making machine, and the lower end of the cassette is engaged with the hook of the plate making machine. The work of bending the sheet together with the cassette, inserting the other end of the sheet into the upper opening of the plate-making machine, and engaging the upper end of the cassette with the other hook of the plate-making machine is done when the upper space of the cassette is open. Because the sheet easily protrudes,
It becomes quite troublesome.

The cassette disclosed in JP-A-53-147369 is L-shaped, so the space occupied by the cassette (vertical length x
(horizontal) does not become much smaller.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cassette that can store laminated sheets in a compact manner.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) A sheet cassette of the present invention that achieves the above object has a regulating means for regulating the bent shape of a plurality of laminated sheets on the inside of the bent sheet; A first sheet support means for supporting a plurality of sheets by supporting a portion of the lowest sheet from below; and a first sheet support means located above the first sheet support means and facing the first sheet support means in the vertical direction. and second sheet support means for supporting the portions of the plurality of sheets whose bent shapes are regulated that are not supported by the first sheet support means from below.

(Function) According to this, a plurality of stacked sheets are supported by both the first sheet support means at the lower position and the second sheet support means at the upper position, and between the supported parts. It is bent in a hairpin shape, and the regulating means regulates this bent shape. Due to the folding and bending of the sheet, the sheet storage length becomes shorter than the sheet length. That is, a plurality of stacked sheets are folded and bent within the sheet cassette to be supported, and the storage length becomes shorter than the total sheet length.
This reduces the amount of storage space, and since it is foldable, the height is low, making the seat storage compact both vertically and horizontally. Therefore, for example, if A3 size copy paper is set to the same storage length as B4 or A4 and loaded into a sheet processing device such as a copying machine, large size sheets can be stored at the same storage length as small size sheets. It can be attached to sheet processing equipment.

(Embodiment) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily store a plurality of stacked sheets in a sheet cassette, and to maximize the length of the sheet cassette when attached to a sheet processing device such as a copying machine. To make it shorter,
The second seat support means is pivotally connected to the first seat support means and has a first member and a second member facing each other with a seat storage space in between, and the second member is connected to the first seat support means.
a first position in which the first member is adjacent to a seat support surface of the seat support means forming a substantially planar seat support surface with the support surface; and a second position in which the first member faces the first seat support means. It shall be rotatable;
The regulating means is a cylindrical body disposed at the center of this rotation. According to this, the second sheet supporting means is placed in the first position, the sheet is placed astride the first sheet supporting means and the second member, and then the second sheet supporting means is placed in the second position. When the second seat supporting means is rotated so that the second seat support means is placed in the desired position, the seat is automatically bent in a folded shape, and during this bending, the bending of the seat is restricted by the cylindrical body, and the bending shape of the seat is adjusted to a predetermined shape. In this embodiment, one end portion of the sheet is supported on the first sheet supporting means, and the other end portion of the sheet is supported by the first member of the second sheet supporting means above the first sheet supporting means. It becomes a folded shape. That is, by placing a plurality of stacked sheets on top of the first sheet supporting means with the second sheet supporting means open, and then rotating the second sheet supporting means, the sheet The sheet cassette assumes a predetermined bent shape, and the sheet cassette assumes an attitude to be installed in a sheet processing device such as a copying machine, making the sheet storage operation easy.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. Figure 1 shows the opened state when the sheet is being stored, and Figure 2 shows the closed state when the sheet is loaded into the copying machine after the sheet has been stored, and when it is loaded into the copying machine. Indicates the condition. In this embodiment, the first sheet support 30 has a generally flat plate shape, and has a protruding piece 30a at one end for positioning the cassette with respect to the copying machine, and a pivot arm 30b at the other end that stands upright with respect to the flat plate surface. ₁ , 30b ₂ and stopper arms 30c ₁ , 30c ₂ are formed. The second seat support 31 is a bookcase-shaped box having a seat storage space, and is pivotally connected to the pivot arms 30b ₁ and 30b ₂ of the first seat support 30 by a shaft 32 at the open end. ing. Axle rod 32
passes through a cylindrical body 33 having an inner diameter larger than its outer diameter, and the cylindrical body 33 can freely rotate.

In order to insert recording paper into the cassette, when the second sheet support 31 is opened as shown in FIG. 1 (first position), the bottom plate 31c of the support 31 is
The pivot side end touches the right end of the first seat support 30, and in this state the bottom plate 31c of the second seat support
The inner surface of the first sheet support 30 is adjacent to the upper surface of the first sheet support 30 and forms substantially the same horizontal plane.

In this first position, there is a space between the cylinder 33 and the upper plane of the first sheet support 30 into which a predetermined amount of recording paper can be inserted, so the recording paper 34 is
As shown in , one end is inserted into the second support 31 through the space between the support 30 and the cylindrical body 33 . Part of the recording paper is supported by the first sheet support 30, and the other part is supported by the bottom plate 31c.

One end of the recording paper 34 is attached to the protruding piece 30a of the support body 30.
Set the first support 30 in the copying machine so that it is aligned with one end, and then move the second support 30 in the direction of arrow A2 shown in FIG.
The support body 31 of is rotated. Alternatively, the second support 31 is rotated in the A2 direction in advance, and then the first support 30 is set in the copying machine.

By doing this, the cassette and the recording paper are folded back into a hairpin shape as shown in FIG. It is supported by the first support body while in contact with the stopper arms 30c ₁ and 30c ₂ of the support body 30 (second position). During this folding and after folding as shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 33 prevents the recording paper from being bent with a small radius of curvature. That is, the recording paper is fed out one by one starting from the upper one, but since the curvature of the recording paper is restricted by the cylinder 33 to a predetermined radius of curvature or more, the force required to feed out the recording paper (pull-out force) is limited to a predetermined value. value or less, and recording paper feeding errors will not occur. As shown in FIG. 2, with the recording sheets set, a portion of the stacked recording sheets 34 is supported by the first sheet support 30, and the other portion is supported by the upper plate 31b of the second sheet support 31. Supported by

In the embodiment described above, when the recording paper 34 is set as shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 33 prevents the recording paper 34 from being bent strongly, and the bottom plate 31c prevents the recording paper from bouncing back. Place a portion of the recording paper on the
The other part is supported by a second seat support plate 31 on the upper side of the support plate 30.
It is supported by the upper plate 31b.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the aforementioned sheet cassette is mounted on the paper feed tray of a certain type of copying machine. In this copying machine, recording paper trays 1a and 1b are supported so as to be pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and recording paper stands 2a and 2b are housed inside the trays. The trays 1a and 1b are equipped with motors 3a and 3b for driving the recording paper table up and down and wire guide rollers 4a ₀ to _{4a 4} and 4b ₁ to 4b ₄ ,
Wires 6a, 6b are connected to these wire guide rollers and pulleys 5a, 5b connected to the rotating shaft of the motor.
is stretched, and the wires 6a and 6b are connected to two points 7a ₁ and 7
They are fixed to the recording paper bases 2a and 2b by a ₂ , 7b ₁ , and 7b ₂ . As a result, when the motors 3a, 3b are energized to rotate in the normal direction, the platforms 2a, 2b rise, and when the motors 3a, 3b are energized in the reverse direction, the platforms 2a, 2b descend. First light shielding plates 8a ₁ and 8b ₁ are fixed to the tables 2a and 2b, and
When a, 2b are at the lower limit position, the light shielding plates 8a ₁ , 8
A first photo sensor (light-emitting diode and photo transistor) 9a ₁ , in which the optical path is blocked by b ₁ ,
9a ₂ is placed. Photo sensor 9a ₁ , 9b ₁
detects the light shielding plates 8a ₁ and 8b ₁ , the motors 3a and 3
The reversal of b is stopped. Paper feed rollers 10a and 10b that feed the recording paper are pivotally connected to a rotating arm, and second light-shielding plates 8a ₂ and 8b ₂ are fixed to this rotating arm. Koro 1
Second photo sensors (light emitting diodes and phototransistors) 9a 2 , 9b are arranged so that when the uppermost recording paper is at the paper feeding position by pushing up the uppermost recording sheets ₀ a , 10 _b , the light path is blocked by the light shielding plates 8 a ₂ , 8 b 2 . ₂ are placed. Photo sensors 9a ₂ and 9b ₂ are light shielding plates 8
When a ₂ and 8b ₂ are detected, normal rotation of the motors 3a and 3b is stopped. Rotary encoders 3a, 3b are fixed to the rotating shafts of the motors 3a, 3b.
This generated pulse is given to the motor control section. A reset switch is connected to the motor control section, and when the reset switch is closed, the motor control section energizes the motors 3a and 3b in the reverse direction, and the photo sensors 9a ₁ and 9b ₁ detect the light shielding plates 8a ₁ and 8a ₂ . Then, the reverse bias is stopped. In this state, the front cover of the copying machine is opened and, for example, a desired tray 1a is pulled out, and the additional cassettes 30 and 31 are removed when they are not needed and installed when necessary. When installing, the protruding piece 30a of the first support 30 is inserted into a vertically extending slit in the vertical wall of the tray, and the second support 31 is bent. Tray 1
Push a into the copier and close the front cover. When the front cover is closed and the reset switch is opened, the motor control section starts driving the platforms 2a and 2b upward.
When the photo sensors 9a ₁ and 9b ₁ no longer detect the light shielding plates 8a ₁ and 8a ₂ , the set amount is displayed on the remaining number display device, and thereafter the encoders 26a and 26b
Every time the sensor emits one pulse, the remaining value after subtracting a predetermined amount from the remaining display value is updated and displayed, and the photo sensor 9
When a ₂ and 9b ₂ detect the light shielding plates 8a ₂ and 8b ₂ , the motors are stopped. Thereafter, each time the photo sensors 9a ₂ and 9b ₂ no longer detect the light shielding plates 8a ₂ and 8b ₂ , the stands 2a and 2b are raised until they are detected. This results in
Recording paper is constantly pressed against the paper feed rollers 10a and 10b.

In the state shown in FIG. 3, when the paper feed roller 10a is urged to rotate, the uppermost recording paper on the first support 30 is fed out and sent between the transfer charger 11 and the photosensitive drum 12. . At this time, the first
The recording paper 34 set on the second supports 30 and 31 is separated from the cylinder 33 at the bending part, but only the top paper pulled by the rollers 10a comes into contact with the cylinder 33. and rotate it. This reduces the resistance to feeding out the recording paper. Reference numeral 13 denotes an automatic document feeder, by which the image of the document set on the contact glass plate 14 is transferred to an illumination light source 15, mirrors 16 ₁ to 16 ₄ , and a lens 17.
The image is projected onto the drum 12 using an optical system such as the following. Electric charges are formed on the surface of the drum by the charging charger 18, and the electric charges are transmitted by image light to form an electrostatic latent image. The latent image is developed into a toner image by a developing device 19, and is transferred onto recording paper directly below the transfer charger 11. The recording paper carrying the toner image is discharged to a paper discharge tray 21 through a fixing roller 20. During double-sided copying, the paper is sent once to the paper guide 22, then reversed and sent to the intermediate tray 23. 24 is an erase lamp, and 25 is a cleaning blade.
Detectors 27a and 27b detect the attachment of additional cassettes 30 and 31, and when these detect the attachment of cassettes, the copying process is set to the long recording paper copying cycle.

As shown in FIG. 3, cassettes 30, 31 of the present invention
Since the cassette is folded when installed in the copying machine, the length of the cassette is much shorter than the recording paper size, making it possible to make the copying machine more compact and to shorten the protrusion of the cassette.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the embodiment described above, the first support 30 is a substantially flat plate;
It is arranged to be placed on the recording paper already installed in the copying machine or on the recording paper mounting table. For example, when the target is a copying machine that uses a removable box-shaped cassette, the first support 30 is also shaped like a book case and is pivotally connected to the second support 31 with its opening facing the second support 31, and a window for paper feeding is formed on the upper surface of the other end of the first support. Furthermore, although the above-mentioned embodiment is folded in half, the bottom wall of the second support 31 facing the opening is removed and a third support having the same shape as the second support 31 is inserted there. It may also be shaped so that it can be folded in three or more ways, such as when wearing clothes.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the cassette of the present invention has a regulating means for regulating the bent shape of a plurality of laminated sheets on the inner side of the bend; a first sheet support means for supporting a part of the object from below; and a first sheet support means located above the first sheet support means and facing the first sheet support means in the vertical direction;
A second sheet supporting means supports from below a portion of the plurality of sheets whose bent shapes are regulated, which are not supported by the first sheet supporting means; so that the plurality of laminated sheets can be A first seat support means in the lower position and a second seat support means in the upper position.
is supported by both of the seat support means, and is bent in a hairpin shape between the supported portions;
A regulating means regulates this bent shape. Due to the folding and bending of the sheet, the sheet storage length becomes shorter than the sheet length. In other words, the stacked sheets are supported by being folded and bent within the sheet cassette, and the storage length is shorter than the total sheet length, which reduces the storage space.Also, since the sheets are folded, the height is also reduced. It is low and the seat storage is compact both vertically and horizontally.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing the state in which it is installed in a copying machine. 30: first support body (first seat support means), 30a: projecting piece, 30b ₁ , 30b ₂ : pivot arm, 30c ₁ , 30c ₂ : stopper arm, 31:
Second support (second sheet support means), 31
a: Abutment surface, 31b: Upper plate (first member), 31
c: bottom plate (second member), 32: shaft, 33: cylinder (cylindrical body), 34: recording paper (sheet).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The bent shape of a plurality of laminated sheets 34 is
A regulating means 33 for regulating the inside of the bend; a plurality of sheets whose bent shape is regulated;
a first seat support means 30 that supports a part of the lowermost one from below; The first sheet of a plurality of sheets whose bending shape is regulated.
A second seat support means 3 that supports the portion not supported by the seat support means 30 from below.
A sheet cassette comprising: 1; 2. The sheet cassette according to claim 1, wherein the regulating means 33 has a curved surface facing the inner surface of the bent portion of the plurality of sheets whose bent shapes are regulated. 3. The second seat support means 31 is pivotally connected to the first seat support means 30 and has a first member 31b and a second member 31 facing each other with a seat accommodation space in between.
c, wherein the second member 31c is adjacent to the seat support surface of the first seat support means 30 and forms with the support surface a substantially planar seat support surface; 1 seat support means 30
3. The sheet cassette according to claim 1, wherein the sheet cassette is rotatable between a second position opposite to the second position. 4. The second seat support means 31 is pivoted to the first seat support means 30 and includes a first member 31b and a second member 31 that face each other with a seat storage space in between.
c, wherein the second member 31c is adjacent to the seat support surface of the first seat support means 30 and forms with the support surface a substantially planar seat support surface; 1 seat support means 30
The seat cassette according to claim 2, wherein the regulating means 33 is a cylindrical body 33 disposed at the center of this rotation.