JPH0777930B2 - Paper cassette - 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 cassette used in a copying machine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as a paper feed cassette to be installed in a paper feed section of a copying machine, there are a small capacity type that can store about 250 sheets and a large capacity type that can store about 500 sheets. is there.

This is because, for relatively frequently used sheets such as JIS standard B5 size and A4 size, storing a large number of sheets in a large-capacity sheet cassette requires less paper refilling work. , Because it is easy to use,
On the other hand, for B4 size paper, A3 size paper, etc., which are large in size and infrequently used, when a large amount of paper is stored in the paper feed cassette, the entire paper feed cassette becomes heavy and inconvenient. This is because the quality of the paper may change due to the influence of moisture, and it is rather convenient to store these papers in small-capacity paper feed cassettes little by little. In addition, since a bundle of paper is often in units of 500 sheets, a small-capacity paper feed cassette that can store about 250 sheets and a large-capacity paper feed cassette that can store about 500 sheets. Is currently used.

[0004]

On the other hand, commercially available copying machines include a single-cassette type having one cassette storage space and a multiple-cassette type having two or more cassette storage spaces. There is. Of these, the single-cassette type is configured so that only a small-capacity paper feeding cassette or a large-capacity paper feeding cassette is set exclusively in the cassette storage space. There are some that are configured so that a small-capacity paper feed cassette and a large-capacity paper feed cassette can be set separately, but in any case, the paper feed cassette is equipped with a cassette holding section that covers the entire bottom surface of the cassette storage space. Since the entire width of the bottom surface is held, it was impossible to set a large-capacity paper feed cassette in the cassette storage space dedicated to a small-capacity cassette, and vice versa.

According to the present invention, as long as the cassette storage space is made large, it is possible to set in one cassette storage space regardless of the size of the paper storage amount, and the paper storage amount is different. The purpose is to provide a paper feed cassette.

Sheet feed cassette according to the invention led to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of is removably housed for one cassette receiving space, and the depth of the cassette
Multiple paper cassettes with different paper storage capacity
And is provided on the left and right of the cassette storage space.
The cassette holder holds only the left and right sides of the cassette.
So that any paper feed cassette is
A certain height level with respect to the paper feed rollers arranged in the storage space
Each paper cassette
The left and right sides of the body are covered by the paper cassette holder.
The feature is that a holding part is provided .

[0006]

Function: That is, the covers provided on the left and right of the cassette storage space
The set holder holds only the left and right sides of the cassette.
And any paper feed cassette can accommodate the cassette
At a constant height position with respect to the paper feed rollers arranged in the space
Make sure that each paper cassette body
Held to be held on the left and right sides by the paper cassette holding unit
Since only the cassette storage space is made large, since one section is provided, one of the paper feed cassettes of various heights with different paper storage capacity can be arbitrarily selected, and this can be used as one cassette storage space. Can be set to.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a main part of a single-cassette type copying machine. In the main body 1 of the copying machine, a photosensitive drum 2, a developing mechanism 3, a transfer / separation mechanism 4, a cleaning mechanism 5, a conveying roller 6, and a feeding roller 6 are provided. Various mechanisms such as a paper roller 7 and a cassette size detection mechanism 8 are internally provided, and a total of four foot portions 9 are provided at the bottom of the main body 1.
Is provided. Of these legs 9, two on the front side are fixed and two on the rear side are vertically adjustable in height, and are used to horizontally install the main body 1 of the copying machine and prevent vibration. .

Reference numeral A denotes a cassette storage space. In this cassette storage space A, the adjacent corners of the bottom plate 1A and the right side plate 1B of the main body 1 are cut off, and the bottom plate material 10a is attached to the cut portion on the bottom plate 1A side. The box-shaped case 10 is attached to the main body bottom plate 1A in a state of being positioned below the main body bottom plate 1A. Not only the capacity of the paper cassette 13 having a capacity, but also the capacity of the paper cassette 12 for storing 500 sheets or more, such as a large capacity paper cassette 12, can be arbitrarily selected. It is configured so that it can be stored in the cassette storage space. This FIG. 1 shows a state in which a small-capacity sheet feeding cassette 13 for 250 sheets is set, and the sheet feeding cassette 13 itself is only left and right sides by a cassette holding portion 14 provided in the cassette storage space A. Is held.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a small-capacity sheet cassette 13 for 250 sheets and a large-capacity sheet cassette 12 for 500 sheets or more. Hereinafter, the same constituent members will be described. To explain with the same reference numerals, the sheet loading plate 15, the push-up ammunition 16 for pushing the loading plate 15 upward, the sheet separating claw 17, and the sheet side edge regulating plate 1 respectively.
8. It has various mechanisms such as the paper trailing edge regulating tool 19. These various mechanisms are the same as the conventional ones, and the sheet trailing edge restricting device 19 can be configured so as to be positionally fixed in the front and rear according to the size of the sheet 11.

Particularly different from the prior art is that the held portions 20 formed of protrusions are provided on both left and right sides of the sheet feeding cassette bodies 12A and 13A, and the lower surfaces of these held portions 20 are cassette guide holding members 24 which will be described later. (See FIG. 4) A mounting surface 21 is mounted and guided on the lower surface, and stoppers 22 are provided on the lower surfaces of both right and left sides. That is, a small-capacity sheet feeding cassette 1 for 250 sheets
3, near the bottom of the left and right sides of the paper feed cassette body 13A, that is, when the paper feed cassette 13 is mounted in the cassette storage space A as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 and 5, The held portion 20 is provided at the front end at a constant height position with respect to the paper feed roller 7, and the held portion 20
A stopper 22 is provided at a bottom portion that is separated from the paper feed roller by a predetermined distance from the paper feed cassette 13 so that the uppermost surface of the paper stacked in the paper feed cassette 13 contacts the paper feed roller.

In a large-capacity cassette 12 of 500 sheets or more, the held portion 20 of the sheet-feeding cassette main body 12A has the same height h as the height h of the small-capacity sheet-feeding cassette 13, That is, the small-capacity paper feed cassette 1 formed at a constant height position with respect to the paper feed roller 7.
3 is provided at the same height position as the held portion 20.
On the other hand, a step portion 23 is formed on the lower surface of the held portion 20 of the large-capacity sheet feeding cassette 12 at the placement surface 21, and the step portion 23 is separated from the held portion 20 by a predetermined distance.
A stopper 22 is provided on the lower surface of the.

FIG. 4 shows the details of the cassette holding portions 14 on the main body 1 side. These cassette holding portions 14 are formed at predetermined positions on the plate members 27 provided on both left and right sides of the cassette storage space A. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the state where one of the paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 having different paper storage amounts is mounted in the cassette storage space A, the paper feed cassette 12 or 13 is fed to the cassette storage space A. The cassette holding portion 14 is integrally formed at a predetermined position of the plate member 27 so as to be positioned at a fixed height with respect to the paper roller 7 and hold the held portion 20 at a fixed height position with respect to the paper feeding roller 7. .

The main part of the cassette holder 14 is
A substantially L-shaped cassette guide holding member 24, a guide member 25 is provided above the cassette guide holding member 24 so as to face the cassette guide holding member 24, and a deep portion between the cassette guide holding member 24 and the guide member 25. The leaf springs 26 projecting inward are provided below the opposing portions of the cassette holding portion 14 including the cassette guide holding member 24, the guide member 25, and the leaf spring 26.
It is located near the inner surface of the. As described above, the cassette holding portion 14 is provided near the inner surface of the cassette storage space A, and the paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 are configured to be held only by the left and right sides of the cassette storage space A. If the size is set large, both the small-capacity paper feed cassette 13 and the large-capacity paper feed cassette 12 can be detachably accommodated and held in one cassette accommodating space A at the user's choice.

That is, in the small-capacity sheet feeding cassette 13, as shown in FIG. 5, the left and right held portions 20 are inserted between the cassette guide holding member 24 and the guide member 25 and slid inward. By pushing the rear end of the paper feed cassette 13 downward as indicated by the chain double-dashed line, the held portion 20 deforms the leaf spring 26 and rides upward, and the stopper 22 of the cassette guide holding member 24. It is brought into contact with the leading end and stored and held. At this time, the entire copying machine is viewed from the side of the paper feed cassette 13 as shown in FIG. A large-capacity paper feed cassette 12 can be stored and held in one common cassette storage space A by the same operation. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, stepped portions 23 are formed on both left and right sides of the sheet feeding cassette 12 so that the sheet feeding cassette 1 can be inserted inward.
As shown in FIG. 7, the stepped portion 23 does not interfere with the cassette guide holding member 24 in a state where the cassette guide holding member 24 is stored and held without being interfered with by the cassette guide holding member 24. It is placed, and the stopper 22 abuts on the tip of the cassette guide holding member 24 to be stored and held.

As shown in the embodiment, when the cassette storage space A is formed so as to project downward from the bottom plate 1A of the main body 1, horizontal installation of the copying machine main body 1 and prevention of vibration are required. The space formed by the foot portion 9 provided for this purpose is used for a part of the cassette storage space A, so that the copying machine can store and hold a large-capacity paper feed cassette 12 Paper cassettes 12 and 13 having different paper storage capacities are selectively mounted in one common cassette storage space A without increasing the overall bulk and by slightly modifying the conventional copying machine. It is possible. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the copying machine is constructed so that the legs 9 and 9 are located on both sides of the sheet feeding cassette, and the sheet feeding cassette accommodating recess 29 is formed on the copying machine mounting table 28, or As shown in FIG. 9, the foot portion 9 of the paper feeding cassette and the paper feeding cassette are configured so as not to be overlapped with each other in a front view, and the foot portion 9 of the copying machine is located near the end portion of the copying machine mounting table 28. If the copying machine is placed so as to be positioned, a small capacity can be stored in the one cassette storage space A without increasing the bulk of the copying machine as described above.
Not only the large-capacity sheet cassettes 12 and 13, but also the ultra-large-capacity sheet cassette 30 can be stored and held.

Further, in the embodiment, the paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 having different paper accommodating amounts are respectively provided with the held portions 20 each having a protrusion, and the lower surface thereof is configured as the placing surface 21. Without such a held portion 20, the bottom of the small-capacity sheet feeding cassette 13 shown in FIG. 2 has a large-capacity sheet feeding cassette 1 shown in FIG.
In the second aspect, the lower surface of the stepped portion 23 may be configured as the mounting surface 21 and implemented. Further, it is also possible to implement by providing grooves on the left and right side portions of both paper feed cassettes 12 and 13, and providing a protrusion fitted on the grooves on the main body 1 side.
In short, if the paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 are configured to be held only on the left and right sides thereof and at a constant height position with respect to the paper feed rollers in the cassette storage space, a single cassette storage space A having a common structure can be provided. Since it is possible to arbitrarily select and attach / detach from a plurality of cassettes having different paper storage amounts, various modifications are possible. Further, even when the stopper 22 is used, the bottom portions of the sheet feeding cassettes 12 and 13 and the step portion 2
Other than being provided on the lower surface of 3, various modifications such as being provided so as to project to the side portions of the sheet feeding cassettes 12 and 13 are possible. The paper feeding device according to the present invention can be applied not only to a single cassette type, but also to a paper feeding device of a multi-cassette type copying machine.

[0017]

As described above, in the present invention,
In the cassette holding parts provided on the left and right of the cassette storage space
Therefore, make sure that only the left and right sides of the cassette are held.
Each paper feed cassette is installed in the cassette storage space
Can be installed at a fixed height position with respect to the paper feed roller
On the left and right sides of each paper cassette body
Since the held portion to be held by the paper feed cassette holding portion is provided , if the cassette storage space is also made large, the paper feed cassettes of various heights with different paper storage amounts, that is, small capacity Not only the paper feed cassette of the above, but also a large-capacity paper feed cassette or a super-high-capacity paper feed cassette of more than that can be set in one cassette storage space. As a result, it has become possible to adopt a paper feed form with a paper feed cassette having a size according to the frequency of use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of a main part of a copying machine.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a small capacity sheet feeding cassette.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a large capacity sheet feeding cassette.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which a main part of a paper feeding device is seen through and a cross section is shown.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a set state of a small-capacity sheet feeding cassette in a cassette storage space.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the copying machine showing a set state of a small-capacity sheet feeding cassette.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the copying machine showing a set state of a large-capacity sheet feeding cassette.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a set state of an ultra-large capacity sheet feeding cassette with respect to a copying machine mounted on a copying machine mounting table.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a set state of another embodiment of the ultra large capacity sheet feeding cassette for the copying machine mounted on the copying machine mounting table.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 ... Paper feed roller, 12A, 13A ... Paper feed cassette body,
14 ... Cassette holding portion, 20 ... Held portion, 23 ... Recessed stepped portion, A ... Cassette storage space.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takehiko Okada 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Industry Co., Ltd. (change of address due to change in administrative division) (72) Inventor Haruo Yamamoto Osaka 1-22-Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Mita Sanda Kogyo Co., Ltd. (change of address due to change of administrative division) (56) Reference JP-A-57-77140 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A is detachably housed for one cassette receiving space, and the sheet storage amount in accordance with the depth of the cassette
A plurality of paper cassettes, each of which
The cassette holders on the left and right of the set storage space
So that only the left and right sides of the cassette are retained, and
Any paper feed cassette was placed in the cassette storage space
It can be installed at a fixed height with respect to the paper feed roller.
The paper feed cassette on the left and right sides of
A paper feed cassette characterized in that a held portion held by a paper cassette holding portion is provided . 2. The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 1, wherein recessed step portions are formed on lower portions on both left and right sides of each of the sheet feeding cassette bodies, and a lower surface of the step portion is a held portion. .