JP2010006586A - Sheet retaining tray and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

In a sheet holding tray, a sub-tray and a rotating member are easily stored in a main tray.
A paper feed cassette 15 includes a lower tray 30 and an upper tray 40. An expansion tray 180 is attached to the upper tray 40 so as to be able to appear and retract. The extension tray 180 is slidably supported between a first position stored in the storage space 151 and a second position pulled out from the storage space 151 to the maximum extent. Between the 1st position and the 2nd position, the 3rd position where load supply by elastic piece 189 is started is set up. From the second position to the third position, the expansion tray 180 slides with almost no load. Since the warped portion 206 of the stopper 200 enters the storage space 151 at the third position, the stopper 200 is caught by the edge portion 108 of the upper plate 104 and does not rotate.
[Selection] Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet holding tray that holds discharged sheets, and more particularly, to a sheet holding tray in which a sub-tray is slidably supported on a main tray and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  An image forming apparatus such as a printer is generally discharged from a paper feed tray that stores sheets such as recording paper, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet supplied from the paper feed tray, and an image forming unit A paper discharge tray for holding the image-formed sheet is provided. As an example of the paper discharge tray, one having a paper discharge auxiliary tray that expands the holding surface of the paper discharge tray is known (see Patent Document 1). The paper discharge auxiliary tray is provided so as to be movable between a storage position stored in the paper discharge tray and an extended position that extends in the direction in which the sheet is discharged and extends the holding surface. By extending the holding surface of the discharge tray by the discharge auxiliary tray, the discharged sheet is stably held. Further, when the paper discharge auxiliary tray is not used, it can be stored in the paper discharge tray so that it does not get in the way and the outer shape of the apparatus can be made compact.

JP 2006-82919 A

  By the way, when a plurality of sheets are continuously discharged from the image forming unit, these sheets are held in a stacked state on a paper discharge tray (main tray). In order to prevent the discharged sheet from dripping or dropping from the tray, it is conceivable to provide a sheet stopper on the discharge auxiliary tray (sub-tray). When the stopper is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the paper discharge auxiliary tray and is configured to be displaced between a posture in which the stopper is stored in the paper discharge auxiliary tray and a posture in which the stopper is raised with respect to the paper discharge auxiliary tray, When using the discharge tray, the discharge auxiliary tray is pulled out of the discharge tray, and the stopper is displaced to the standing posture. On the other hand, when the discharge tray is not used, the user displaces the stopper to the storage position, and then pushes the discharge auxiliary tray together with the stopper toward the discharge tray so as to be stored in the discharge tray. However, when storing the paper discharge auxiliary tray in the paper discharge tray, if the user pushes the paper discharge auxiliary tray toward the paper discharge tray while holding the stopper, the paper discharge tray depends on the direction in which the pushing force acts. If the stopper rotates before the paper auxiliary tray moves to the paper output tray, and the operation is not performed again by pulling out the paper auxiliary tray from the paper output tray, the paper output auxiliary tray is stored in the paper output tray. There may be a problem that it cannot be done. Such a problem is not limited to the configuration in which the stopper is provided in the discharge auxiliary tray, and may occur in all configurations in which a member that can rotate with respect to the discharge auxiliary tray is provided.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when the sub-tray in a state in which the rotating member is accommodated is pushed toward the main tray, the rotating member cannot be rotated from the sub-tray. Until the state, a sheet holding tray capable of easily storing the sub-tray and the rotating member in the main tray by devising the sub-tray to slide smoothly with respect to the main tray, and the same An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

(1) The present invention is a sheet holding tray for holding discharged sheets. The sheet holding tray includes a main tray having a first holding surface that holds sheets, a sub-tray that is disposed at a first end of the main tray on the sheet discharge direction side and has a second holding surface, and the first tray. Provided on the rear surface of the holding surface, the sub-tray can be slid between a first position where the sub-tray is housed on the rear surface side of the first holding surface and a second position where the second holding surface is exposed to the outside. A support mechanism for supporting the sheet, a support shaft provided at a second end portion of the sub-tray on the sheet discharge direction side, orthogonal to the sliding direction of the sub-tray and along the second holding surface, and A pivot member is provided so as to be pivotable about a support shaft, and is displaced between a lying posture that falls on the second holding surface and a tilting posture that tilts with respect to the second holding surface. The support mechanism is configured such that the rotation end of the rotation member reaches the back side of the first holding surface and the second position when the rotation member is in the lying posture. A first support portion that supports the sub-tray in a loosely fitted state; and a load supply portion that applies a load in the sliding direction to the sub-tray at least in the three positions.

  The sub-tray is slidably supported between a first position stored in the main tray and a second position exposed from the main tray. When the user pulls out the sub-tray to expand the first holding surface of the main tray, the sub-tray is pulled out from the first position through the third position to the second position, and the second holding surface is exposed to the outside. The sub-tray is loaded by the load supply unit at the third position. Therefore, once the sub-tray is pulled out to the second position, the sub-tray moves from the third position to the first position unless a force greater than the sliding friction generated in the first support portion and, of course, greater than the load is applied. There is no.

  The sub-tray is provided with a rotating member. In order to prevent the sheet discharged to the main tray from dripping or dropping from the holding surface, the user rotates the rotating member from the lying down posture to the inclined posture, thereby moving the rotating member to the second holding surface. Tilt against. As a result, the sheet discharged toward the sheet holding tray is stopped by the end of the discharge direction coming into contact with the rotating member, so that the movement of the sheet in the discharge direction is stopped, and the sheet droops from the holding surface. Falling and falling are prevented.

  When the sub-tray is stored in the main tray, first, the rotating member is returned from the tilting posture to the lying posture. Thereafter, the end of the sub-tray in the discharge direction, that is, the end of the rotating member provided at the end is pushed into the second position. As a result, the sub-tray starts to slide from the second position toward the first position. Since the sub-tray is supported in a loosely fitted state by the first support portion of the support mechanism, the sub-tray can be smoothly moved from the second position to the third position with little load simply by applying a force greater than the sliding friction generated in the first support portion. Slide. When the sub-tray reaches the third position, a load is applied to the sub-tray in the sliding direction by the load supply unit. This load is positively applied by the load supply unit. When the user applies a force that overcomes the load to the end of the rotating member against the load, the sub-tray starts to move from the third position to the first position. When the sub-tray reaches the third position, the turning end of the turning member enters the back side of the first holding surface from the first end of the main tray. Therefore, even if a force for displacing the rotating member from the lying posture to the inclined posture is applied to the end portion of the rotating member, the displacement of the rotating member is prevented by the first end portion.

  In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the “direction” is represented by a straight line having opposite directions such as + and −, for example. For example, it is represented by an arrow having one arrow head such as + or-.

(2) The load supply unit is provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray, and is provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray, and an elastic member that is elastically bent in a predetermined direction. A contact portion that contacts the elastic member at the third position and deflects the elastic member.

  With this configuration, the load supply unit can be realized with a simple configuration.

(3) It is preferable that the abutting portion abuts on the elastic member to bend the elastic member while the sub-tray slides between the third position and the first position.

  With this configuration, a load is always applied until the sub-tray moves from the third position to the first position. Thereby, in the range from the 3rd position to the 1st position, the posture of the subtray with respect to the main tray can be maintained. In particular, when the sub-tray is disposed at the first position, the load due to the contact portion is released, so that the posture in which the sub-tray is accommodated in the main tray can be more reliably maintained.

(4) A retracting portion that is provided at a position corresponding to the first position in either the main tray or the subtray, and retracts the elastic member to release the load when the subtray is in the first position. In addition.

  With this configuration, when the sub-tray is disposed at the first position, the elastic member is retracted to the retracting portion, so that the elastic member does not contact the abutting portion. That is, the elastic member is not bent by the contact portion. Therefore, since the load due to the abutment portion is released, the sub-tray can be more reliably maintained in the posture stored in the main tray at the first position.

(5) The first support portion includes a rail provided on one of the main tray or the sub-tray, a rail groove provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray and loosely fitting the rail. Have

  With this configuration, the first support portion can be realized with a simple configuration.

(6) It is preferable that the sheet holding tray of the present invention further includes a handle that is provided at the rotation base end of the rotation member and operates the sub-tray in the slide direction.

  With this configuration, the user can easily perform not only the sub-tray sliding operation but also the rotating operation of the rotating member by using the handle.

(7) It is preferable that the sheet holding tray of the present invention further includes a regulation mechanism that engages the main tray and the sub-tray at the second position to regulate sliding of the sub-tray.

  This prevents the sub-tray pulled out in the sheet discharge direction from being detached from the main tray.

(8) The present invention can also be understood as an image forming apparatus including the above-described sheet holding tray. That is, the present invention includes an image including the above-described sheet holding tray, an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet, and a discharge unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit to the sheet holding tray. It may be considered as a forming device.

  According to the present invention, the sub-tray and the rotating member can be easily accommodated in the main tray.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Figure Description]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper feed cassette 15 is pulled out from the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-sectional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 3, the main body casing 2 and the scanner unit 20 are omitted. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the appearance of the paper feed cassette 15. FIG. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the upper tray 40 is disposed at the first supply position where the recording medium can be supplied from the lower tray 30. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the upper tray 40 is arranged at the second supply position where the recording medium can be supplied from the upper tray 40. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the back side of the upper tray 40. FIG. 7 is an enlarged detailed view of a main part VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the extension tray 180. FIG. 8A shows a state where the stopper 200 is in a lying posture. FIG. 8B shows a state where the stopper 200 is in a tilted posture. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the extension tray 180. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing a state where the extension tray 180 is pulled out to the second position and the stopper 200 is in a tilted posture. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the extension tray 180 is pulled out to the second position and the stopper 200 is in the lying posture. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the extension tray 180 is pushed to the third position in a state where the stopper 200 is in the tilting posture. FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the front side of the paper feed cassette 15. FIG. 13A shows a state in which the extension tray is disposed at the third position. FIG. 13B shows a state in which the expansion tray 180 is disposed at the first position.

  In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is expressed with reference to the normal use state of the image forming apparatus 1 (the state of FIG. 1), and the side on which the operation panel 10 described later is provided is the front side (front). The front-rear direction 8 is expressed, and the left-right direction 9 is expressed when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the front side (front). In the upper tray 40, the front side in the front-rear direction 8 corresponds to the sheet discharge direction of the present invention.

[Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 1]
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called multifunction machine having a scanner function, a color copy function, a facsimile function, and the like in addition to a printer function. As shown in FIG. 1, the appearance of the image forming apparatus 1 is formed by a wide and thin main body casing 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape in which the horizontal direction 9 and the front-rear direction 8 are larger than the vertical direction 7. Functions other than the printer function are arbitrary. For example, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 20 and does not have a scan function, a copy function, or a facsimile function.

  An operation panel 10 having an operation unit 11 on which various operation buttons for input operations are arranged and a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display) 12 for displaying an image such as a message is provided at a front position on the upper surface of the main casing 2. Is provided. In addition, a scanner unit 20 as a reading unit that reads an image from a document is provided at a position behind the operation panel 10. The scanner unit 20 is used for a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function.

  A paper feed cassette 15 is provided at a lower position in the main casing 2. The paper feed cassette 15 can accommodate a plurality of sheet-like recording media (corresponding to the sheets of the present invention) such as recording papers and plastic sheets stacked in a substantially horizontal manner (stacked state). The paper feed cassette 15 includes a lower tray 30 and an upper tray 40 (an example of a sheet holding tray of the present invention). A recording medium is accommodated in each of the lower tray 30 and the upper tray 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed cassette 15 mounted in the main body casing 2 can be horizontally drawn forward from an opening 2 a formed on the front surface of the main body casing 2. In the present embodiment, the supply tray 15 can be detached from the main casing 2. On the other hand, the paper cassette 15 can be mounted on the main casing 2 by inserting it horizontally from the opening 2 a of the main casing 2. In other words, the paper feed cassette 15 can be inserted / removed from the opening 2 a formed on the front surface of the main body casing 2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a metal box-like frame 4 elongated in the left-right direction 9 is provided in the main body casing 2. The frame 4 is provided at a position closer to the rear in the main body casing 2 and above the paper feed cassette 15. A supply unit 50 is disposed above the rear end of the paper feed cassette 15. The supply unit 50 is for supplying (conveying) the recording medium accommodated in the paper feeding cassette 15 to the rear conveying path 5 one by one, and is a supply roller 60 that rotates in contact with the recording medium. Have The supply unit 50 is supported by the frame 4 at a position above the rear end of the paper feed cassette 15. A conveyance path 5 is formed at the rear end in the main casing 2 for guiding the recording medium conveyed rearward from the paper feed cassette 15 to the front by making a U-turn upward. An image recording unit 70 (an example of an image forming unit of the present invention) that records (prints) an image on a recording medium that has been guided and conveyed by the conveyance path 5 is disposed above the supply unit 50. ing. The recording medium on which the image is recorded in the image recording unit 70 is discharged onto the upper surface (holding surface 48) of the upper tray 40. The image recording unit 70 can employ various recording methods such as an inkjet method, an electrophotographic method, or a thermal recording method.

  The supply unit 50 includes a support shaft 51 supported by the frame 4. An arm member 52 is supported on the support shaft 51 so as to be swingable about the support shaft 51. A supply roller 60 is pivotally supported on a rotation shaft 55 at the tip (swinging end) of the arm member 52. A gear train composed of a plurality of power transmission gears 56 is disposed inside the arm member 52. When a driving force transmitted from a driving source (not shown) is transmitted to the support shaft 51, the driving force is transmitted to the supply roller 60 via the power transmission gear 56. When the paper feed cassette 15 is mounted with the upper tray 40 disposed at the first supply position shown in FIG. 4, the supply roller 60 contacts the recording medium on the lower tray 30. The rotational force of the supply roller 60 is transmitted to the recording medium on the lower tray 30, and the recording medium is supplied to the conveyance path 5. On the other hand, when the paper feed cassette 15 is mounted with the upper tray 40 disposed at the second supply position shown in FIG. 5, the supply roller 60 contacts the recording medium on the upper tray 40. The rotational force of the supply roller 60 is transmitted to the recording medium on the upper tray 40, and the recording medium is supplied to the conveyance path 5.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of conveying rollers 63 and a pinch roller 64 are provided on the rear side of the image recording unit 70. The pinch roller 64 is disposed on the lower side of the transport roller 63 and in pressure contact with the transport roller 63. The conveyance roller 63 and the pinch roller 64 pinch the recording sheet conveyed through the conveyance path 5 and convey it onto the platen 62 positioned below the image recording unit 70. A pair of paper discharge rollers 66 and a spur 67 (an example of the discharge means of the present invention) are provided on the front side of the image recording unit 70. The paper discharge roller 66 and the spur 67 convey the recording medium on which the image has been recorded by the image recording unit 70 toward the front while sandwiching the medium, and discharge the recording medium outside the conveyance path. The transport roller 63 and the paper discharge roller 66 are rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from a motor (not shown).

[Configuration of Paper Feed Cassette 15]
Next, the configuration of each part of the paper feed cassette 15 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the paper feed cassette 15 includes a lower tray 30 and an upper tray 40 when roughly classified.

[Lower tray 30]
The lower tray 30 is a resin part in the shape of a rectangular thin plate having a large A4 size when viewed from above, and is configured to be able to accommodate a plurality of recording media in a stacked state. As the resin material, polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (PC-HI), ABS, and the like are applicable. Further, the lower tray 30 includes a pair of side end guides (not shown) at the left and right end portions thereof, and the left and right direction 9 (the width direction of the recording medium) regardless of the size of the recording medium to be accommodated. The recording medium can be positioned so that the position of the center line is constant.

  The lower tray 30 includes a guide plate 34 at the rear end thereof. A metal separation member 34 a is provided at the central portion of the guide plate 34 in the left-right direction 9. The separation member 34 a has a plurality of tooth portions arranged vertically at a predetermined interval, and the tips of the tooth portions slightly protrude from the front surface of the guide plate 34. As a result, even if there are a plurality of recording media pushed out by the supply roller 60 of the supply unit 50, these recording media come into contact with the tip of the tooth portion, and the uppermost one sheet is recorded. The recording medium is separated. Further, the guide plate 34 is provided with an engaging groove 34b into which an engaging claw 43 described later can enter and engage.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a sliding plate 45 and an upper tray 40 are provided on the upper portion of the lower tray 30. The sliding plate 45 is supported on the upper portion of the lower tray 30 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction 8. The upper tray 40 accommodates a thick, small-sized recording medium such as a postcard, an envelope, and L-size glossy paper for recording a photographic image taken with a digital camera or the like in the center in the left-right direction 9. It is configured to be possible. The upper tray 40 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the sliding plate 45.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the rear guide 17 is provided on the bottom plate 33 of the lower tray 30. The rear guide 17 positions the front end of the recording medium with respect to the lower tray 30. The rear guide 17 is disposed at the center of the bottom plate 33 in the left-right direction 9. The rear guide 17 is slidably supported along a groove 18 formed in the bottom plate 33 and extending in the front-rear direction 8. The rear guide 17 is brought into contact with the front end portion of the recording medium placed on the lower tray 30, so that the recording medium is prevented from moving forward relative to the lower tray 30 by the rear guide 17. Is done. In the present embodiment, a guide surface 19 is provided at the upper end portion of the rear guide 17. The guide surface 19 is an inclined surface that is inclined forward.

[Sliding plate 45]
The sliding plate 45 is a plate-like member having substantially the same size as that of the lower tray 30 in the left-right direction 9, and is a member that is slidably supported with respect to the lower tray 30. As a support mechanism for the sliding plate 45, for example, the upper end of the side wall 35 of the lower tray 30 functions as a rail, and the reverse U-shaped sliding grooves provided at both ends of the sliding plate 45 are the upper end of the side wall 35. A well-known mechanism such as a rail support mechanism configured by engaging with can be employed. The sliding plate 45 is not limited to a mechanism that is slidably supported, and any supporting mechanism is applicable as long as the sliding plate 45 is movably supported on the upper portion of the lower tray 30.

  Two engagement claws 43 having a substantially L shape are provided at the rear end of the sliding plate 45. The engaging claw 43 is formed so as to be able to enter and engage with an engaging groove 34 b provided in the guide plate 34. The engaging claw 43 enters and engages with the engaging groove 34b of the guide plate 34 when the upper tray 40 is moved rearward. Thus, the upper tray 40 is positioned at the second supply position (position shown in FIG. 5) where the recording medium held by the upper tray 40 can be supplied. At this time, the engaging claw 43 is buried in the engaging groove portion 34 b and does not protrude from the front surface of the guide plate 34. Therefore, when the recording medium is supplied from the upper tray 40, the recording medium is the guide plate 34. Although it contacts the separation member 34a, it does not contact the engaging claw 43. Accordingly, the recording medium is supplied separately from the upper tray 40 without being interfered with the engaging claws 43. Further, the engaging claw 43 has the following action. For example, the user may rotate the upper tray 40 in an attempt to replenish the recording medium in the lower tray 30. At this time, since the engaging claw 43 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the sliding plate 45, even if the upper tray 40 is rotated while the recording medium is placed on the upper tray 40, the recording medium is recorded. Is stopped by the engaging claw 43, and the recording medium does not slide down from the upper tray 40.

[Upper tray 40]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper tray 40 has a rectangular thin dish shape in which the dimension in the left-right direction 9 is substantially the same as that of the lower tray 30 and the dimension in the front-rear direction 8 is slightly shorter than that of the lower tray 30. Resin parts. As the resin material, polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (PC-HI), ABS, and the like are applicable. The upper tray 40 includes a storage unit 101 that stores a recording medium supplied toward the conveyance path 5, and a holding unit 103 (an example of a main tray of the present invention) that holds a discharged recording medium. Have

  The accommodating portion 101 is provided on the rear side of the upper tray 40 and in the vicinity of the central portion in the left-right direction 9. The storage unit 101 is configured to be able to store a plurality of recording media in a state of being stacked substantially horizontally. The accommodating portion 101 is a pair for positioning the recording medium so that the position of the center line in the left-right direction 9 (width direction of the recording medium) is constant regardless of the size of the recording medium accommodated. Side end guides 41 and 42 are provided. The side end guides 41 and 42 are provided at both ends in the left-right direction 9.

  A flange 41 a is provided at the upper end of the side end guide 41. Further, a flange 42 a is provided at the upper end of the side end guide 42. The flange portions 41a and 42a are formed of plate-like members that protrude in the left-right direction 9 from the upper ends of the side end guides 41 and 42, respectively. The upper surfaces of the flange portions 41a and 42a are disposed substantially on the same plane as the upper surface of the holding unit 103 described later. In the present embodiment, the recording medium that has been recorded on the upper surfaces of the flange portions 41a and 42a and the upper surface (holding surface 48) of the holding unit 103 is discharged.

  In the state where the upper tray 40 is disposed at the second supply position (position shown in FIG. 5) closer to the rear in the upper part of the lower tray 30, the recording medium accommodated in the accommodating portion 101 of the upper tray 40 is The supply roller 60 is disposed at a position that prevents the movement toward the lower tray 30 side (downward). Specifically, when the paper feed cassette 15 is inserted into the opening 2a with the upper tray 40 disposed at the second supply position, the guide plate 34 is brought into contact with the arm member 52, so that the arm member 52 is The feed roller 60 is finally disposed on the upper tray 40 by rotating upward. For this reason, the supply roller 60 of the supply unit 50 abuts not the recording medium stored in the lower tray 30 but the recording medium stored in the upper tray 40. As a result, the recording medium stored in the upper tray 40 becomes usable. When the paper feed cassette 15 is inserted into the opening 2a in a state where the upper tray 40 is disposed at the first supply position (position shown in FIG. 4), the guide plate 34 is brought into contact with the arm member 52 and the arm member. 52 is rotated upward, and the supply roller 60 is disposed on the lower tray 30. In this case, the supply roller 60 of the supply unit 50 contacts the recording medium stored in the lower tray 30.

  The holding unit 103 is provided on the front side of the upper tray 40. The holding unit 103 has a holding surface 48 (corresponding to the first holding surface of the present invention) for holding the discharged recorded recording medium. The holding surface 48 is formed substantially horizontally. In the present embodiment, the recorded recording medium is discharged and held on the holding surface 48 and the upper surfaces of the flange portions 41a and 42a. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the holding surface 48 is handled as including the upper surfaces of the flange portions 41a and 42a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a storage space 151 is formed on the back side of the holding portion 103. In this storage space 151, an expansion tray 180 (an example of a sub-tray of the present invention) described later is disposed so as to be stored.

  The storage space 151 is defined by the upper plate 104 constituting the holding surface 48 of the holding unit 103 and two partition walls 153 and 154 protruding from the back surface of the upper plate 104. That is, the space surrounded by the upper plate 104, the partition wall 153, and the partition wall 154 is the storage space 151. The partition walls 153 and 154 are long plate members extending in the front-rear direction 8. These partition walls 153 and 154 are separated in the left-right direction 9 and are arranged in parallel so as to face each other.

  As shown in FIG. 7, sliding grooves 158 (an example of rail grooves of the present invention) are provided on the inner surfaces (surfaces facing each other) 156 of the partition wall 153. Although the sliding groove 158 is also provided in the partition wall 154, it is not shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 because it is hidden by the partition wall 154. Since the sliding groove 158 of the partition wall 153 and the sliding groove 158 of the partition wall 154 are in a symmetrical relationship with each other and have substantially the same configuration, the sliding groove 158 of the partition wall 153 will be described below. The description of the sliding groove 158 is omitted.

  Two ribs 161 and 162 are provided on the inner surface 156 of the partition wall 153. The ribs 161 and 162 protrude from the inner surface 156 in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface 156. The ribs 161 and 162 are extended in the front-rear direction 8. The rib 161 and the rib 162 are formed in the same shape and length, and are disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction 8. The ribs 161 and the ribs 162 are arranged so as to be separated in the vertical direction 7. Specifically, the rib 161 is disposed below the rib 162. The sliding groove 158 is formed by a gap formed between the rib 161 and the rib 162 and the inner surface 156. The distance between the rib 161 and the rib 162, that is, the groove width of the sliding groove 158, is a dimension that allows the rail 183 (an example of the rail of the present invention) of the expansion tray 180 described later to be fitted with a predetermined play. Is set to Therefore, when the rail 183 is inserted into the sliding groove 158, the rail 183 is loosely fitted by the sliding groove 158 and supported so as to be smoothly slidable along the sliding groove 158. In addition, the 1st support part of this invention is implement | achieved by the sliding groove | channel 158 and the rail 183. FIG. Further, the support mechanism of the present invention is realized by the sliding groove 158, the rail 183, the rib 164 and the elastic piece 189 described later.

  Ribs 164 (an example of a contact portion of the present invention) are provided on the inner surfaces (surfaces facing each other) 156 of the partition wall 153. The rib 164 is also provided on the partition wall 154, but is not illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 because it is hidden by the partition wall 154. Since the rib 164 of the partition wall 153 and the rib 164 of the partition wall 154 are in a symmetrical relationship and have substantially the same configuration, the rib 164 of the partition wall 153 will be described below, and the description of the rib 164 of the partition wall 154 will be given below. Omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rib 164 is disposed on the upper side of the rib 162. The rib 164 protrudes from the inner surface 156 in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface 156, and extends in the front-rear direction 8 in parallel to the rib 162. The rib 164 extends from a position away from the front ends 167 of the ribs 161 and 162 by a predetermined distance to substantially the same position as the rear ends 168 of the ribs 161 and 162. An inclined surface 164 a is formed at the front end portion of the rib 164 so as to be lowered toward the inner surface 156. In addition, an inclined surface 164b is formed at the rear end of the rib 164 so as to descend rearward toward the inner surface 156 side. When the expansion tray 180 is stored in the storage space 151, an elastic piece 189 (an example of the elastic member of the present invention) of the expansion tray 180 described later comes into contact with the rib 164, and the elastic piece 189 is bent. The rib 164 and the elastic piece 189 realize the load supply unit of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the arrangement position of the rib 164 in the front-rear direction 8 is determined by the position of a warp portion 206 provided on a stopper 200 described later and the position of an elastic piece 189 provided on the extension tray 180. Details will be described later.

  On the rear side of the inclined surface 164b of the rib 164, a retreat space 170 (an example of a retreat portion of the present invention) is provided in which the elastic piece 189 is retracted away from the rib 164 when the expansion tray 180 is completely stored. Yes. When the elastic piece 189 enters the retreat space 170, the rib 164 and the elastic piece 189 do not come into contact with each other, so that the load that the expansion tray 180 received from the elastic piece 189 is released. That is, the load that the expansion tray 180 received from the elastic piece 189 is eliminated.

  A cutout 165 is formed in the edge portion 108 on the front side of the upper plate 104 in the storage space 151. The notch 165 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction 9. The notch 165 is for exposing a handle 202 (to be described later) to the holding surface 48 in a state in which an expansion tray 180 (to be described later) is completely stored in the storage space 151.

  Two protrusions 160 are provided on the back surface of the upper plate 104 in the storage space 151. The protruding piece 160 is provided near the front end of the upper plate 104, one is arranged on the left side of the notch 165, and the other is arranged on the right side of the notch 165. 6 and 7, the right protrusion 160 is hidden by the partition 154 and is not shown. The protruding piece 160 engages with an engaged portion 187 provided on the expansion tray 180 described later, and regulates the sliding of the expansion tray 180 with respect to the holding portion 103. Note that the restricting mechanism of the present invention is realized by the protruding piece 160 and the engaged portion 187.

[Extension tray 180]
An expansion tray 180 is attached to the upper tray 40. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the extension tray 180 is attached to the front end portion (corresponding to the first end portion of the present invention) of the upper tray 40. In the present embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the expansion tray 180 is configured to be able to appear and retract with respect to the storage space 151 of the holding unit 103, and the first position (the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) and the first position. It is slidably supported between two positions (positions shown in FIG. 11). Here, the first position is a position (see FIGS. 4 and 5) in which the expansion tray 180 is completely stored in the storage space 151, and the second position is extended by the extension tray 180 being pulled out from the storage space 151. This is a position where the upper surface 193 (corresponding to the second holding surface of the present invention) of the tray 180 is exposed to the maximum (see FIG. 11). As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the extension tray 180 includes a tray body 181 and a stopper 200 (an example of a rotating member of the present invention).

[Tray body 181]
The tray body 181 is a resin part formed in a substantially rectangular shape. As the resin material, polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (PC-HI), ABS, and the like are applicable. Rails 183 are provided on both side surfaces 185 of the tray body 181 in the left-right direction 9. The rail 183 protrudes from the side surface 185 in a direction perpendicular to the side surface 185, and extends in the front-rear direction 8 on the side surface 185. The rail 183 is disposed at a position corresponding to the sliding groove 158 provided in the storage space 151 of the upper tray 40. The rail 183 is inserted into the sliding groove 158 and is loosely fitted. Therefore, the thickness of the rail 183 is sufficiently small with respect to the width of the sliding groove 158. Therefore, if the expansion tray 180 is supported by the sliding groove 158 and the rail 183, minute sliding friction occurs between the sliding groove 158 and the rail 183, but the expansion tray 180 is almost unloaded. Slide smoothly.

  An opening 191 is formed near the rear end of the side surface 185. An elastic piece 189 protrudes rearward from the front edge of the opening 191. The elastic piece 189 is formed integrally with the tray body 181. Therefore, the elastic piece 189 is also made of a resin material such as polystyrene (PS), high-impact polystyrene (PC-HI), or ABS. Since the elastic piece 189 is made of the resin material, it has a property of bending at least in the left-right direction 9. The elastic piece 189 has a head 190 at an end on the rear side. As shown in FIG. 9, the head 190 projects outward from the side surface 185 in a state where no external force is applied. In the process in which the expansion tray 180 is stored in the storage space 151, the head 190 comes into contact with the rib 164 and is pushed toward the opening 191.

  Two long grooves 195 are provided on the upper surface 193 of the tray body 181. The long groove 195 is provided on each of the left end and the right end on the upper surface 193. The long groove 195 extends in the front-rear direction 8. These long grooves 195 are provided at positions corresponding to the protrusions 160 (see FIG. 7). Engaged portions 187 are provided in the vicinity of the rear end portions of the two long grooves 195, respectively. The engaged portion 187 is erected from the bottom surface of the long groove 195 to the upper surface 193. The front side of the engaged portion 187 is a vertical surface, and the rear side is an inclined surface. In the process of pulling out the extension tray 180 from the storage space 151, the extension piece 180 is stopped at the second position shown in FIG. 11 by engaging the projection piece 160 with the vertical surface of the engaged portion 187. In addition, the engagement position of the protrusion piece 160 and the engaged portion 187 may be a position where a stopper 200 described later can be rotated in a state where the expansion tray 180 is pulled out to the second position.

  The tray main body 181 has a recess 184 on the upper surface 193 thereof. The recess 184 is a space in which the stopper 200 is stored. A shaft hole (not shown) is formed in the front end portion (corresponding to the second end portion of the present invention) of the side inner wall of the recess 184. The axis of this shaft hole coincides with the left-right direction 9. In other words, the axis of the shaft hole is orthogonal to the front-rear direction 8, which is the sliding direction of the expansion tray 180, and coincides with the direction along the upper surface 193. The rotation shaft 204 of the stopper 200 is inserted into this shaft hole.

[Stopper 200]
The stopper 200 is attached to the tray body 181 as described above. The stopper 200 is used to stop the front end of the recording medium discharged to the extension tray 180 so that the recording medium does not drop or drop from the front side. The stopper 200 has a rotating shaft 204 that protrudes outward from the side portion in the left-right direction 9. The rotation shaft 204 is inserted into and supported by a shaft hole (not shown) formed in the recess 184, so that the stopper 200 is rotatably supported. The outer shape of the rotating shaft 204 is sufficiently smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft hole. Therefore, when the stopper 200 rotates, minute sliding friction occurs between the rotation shaft 204 and the shaft hole, but the stopper 200 rotates smoothly with almost no load.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the stopper 200 falls on the upper surface 193 and is stored in the recess 184 (see FIG. 8A), and an inclined posture (see FIG. 8A) that tilts at a predetermined angle with respect to the upper surface 193 ( (See FIG. 8B). When the stopper 200 is not used, it is displaced to a lying posture, and when the stopper 200 is used, it is displaced to a tilted posture. A warping portion 206 is provided at the tip of the stopper 20 (the end in the direction away from the axis of the rotation shaft 204). The warped portion 206 is inclined with respect to the stopper main body 201 so that the discharged recording medium is surely stopped.

  A handle 202 is provided at the rotation base end of the stopper 200. The handle 202 is a part that is gripped when the user pulls the expansion tray 180 forward from the storage space 151. The handle 202 is provided on the upper surface of the stopper main body 201, and is constituted by a recess that can be hooked at least by a user's finger.

[Position of rib 164]
In the present embodiment, the arrangement position of the rib 164 in the front-rear direction 8 is set to a position having the following relationship. That is, when the expansion tray 180 is in the second position shown in FIG. 11, in other words, the position where the warped portion 206 is farther forward than the edge 108 of the upper plate 104 (that is, the stopper 200 is tilted from the lying posture). The elastic piece 189 does not come into contact with the inclined surface 164a of the rib 164 when it is at a position that can be rotated to the storage space 151 side with respect to the edge portion 108 of the upper plate 104. The expansion tray 180 is slid to the position shown in FIG. 12 (that is, the position where the warped portion 206 is caught by the edge portion 108 and the stopper 200 cannot be rotated from the lying posture to the tilted posture, hereinafter referred to as “third position”). Sometimes, the rib 164 is arranged at a position where the elastic piece 189 contacts the inclined surface 164a of the rib 164 for the first time. In FIG. 12, the expansion tray 180 when it is disposed at the second position is indicated by a broken line.

  Since the rib 164 is provided at such a position, the expansion tray 180 is elastic in the sliding direction until the expansion tray 180 reaches the third position (see FIG. 12) from the second position (see FIG. 11). The rail 183 and the sliding groove 158 slide smoothly without receiving a load from the piece 189. On the other hand, when the extension tray 180 reaches the third position, the elastic piece 189 comes into contact with the inclined surface 164a. When the extension tray 180 is slid further rearward, the elastic piece 189 completely rides on the rib 164 and is bent. Thereby, a load by the elastic piece 189 is applied to the expansion tray 180.

[Operation of expansion tray 180]
Hereinafter, the operation of the expansion tray 180 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.

  The operation of pulling out the expansion tray 180 from the state in which the expansion tray 180 is stored in the storage space 151 (the state shown in FIG. 13A), that is, the state in which the expansion tray is disposed at the first position will be described. In this case, the user puts a finger on the handle 202 and pulls the expansion tray 180 toward the front side with a predetermined force. Thereby, the extension tray 180 slides to the near side. In the process of sliding the expansion tray 180 toward the front side, the head 190 of the elastic piece 189 is guided by the inclined surface 164 b and rides on the rib 164. The elastic piece 189 slides on the rib 164 while applying a predetermined load to the expansion tray 180.

  When the extension tray 180 is slid from the first position to the third position (see FIG. 12), the head 190 of the elastic piece 189 is disposed at a position where it is guided by the inclined surface 164a and does not contact the rib 164. As a result, the expansion tray 180 does not receive a load from the elastic piece 189. When the extension tray 180 is further slid from the third position to the near side, the warped portion 206 of the stopper 200 is pulled out from the front end portion 108 of the upper plate 104 to the near side, and the stopper 200 is moved to the arrow 212 (see FIG. 10). ) Can be rotated in the direction of. At this time, when the user pushes the handle 202 downward while pulling the handle 202, the stopper 200 is pulled out to the second position, and the pivoting posture (see FIG. 11) is disposed behind the handle 202 in the lying posture. The stopper 200 rotates around the shaft 204 in the direction of the arrow 212 to be in a tilted posture (see FIG. 10). That is, when the user simply operates the handle 202 toward the front side, the extension operation of the expansion tray 180 and the rotation operation of the stopper 200 are performed simultaneously.

  Next, an operation for storing the expansion tray 180 in the storage space 151 from the state shown in FIG. 10 will be described. In this case, the user rotates the stopper 200 in the direction of the arrow 211 to displace the stopper 200 in the tilted posture to the lying posture shown in FIG. In this state, the warped portion 206 does not reach the edge 108 on the front side of the upper plate 104. At this time, the extension tray 180 is disposed at the second position. In this state, since the protruding piece 160 is engaged with the engaged portion 187, sliding forward from the second position is restricted.

  When the user pushes the front end of the stopper 200, the expansion tray 180 slides smoothly from the second position to the rear with almost no load. After that, when the extension tray 180 reaches the third position shown in FIG. 12, the elastic piece 189 and the rib 164 come into contact with each other, so that the elastic piece 189 receives a load. In this state, the warped portion 206 enters the storage space 151 side from the front edge 108 of the upper plate 104. Therefore, even if a part of the force applied during the pressing operation by the user acts in the direction in which the stopper 200 is rotated (the direction of the arrow 212) in the third position, the stopper 200 does not rotate.

  When the extension tray 180 is further pushed backward from the third position, the extension tray 180 slides backward while receiving a load. While receiving a load from the elastic piece 189, the expansion tray 180 tries to stop at the slid position.

  When the extension tray 180 is further slid rearward and disposed at the first position (see FIG. 13A), the head 190 of the elastic piece 189 is guided by the inclined surface 164b and enters the retreat space 170. Thereby, the elastic piece 189 is not bent and returned to its original state. Therefore, the expansion tray 180 does not receive a load in the first position. When the extension tray 180 is pulled forward from the first position, the extension tray 180 cannot be pulled out unless a force greater than the load applied when the elastic piece 189 rides on the inclined surface 164 is applied. That is, when the head 190 of the elastic piece 189 enters the retreat space 170, the expansion tray 180 is held in the first position.

  Here, when the expansion tray 180 is stored in the storage space 151 from the second position in the lying posture shown in FIG. 11, the warped portion 206 extends from the front end 108 of the upper plate 104 to the storage space 151 side. Consider how the stopper 200 moves when the expansion tray 180 receives a load from the elastic piece 189 before entering.

  As described above, until the expansion tray 180 receives a load from the elastic piece 189, the expansion tray 180 can slide with almost no load. Therefore, the user can slide the expansion tray 180 backward from the second position only by pushing the front end of the stopper 200 with an extremely small force. When pushing the front end of the stopper 200, a part of the applied force is rotated in the direction in which the stopper 200 is rotated, specifically in the direction of the arrow 212 (see FIG. 10, opposite to the arrow 211). ) May be affected. However, when the front end of the stopper 200 is pushed with an extremely small force, the force acting in the direction of the arrow 212 is smaller, so the stopper 200 does not rotate in the direction of the arrow 212.

  On the other hand, when the expansion tray 180 receives a load from the elastic piece 189, the user applies a force stronger than the force initially applied against the load to slide the expansion tray 180. Must be added to. In this case, the force acting in the direction of the arrow 212 also increases. Therefore, when the user applies a strong force against the load to the front end of the stopper 200, the warped portion 206 does not enter the storage space 151 side from the end portion 108 of the upper plate 104. A force that can be rotated in the direction acts on the stopper 200. As a result, the stopper 200 rotates in the direction of the arrow 212, and the stopper 200 is displaced from the lying posture (see FIG. 11) to the tilting posture (see FIG. 10). Then, the extension tray 180 cannot be stored in the storage space 151 as it is, and the user has to pull out the stopper 200 to the second position again and then rotate the stopper 200 in the direction of the arrow 211. This will increase the time and effort. Thereafter, the user slides the expansion tray 180 again toward the storage space 151 while taking care not to rotate the stopper 200 in the direction of the arrow 212 (see FIG. 10).

  However, in the supply tray 15 of the present embodiment, when the extension tray 180 slides to the third position that receives a load from the elastic piece 189, the warped portion 206 of the stopper 200 is already stored from the front end 108 of the upper plate 104. It has entered the space 151 side. That is, the warped portion 206 enters the storage space 151 side from the end portion 108 before receiving a load from the elastic piece 189. Therefore, even when a force capable of rotating the stopper 200 in the direction of the arrow 212 is applied when the expansion tray 180 is in the third position, the stopper 200 is prevented from rotating. Does not rotate. As a result, the user can comfortably insert and remove the expansion tray 180 without taking the above-described troublesome work.

  Note that when the expansion tray 180 is stored in the storage space 151 of the holding unit 103, the expansion tray 180 may be bent and the rear end of the expansion tray 180 may come into contact with the upper end of the rear guide 17. In this case, when the rear guide 17 is pushed rearward, the front end portion of the recording medium stored in the lower tray 30 may be deformed or damaged. Further, the rear guide 17 may be pushed rearward to change its position. When the position of the rear guide 17 is changed to the rear, the rear end of the recording medium enters the transport path 5 and a jam may occur during the recording medium supply operation. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the guide surface 19 is provided at the upper end of the rear guide 17, the rear end portion of the expansion tray 180 is guided upward by the guide surface 19. At this time, since the force to push the rear guide 17 backward is dispersed, the recording medium is prevented from being damaged or jammed.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the sheet feeding cassette 15 configured as described above, when the expansion tray 180 is stored in the storage space 151 of the holding unit 103, when the front end portion of the stopper 200 is pushed, the expansion tray 180 is moved to the second position. Can be smoothly slid to the third position. At this time, even if a force is applied in the direction in which the stopper 200 is rotated, the warping portion 206 enters the accommodating space 151 when the third position is reached, so that the stopper 200 does not rotate. Therefore, the expansion tray 180 can be easily stored in the storage space 151 without rotating the stopper 200.

  In addition, since the load is always applied to the expansion tray 180 until it moves from the third position to the first position, the posture of the expansion tray 180 with respect to the holding unit 103 can be maintained in the range from the third position to the first position. . In particular, when the expansion tray 180 is disposed at the first position, the head 190 of the elastic piece 189 enters the retreat space 170, so that the state where the expansion tray 180 is at the first position can be more reliably maintained.

  In the embodiment described above, in the mechanism for supporting the expansion tray 180, the rail 183 is provided in the tray main body 181 and the sliding groove 158 is provided in the partition walls 153 and 154. However, the rail 183 is provided in the partition walls 153 and 154. A support mechanism may be provided in which the slide groove 158 is provided in the tray body 181. Similarly, the elastic piece 189 may be provided on the partition walls 153 and 154, and the rib 164 may be provided on the tray main body 181.

  In the above-described embodiment, the elastic piece 189 formed integrally with the tray body 181 is used. Instead of such an elastic piece 189, a spring member such as a coil spring or a leaf spring, or rubber, etc. Any member may be used as long as it has elasticity.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the load is applied to the expansion tray 180 from the third position to the first position. However, even if the load is applied to the expansion tray 180 at least in the third position, the expansion tray 180 is extended. The stopper 200 can be prevented from rotating when the tray 180 is stored.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper feed cassette 15 is pulled out from the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-sectional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the paper feed cassette 15 and shows a state in which the upper tray 40 is disposed at the first supply position where the recording medium can be supplied from the lower tray 30. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the paper feed cassette 15, and shows a state in which the upper tray 40 is arranged at the second supply position where the recording medium can be supplied from the upper tray 40. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the back side of the upper tray 40. FIG. 7 is an enlarged detailed view of a main part VII in FIG. 8A and 8B are perspective views showing the configuration of the extension tray 180. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the stopper 200 is in a lying posture, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the stopper 200 is in a tilted posture. Has been. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the extension tray 180. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the extension tray 180 is pulled out to the second position and the stopper 200 is in a tilted posture. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view showing a state where the extension tray 180 is pulled out to the second position and the stopper 200 is in the lying posture. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the extension tray 180 is pushed to the third position in a state where the stopper 200 is in the tilting posture. FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the front side of the paper feed cassette 15. FIG. 13 (A) shows a state in which the expansion tray is arranged at the third position, and FIG. A state in which 180 is arranged at the first position is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus 15 ... Paper feed cassette 30 ... Lower tray 40 ... Upper tray 45 ... Sliding plate 48 ... Holding surface 50 ... Supply unit 60 ... Supply Roller 66... Discharge roller 70... Image recording unit 101... Storage unit 103 .. holding unit 151 .. storage space 164. 183... Rail 189... Elastic piece 193... Upper surface 200... Stopper 202.

Claims (8)

A sheet holding tray for holding discharged sheets,
A main tray having a first holding surface for holding a sheet;
A sub-tray disposed at a first end of the main tray on the sheet discharge direction side and having a second holding surface;
The sub-tray is provided between a first position provided on the back surface of the first holding surface and the sub-tray being housed on the back surface side of the first holding surface and a second position where the second holding surface is exposed to the outside. A slidably supporting support mechanism;
A support shaft provided at a second end portion of the sub-tray on the discharge side of the sheet, and provided in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sub-tray and along the second holding surface;
A pivot member provided so as to be pivotable about the support shaft, and being displaced between a lying posture that lies down on the second holding surface and a tilted posture that is tilted with respect to the second holding surface;
The support mechanism is
When the rotating member is in the lying position, the sub-tray is loosely fitted between the third position and the second position where the rotating end of the rotating member reaches the back side of the first holding surface. A first support part supported by
A sheet holding tray including a load supply unit that applies a load in the sliding direction to the sub-tray at least in the three positions. The load supply unit is
An elastic member provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray and elastically bent in a predetermined direction;
2. The sheet holding tray according to claim 1, further comprising: an abutting portion that is provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray and that abuts against the elastic member at least in the third position to deflect the elastic member.   The sheet holding tray according to claim 2, wherein the abutting portion abuts on the elastic member to bend the elastic member while the sub-tray slides between the third position and the first position.   And a retracting portion that is provided at a position corresponding to the first position in either the main tray or the subtray and that retracts the elastic member to release the load when the subtray is in the first position. Item 4. The sheet holding tray according to Item 3. The first support part is
Rails provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray;
The sheet holding tray according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a rail groove that is provided on either the main tray or the sub-tray and loosely fits the rail.   The sheet holding tray according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a handle provided at a rotation base end of the rotation member for operating the sub-tray in a sliding direction.   The sheet holding tray according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a restriction mechanism that engages the main tray and the sub-tray at the second position to restrict sliding of the sub-tray. A sheet holding tray according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a discharge unit configured to discharge a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit to the sheet holding tray.

Images