JPS5822224A - Sheet cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize the mounting size of a sheet cassette for a copying machine, by dividing the cassette into two sections which are pivotably connected together so that the two sections are tiltable with respect to each other and therefore, the cassette is folded back after it is loaded on a sheet disposing device. CONSTITUTION:Recording sheets 34 are inserted through a first sheet holding member 30 as indicated by the arrow A1, and is passed below a cylindrical member 33 so that the sheets 34 are charged. One end of the recording sheets 34 is aligned with a lateral end of a projecting piece 30a and then, the first holding member 30 is set on a copying machine which is not shown. Next, a second holding member 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A2. Thereby, the recording sheets 34 are folded back around a cylindrical member 33 so that stopper arms 30c1, 30c2 abut against an angle setting abutment surface 31a of a second supporting member 31 and are retained in this folded-back position. With this arrangement, the sheet cassette may be loaded on the copying machine, having an occupied area smaller than the size of the sheets encased in the cassette, thereby the reduction in the mounting size of the cassette may be aimed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to paper or a sheet-like material equivalent or similar thereto (
The present invention relates to a sheet cassette that stores sheets (hereinafter referred to as sheets) and positions the stored sheets.

Paper feeding cassettes for sheet processing devices such as copying machines, printers, facsimile machines, etc. are boxes with open tops or with hanging tops that can be opened and closed, and are slightly larger than the sheet 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 the size of 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 cassette containing a large sized cassette has a large protruding length from the other copying machines, and a large play space must be provided around the copying machine. In addition, the cassette must be made sturdy because it is impossible to mount the cassette on a sorter and the bending moment applied to the cassette is large.

The first object of the present invention is to provide a hanging sheet cassette that can be attached to a sheet processing device and whose spread is smaller than the size of the storage sheet. To provide a sheet cassette which can be additionally and compactly set on the sheet of the cassette.

In order to achieve the object described in F, the present invention has a structure in which the cassette is divided into at least two sections, which are pivotally connected to each other so as to tilt and hang, and after the sheet supply section is attached to the sheet processing device, the remaining section is folded back and hung. shall be.

FIG. 1 shows an external appearance of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a side view thereof. In this example, the first sheet support 3
0 has a roughly flat plate shape, and has a protruding piece 30a for positioning the cassette with respect to the copying machine at one end, and pivot arms 30b, 30b2 and stopper arms 30c, 30c2, which stand upright with respect to the flat plate surface, at the other end. has been done. The second seat support 31 is a book case-shaped box, and its open end is pivotally connected to the pivot arms 30b, 30b2 of the first seat support 30 by a shaft 32. Axle rod 32
passes through a cylindrical body 33 having an inner diameter larger than its outer diameter, and the cylindrical body 33 freely rotates.

There is a space between the cylindrical body 33 and the upper surface of the first sheet support 30 into which a predetermined amount of recording paper can be inserted.
4 has one end connected to the support body 30-cylindrical body 3 as shown by arrow A1.
3 into the second support body 31. Place one end of the recording paper 34 on the protruding piece 30a side end of the support 30 (align the two ends), set the first support 30 in the copying machine, and then move the second support 31 in the direction of arrow A2 shown in FIG. Rotate.

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.
are the stopper arms 30C, 130c of the first support body 30
2 and is supported by the first support body.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the above-mentioned sheet cassette is mounted on the paper feed tray of a certain type of copying machine. In this copying machine, recording paper trays la and lb are supported so that they can be pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and a recording paper tray 2 is provided inside the tray.
a and 2b are stored. Trays la and lb are equipped with motors 3a and 3b for driving the recording paper table up and down and wire guide rollers 4a and 4b4, and the rotation of these wire guide rollers and motors Wires 5a, 5 are connected to pulleys 5a, 5b connected to the shaft.
b is stretched, and the wires 5a and 5b are connected at two points (7a, 7a
2), (7b1, 7b,) are fixed to the recording paper bases 2a, 2b. As a result, when the motors 3a, 3b are energized to rotate in the normal direction, the platforms 2a, 2b are raised by 11, and when the motors 3a, 3b are energized in the reverse direction, the platforms 2a, 2b are lowered.

The first light shielding plate 8a H*' is installed on the stand 2a + 2b.
8b+ is fixed, and the first photosensor (light emitting diode and phototransistor) 9a, +982 is in such a relationship that the light path is blocked by the light shielding plates 13a, 8b when the stand 2a12b is at the lower limit position. It is located. Photo sensor 9a.

9b detects the light-shielding plate 8''1+8bl, the motors 3a and 3b are stopped from reversing.The paper feed rollers 10a and 10b that feed the recording paper are pivotally attached to a rotating arm. Second light-shielding plates 8a2 and 8b2 are fixed, and the rollers 10a and 8b2 are the ones on the top of the recording paper.
When 1ob is pushed up and the uppermost recording paper is at the paper feeding position, the light path is blocked by the light shielding plates 8a2 and 8b2 (second photosensors (light emitting diodes and phototransistors) 9a2 and 9b2 are arranged). When the photosensors 9a2, 9b2 detect the light shielding plates 8a2+8b2, the normal rotation of the motors 3a+3b is stopped.Rotary encoders 3a, 3 are attached to the rotation axes of the motors 3a, 3b.
b is fixed, and the generated pulse is given to the motor control unit. A reset switch is connected to the motor control unit, and when this reset switch is closed, the motor control unit reverses the motors 3a and 3b. When the photosensors 9a, 9b detect the light shielding plates 8al+8a2, the reverse biasing is stopped.In this state, open the front cover of the copying machine, pull out the desired tray la, and insert additional cassettes) (30 , 31) is unnecessary, remove it,
Wear it 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.

Push the tray 1a into the copying machine and close the front cover.

When the front cover is closed and the reset switch is opened, the motor control unit starts driving the platforms 2a and 2b upward, and when the photosensors 9a, 9b no longer detect the light shielding plates 8a, 8a2, the set amount is increased. is displayed on the remaining sheet count display,
Thereafter, each time the encoders 26a and 26b emit one pulse, the predetermined amount is subtracted from the remaining display value and the remaining value is updated and displayed, and the photosensors 9a2 and 9b2 detect the light shielding plate 8a2.
．． 8 When b2 is detected, the motor is stopped. After that, every time the photosensors 9a2, 9b2 do not detect the light shielding plates 3a, 3b2, the light shielding plates 2a+2
Increase b. As a result, the paper feed rollers 10a, 10
Recording paper is constantly pushed back to b.

In the state shown in FIG. 3, when the paper feed roller 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 120. At this time, the recording paper 34 set on the first and second supports 30.
Only the top paper that is further away or pulled by rollers 10a contacts the cylinder 33 and causes it to rotate. This reduces the resistance to feeding out the recording paper. Reference numeral 13 denotes an automatic document feeder, whereby the image of the document set on the contact glass plate 14k is transferred to an illumination light source 15. Mirror 161-1
64. The light is projected onto the drum 12 by an optical system such as a lens 17. A charge is formed on the drum surface by a charger 18, and this is exposed to 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 to the paper guide 22 and then reversed and sent to the intermediate tray 23.

24 is an erase lamp, and 25 is a cleaning blade. 27a, 27b are additional force cera) (30, 31
), and when this detector detects the attachment of a cassette, the copying process is set to the long recording paper copying cycle.

As shown in Fig. 3, the cassette of the present invention can be folded when installed in the copying machine, so the length of the cassette is much shorter than the length of the recording paper size, making it possible to make the copying machine more compact and to shorten the cassette protrusion. .

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the first support 3'0 is a substantially flat plate and is placed on the recording paper already installed in the copying machine or on the recording paper mounting table. When the target is a copying machine using a box-shaped cassette, the first support 3
0 is also shaped like a book case and its opening is connected to the second support body 31.
The second supporting member is pivotally connected to the second supporting member so as to face the first supporting member, and a window for feeding out the paper is formed on the other end surface of the first supporting member. Furthermore, although the above embodiment is folded in two, the bottom wall of the second support body 31 facing the opening is removed and a third support body having the same shape as the second support body 31 is inserted therein. It may be folded in three or more ways, such as when worn.

[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 30a: Projecting piece 30b,
30b2: Pivot arm 30C, 30C2: Stroke (Arm 31: Second support body 31a: Abutment surface 3
2: Axle rod 33: Cylinder 34: Recording paper

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A combination in which the first seat support body and the second seat support body are pivotally connected to each other so that they can tilt freely, and one support body is rotated and folded back with respect to the other support body about the axis of the pivot joint part. sheet cassette. (2) The sheet cassette according to claim 1, wherein a freely rotatable cylindrical or cylindrical rotary member is disposed at the folding portion across the sheet. (3) The first support has a flat plate shape, the second support has a bookcase-like box shape with one end open, and one end of the first support is connected to the opening of the second support. A sheet cassette according to claim 1, which is pivotally mounted. (4) The first support body stands up from the flat plate part and has a stopper arm that supports the second support body, as set forth in claim (1), (2), or (3). sheet cassette.