JP2008162704A - Sheet holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a sheet holding device capable of improving the operability of an apparatus when replacing a sheet placed on a sheet placing portion.
A multifunction device includes a paper feeding device. The sheet feeding device includes a tray body 12 and an expansion tray 13. A groove 84 is formed in the tray body 12. The extension tray 13 is slidable with respect to the tray body 12. The extension tray 13 is provided with a rear guide 140 that can slide on the extension tray 13. A rocker arm 125 is provided on the rear surface of the slide range of the rear guide 140. The rocker arm 125 performs a seesaw motion according to the slide position of the rear guide 125. When the claw 133 provided at the tip 130 of the rocker arm 125 is inserted into the groove 84, the expansion tray 13 is locked. When the rear guide 125 is slid to a predetermined position, the claw 133 is extracted from the groove 84 and the extension tray 13 is unlocked.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet holding device in which an extension tray is slidable with respect to a tray body.

  As an example of a sheet holding device applied to an image recording apparatus such as a printer, Patent Document 1 discloses a paper feed cassette. The sheet feeding cassette includes an extension tray that is slidable with respect to the tray body, a lock member that locks the extension tray with respect to the tray body, and a rear end restricting member that restricts the rear end of the sheet.

JP 2004-315230 A

  However, in the paper feed cassette disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, when a sheet having a size that cannot be placed on the tray body is placed, the extension tray is first unlocked by the lock member and then the extension tray is slid. And an operation of sliding the rear end regulating member after that. Therefore, the work of exchanging sheets is troublesome.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet holding device capable of improving the operability of the apparatus at the time of exchanging the sheet placed on the sheet placing portion.

  (1) The present invention provides a sheet placement portion in which an extension tray is slidably provided with respect to the tray body, a first lock mechanism that locks the extension tray with respect to the tray body, and the sheet placement. A slide member having a contact surface that is slidably provided at a portion and abutted against a rear end of the sheet placed on the sheet placement portion, and the slide member slides to a predetermined position of the sheet placement portion. The sheet holding device includes a lock release mechanism that releases the lock by the first lock mechanism in response to the operation.

  As a result, the expansion tray is unlocked simply by sliding the slide member to a predetermined position on the sheet placement portion. Then, by further sliding the slide member in the unlocked state, the expansion tray is slid in conjunction with the slide member. That is, the slide of the slide member and the slide of the expansion tray are performed by a series of operations.

  (2) The first lock mechanism includes a claw, a groove formed in the tray body and into which the claw is inserted and removed, and a biasing member that urges the claw in a direction in which the claw is inserted into the groove. The unlocking mechanism is provided on the receiving member pressed by the sliding member and the sliding member, and the receiving member resists the urging force of the urging member when the sliding member is slid to the predetermined position. A pressing portion that presses the portion. The sheet holding device includes an arm member supported by the expansion tray so as to be able to perform a seesaw motion. The arm member is provided with the claw at a first end thereof and the receiving portion at a second end opposite to the first end. Accordingly, the first lock mechanism and the lock release mechanism are realized with a simple configuration.

(3) A plurality of the grooves are provided along the sliding direction of the extension tray.
As a result, the extension tray can be fixed at a plurality of positions in the sliding direction.

(4) The groove is provided at a position corresponding to the specified size.
Thereby, an expansion tray can be easily fixed to the position of a regulation size.

(5) The sheet holding device further includes a second lock mechanism that locks the slide member with respect to the extension tray at the predetermined position.
Accordingly, when the slide member is moved in a direction in which the expansion tray is accommodated in the tray body, the expansion tray is also slid in the same direction so as to be pulled by the slide member. Therefore, in a state where the sheet placement portion is expanded, for example, when a postcard-sized sheet is placed, the restriction of the rear end of the sheet and the accommodation of the expansion tray are performed simply by sliding the slide member. It is done by the operation.

  (6) The second lock mechanism includes a recess formed at a location corresponding to the predetermined position on the extension tray, and a protrusion provided on the slide member and inserted into the recess. What has been considered.

(7) The expansion tray is provided with a restriction surface for restricting a rear end of the sheet placed on the sheet placement portion, and the restriction surface is provided when the slide member is slid to the predetermined position. An accommodating portion for accommodating the slide member is formed.
Thereby, when the slide member is slid to the predetermined position, the slide member is accommodated in the accommodating portion, and the trailing edge of the sheet is regulated by the regulation surface of the expansion tray. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire sheet placing portion in a state where the extension tray is pulled out.

  According to this sheet holding device, when a sheet of a size that cannot be placed on the tray body is placed on the sheet placing portion, the expansion tray is unlocked simply by sliding the slide member to a predetermined position on the sheet placing portion. Is done. Then, by further sliding the slide member in the unlocked state, the expansion tray slides in conjunction with the slide member. That is, the slide of the slide member and the slide of the expansion tray are performed by a series of operations. Thereby, the operability of the sheet holding device is improved.

  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.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-function device 1 is a multi-function device (MFD: Multi Function Device) that integrally includes a printer unit 2 and a scanner unit 3, and has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 has a wide and thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped outer shape having a width and depth larger than the height. The upper part of the multifunction device 1 is a scanner unit 3. The scanner unit 3 is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. As shown in the figure, a document cover 5 is provided as a top plate of the multifunction machine 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. A platen glass and an image sensor (not shown) are provided inside the main body below the document cover 5. The image of the document placed on the platen glass is read by an image sensor. In realizing the present invention, the scanner unit 3 has an arbitrary configuration, and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The lower part of the multifunction machine 1 is a printer unit 2. The printer unit 2 records an image or a document on a recording sheet based on the image data read by the scanner unit 3 or externally input print data. The printer unit 2 is provided with a paper feed cassette 7 which is an example of a sheet holding device. The recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 7 is fed into the printer unit 2 by the paper feed device 6. The printer unit 2 is provided with an image recording unit 24 (see FIG. 2) for performing image recording. The image recording unit 24 records a desired image on the recording paper conveyed from the paper feed cassette 7. The recording paper on which image recording has been performed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 14. The printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are based on an instruction signal input from the operation panel 4 provided at the upper front of the multifunction device 1 or an instruction signal transmitted from a computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver. Be operated.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the printer unit 2 and the paper feeding device 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit 2 of the multifunction machine 1. In FIG. 2, the housings of the scanner unit 3 and the multifunction device 1 are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feeding device 6 is mounted on the printer unit 2. The paper feeding device 6 includes a paper feeding cassette 7 and a paper feeding mechanism 33 roughly.

  An opening 10 is formed in the front of the printer unit 2. Inside the opening 10, a paper feed cassette 7 and a paper discharge tray 14 are disposed. The paper feed cassette 7 and the paper discharge tray 14 are arranged inside the opening 10 so as to be stacked stepwise in the vertical direction. The paper feed cassette 7 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body through the opening 10. A plurality of recording sheets are stored in the sheet feeding cassette 7. The configuration of the paper feed cassette 7 will be described in detail later.

  The paper feed mechanism 33 includes a paper feed roller 25, a drive transmission mechanism, and a swing arm 27 that supports them. Since the drive transmission mechanism is hidden by the swing arm 27, it is not shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a drive shaft 29 is provided above the paper feed cassette 7 in the width direction of the apparatus. The drive shaft 29 is rotatably supported by the main body frame of the multifunction machine 1. A motor (not shown) is connected to one end of the drive shaft 29. When the motor is rotationally driven, a rotational driving force (rotational torque) in a predetermined direction is transmitted to the drive shaft 29.

  The swing arm 27 is swingably supported on the drive shaft 29. The swing arm 27 extends from the drive shaft 29 to the back side of the apparatus (left side with respect to the paper surface of FIG. 2). A paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the swing arm 27. Specifically, a rotary shaft 26 is rotatably supported at the tip of the swing arm 27, and a paper feed roller 25 is fixed to the rotary shaft 26. Therefore, the paper feed roller 25 is supported on the upper side of the paper feed cassette 7 so as to come into contact with or separate from the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 7. FIG. 2 shows a state where the roller surface of the paper feed roller 25 is in contact with the sheet placement surface of the paper feed cassette 7. Of course, when a recording sheet is placed in the sheet feeding cassette 7, the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 contacts the upper surface of the recording sheet.

  The rotational driving force input to the drive shaft 29 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25 via a drive transmission mechanism. In the present embodiment, when the rotational driving force is transmitted from the motor, the paper feed roller 25 is rotated clockwise in FIG. When the rotational driving force is transmitted to the sheet feeding roller 25 in a state where the sheet feeding roller 25 is in contact with the recording sheet in the sheet feeding cassette 7, a frictional force is generated between the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 and the recording sheet. Will occur. This frictional force is applied to the recording paper as a force for conveying the recording paper. As a result, the recording paper is fed to the paper transport path 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction from the paper feed cassette 7. In this embodiment, a mechanism including a gear train provided between the drive shaft 29 and the paper feed roller 25 is employed as the drive transmission mechanism. Of course, you may employ | adopt the drive transmission mechanism comprised by the endless belt, the pulley, etc.

  The swing arm 27 is rotated with the drive shaft 29 as a fulcrum by the weight of the swing arm 27 itself and the weight of the paper feed roller 25 and the drive transmission mechanism. Then, the swing arm 27 stops at a position where the surface of the paper feed roller 25 contacts the recording paper in the paper feed cassette 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the swing arm 27 is inclined obliquely downward toward the back side of the apparatus (left side with respect to the paper surface of FIG. 2) with the paper feed roller 25 in contact with the recording paper in the paper feed cassette 7. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 2 is formed with a paper transport path 23 through which recording paper is transported. The sheet conveyance path 23 extends upward from the end of the sheet feeding cassette 7 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as “tip”), that is, in a direction bent toward the side where the sheet feeding roller 25 is disposed. It is installed. Specifically, the sheet conveyance path 23 is directed upward from the front end of the sheet feeding cassette 7 along the rear surface of the apparatus, and then passes through a curved portion 17 formed in a curved shape to the front side of the apparatus (the right side in FIG. 2). And through the image recording unit 24 to the opening 10 at the front of the apparatus. Accordingly, the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette 7 to the paper transport path 23 by the paper feed roller 12 is guided by the paper transport path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side, and reaches the image recording unit 24. After image recording is performed by the recording unit 24, the image is discharged to the paper discharge tray 14.

  The sheet conveyance path 23 is configured by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval, except for a portion where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the curved portion 17 of the sheet conveyance path 23 on the back side of the multifunction machine 1 is configured by fixing an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 to the apparatus frame. When the recording paper is conveyed to the bending portion 17, the recording paper is bent into a curved shape along the bending portion 17.

  An image recording unit 24 is provided in a portion of the paper conveyance path 23 that extends from the end of the bending portion 17 to the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The image recording unit 24 includes a carriage 38. The carriage 38 is equipped with an ink jet recording head 39. Guide rails 43 and 44 are extended in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction. The carriage 38 is supported on the guide rails 43 and 44 so as to be able to reciprocate in the main scanning direction. The ink jet recording head 39 is supplied with ink of each color through an ink tube 41 from an ink cartridge (not shown) disposed in the multifunction device 1. While the carriage 38 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected from the ink jet recording head 39 as minute ink droplets. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of transport rollers 46 and a pinch roller are provided on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24 in the transport direction. Since this pinch roller is hidden by other members, it is not shown in FIG. The pinch roller is disposed below the transport roller 46 and in pressure contact with the transport roller 46. The transport roller 46 and the pinch roller sandwich the recording paper transported through the paper transport path 23 and transport it onto the platen 42. A pair of paper discharge rollers 48 and a spur roller 49 are provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the image recording unit 24. The paper discharge roller 48 and the spur roller 49 convey the recorded recording paper to the opening 10 while pinching it. The transport roller 46 and the paper discharge roller 48 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width by receiving a rotational driving force from a motor (not shown).

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the paper feed cassette 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. 3 to 5 are perspective views showing the external configuration of the paper feed cassette 7. FIG. 3 shows a state where the extension tray 13 is removed from the tray body 12. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 is accommodated in the tray body 12. FIG. 5 shows a state where the extension tray 13 is pulled out from the tray body 12 to the maximum extent. 6 to 8 are longitudinal sectional views of the paper feed cassette 7. FIG. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 accommodated in the tray body 12 is locked to the tray body 12. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the lock between the extension tray 13 and the tray body 12 is released. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 pulled out to the maximum from the tray body 12 is locked to the tray body 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the paper feed cassette 7 includes a tray body 12 and an expansion tray 13. As will be described later, the extension tray 13 is configured to be slidable with respect to the tray body 12. As the expansion tray 13 is slid as necessary, the sheet placement surface of the paper feed cassette 7 is expanded or contracted. In the present embodiment, the maximum size that can be placed varies in the range from A4 size to A3 size according to the position of the expansion tray 13. Of course, by changing the slide range of the extension tray 13 and the width dimension of the paper feed cassette 7, it is possible to appropriately change the size of the recording paper that can be placed.

  Hereinafter, the tray body 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the tray body 12 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the direction in which the recording paper is fed (the direction indicated by the arrow 59, hereinafter referred to as “feeding direction”). An inclined plate 54 is provided at the tip 51 of the tray body 12. The inclined plate 54 is made of a plate-like member that is long in the width direction of the tray main body 12 (direction orthogonal to the feeding direction). The inclined plate 54 is inclined to the back side of the apparatus. Therefore, when the leading edge of the recording sheet comes into contact with the inclined plate 54, the leading edge is guided obliquely upward along the inner surface 55 of the inclined plate 54. In other words, the inner surface 55 serves as a guide surface for guiding the recording sheet to the sheet conveyance path 23.

  A separating member 57 is provided on the inner side surface 55 of the inclined plate 54. The separation member 57 is disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the inclined plate 54 on the inner side surface 55. The separating member 57 is formed by arranging a plurality of teeth protruding from the inner side surface 55 in the inclined direction of the inclined plate 54. When a plurality of recording sheets are fed in a stacked state and the leading edge of the sheet bundle comes into contact with the inner surface 55, the leading edge of the sheet bundle is rolled by the separating member 57. At that time, the teeth of the separating member 57 enter between the recording sheets and a gap is formed between the recording sheets. As a result, the recording paper is easily separated, and only the uppermost recording paper is reliably separated from the lower recording paper in combination with the force applied to the recording paper from the paper feed roller 25 during feeding. The

  Two rotating rollers 56 are rotatably provided on the inner surface 55. The rotary rollers 56 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the inclined plate 54 so as to sandwich the separating member 57. The rotary roller 56 is provided such that its roller surface is exposed from the inner surface 55. The rotating roller 56 reduces the conveyance friction applied to the recording paper.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a pair of side guides 70 is provided on the tray body 12. The side guide 70 is slidable in the width direction of the tray body 12. The side guide 70 regulates the position in the width direction of the recording paper placed on the paper feed cassette 7. More specifically, the position in the width direction of the recording sheet placed on the sheet feeding cassette 7 is regulated so as to be substantially coincident with a predetermined reference position (in this embodiment, the center in the width direction of the sheet feeding tray). Is. In this way, restricting the recording sheet so that the center position in the width direction of the recording sheet coincides with the reference position is generally called a center register. 3 to 5 show a state in which the side guide 70 has been moved to the end of the tray body 12 in the width direction.

  The side guide 70 includes an L-shaped member 73 formed in an approximately L shape, and a rack gear 76 that extends from the L-shaped member 73 toward the center in the width direction. The L-shaped member 73 includes a bottom plate 74 along the upper surface 53 of the tray main body 12 and a guide plate 75 erected from an end portion on the outer side in the width direction of the bottom plate 74. The rack gear 76 extends from the bottom plate 74 toward the center in the width direction. Each rack gear 76 is meshed with a pinion gear 77 embedded in the center of the tray body 12 in the width direction. By configuring the side guide 70 in this way, when one of the two side guides 70 is slid, the other is slid in the opposite direction in conjunction with each other. Therefore, when the width of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 12 is shorter than the separation distance of the side guides 70, the two side guides 70 are moved simultaneously by sliding one of the side guides 70, The inner side surface 72 (corresponding to the guide surface of the present invention) of each guide plate 75 is brought into contact with the side of the recording paper. As a result, the central position in the width direction of the recording paper substantially matches the reference position. The mechanism for interlocking the side guide 70 is not limited to the mechanism configured by the rack gear 76 and the pinion gear 77.

  The tray body 12 is provided with a side end guide 60. The side end guides 60 are provided at both ends of the tray body 12 in the width direction (hereinafter referred to as “side ends”). The side end guide 60 stands vertically upward from the upper surface 53 of the tray body 12 at the side end. As shown in FIG. 3, the side end guide 60 has a guide groove 61 having a reverse U-shaped cross section. The guide groove 61 is for restricting the sliding direction of the extension tray 13 in the recording paper feeding direction (the direction of the arrow 59). The rail 114 of the extension tray 13 is inserted into the guide groove 61. The rail 114 will be described later.

  A recess 80 is formed in the tray body 12. The concave portion 80 is provided at the center in the width direction of the tray body 12 and extends from the vicinity of the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the tray body 12 to an end portion (hereinafter referred to as “rear end”) 52 on the upstream side in the feeding direction. Has been. The rear end 81 of the recess 80 protrudes from the rear end 52 of the tray body 12. The protruding rear end portion 81 is inserted into the recessed portion 121 of the extension tray 13. The recessed portion 121 will be described later.

  The recess 80 is formed in a long rectangular shape along the longitudinal direction of the tray body 12. A groove 86 is provided on the bottom surface 83 of the recess 80. The groove part 86 includes a plurality of shallow grooves 84. In the groove portion 86, the plurality of grooves 84 are formed in a state of being arranged along the longitudinal direction of the recess 80. The groove 84 is formed such that its longitudinal direction is the width direction of the recess 80. This groove 84 constitutes the first locking mechanism of the present invention together with the claw 133 (see FIG. 6). The extension tray 13 is locked with respect to the tray body 12 by inserting the claw 133 into the groove 84. Thereby, the slide of the extension tray 13 with respect to the tray main body 12 is stopped. On the other hand, when the claw 133 is removed from the groove 84, the lock of the expansion tray 13 is released, and the expansion tray 13 can be slid. The claw 133 will be described later.

  The recess 80 is provided with two rails 87. The rail 87 is erected in the vertical direction from the bottom surface 83. The rail 87 is provided over the entire longitudinal direction of the recess 80. By inserting the rail 87 into the guide groove 108 of the extension tray 13, the sliding direction of the extension tray 13 is restricted to the recording paper feeding direction (the direction of the arrow 59).

  Three through holes 90, 91, 92 are formed in the upper surface 53 of the tray body 12. The through hole 90 is provided between one side end guide 60 and the recess 80. Further, the through holes 91 and 92 are provided on the outer sides of both end portions in the width direction of the recess 80. The through hole 90 is a viewing hole for visually recognizing the name of the paper size written on the upper surface 103 of the extension tray 13 from the upper surface 53. Projecting pieces 116 and 117 formed on the upper surface 103 of the extension tray 13 are inserted into the through holes 91 and 92. The effect of providing the through holes 90, 91, 92 will be described later.

  Hereinafter, the extension tray 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the expansion tray 13 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the feeding direction (the direction of the arrow 59). The rear end portion 112 of the extension tray 13 has an inner wall surface 113 formed perpendicularly from the upper surface of the extension tray 13. The rear end portion 112 is provided with a recessed portion 121. The recessed portion 121 is provided in the center of the inner wall surface 113 in the width direction. The recessed portion 121 is formed in a recessed shape on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the inner wall surface 113. A rear guide 140 (an example of the slide member of the present invention), which will be described later, is accommodated in the recessed portion 121.

  At both ends in the width direction of the extension tray 13, rails 114 are provided that constitute wall surfaces in the width direction and are inserted into the guide grooves 61 of the tray body 12. The rail 114 is provided from the front end 101 of the extension tray 13 to the inner wall surface 113. The rail 114 is formed in a position and shape that can be inserted into the guide groove 61.

  The expansion tray 13 has an upper insertion portion 104 and a lower insertion portion 105. The upper insertion portion 104 is provided in the center of the extension tray main body 12 in the width direction, and is provided from the front end 101 of the extension tray 13 to the rear wall 122 of the recessed portion 121. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper insertion portion 104 is a portion that is inserted so as to cover the upper side of the concave portion 80 of the tray body 12. Therefore, the upper insertion portion 104 is formed in a position and shape corresponding to the recess 80.

  Two guide grooves 108 are formed on the back surface of the upper insertion portion 104 along the longitudinal direction of the extension tray 13. The rail 87 of the tray body 12 is inserted into the guide groove 108. Therefore, the guide groove 108 is provided at a position corresponding to the rail 87. A rocker arm 125 (an example of the arm member of the present invention, see FIG. 6) is attached to the lower surface of the upper insertion portion 104. The rocker arm 125 will be described later.

  At the center in the width direction of the upper insertion portion 104, a slit 110 is formed over the entire length direction. The upper insertion portion 104 is provided with a rear guide 140 so as to be slidable along the slit 110. Therefore, the rear guide 140 can slide in the range from the front end 101 to the rear wall 122 of the recessed portion 121. The rear guide 140 is moved along the slit 110 to move in the same direction as the direction in which the expansion tray 13 slides with respect to the tray body 12. The rear guide 140, together with the receiving portion 136, constitutes the lock release mechanism of the present invention. When the receiving portion 136 is pressed by the rear guide 140, the extension tray 13 is unlocked from the tray body 12, and the extension tray 13 can be slid. Further, when the pressing by the rear guide 140 is released, the extension tray 13 is locked with respect to the tray body 12, and the slide of the extension tray 13 is stopped. The rear guide 140 and the receiving portion 136 will be described later.

  A through hole 120 (an example of a recess according to the present invention, see FIG. 6) is formed at the rear end of the upper insertion portion 104. Specifically, the through hole 120 is formed at the rear end of the upper insertion portion 104 extending in the recessed portion 121. A protrusion 148 (an example of the protrusion of the present invention, see FIG. 6) provided on the bottom surface of the rear guide 140 is inserted into the through hole 120. The through hole 120 is formed long in the longitudinal direction of the upper insertion portion 104. The projection 148 and the through hole 120 constitute a second locking mechanism of the present invention. In addition, the effect | action by providing the protrusion 148 and the through-hole 120 is mentioned later.

  Of the upper surface 103 of the extension tray 13, a portion excluding the upper insertion portion 104 is a lower insertion portion 105. That is, the lower insertion part 105 is provided outside the both ends of the upper insertion part 104 in the width direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower insertion portion 105 is a portion that is inserted so as to sink into the lower surface side of the tray body 12. A slit 111 is formed at the boundary between the upper insertion portion 104 and the lower insertion portion 105. The slit 111 extends in the same direction as the extending direction of the slit 110 and is formed in substantially the same shape as the slit 100. The upper insertion portion 104 and the lower insertion portion 105 are separated in the width direction by the slit 111. Thus, when the expansion tray 13 is attached to the tray body 12, the upper insertion portion 104 is inserted so as to be exposed on the upper surface 53 side of the tray body 12, and the lower insertion portion 105 is inserted into the lower surface side of the tray body 12. So that it can be inserted.

  On the upper surface of the lower insertion portion 105, names of various specified sizes (for example, postcard size, A4 size, A3 size, etc.) are written at locations corresponding to the through holes 90. The names of these various prescribed sizes are written at positions where the designations of the prescribed sizes can be viewed from the through hole 90 when the rear guide 140 is moved to a position corresponding to the rear end of the prescribed size. In addition, in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the names of the above-mentioned various prescribed sizes are omitted and are not shown.

  The lower insertion portion 105 is provided with two projecting pieces 116 and 117. The protruding pieces 116 and 117 are provided on the distal end 101 side of the lower insertion portion 105. Each of the protruding pieces 116 and 117 has an inclined surface 118 formed at a corner on the tip 101 side. The inclined surface 118 is inclined downward toward the feeding direction. The inclined surface 118 is formed, for example, by chamfering the corner portion. The corner on the rear end side is not chamfered and is formed at a right angle. The protrusions 116 and 117 are placed at a position (see FIG. 5) where the extension tray 13 is pulled out from the state in which the extension tray 13 is accommodated in the tray body 12 (see FIG. 4) and A3 size recording paper can be placed. It is a member for stopping further withdrawal when it reaches. When the extension tray 13 reaches the position shown in FIG. 5, the protruding piece 116 is inserted into the through hole 91 and the protruding piece 117 is inserted into the through hole 92. As a result, the rear ends of the protruding pieces 116 and 117 are hooked on the peripheral edges of the through holes 91 and 92, and further drawing is stopped. When the extension tray 13 is slid from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the downstream side in the feeding direction, the peripheral surfaces of the through holes 91 and 92 are guided by the inclined surface 118, and the protrusions 116 and 117 are inserted into the through holes 91. , 92. Therefore, the slide of the extension tray 13 to the downstream side in the feeding direction is not stopped.

  Next, the rocker arm 125 and the rear guide 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 are enlarged views of the vicinity of the tip 130 of the rocker arm 125 (corresponding to the first end of the present invention), and the D2 detailed view of the rocker arm 125 is shown in the detailed view of the D2 portion. An enlarged view of the support portion 132 is shown, and a detailed view of the D3 portion shows an enlarged view around the rear end 131 (corresponding to the second end of the present invention) of the rocker arm 125 and the rear guide 140. .

  The rocker arm 125 has a long shape in the longitudinal direction of the expansion tray 13 as shown in FIGS. The rocker arm 125 is made of a steel material such as stainless steel or carbon steel. Of course, it may be made of a synthetic resin or the like, but is preferably made of a resin having relatively low flexibility.

  A bearing 127 for supporting the rocker arm 125 is provided on the lower surface of the upper insertion portion 104. The bearing 127 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the upper insertion portion 104. The rocker arm 125 is provided with a shaft 129 slightly on the rear end 131 side from the center in the longitudinal direction. This shaft 129 is rotatably supported by a bearing 127. Accordingly, when the rear end 131 of the rocker arm 125 is moved upward, the rocker arm 125 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 6 about the shaft 129, and the tip 130 moves downward. On the other hand, when the front end 130 of the rocker arm 125 is moved upward, the rocker arm 125 is rotated about the shaft 129 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6 and the rear end 131 moves downward. That is, the rocker arm 125 is supported on the lower surface of the upper insertion portion 104 so as to allow seesaw motion.

  A claw 133 to be inserted into the groove 84 is formed at the tip 130 of the rocker arm 125. The claw 133 is formed in a bowl shape as shown in FIG. The claw 133 is formed integrally with the rocker arm 125, and is formed by bending and deforming the tip 130 downward at a substantially right angle. The claw 133 is formed in such a size that it is inserted into the groove 84 with the tip 130 moved downward and removed from the groove 84 with the tip 130 moved upward.

  A coil spring 134 (an example of an urging member of the present invention) is attached to the rocker arm 125. The coil spring 134 is provided at a location slightly spaced from the claw 133 toward the shaft 129 side. A protruding piece 128 extending toward the lower surface side of the upper insertion portion 104 is provided at the above location. The coil spring 134 is inserted into the protruding piece 128 and is in contact with the lower surface of the upper insertion portion 104 in a compressed state. Therefore, in this embodiment, when no external force is applied to the rocker arm 125 other than the biasing force of the coil spring 134, the tip 130 of the rocker arm 125 biases the claw 133 into the groove 84, that is, biases downward. Has been. As a result, the claw 133 is inserted into the groove 84 and the expansion tray 13 is locked with respect to the tray body 12. As a result, sliding of the expansion tray 13 with respect to the tray body 12 is stopped.

  A receiving portion 136 is provided at the end opposite to the tip 130, that is, at the rear end 131 of the rocker arm 125. The receiving portion 136 has a shape tilted upward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rocker arm 125. The receiving portion 136 is formed integrally with the rocker arm 125 and is formed by bending and deforming the rear end 131 upward. As shown in FIG. 6, the receiving portion 136 is inclined in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rocker arm 125. In the present embodiment, the rear end 131 of the rocker arm 125 extends to the rear end of the upper insertion portion 104, that is, the vicinity of the recessed portion 121, and the receiving portion 136 is disposed on the lower surface of the recessed portion 121. Yes.

  The rear guide 140 is for abutting the rear end of the recording paper placed on the paper feed cassette 7 to regulate the position of the rear end. As shown in FIG. 6, the rear guide 140 is formed by integrally forming a base portion 141 and a knob portion 142. The rear guide 140 has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The rear guide 140 is made of synthetic resin. The base portion 141 has a width that is substantially the same size as the width of the upper insertion portion 104. The base portion 141 is formed longer in the width direction than the longitudinal dimension of the upper insertion portion 104. The corner portion on the front end side of the upper surface of the base 141 is chamfered. Therefore, when the rear guide 140 is slid toward the rear end of the recording paper, the rear end of the recording paper is easily guided to the upper surface of the base portion 141.

  The base 141 is provided with a rail 143 (an example of the pressing portion of the present invention) that is inserted into the slit 110 of the upper insertion portion 104. The rail 143 is formed at the center in the width direction on the bottom surface of the base portion 141. The rail 143 protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the base portion 141 and has a narrow width and a long shape along the slit 110. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the rear guide 140 is slidably supported along the slit 110 by inserting the rail 143 into the slit 110.

  The knob 142 is a portion that is gripped by the operator when the rear guide 140 is slid. The knob 142 is erected substantially vertically upward from the rear end of the base 141. The knob 142 has a guide part 145 and a movable part 146. A surface on the front end 101 side of the guide portion 145 is a guide surface 147 that comes into contact with the rear end of the recording paper. The movable part 146 is provided on the rear side (right side in FIG. 6) of the guide part 145. The movable part 146 is thinner than the guide part 145. Therefore, the movable part 146 is more easily bent than the guide part 145. Therefore, when a force is applied in a direction in which the guide portion 145 and the movable portion 146 are moved toward each other, for example, the movable portion 146 is bent and tilted toward the guide portion 145 side.

  A protrusion 148 is provided on the bottom surface of the movable portion 146. The protrusion 148 is inserted into the through hole 120 formed at the rear end of the upper insertion portion 104. Specifically, it is inserted as follows. A position where the operator abuts the rear guide 140 against the rear wall 122 of the recessed portion 121 while simultaneously picking the guide portion 145 and the movable portion 146 (corresponding to a predetermined position of the present invention, hereinafter referred to as “rear end position”). 7, as shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 148 is lifted upward from the upper surface due to the bending of the movable portion 46 (see the wavy line in the D3 detailed view). When the handle of the movable portion 146 is loosened at the rear end position, the movable portion 146 is returned to the original posture, that is, the posture not tilted. At this time, the protrusion 148 is inserted into the through hole 120. Thereby, the slide of the rear guide with respect to the expansion tray 13 is stopped. Note that the rear guide 140 can move within the range of the width of the through hole 120 in the longitudinal direction with the protrusion 148 inserted into the through hole 120.

  In the present embodiment, the rail 143 provided on the rear guide 140 presses the receiving portion 136 downward when the rear guide 140 is moved to the rear end position, and a position other than the rear end position. When the rear guide 140 is moved, the size is such that the pressing of the receiving portion 136 is released. In other words, in the rail 143, the amount of protrusion downward from the bottom surface of the base portion 141 is dimensionally designed as described above. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, when the rear guide 140 is moved to the rear end position, the rail 143 presses the receiving portion 136 downward accordingly. At this time, the rocker arm 125 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 7 about the shaft 129. Along with this, the claw 133 of the tip 130 is lifted upward against the urging force of the coil spring 134. Thereby, the nail | claw 133 is extracted from the groove | channel 84, and the lock | rock by the nail | claw 133 is cancelled | released. In other words, the extension tray 13 can slide with respect to the tray body 12.

  When a force is applied to the rear side (right side in FIG. 7) while grasping the rear guide 140 in a state where the lock by the claw 133 is released, the force is transmitted from the movable portion 146 to the rear wall 122 and the rear of the expansion tray 13 Acts on the end 112. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the extension tray 13 is pulled out from the tray body 12 to the rear. At this time, since the rear guide 140 also moves together with the extension tray 13, it is moved rearward relative to the tray body 12.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the operator loosens the handle of the movable portion 146 at the rear end position with the extension tray 13 being pulled out to the maximum extent, the movable portion 146 is not bent and the protrusion 148 is removed. It is inserted into the through hole 120. Thereby, the slide of the rear guide 140 is stopped in a state where the lock by the claw 133 is released. Thereafter, when the operator loosens the handle of the guide portion 145 at the rear end position, the urging force of the coil spring 134 is transmitted to the rail 143 via the rocker arm 125 and the receiving portion 136, and the rear guide 140 is moved to the front side. It acts in the direction of pushing out (left side in FIG. 8). Accordingly, the rear guide 140 is moved in a state where the protrusion 148 is inserted into the through hole 120 until the protrusion 148 contacts the front edge of the through hole 120. At this time, the rocker arm 125 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8 about the shaft 129. Along with this, the claw 133 at the tip 130 is pressed downward by the biasing force of the coil spring 134. Thereby, the nail | claw 133 is inserted in the groove | channel 84, and the lock | rock by the nail | claw 133 is performed again. In other words, the extension tray 13 is locked with respect to the tray main body 12, and the slide of the extension tray 13 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rear guide 140 is completely accommodated in the recessed portion 121 in a state where the rear guide 140 is moved to the rear end position of the upper insertion portion 104 and the claw 133 is inserted into the groove 84. The At this time, the rear end of the recording sheet is regulated not by the rear guide 140 but by the inner wall surface 113 at the rear end.

  By configuring the sheet feeding cassette 7 in this way, the following operational effects can be obtained. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a postcard 95 as a recording sheet is placed in the paper feed cassette 7, the rear guide is operated by operating the knob 142 while the expansion tray 13 is accommodated in the tray body 12. 140 is moved to a position corresponding to the postcard size. At this time, the name of the postcard size appears from the through hole 90. In this state, when the postcard 95 is placed on the portion surrounded by the rear guide 140 and the side guide 70, the rear end is regulated by the rear guide 140 and the side end is regulated by the side guide 70.

  Next, when replacing the postcard 95 with A4 size plain paper 96, the rear guide 140 is accommodated in the recessed portion 121 by operating the knob 142 while the expansion tray 13 is accommodated in the tray body 12. At this time, the extension tray 13 is locked by the claw 133 with respect to the tray body 12. At this time, an A4 size name appears from the through hole 90. Then, the side guide 70 is moved to a position corresponding to the A4 size. In this state, when the A4 size plain paper 96 is placed on the portion surrounded by the rear guide 140 and the side guide 70, the rear end is regulated by the rear guide 140 and the side end is regulated by the side guide 70.

  Further, when the A4 size plain paper 96 is replaced with the A3 size plain paper 97, a force is applied so as to pull the knob portion 142 backward while simultaneously picking the guide portion 145 and the movable portion 146. At this time, the claw 133 is extracted from the groove 84, and the lock of the expansion tray 13 with respect to the tray body 12 is released. Further, the extension tray 133 is pulled out from the tray body 12 by the operation of the rear guide 140. When the rear guide 140 is slid to the position where the extension tray 13 is pulled out to the maximum, the A3 size name appears from the through hole 90. Then, the side guide 70 is moved to a position corresponding to the A3 size. In this state, when the A3-sized plain paper 97 is placed on the portion surrounded by the rear guide 140 and the side guide 70, the rear end is regulated by the rear guide 140 and the side end is regulated by the side guide 70.

  As described above, when the A4 size plain paper 96 is replaced with the A3 size plain paper 97, the rear guide 140 is simply slid to a position corresponding to the size, and the extension to the tray body 12 is interlocked with the slide. The lock of the tray 13 is released. That is, the expansion tray 13 is unlocked in the process of moving the rear guide 140 to a position corresponding to the rear end of the recording paper to be placed. Further, when the rear guide 140 is further slid in a state where the lock of the expansion tray 13 is released, the expansion tray 13 is pulled out from the tray body 12 so as to be pulled by the rear guide 140. In other words, the rear guide 140 can be adjusted and the extension tray 13 can be pulled out by a series of operations. This improves the workability when setting the recording paper in the paper feed cassette 7.

  In the present embodiment, the protrusion 148 and the through hole 120 prevent the rear guide 140 from sliding on the expansion tray 13. When the handle of the knob 142 is loosened with the protrusion 148 inserted into the through-hole 120, the rear guide 140 receives a force from the receiving portion 136 and moves slightly forward. At this time, since the claw 133 is inserted into the groove 84 again, the expansion tray 13 is locked. In this state, when the operator picks the guide portion 145 and the rear end portion 112 from the front and rear, the rear guide 140 is moved to the rear end position, so that the expansion tray 13 is unlocked. Then, when the operator pushes the rear end portion 112 forward while holding the guide portion 145 and the rear end portion 112, the expansion tray 13 is slid and accommodated in the tray main body 11. Therefore, when adjusting the rear guide 140 from the state in which the expansion tray 13 is pulled out to the maximum as shown in FIG. 8, for example, to the position of the rear end of the A4 size, the rear guide 140 and the rear end 112 are By simply sliding while picking, the expansion tray 13 can be unlocked, the position of the rear guide 140 can be adjusted, and the expansion tray 13 can be accommodated in a series of operations. Thereby, workability | operativity at the time of accommodating the expansion tray 13 improves.

  Furthermore, since the rear guide 140 is accommodated in the recessed portion 121 at the rear end position, the size of the paper feed cassette 7 with the expansion tray 13 pulled out can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the groove 84 of the groove portion 86 may be formed at a position corresponding to a specified size such as a postcard size, A4 size, or A3 size. In this case, the position of the rear guide 140 when the claw 133 is inserted into the groove 84 is a position that regulates the rear end of the recording paper to be placed. Thereby, the expansion tray 13 and the rear guide 140 can be easily adjusted to the position of a specified size.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit 2 of the multifunction machine 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the paper feed cassette 7, and shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 is removed from the tray body 12. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the paper feed cassette 7 and shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 is accommodated in the tray body 12. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the paper feed cassette 7 and shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 is pulled out from the tray main body 12 to the maximum extent. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper feed cassette 7 and shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 accommodated in the tray body 12 is locked to the tray body 12. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper feed cassette 7 and shows a state in which the lock between the expansion tray 13 and the tray body 12 is released. FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the paper feed cassette 7, and shows a state in which the expansion tray 13 pulled out from the tray body 12 to the maximum is locked to the tray body 12. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the paper feed cassette 7 on which the postcard 95 is placed. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the paper feed cassette 7 on which A4-size plain paper 96 is placed. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the paper feed cassette 7 on which A3 size plain paper 97 is placed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Multifunction machine 6 ... Paper feed device 7 ... Paper feed cassette (sheet holding device)
12 ... Tray body 13 ... Extension tray 14 ... Discharge tray 80 ... Recess 84 ... Groove 120 ... Through hole (recess)
121 .. recessed part (accommodating part)
125 ... Rocker arm (arm member)
130 ... tip (first end)
131 ... rear end (second end)
133 ... Claw 134 ... Coil spring (biasing member)
136: receiving part 140 ... rear guide 143 ... rail (pressing part)
147 ... Guide surface 148 ... Projection (projection)

Claims (7)

A sheet placement section in which an expansion tray is slidable with respect to the tray body;
A first locking mechanism for locking the expansion tray with respect to the tray body;
A slide member that is slidably provided on the sheet placement unit and has a contact surface that comes into contact with the rear end of the sheet placed on the sheet placement unit;
A sheet holding device comprising: a lock release mechanism that releases the lock by the first lock mechanism in response to the slide member being slid to a predetermined position of the sheet placement portion. The first lock mechanism includes a claw, a groove formed in the tray body and into which the claw is inserted and removed, and a biasing member that urges the claw in a direction of inserting the claw into the groove.
The lock release mechanism is provided on the receiving member pressed by the slide member and the slide member, and the receiving member resists the urging force of the urging member when the slide member is slid to the predetermined position. A pressing part that presses the part,
The claw is provided at a first end, the receiving portion is provided at a second end opposite to the first end, and further includes an arm member supported by the extension tray so as to be able to perform seesaw motion. The sheet holding device according to 1.   The sheet holding device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the grooves are provided along a sliding direction of the extension tray.   The sheet holding device according to claim 2, wherein the groove is provided at a position corresponding to a specified size.   5. The sheet holding device according to claim 1, further comprising a second lock mechanism that locks the slide member with respect to the extension tray at the predetermined position.   The said 2nd lock mechanism has a recessed part formed in the location corresponding to the said predetermined position in the said expansion tray, and the projection part provided in the said slide member and inserted in the said recessed part. The sheet holding device according to the description.   The extension tray is provided with a restriction surface for restricting a rear end of the sheet placed on the sheet placement portion, and the slide member is provided on the restriction surface when the slide member is slid to the predetermined position. The sheet holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a storage portion that stores the sheet is formed.

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