JP2011201704A - Paper feeder, image forming device, and paper pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeder for permitting the loading of paper while leaving predetermined part of wrapping paper, and for removing the wrapping paper without the need for special mechanisms, to provide an image forming device having the paper feeder, and to provide a paper pack adequate for loading on the paper feeder.SOLUTION: The used paper pack is the wrapping paper 91 having side perforations on the side in the carrying direction and front perforations 93 on the front side in the carrying direction. The paper pack is loaded on a paper feed cassette in the state that the side perforations are broken to remove a side portion of the wrapping paper 91 and the band-like wrapping paper 91 is wound on bunched paper 13 in parallel to the carrying direction. The paper feed roller 14 is first reversely rotated to break the front perforations 93. Then, the paper feed paper 14 is positively rotated to deliver the wrapping paper 91 as in normally carrying the paper and discharge it to a paper discharge part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feeding device as a paper supply source in an apparatus using paper, such as an image forming apparatus, and relates to a paper feeding device capable of easily loading paper. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus using the sheet feeding device. The invention further relates to a paper pack suitable for loading into the paper feeder.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus or the like is provided with a sheet feeding device, and a sheet-like sheet to be used is loaded into the sheet feeding device. The paper loaded in the paper feeding device should be loaded neatly in order to prevent paper feeding errors. On the other hand, the sheets to be loaded are usually provided in a state where a large number of sheets (for example, 250 sheets) are stacked and wrapped with wrapping paper. Naturally, in this packaged state, a large number of sheets are neatly arranged.

  However, the packaging must usually be unpacked when loaded into the paper feeder. Unwrapped forms are simply stacked and do not naturally maintain a neat order. For this reason, it is not always easy to load the unwrapped paper into the paper feeding device while maintaining a neat state. In view of this, a technique has been proposed in which a part of the wrapping paper can be loaded into the paper feeding device while leaving a part thereof. For example, in Patent Document 1, the wrapping paper is set in the paper feeding device in a state where only the end face on the paper take-out side is removed. The remaining wrapping paper is removed by pulling from the opposite side of the paper take-out side after the paper is set in the paper feeding device.

JP-A-7-187185

  However, the conventional techniques described above have the following problems. First, a mechanism for biting or pulling a part of the wrapping paper is required on the opposite side of the paper removal direction. For this reason, the apparatus configuration is complicated. Further, in the operation of loading paper, it is necessary to bite a part of the wrapping paper into the mechanism, which is complicated. Further, when two or more paper packs are loaded at the same time, or when a paper pack is additionally loaded after a certain amount of paper remains, the removal operation is difficult. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a space for discharging and storing the wrapping paper removed by the mechanism.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. That is, the problem is that a paper feeding device that allows the paper to be loaded while leaving a predetermined part of the wrapping paper, and removes the wrapping paper without a special mechanism, and its paper feeding An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having an apparatus and a sheet pack suitable for loading into the sheet feeding apparatus.

  In order to solve this problem, the paper feeding device of the present invention has a storage box for storing a plurality of sheets, and a paper supply roller that presses the sheets stored in the storage box from above. A device for feeding sheets stored in a storage box one by one in the transport direction by rotation of a paper roller, and having a paper feed control unit for controlling a paper feed operation from the storage box. The normal printing mode in which the paper is fed one by one by the forward rotation of the paper feed roller, and when the belt-shaped wrapping paper is wrapped around the paper stored in the storage box parallel to the transport direction There is a wrapping paper discharge mode that discharges the paper. In the wrapping paper discharge mode, the paper feed roller is rotated backward to tear off one part of the wrapping paper, and then the paper feed roller is rotated forward to transport the wrapping paper. Send in the direction It is intended.

  In this paper feeding device, when a belt-like wrapping paper is wound around the paper bundle stored in the storage box in parallel with the transport direction, the wrapping paper discharge mode is controlled. In the wrapping paper discharge mode, first, the paper feed roller is rotated in the reverse direction to tear one place of the wrapping paper. After that, the wrapping paper is sent out in the transport direction by rotating the paper feed roller forward. As a result, the wrapping paper is removed, and the paper can be sent out in the normal printing mode.

  The paper feeding device of the present invention preferably has a wrapping paper identification sensor for identifying whether or not the paper stored in the storage box has a belt-like wrapping paper. In this case, the paper feed control unit controls the wrapping paper discharge mode when the wrapping paper identification sensor identifies that the wrapping paper is attached, and the wrapping paper identification sensor identifies that the wrapping paper is not attached. When this is done, the normal print mode is controlled.

  It is desirable that the paper feeding device of the present invention further includes a drag preventing member that prevents the belt-like wrapping paper from being dragged by the reverse rotation of the paper feed roller at a place other than the place pressed by the paper feed roller. By having the drag preventing member, it is possible to prevent the entire belt-shaped wrapping paper from being dragged and moved when the paper feed roller rotates in the reverse direction. Thereby, the strip-shaped wrapping paper can be torn off reliably.

  Here, it is desirable that the drag preventing member is in contact with the front end surface of the sheet bundle in the transport direction. When the drag preventing member is in this position, when the paper feed roller rotates in the reverse direction, the belt-shaped wrapping paper can be torn off by applying stress to the front part of the paper feed roller. Specifically, it is desirable that the brake roller is allowed to rotate only in the same direction as the normal rotation of the paper feed roller. With such a brake roller, it is possible to prevent printing during reverse rotation of the paper feed roller, but does not hinder feeding by subsequent forward rotation.

  In the paper feeding device of the present invention, it is desirable that the pressure contact force during reverse rotation of the paper feed roller be a pressure contact force stronger than the pressure contact force in the normal printing mode. At the time of reverse rotation of the wrapping paper discharge mode, the belt-shaped wrapping paper must be cleaved. For this reason, it is necessary to have a stronger conveying force than when a simple sheet is sent out in the normal printing mode.

  The paper feeding device of the present invention preferably has a transport roller that is disposed outside the storage box and transports the paper delivered from the storage box. In this case, it is desirable that the paper feed control unit stops the forward rotation of the paper feed roller after the fed paper or the belt-shaped wrapping paper reaches the transport roller and before it is pulled out of the paper feed roller. As a result, it is possible to prevent the subsequent paper from being carried immediately after the paper or the belt-shaped wrapping paper is sent out. In the paper feeding device of the present invention, the paper feeding roller may be rotated forward prior to the reverse rotation in the wrapping paper discharge mode. Thereby, even when the easy-cleavage location in the strip-shaped wrapping paper is close to the position of the paper feed roller, the amount of reverse rotation can be secured.

  The present invention is also directed to an image forming apparatus having any one of the above-described paper feeding devices and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet sent from the paper feeding device.

  The paper pack of the present invention is formed by wrapping a plurality of stacked paper sheets with wrapping paper, and the wrapping paper has both sides with respect to the transport direction of the paper feeding device when stored in the paper feeding device. When the side surface is easily stored in the paper feeding device, the lateral easy-cleavage point provided circumferentially between the central portion in the transport direction when stored in the paper feeding device The front surface provided between the side easy-cleavage points on both sides of the upward surface in the range from the front end in the transport direction to the point pressed by the paper feed roller of the paper feeder When the side easy-cleavage points are opened and the side part of the wrapping paper in the direction of conveyance is removed, the remaining wrapping paper is wrapped around the paper in parallel with the direction of conveyance. It will be a wrapping paper.

  This paper pack is loaded in the paper feeding device of the present invention in a state where the side easy-cleavage portions are opened and the side portion of the wrapping paper is removed. In the paper pack in this state, a belt-shaped wrapping paper is wound around the paper bundle in parallel with the transport direction. When this is loaded into the paper feeding device of the present invention, the paper feeding device controls the wrapping paper discharge mode. Therefore, the forward easy tearing portion of the strip-shaped wrapping paper is torn off by the reverse rotation of the paper feed roller, and the wrapping paper is removed by the normal rotation of the paper feed roller. As a result, only the sheet bundle is loaded in the sheet feeding device.

  The paper pack according to the present invention is formed by winding a plurality of stacked sheets, and the wrapping paper is wound in parallel with the direction of the feeding direction in the paper feeding device when stored in the paper feeding device. It is a belt-like object, and is located at a location within the range from the front end in the transport direction to the location where it is pressed by the paper feed roller of the paper feed device on the surface facing upward when stored in the paper feed device. The provided front easy-cleavage location may be formed.

  According to the present invention, a paper feeding device that allows loading of a paper while leaving a predetermined part of the wrapping paper, and removes the wrapping paper without a special mechanism, and the paper feeding device are provided. A sheet pack suitable for loading into the image forming apparatus and the sheet feeding apparatus is provided.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows a paper feed cassette and its periphery. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows the wrapping paper in the paper pack which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the preferable external appearance of the paper pack which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the side part of the wrapping paper of the paper pack which concerns on embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating control in a wrapping paper discharge mode in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the condition where the paper feed roller is rotating in reverse. It is a perspective view which shows the condition where the perforation of the wrapping paper was torn off by reverse rotation of the paper supply roller. It is a perspective view which shows the condition which is conveying the packaging paper after perforation cleavage by the normal rotation of a paper feed roller. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a sheet is conveyed by forward rotation of a sheet feeding roller. 6 is a timing chart showing a change with time of a pressure contact force of a paper feed roller in a wrapping paper discharge mode. FIG. 6 is a perspective view (No. 1) showing a subsequent situation when a paper pack is loaded on a remaining paper bundle. FIG. 10 is a perspective view (No. 2) showing a subsequent situation when a paper pack is loaded on a remaining paper bundle. FIG. 10 is a perspective view (No. 3) showing a subsequent situation when a paper pack is loaded on the remaining paper bundle. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows the modification (the 1) of wrapping paper. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows the modification (the 2) of wrapping paper. It is a flowchart which shows the modification about a part of flowchart of FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is embodied by the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 and a paper pack (described later) suitable for loading into the image forming apparatus 100. An image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 1 includes a paper feeding device 1, an image forming unit 2, and a paper discharge unit 3. The image forming unit 2 is configured around the intermediate transfer belt 4. Along the intermediate transfer belt 4, photosensitive members 5 of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are arranged. Each photoconductor 5 is provided with devices such as a charger 10 and a developer 11. An exposure unit 6 is provided below the four photoconductors 5. The image forming apparatus 100 further includes a secondary transfer roller 7, a fixing device 8, a toner container 9, a paper discharge roller 19, and the like.

  As a result, the surface of each photoconductor 5 is charged by the charger 10, the latent image is written by the exposure device 6, and developed by the developing device 11 to form a toner image. The toner image is superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 4, and the superimposed toner image is secondarily transferred onto the paper supplied from the paper feeding device 1 by the secondary transfer roller 7. The sheet having undergone the secondary transfer is discharged to the discharge section 3 by the discharge roller 19 after being fixed by the fixing device 8.

  The sheet feeder 1 that is a main part of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feeding device 1 is configured around a paper feeding cassette 12. The paper feed cassette 12 is basically a box that stores the paper bundle 13. The paper feed cassette 12 can be pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. The paper feeding device 1 further includes a paper feeding roller 14, a wrapping paper identification sensor 15, a brake roller 16, a transport roller 17, and a control unit 18.

  The paper feed roller 14 is disposed so as to be pressed from above with respect to the uppermost paper in the paper bundle 13 in the paper feed cassette 12. The pressure contact force F is adjusted as will be described later. The paper feed roller 14 has a basic role of feeding the top paper in the paper bundle 13 in the paper transport direction (rightward in FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the paper feed roller 14 can rotate both forward (counterclockwise in FIG. 2) and reverse (clockwise in FIG. 2). The wrapping paper identification sensor 15 is a sensor for identifying whether or not a wrapping paper described later is attached to the sheet bundle 13 in the paper feeding cassette 12. Specifically, it is a sensor that identifies whether the paper is an image forming paper or a wrapping paper based on the color or pattern of the paper immediately below.

  The brake roller 16 is a roller that is in contact with the front end surface of the sheet bundle 13 in the sheet feeding cassette 12 in the transport direction. The brake roller 16 is a roller that can only rotate freely in the same direction as the forward rotation of the paper feed roller 14 and cannot rotate in the reverse direction. The transport roller 17 is a pair of rollers provided in front of the transport path G of the paper sent from the paper feed cassette 12. The conveyance roller 17 is a roller pair that drives the sheet toward the image forming unit 2. The controller 18 controls the rotation of the paper feed roller 14, the pressure contact force F, and the rotation of the transport roller 17. It may be shared with the entire control unit of the image forming apparatus 100. The controller 18 receives a signal from the wrapping paper identification sensor 15.

  The control by the control unit 18 includes a normal printing mode and a wrapping paper discharge mode. The normal printing mode is a mode used in normal image formation. That is, a mode in which the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle 13 in the sheet feeding cassette 12 is fed one sheet at a time by the forward rotation of the sheet feeding roller 14, and the delivered sheet is conveyed to the image forming unit 2 by the conveying roller 17. It is. The wrapping paper discharge mode is a characteristic mode as the present invention, and the contents thereof will be described later.

  Next, the paper pack according to this embodiment will be described. The paper pack of this embodiment is also common to a general paper pack in that a large number of sheet-like papers are stacked and wrapped with wrapping paper. The feature of the paper pack of this embodiment is that the wrapping paper 91 has perforations as shown in FIG. A thick broken line in FIG. 3 indicates a perforation of the wrapping paper 91. The perforation of the paper pack of this embodiment includes a side perforation 92 and a front perforation 93.

  The side perforations 92 are formed so as to make one round each of the corners around the surfaces 80 and 81 that are the left and right side surfaces with respect to the sheet conveyance direction in the loaded state. The front perforation 93 is formed between the left and right side perforations 92 at a corner between the front surface 82 in the sheet conveyance direction in the loaded state and the upper surface 84 in the loaded state. Yes. These perforations are more easily cleaved than other wrapping papers, but they are not so fragile that they are cleaved alone in the distribution process.

  In the paper pack 90 of this embodiment, it is preferable that a front display 86, a top display 87, and an identification mark 88 are printed on the top surface 84 as shown in FIG. The front display 86 is a display indicating that the front surface 82 is a surface that should face the front side in the paper transport direction (the right side in FIG. 2) when the paper pack 90 is loaded in the paper feed cassette 12. The upper surface display 87 is a display indicating that the upper surface 84 is a surface that should face upward when the paper pack 90 is loaded in the paper feed cassette 12. The identification mark 88 is a mark for the wrapping paper identification sensor 15 to detect that the wrapping paper 91 has not yet been completely removed when the paper pack 90 is loaded into the paper feed cassette 12. The identification mark 88 may be a simple ground color over the detection area of the wrapping paper identification sensor 15. However, it must be different from the color of the paper itself.

  When loading the paper pack 90 of this embodiment into the paper feed cassette 12, first, the two side perforations 92 are broken. Thereby, the portions of the right side surface 80 and the left side surface 81 in FIG. 3 are removed from the wrapping paper 91 to obtain the state shown in FIG. This operation is performed by the user of the image forming apparatus 100 immediately before loading into the paper feed cassette 12. In the paper pack 90 in this state, a portion of the wrapping paper 91 having the right side surface 80 and the left side surface 81 serves as a window, and the inner paper bundle 13 can be seen from there. Further, in the wrapping paper 91, a band-shaped portion including the upper surface 84, the front surface 82, the lower surface 85, and the rear surface 83 remains, and is wound around the paper bundle 13 in parallel with the transport direction. Even in this state, the front display 86, the top display 87, and the identification mark 88 remain in the paper pack 90. Further, the front perforation 93 has not yet been cleaved.

  The paper cassette 90 in the state shown in FIG. At this time, of course, the paper feed cassette 12 is pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. At this time, the sheet bundle 13 is not scattered and loading takes time. This is because the sheet bundle 13 is bundled by the wrapping paper 91 remaining in a band shape. At that time, the user can easily recognize the correct orientation in which the paper pack 90 should be loaded. This is because the front display 86 and the top display 87 remain in the paper pack 90 of FIG. Therefore, in the loaded paper pack 90, the front surface 82 is surely directed to the front side in the paper transport direction, and the upper surface 84 is upward.

  When the paper feed cassette 12 loaded with the paper pack 90 is pushed into the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, the paper feed roller 14 is pressed against the paper bundle 13 from above as shown in FIG. The brake roller 16 comes into contact with the end face on the side. Further, the identification mark 88 is detected by the wrapping paper identification sensor 15. As a result, the control unit 18 can recognize that the belt-like wrapping paper 91 is attached to the sheet bundle 13 loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 12. In this case, the above-described wrapping paper discharge mode is to remove the strip-shaped wrapping paper 91.

  In this state, the friction coefficient between the outer surface of the wrapping paper 91 and the paper feed roller 14 is set to be higher than the friction coefficient between the inner surface of the wrapping paper 91 and the sheet bundle 13. Specifically, the former friction coefficient is about six times the latter friction coefficient.

  Of course, it is possible to load the paper cassette 12 with a normal paper bundle from which the wrapping paper has been completely removed. In that case, the wrapping paper identification sensor 15 does not detect the identification mark 88. Therefore, the control unit 18 can recognize that the wrapping paper 91 is not attached to the sheet bundle 13 loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 12.

  Hereinafter, the rotation control of the paper feed roller 14 and the transport roller 17 performed by the control unit 18 when the paper feed cassette 12 is pushed into the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the processes of S1 and S2 are processes that have been performed manually by the user as described above. S3 and subsequent steps are controls performed by the control unit 18 when the paper feed cassette 12 is pushed into the image forming apparatus 100.

  When the paper feed cassette 12 is pushed into the image forming apparatus 100, first, it is confirmed whether or not the sheet bundle 13 in the paper feed cassette 1 has a belt-like wrapping paper 91 (S3). This confirmation is performed by the wrapping paper identification sensor 15 as described above. When the belt-like wrapping paper 91 is not attached (S3: None), the process of FIG. 6 is terminated and the standby state is entered. That is, it is in a state where image formation in the normal print mode can be started at any time.

  When the belt-shaped wrapping paper 91 is attached (S3: present), control is performed in the wrapping paper discharge mode. At this time, the paper feed roller 14 and the brake roller 16 are in contact with the belt-like wrapping paper 91 instead of the paper bundle 13 itself. In the wrapping paper discharge mode, first, the paper feed roller 14 is reversely rotated as shown in FIG. 7 (S4). For this reason, the portion of the upper surface 84 of the wrapping paper 91 also has the relationship of the friction coefficient described above, and a force B opposite to the conveying direction is applied. On the other hand, the portion of the front surface 82 of the wrapping paper 91 tries to stay in place without being dragged by the force B. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the brake roller 16 is in contact with the front surface 82, and the brake roller 16 cannot rotate backward as described above. As a result, stress is applied to the front perforation 93 of the wrapping paper 91, and the front perforation 93 is cleaved as shown in FIG.

  The reverse rotation of the paper feeding roller 14 is performed until the distance that the upper surface 84 of the wrapping paper 91 is conveyed backward reaches 40 mm (S5: Yes). 40 mm is a distance that is set in advance as a distance that allows the front perforation 93 to be reliably cleaved and that the leading end 89 of the upper surface 84 generated by the cleaving does not come out of the paper feed roller 14. It is. 7 and 8, the front display 86, the top display 87, and the identification mark 88 are omitted. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the tip 89 of the upper surface 84 does not come off from the paper feed roller 14.

  When the distance in which the wrapping paper 91 is conveyed backward reaches 40 mm, the reverse rotation of the paper feed roller 14 is stopped and rotated forward instead (S6). The transport roller 17 is also rotated forward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the wrapping paper 91 is transported in the transport direction in the same manner as when a normal sheet is transported. That is, the wrapping paper 91 is sent out slightly to the right in FIG. 9 by the forward rotation of the paper feed roller 14, and thereafter conveyed along the conveyance path G shown in FIG. 2 by the conveyance roller 17. Thus, the wrapping paper 91 is discharged from the paper feed cassette 12.

  At this time, not only the portion of the upper surface 84 but also all the portions existing at the time of FIG. 5 are discharged from the wrapping paper 91 wrapping the sheet bundle 13. This is because the wrapping paper 91 at this time is a sheet of paper that is connected on the rear side and the bottom side of the paper feed cassette 12 even though the front perforation 93 is torn off. At this time, the brake roller 16 does not become an obstacle. This is because the brake roller 16 can freely rotate in the forward rotation. Further, since the delivered wrapping paper 91 is a sheet of paper with a crease, there is no hindrance to the progress inside the image forming apparatus 100, and the wrapping paper 91 is discharged to the paper discharge unit 3 in FIG. The

  The forward rotation of the paper feed roller 14 in this scene is performed until the length of the remaining portion of the wrapping paper 91 that has not yet passed through the paper feed roller 14 becomes 10 mm (S7: Yes). The operation is stopped at that time (S8). The reason why the paper feed roller 14 is stopped before the wrapping paper 91 is removed is to prevent the uppermost paper in the paper bundle 13 from being sent out following the wrapping paper 91. The wrapping paper 91 at this time is already caught by the transport roller 17 and thereafter transported by the transport roller 17 (and the paper discharge roller 19 further downstream).

  When all the wrapping paper 91 is discharged to the paper discharge unit 3 (S9: Yes), the transport roller 17 (and the paper discharge roller 19 downstream thereof) is stopped (S10). As a result, the paper feed cassette 12 is in a state in which only the paper bundle 13 without the wrapping paper 91 is loaded. That is, it is in the same state as when a sheet bundle from which all the wrapping paper is removed is loaded. Therefore, as in the case of “S3: None”, the image forming apparatus is in a standby state for image formation in the normal print mode.

  Thereafter, when there is a print job, as shown in FIG. 10, the normal print mode is controlled in which the uppermost sheet 20 in the sheet bundle 13 is sent out by the forward rotation of the sheet feed roller 14. This normal printing mode control is general. Although omitted in FIG. 10, the sheet 20 sent out in the normal printing mode is actually caught by the transport roller 17 and headed to the image forming unit 2.

  Here, the pressure contact force F of the paper feed roller 14 in the above-described wrapping paper discharge mode will be described. The pressure contact force F of the paper feed roller 14 in the wrapping paper discharge mode is adjusted as shown in FIG. That is, prior to the reverse rotation of S4 in FIG. 6, the pressure is increased to a level H higher than the level L of the pressing force F in the normal printing mode. Specifically, the pressing force F is about 6 times the level L. With this level H pressing force F, a transport force of the wrapping paper 91 by the paper feed roller 14 can be expected to be about 10 N (Newton). Such a conveying force is sufficient to ensure that the front perforation 93 is cleaved. The reverse rotation of S4 is performed in the state where the pressure contact force F of the paper feed roller 14 is increased to the level H in this way.

  When the reverse rotation of S4 is completed, the pressure contact force F of the paper feed roller 14 is returned to the level L. The forward rotation of the paper feed roller 14 in S6 is performed with a pressure contact force F of level L. This is because the pressure contact force as high as level H is no longer necessary once the front perforation 93 has been cleaved.

  However, it is also conceivable that the forward rotation of S6 is performed with a pressure contact force F of level D intermediate between level H and level L, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. This is because the forward rotation of S6 requires a higher conveyance force than the simple conveyance of the paper 20 in the normal print mode because the portion of the wrapping paper 91 that is sandwiched under the paper bundle 13 must be pulled out. . If level L is insufficient, level D must be used. Even in this case, after the forward rotation of S6 is completed, the pressure contact force F of the paper feed roller 14 is returned to the level L. Alternatively, the level may be returned to the level L when the wrapping paper 91 is completely removed from the bottom of the sheet bundle 13.

  It should be noted that the forward rotation of S6 should not be performed with the pressure contact force F of level H. Further, as long as the wrapping paper 91 can be sufficiently pulled out by the pressure contact force F of the level L, that may be sufficient.

  In this embodiment, a new sheet pack 90 can be added and loaded while the sheet bundle 13 still remains in the sheet feeding cassette 12. In that case, a new sheet pack 90 is placed on the remaining sheet bundle 13. Naturally, the paper pack 90 to be placed is in the state shown in FIG. 5, that is, in the state where the right side surface 80 and the left side surface 81 of the wrapping paper 91 are removed. Then, after the paper feed cassette 12 is pushed into the image forming apparatus 100, the processing after S3 in FIG.

  Therefore, first, as shown in FIG. 12, the front perforation 93 is cleaved by the reverse rotation of the paper feed roller 14. In FIG. 12, the front display 86, the top display 87, and the identification mark 88 are omitted. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the wrapping paper 91 is discharged by the forward rotation of the paper feed roller 14. As a result, the paper 20 can be sent out in the normal mode shown in FIG.

  The wrapping paper in the paper pack 90 used in the present embodiment is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, but may be as shown in FIG. The wrapping paper 94 shown in FIG. 15 is obtained by slightly changing the position of the side perforations 92 with respect to the wrapping paper 91 of FIG. That is, in the wrapping paper 91 of FIG. 3, the left and right side perforations 92 are formed at the corners around the side surfaces 80 and 81. On the other hand, in the wrapping paper 94 of FIG. 15, the left and right side perforations 92 are formed at positions slightly inward. Even in such a case, if the side perforations 92 are broken, the side surfaces 80 and 81 of the wrapping paper 94 are all removed from the paper pack. In short, it is only necessary that the side surfaces 80 and 81 can be reliably separated from the band-like portion remaining in the paper pack.

  As a modification of the paper pack 90, the one shown in FIG. The wrapping paper 95 shown in FIG. 16 is obtained by slightly changing the position of the front perforation 93 with respect to the wrapping paper 91 of FIG. That is, in the wrapping paper 91 of FIG. 3, the front perforation 93 is formed at the position of the corner between the upper surface 84 and the front surface 82. On the other hand, in the wrapping paper 95 of FIG. 16, the front perforation 93 is slightly rearwardly formed in the upper surface 84. Even in such a case, the front perforation 93 can be torn off by the reverse rotation of the paper feed roller 14. However, the position of the front perforation 93 must be closer to the front than the position where it is pressed against the paper feed roller 14. As a modified example of the sheet pack 90, a modification in which both the modification of FIG. 15 and the modification of FIG.

  When the paper pack as shown in FIG. 16 is used, it is also conceivable that the leading end 89 of the upper surface 84 caused by the tearing is detached from the paper feed roller 14 due to reverse rotation of the paper feed roller 14. In order to prevent such a situation, it is necessary to set the amount of reverse rotation (the numerical value of S5 in FIG. 6).

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 17, the paper feed roller 14 may be rotated slightly forward prior to the reverse rotation of S4 in FIG. During this forward rotation, the entire belt-shaped wrapping paper 91 moves so as to rotate around the sheet bundle 13. In this way, the front perforation 93 can be reliably cleaved, and a reverse rotation amount can be secured so that the cleaved tip 89 does not come out of the paper feed roller 14. it can. Depending on the installation position of the paper feed roller 14, it is better to perform the forward rotation of FIG. 17 even when the paper pack 90 shown in FIG. 3 is used.

  As described in detail above, in the paper feeding device 1 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the paper feeding roller 14 is provided with a reverse function. Further, the brake roller 16 is in contact with the front end face of the sheet bundle 13 loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 12. Then, as the paper pack 90 to be loaded in the paper feed cassette 12, a wrapping paper 91 having a side perforation 92 and a front perforation 93 is used, and the side perforation 92 is broken to break the wrapping paper 91. The paper cassette 12 is loaded with only the belt-like portion remaining.

  For this reason, in the image forming apparatus 100, the paper feeding roller 14 is once rotated in the reverse direction to break the front perforation 93 of the wrapping paper 91, and then the paper feeding roller 14 is rotated forward so that the belt-like wrapping paper 91 is discharged. 3 can be discharged. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 that can be loaded into the paper feed cassette 12 with a part of the wrapping paper 91 attached to the paper pack 90 and can automatically form an image is realized. Further, when the wrapping paper 91 is discharged, the sheet bundle 13 remaining in the sheet feeding cassette 12 is not damaged. In addition, since there are generally used paper feed rollers 14 and paper discharge unit 3, it is not necessary to add a special configuration for removing the wrapping paper 91 and for its discharge space. Therefore, the apparatus configuration is simple.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 may have a scanner function or may have a communication function with a public line or the like. It may be monochrome instead of color. The image forming unit 2 may use ink instead of toner.

  As the brake roller 16, a fixed friction member capable of being pressed against and separated from the paper pack 90 may be used instead of using the unidirectional free rotating roller as described above. In this case, the member is basically separated from the paper pack 90 and is brought into pressure contact with the paper pack 90 only when the paper feed roller 14 rotates in the reverse direction. Further, in the description, the forward rotation of S6 in FIG. 6 of the paper feed roller 14 is stopped slightly before the wrapping paper 91 is pulled out, but is not limited thereto. If the leading edge 89 of the wrapping paper 91 is caught by the transport roller 17, the paper feed roller 14 may be disconnected from the drive source to be in a driven rotation state.

  Further, the easy tearing portion of the wrapping paper 91 of the paper pack 90 is not limited to the perforation. For example, with respect to the side perforations 92, a thread or a thin resin tape may be charged in the corresponding portion of the wrapping paper 91 instead of the perforations. The location can be cleaved by the user pulling the thread or tape by hand. As for the front perforation 93, the paper thickness may be locally reduced instead of the perforation, or the ends of the wrapping paper 91 may be simply fastened with an adhesive tape. Further, instead of providing the side perforations 92, it is also conceivable to wrap the state shown in FIG. 5 or an assembly thereof with another packaging material. Furthermore, it is conceivable to provide the product in the state shown in FIG. 5 as it is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feeder 2 Image formation part 12 Paper cassette 13 Paper bundle 14 Paper feed roller 15 Packaging paper identification sensor 16 Brake roller 17 Conveyance roller 18 Control part 91 Packaging paper 92 Side perforation 93 Front perforation 100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (10)

A storage box that stores a plurality of sheets; and a paper feed roller that presses the paper stored in the storage box from above, and the paper stored in the storage box by rotation of the paper feed roller In a paper feeding device that sends out one sheet at a time in the transport direction,
A paper delivery control unit for controlling a paper delivery operation from the storage box;
For control by the paper delivery control unit,
A normal printing mode in which sheets are sent one by one by the forward rotation of the paper feed roller;
There is a wrapping paper discharge mode for discharging the wrapping paper when a belt-like wrapping paper is wound around the paper stored in the storage box in parallel with the transport direction;
In the wrapping paper discharge mode,
Reversely rotating the paper feed roller to tear one part of the wrapping paper;
Thereafter, the paper feeding roller is rotated forward to send out the wrapping paper in the transport direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1,
A wrapping paper identification sensor for identifying whether or not the paper stored in the storage box has a belt-like wrapping paper;
The paper delivery control unit
When the wrapping paper identification sensor identifies that the wrapping paper is attached, the wrapping paper discharge mode is controlled,
A paper feeding device that controls the normal printing mode when it is identified by the wrapping paper identification sensor that a belt-like wrapping paper is not attached. In the paper feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
A sheet feeding device having a drag preventing member that prevents dragging of the belt-shaped wrapping paper due to reverse rotation of the sheet feeding roller at a position other than a position pressed by the sheet feeding roller. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the drag preventing member includes:
A sheet feeding device, wherein the sheet feeding device is a brake roller that is in contact with an end face on the front side in the conveying direction of the bundle of sheets and is allowed to rotate only in the same direction as the forward rotation of the sheet feeding roller. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit includes:
A sheet feeding device characterized in that a pressure contact force during reverse rotation of the sheet feed roller is a pressure contact force stronger than a pressure contact force in the normal printing mode. In the paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A transport roller that is disposed outside the storage box and transports paper fed from the storage box;
The paper feed control unit stops the forward rotation of the paper feed roller after the fed paper or belt-shaped wrapping paper has reached the transport roller and before the paper feed roller is completely removed from the paper feed roller. Paper device. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit includes:
A paper feeding device, wherein the paper feeding roller is rotated forward prior to reverse rotation in the wrapping paper discharge mode. A paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device. In a paper pack that wraps multiple stacked sheets of paper with wrapping paper,
The wrapping paper includes
A circumferential shape is formed between a side surface on both sides with respect to the transport direction of the paper feed device when stored in the paper feed device and a central portion in the transport direction when stored in the paper feed device. A side easy-cleavage point provided in
Easy sideways on both sides of the surface facing upward when stored in the paper feeder from the front end in the transport direction to the location pressed by the paper feed roller of the paper feeder An easy-to-front cleavage site provided between the cleavage sites,
When the side easy-cleavage points are opened and the side portion of the wrapping paper with respect to the transport direction is removed, the remaining wrapping paper becomes a strip-shaped wrapping paper wrapped around the paper in parallel with the transport direction. A paper pack characterized by that. In a paper pack in which wrapping paper is wrapped around stacked paper,
The wrapping paper is
A belt-shaped object that is wound in parallel with the direction of the transport direction in the paper feeder when stored in the paper feeder.
Easy forward cleaving provided at a location within the range from the front end in the transport direction to the location pressed by the paper feed roller of the paper feed device on the surface facing upward when stored in the paper feed device A paper pack in which a portion is formed.

Images