Storage, sheet loading device and image forming device

Abstract

To prohibit a position of a regulation member from being changed even if a storage is closed in a state where the position of the regulating member can be changed.SOLUTION: A storage 1100a is provided with: side guide parts 1121 and 1122 which can move to regulate an end part of a sheet; and an operation lever 1129 that is switched into a first state where positions of the side guide parts can be changed and a second state where the positions of the side guide parts are fixed so that the positions of the side guide parts are prohibited from being changed. The storage is configured to be held by a box 1200 of a feeding module 1000 so that the storage can move to a closed position into which the storage is pushed and a drawn-out position from which the storage is pulled out, where when the storage at the drawn-out position is pushed into the closed position while the states of the side guide parts remain in the first state, the states of the side guide parts are switched by the box from the first state to the second state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage unit, a sheet stacking device, and an image forming apparatus that are provided with a movable regulating member for regulating an edge of a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] A sheet stacking device that supplies sheets to an image forming device is provided with a side guide portion that regulates the position of the sheet in the width direction. The side guide portion is configured to be movable along the width direction. An operator adjusts the position of the side guide portion according to the size of the sheet. The side guide portion is provided with a lock switching member. The lock switching member can be switched between a locked state (fixed state) in which the side guide portion is fixed so as not to move, and an unlocked state (unfixed state) in which the position of the side guide portion can be changed. As seen in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in many cases, a push-in type unlocking operation portion is provided at the tip of the upper part of the side guide portion. When an operator presses the unlocking operation portion, the lock switching member is activated and the side guide portion is set to an unlocked state in which it is movable. The operator can then move the side guide portion to a desired position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-045141 [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-315159 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of a sheet stacking device capable of stacking a large number of sheets, the side guide portion becomes longer upward in the stacking direction of the sheets. When a method of applying force to the upper part of the side guide portion to move the side guide portion as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is used, the force is applied in a direction to tilt the side guide portion 1121 as shown in FIG. 1(a). In order to prevent the side guide portion 1121 from tilting, as shown in FIG. 1(b), there are a configuration in which a plurality of slide shafts 1131 and 1132 are provided at the upper and lower parts of the side guide portion 1121, a configuration in which the thickness of the side guide portion 1121 is increased in the moving direction, and a configuration in which a reinforcing plate is provided. Therefore, the side guide portion 1121 becomes larger or has a complex structure, and the burden when operating the side guide portion 1121 becomes large.

[0005] 1(c), rack members 1123 and 1124 extending in the direction of movement and having rack teeth are provided at the base of side guides 1121 and 1122, respectively. A gear 1126 meshing with rack members 1123 and 1124 and a rotary operating unit 1125 interlocking with gear 1126 are provided, and side guides 1121 and 1122 are moved by operating operating unit 1125. With this configuration, force is applied to the base sides of side guides 1121 and 1122, so no force that would cause side guides 1121 and 1122 to fall is applied, and side guides 1121 and 1122 can be made smaller.

[0006] However, in either method, a pushing mechanism is provided in the operation unit 1125 of the side guides 1121 and 1122 as a mechanism to prevent the side guides 1121 and 1122 from forgetting to lock. A commonly used configuration is that the operator operates the operation unit 1125 while pushing in the pushing mechanism. With this configuration, the operation unit 1125 is locked as soon as the hand is released from the operation unit 1125, so forgetting to lock does not occur. However, this requires the operation to apply force in multiple directions at the same time, which places a large burden on the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A storage case for storing seats according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a conveying means for conveying the sheet stored in the storage in a conveying direction; a movable restricting member for restricting an edge of the sheet; a switching device that switches a state of the regulating member between a first state in which a position of the regulating member is changeable and a second state in which a position of the regulating member is fixed and change of the position of the regulating member is prohibited; Equipped with the storage case is configured to be held by a main body of the sheet stacking device so as to be movable between a closed position in which the storage case is pushed in and a pulled-out position in which the storage case is pulled out, When the storage case is pushed from the pulled-out position to the closed position while the state of the regulating member is in the first state, the state of the regulating member is switched from the first state to the second state by the main body of the sheet stacking device. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, even if the storage cabinet is closed while the position of the regulating member remains changeable, it is possible to set up a state in which changing the position of the regulating member is prohibited. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional sheet stacking device. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the side guide portion and the operating portion when the storage cabinet is installed in the closed position. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an operation of switching a pair of side guide portions between a locked state and an unlocked state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The present invention will be described below using embodiments. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, all configurations described in the present embodiments should not be construed as essential components of the present invention.

[0011] (Inkjet recording device) An inkjet recording apparatus (image forming apparatus) 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inkjet recording apparatus 10. The inkjet recording apparatus 10 is a sheet-fed type, and forms an ink image on a sheet using two liquids, a reaction liquid and an ink. The inkjet recording apparatus 10 includes a feeding module (sheet stacking device) 1000, a print module 2000, a drying module 3000, a fixing module 4000, a cooling module 5000, an inversion module 6000, and a discharge stacking module 7000. The sheet fed from the feeding module 1000 is transported along a transport path, processed in each module, and discharged to the discharge stacking module 7000.

[0012] (Feeding module) The feeding module 1000 includes three storages 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c, each of which stores a plurality of sheets. The storages 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c are configured to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the feeding module 1000. The sheets stored in the storages 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c are transported one by one in the transport direction CD to the print module (image forming unit) 2000 by the transport units 1102a, 1102b, and 1102c, which serve as transport means. Each of the transport units 1102a, 1102b, and 1102c includes a separation belt and a transport roller. The sheets stacked in the storages 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c are fed one by one by the separation belt and the transport roller, and transported to the print module 2000. The number of storages 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c is not limited to three, but may be one, two, or four or more.

[0013] (Print Module) The print module 2000 includes a pre-imaging registration correction section 2100, a print belt unit 2200, and a recording section 2300. The sheet conveyed from the feeding module 1000 has its inclination and position corrected by the pre-imaging registration correction section 2100, and is conveyed to the print belt unit 2200. The recording section 2300 is disposed at a position facing the print belt unit 2200 with respect to the conveying path. The recording section 2300 is a sheet processing section that performs recording processing (printing) on ​​the conveyed sheet from above with a recording head to form an ink image. The sheet is attracted and conveyed by the print belt unit 2200, thereby ensuring a clearance (print gap) with the recording head.

[0014] A plurality of recording heads are arranged along the conveying direction CD. In this embodiment, the recording unit 2300 has a total of five line-type recording heads corresponding to the reaction liquid in addition to the four colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black). The number of colors and the number of recording heads are not limited to five, and may be one, two, three, four, or six or more. The inkjet method can employ various methods such as a method using a heating element, a method using a piezoelectric element, a method using an electrostatic element, and a method using a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) element. Ink of each color is supplied to the recording head from an ink tank (not shown) through an ink tube. The sheet on which the ink image is formed by the recording unit 2300 is conveyed by the print belt unit 2200 to an in-line scanner (not shown) arranged downstream of the recording unit 2300. The in-line scanner (not shown) detects the misalignment and color density of the ink image formed on the sheet by the recording unit 2300, and the detection result is used to correct the ink image formed thereafter.

[0015] (Drying module) The drying module 3000 includes a decoupling section 3200, a drying belt unit 3300, and a hot air blowing section 3400. The drying module 3000 is a unit that reduces the liquid content contained in the ink applied to the sheet by the recording section 2300 and enhances the fixation of the ink to the sheet. The sheet on which an ink image is formed by the recording section 2300 of the print module 2000 is transported to the decoupling section 3200 arranged in the drying module 3000. The decoupling section 3200 applies air pressure from above to weakly hold the sheet on the belt, and transports the sheet by the frictional force of the belt. This prevents the sheet on which the ink image is formed from being shifted on the print belt unit 2200. The sheet transported from the decoupling section 3200 is adsorbed and transported by the drying belt unit 3300, while hot air is blown from the hot air blowing section 3400 arranged above the drying belt unit 3300, and the ink-applied surface of the sheet is dried. In addition, the drying method may be a method of applying hot air, a method of irradiating the sheet surface with electromagnetic waves (ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, etc.), a conductive heat transfer method by contact with a heating element, or a combination of these methods.

[0016] (Fixing module) The fixing module 4000 includes a fixing belt unit 4100 and a first reversing section 4200. The fixing belt unit 4100 can fix the ink to the sheet by passing the sheet conveyed from the drying module 3000 between a heated upper belt unit and a lower belt unit. The double-sided conveying section of the fixing module 4000 is provided with a first reversing section 4200 that reverses the front and back of the sheet.

[0017] (Cooling module) The cooling module 5000 includes multiple cooling units 5100 that cool the high-temperature sheet transported from the fixing module 4000. The cooling units 5100 take in outside air into a cooling box with a fan, increase the pressure inside the cooling box, and cool the sheet by blowing air from nozzles formed in the transport guide onto the sheet. The cooling units 5100 are disposed on both sides of the transport path and cool the sheet from both sides.

[0018] The cooling module 5000 also includes a conveying path switching unit 5200. The conveying path switching unit 5200 switches the conveying path of the sheet according to whether the sheet is conveyed to the inversion module 6000 or to the double-sided conveying path 1400 used for double-sided printing. During double-sided printing, the sheet is conveyed to a conveying path 5300 below the cooling module 5000 by the conveying path switching unit 5200. The sheet is conveyed from the conveying path 5300 to a double-sided conveying path 1400 in the feeding module 1000 via a conveying path 4300 in the fixing module 4000, a conveying path 3500 in the drying module 3000, and a conveying path 2400 in the print module 2000. The sheet is conveyed from the double-sided conveying path 1400 to the pre-image registration correction unit 2100, the print belt unit 2200, and the recording unit 2300 of the print module 2000 again, where an ink image is formed by the recording unit 2300.

[0019] (Inversion module) The reversing module 6000 includes a second reversing unit 6400. The second reversing unit 6400 reverses the front and back of the sheet being conveyed. This allows the reversing module 6000 to change the front and back orientation of the sheet being discharged.

[0020] (Discharge Loading Module) The discharge stacking module 7000 includes a top tray 7200 and a stacking section 7500. The discharge stacking module 7000 stacks the sheets conveyed from the reversing module 6000 onto the top tray 7200 or the stacking section 7500 and aligns them.

[0021] (Storage) In this embodiment, the storage cabinets 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c that are provided in a removable manner in the feeding module 1000 have the same structure, so the following description will focus on storage cabinet 1100a. However, storage cabinets 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c do not necessarily have to have the same structure. For example, storage cabinets 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c may be configured to have different heights so that the maximum number of sheets that can be loaded is different.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the storage 1100a. FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view of the storage frame 1110, with the illustration of peripheral parts such as a cover omitted. FIG. 3(b) is a perspective view of the internal structure with the storage frame 1110 removed. The storage 1100a is provided with the storage frame 1110 that constitutes its wall surface. The storage 1100a has, as its internal structure, a pair of side guide parts (regulating members) 1121 and 1122, an operating unit 1125 that operates the pair of side guide parts 1121 and 1122, a rear end guide part 1130, and a lifter plate 1140. The pair of side guide parts 1121 and 1122 are side end regulating members that regulate the positions of both ends of the sheet in the front-rear direction FR (width direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction CD. The rear end guide part 1130 is a rear end regulating member that regulates the position of the rear end of the sheet in the conveying direction CD of the sheet. The lifter plate 1140 as a stacking plate can be raised and lowered by a drive motor (not shown) as a drive unit. The lifter plate 1140 rises by the driving force of the drive motor (not shown) and raises the stack of sheets stacked on the lifter plate (sheet stacking surface) 1140.

[0023] Here, the configuration of the operation unit 1125 as an operation mechanism for operating a pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 that regulate the end positions of the width of the sheets loaded in the storage 1100a will be described. The pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 are provided with rack members 1123 and 1124 extending parallel to the front-rear direction FR. The rack member 1123 is held by the storage frame 1110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction FR together with the side guide 1121. The rack member 1124 is held by the storage frame 1110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction FR together with the sheet guide 1122. The rack members 1123 and 1124 are provided with rack teeth 1123a and 1124a on the side surfaces facing each other and extend in the front-rear direction FR. The rack teeth 1123a and 1124a mesh with a gear 1126 arranged between the rack members 1123 and 1124. When one of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 is moved in one direction, a force is transmitted to the other of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 via gear 1126, and the other of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 is moved in the other direction opposite to the one direction. As a result, the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 move the same distance in opposite directions. The operating unit 1125 is operated by the operator to apply a driving force to the gear 1126 to change the position of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122.

[0024] A manually rotatable operation unit 1125 is provided on the top of the storage frame 1110 at the front side of the storage cabinet 1100a. The operation unit 1125 is coaxially connected to a gear 1126 by a rotation shaft 1133. When an operator operates the operation unit 1125, the gear 1126 rotates, and the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 move in the front-rear direction FR via the rack members 1123 and 1124. This makes it possible to widen or narrow the width between the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 in the front-rear direction FR according to the width of the sheets loaded in the storage cabinet 1100a.

[0025] The storage 1100a is attached to the box 1200, which is the main body frame of the feeding module 1000, so as to be removable. The storage 1100a is held by the box 1200 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction FR between a closed position (attached position) where the storage 1100a is pushed toward the rear side of the box 1200, and a pulled-out position where the storage 1100a is pulled out to the front side of the box 1200. When the storage 1100a is in the pulled-out position, sheets can be added and replaced in the storage 1100a. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the side guide unit 1121 and the operation unit 1125 when the storage 1100a is attached to the closed position. In order to maximize the sheet loading capacity of the storage 1100a, the height of the front side plate 1111 constituting the storage frame 1110 is set so that the upper surface 1111a of the front side plate 1111 is as close as possible to the inner surface 1200a of the box 1200. The operating unit 1125 has a handle 1125a that an operator can hold with his / her fingers, and a base surface 1125b to which the handle 1125a is fixed. In the small gap G between the upper surface 1111a of the front plate 1111 and the inner surface 1200a of the box 1200, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient height of the handle 1125a of the operating unit 1125. Therefore, the base surface 1125b of the handle 1125a is disposed at a position lower than the upper surface 1111a of the front plate 1111.

[0026] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of switching the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 between a locked state and an unlocked state. The storage 1100a is equipped with a switching device that switches the state of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 between a locked state (second state) and an unlocked state (first state). The switching device includes a locking member (engagement member) 1127, an unlocking member 1150, and an operating lever (lever member) 1129. In FIG. 5(a), the front side plate 1111 is omitted for the sake of explanation. As described above, the rack members 1123 and 1124 attached to the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122, respectively, are held by the storage frame 1110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction FR. As shown in FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 5(c), the rack members 1123 and 1124 are disposed at a position lower than the lifter plate 1140. A locking member 1127 is provided on one rack member 1124 of the pair of rack members 1123 and 1124. A shaft portion 1124a of the rack member 1124 is inserted into a hole portion 1127a formed in the locking member 1127. The locking member 1127 is supported by the front side plate 1111 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 1127b. The locking member 1127 is urged by a urging member 1128 such as a tension spring so as to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5(b).

[0027] FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing a locked state of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122. In the locked state, the lock member 1127 is biased by the biasing force of the biasing member 1128 so that the hole 1127a of the lock member 1127 engages with the shaft 1124a of the rack member 1124, and a frictional force is generated between the lock member 1127 and the rack member 1124. At this time, the lock member 1127 is located at a prohibition position that prohibits the movement of the rack member 1124. The frictional force between the lock member 1127 and the rack member 1124 restricts the movement of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 in the front-rear direction FR. In the locked state (second state), the positions of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 are fixed, and the operator is prohibited from changing the positions of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 by operating the operation unit 1125. In this embodiment, in the locked state of FIG. 5( b ), even if an operator attempts to rotate the operation unit 1125 , the operation unit 1125 cannot be rotated due to friction between the lock member 1127 and the rack member 1124 .

[0028] The storage 1100a is provided with an operating lever 1129 and an unlocking member 1150. The operating lever 1129 is supported rotatably around a rotating shaft 1129a. A hole 1129c is provided on the opposite side of the rotating shaft 1129a from the knob 1129b of the operating lever 1129. The unlocking member 1150 is provided with a protrusion 1150a at one end that fits into the hole 1129c of the operating lever 1129, and a contact portion 1150b at the other end that contacts the locking member 1127. The unlocking member 1150 is held so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The knob 1129b of the operating lever 1129 protrudes upward through a hole 1111b provided in the upper part of the front side plate 1111. In the locked state shown in FIG. 5(b), the knob portion 1129b of the operating lever 1129 is in a second position tilted forward.

[0029] FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 in an unlocked state. When an operator pushes up the knob 1129b of the operation lever 1129 toward the rear side to place it in the first position, the unlocking member 1150 is pulled upward, and the contact portion 1150b of the unlocking member 1150 is pulled upward. The contact portion 1150b rotates the locking member 1127 in a clockwise direction against the biasing force of the biasing member 1128. This reduces the frictional force between the hole portion 1127a of the locking member 1127 and the shaft portion 1124a of the rack member 1124, and the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 become movable (unlocked state). At this time, the locking member 1127 is located in an allowable position that allows the rack member 1124 to move. The operation lever 1129 can switch the state of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 between an unlocked state (first state) and a locked state (second state). In the unlocked state, the operator can change the positions of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 by operating the operation part 1125.

[0030] When switching from the unlocked state to the locked state, the operator pushes down knob 1129b of operating lever 1129 forward to tilt operating lever 1129 forward. However, if the operator does not operate operating lever 1129 and pushes storage 1100a into box 1200 while in the unlocked state, as shown in Fig. 5(d), knob 1129b of operating lever 1129 comes into contact with the upper part of box 1200 and tilts forward. This returns the unlocked state to the locked state.

[0031] According to this embodiment, when moving the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122, it is possible to move the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 while maintaining them at an appropriate angle without requiring a complex operation of simultaneously applying forces in multiple directions. Also, even if the storage 1100a is pushed into the box 1200 while in the unlocked state, it is possible to switch from the unlocked state to the locked state with a smaller configuration with fewer parts than in the conventional technology.

[0032] According to this embodiment, the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 can be operated at an appropriate angle with little force without increasing the size of the components. Also, even if the storage 1100a is pushed into the box 1200 without locking the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122, the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 can be locked.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the storage 1100a, which can move relative to the main body of the feeding module 1000, is pushed in while in an unlocked state, the operation lever 1129 comes into contact with the upper part of the box (main body frame) 1200 and falls forward. However, the location with which the operation lever 1129 comes into contact is not limited to the box (main body frame) 1200, but may be any location on the main body of the feeding module (sheet stacking device) 1000, and may be, for example, an exterior member attached to the box 1200.

[0034] According to this embodiment, an operating unit 1125 that applies power to rack members 1123 and 1124 provided below a pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 is provided on the upper part of storage cabinet 1100a. According to this embodiment, it is possible to realize storage cabinet 1100a that is smaller in size than conventional storage cabinets, has less burden when operated, and does not cause forgetting to lock the cabinet. According to this embodiment, even if storage cabinet 1100a is pushed into the closed position while remaining in a first state in which the positions of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 are changeable, it is possible to switch to a second state in which the positions of the pair of side guides 1121 and 1122 are prohibited. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1000 Feeding Module 1100a, 1100b, 1100c Storage 1121 Side guide part 1122 Side guide part 1123 Rack parts 1123a Rack teeth 1124 Rack parts 1124a Rack teeth 1126 Gears 1129 Operating lever 1200 Box

Claims

1. A storage unit for storing sheets that are transported in the transport direction by a transport means, The aforementioned storage unit is A movable restricting member for restricting the edges of the sheet stored in the storage compartment, A switching device that switches the state of the restricting member between a first state in which the position of the restricting member can be changed and a second state in which the position of the restricting member is fixed and the change of the position of the restricting member is prohibited. Equipped with, The storage compartment is configured to be held by the main body of the sheet loading device so as to be movable between a closed position where the storage compartment is pushed in and an extended position where the storage compartment is pulled out. When the storage compartment is in the drawer position, the operator operates the switching device, thereby switching the state of the regulating member between the first state and the second state. When the storage compartment is pushed from the pull-out position to the closed position while the regulating member is in the first state, the state of the regulating member is switched from the first state to the second state by the main body of the sheet loading device. A storage unit characterized by the following features.

2. A rack member having rack teeth and being movable integrally with the regulating member, A gear that meshes with the rack teeth of the rack member, The system comprises a loading plate on which the aforementioned sheets are loaded, The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the rack member is positioned lower than the loading plate.

3. The storage unit according to claim 2, characterized in that it is equipped with a drive unit for raising and lowering the aforementioned loading plate.

4. The restricting member includes a pair of restricting members that are movable in the front-rear direction to restrict both ends of the sheet in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the transport direction, The aforementioned storage unit is A pair of rack members, each of which is movable integrally with each of the pair of restricting members and each having rack teeth, The pair of rack members have gears that mesh with the rack teeth, The rack teeth of each of the pair of rack members face each other and extend in the front-rear direction, The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that when one of the pair of restricting members is moved in one direction in the front-rear direction, the other of the pair of restricting members is moved by the same distance in the opposite direction.

5. The storage compartment according to claim 4, characterized in that the storage compartment is held by the main body of the sheet loading device so as to be movable in the front-rear direction between the closed position in which the storage compartment is pushed toward the rear and the pulled-out position in which the storage compartment is pulled toward the front.

6. A rack member having rack teeth and being movable integrally with the regulating member, A gear that meshes with the rack teeth of the rack member, The system includes an operating unit which is operated by the operator to change the position of the regulating member and to provide driving force to the gear, The storage cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching device switches the state of the regulating member between a first state in which the operator can change the position of the regulating member by operating the operating unit, and a second state in which the position of the regulating member is fixed and the operator is prohibited from changing the position of the regulating member by operating the operating unit.

7. The operating part has a handle portion that the operator can grasp and a base surface to which the handle portion is fixed. The storage unit according to claim 6, characterized in that the position of the base surface is located lower than the upper surface of the storage unit.

8. A rack member having rack teeth and being movable integrally with the regulating member, The rack member has a gear that meshes with the rack teeth, The aforementioned switching device is An engaging member that can move between an allowable position that permits movement of the rack member and a prohibited position that prohibits movement of the rack member, A lever member that is movable between a first position that positions the engaging member in the allowable position and a second position that positions the engaging member in the prohibited position, The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized by comprising the above.

9. The storage compartment according to claim 8, characterized in that when the storage compartment is pushed to the closed position while the lever member is in the first position, the lever member engages with the main body of the sheet loading device and moves from the first position to the second position.

10. The storage unit described in claim 1, A main body that holds the aforementioned storage compartment in a pull-out manner, A sheet loading device equipped with the following features.

11. A sheet loading device according to claim 10, An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet transported from the sheet loading device, An image forming apparatus equipped with the following features.

Images