Image formation device

Abstract

To provide an image formation device provided with a cassette retraction prevention device that has no load as regulation means when being retracted, can set a retracting load to low, and can eliminate an unstable factor of a retracting failure.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes: an image formation device main body 10 that has a plurality of cassettes capable of being freely pulled out; and an adjuster 14 that is provided in a pulling-out direction of the plurality of cassettes in a bottom surface of the image formation device main body 10 and can adjust a height of the image formation device main body 10. The adjuster 14 includes a lock holder 16 that is movable between a position contacting with an installation surface when installing the image formation device main body 10 and a position in a bottom surface of the image formation device main body 10 and moves in conjunction with the adjuster 14. The lock holder 16 is configured to: put a restriction on the movement of the plurality of cassettes at a prescribed position where the adjuster 14 is separated from the installation surface; and release the restriction on the movement of the plurality of cassettes at a position where the adjuster 14 contacts with the installation surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus equipped with a cassette removal prevention device. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming apparatus equipped with a conventional cassette pull-out prevention device, a regulating member is provided to prevent the cassette from jumping out of the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is moved. As such a regulating member, an image forming apparatus equipped with a cassette that can be pulled out in a direction substantially parallel to the floor surface and an adjuster foot that can move in the vertical direction is described in, for example, JP 2009-282282 A (Patent Document 1). According to this publication, in an image forming apparatus equipped with a single cassette that stores paper and can be pulled out in a direction substantially parallel to the floor surface and an adjuster foot that can move in the vertical direction, when the image forming apparatus is installed, the adjuster foot is capable of moving downward so that the lower surface presses against the floor surface and the upper portion does not prevent the pull-out of the single cassette, and when the image forming apparatus is moved, the lower surface moves away from the floor surface and the upper portion moves upward so that the upper portion prevents the pull-out of the single cassette. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-282282 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The image forming apparatus equipped with the conventional cassette pull-out prevention device has the above-mentioned structure. However, in the structure described in Patent Document 1, the adjuster foot directly engages with the drawer, so it is not possible to restrict the pull-out of multiple cassettes, and the adjuster foot directly interferes with the drawer, so there is a possibility that the drawer will be damaged if the adjuster foot is raised when the drawer is half-open. In addition, in such a structure, for example, when moving the image forming apparatus, there is a risk that the cassette will fly out of the apparatus body due to the inertial force or impact caused by the movement, which may cause an obstacle to the moving operation.

[0005] Another conventional cassette pull-out prevention device for an image forming apparatus has a retraction mechanism 101 as shown in Fig. 7A. Retraction mechanism 101 is provided in the center of the rear surface of cassette 102, and lock mechanism 103 for engaging cassette 102 with the image forming apparatus is provided on the opening side of cassette 102. Lock mechanism 103 includes claw 105 biased downward by a spring centered on fulcrum 104 provided on the image forming apparatus, and recess 106 provided on cassette 102 and engaging with claw 105 to prevent cassette 102 from being pulled out.

[0006] 7B to 7D are enlarged views showing the details of the lock mechanism 103 shown in FIG. 7A. As shown in FIG. 7B, the portion of the recess 106 that engages with the claw 105 side has a slope 108 that slopes downwards next to a flat portion 107 on the claw 105 side. When paper is stored in the cassette 102 and returned to the image forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7B to 7D, the claw 105 engages with the slope 108 before engaging with the recess 106, and then engages with the recess 106 via the flat portion 107. Therefore, there is a problem that the load during retraction is large at the portion indicated by the thick arrow in FIG. 7B to FIG. 7C, which leads to poor retraction or an increase in the retraction load.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and aims to provide an image forming apparatus equipped with a cassette pull-out prevention device that does not apply load as a regulating means when retracting, allows the retraction load to be set low, and eliminates unstable factors that may cause retraction failure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an image forming apparatus main body having a plurality of removable paper feed stacking sections, and an adjuster provided on the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body on the side of the removable direction of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections, capable of adjusting the height of the image forming apparatus main body. The adjuster is movable between a position where the adjuster contacts the installation surface when the image forming apparatus main body is installed and a position on the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body. The adjuster includes a moving member that moves in conjunction with the adjuster, and the moving member restricts movement of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections when the adjuster is at a predetermined position away from the installation surface, and releases the restriction on movement of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections when the adjuster is at a position where the adjuster contacts the installation surface.

[0009] Preferably, each of the plurality of paper feed stack sections includes a pull-out prevention lock that prevents the paper feed stack section from being pulled out, and the movement of the plurality of paper feed stack sections is regulated by the movable member activating the pull-out prevention lock of the paper feed stack section.

[0010] More preferably, the movable member is a rod-shaped member extending upwardly that is movable in the vertical direction and includes a plurality of protrusions and curved portions extending laterally from the rod-shaped member, and the pull-out prevention locks of the multiple paper feed stacks are downward protrusions provided on the paper feed stacks, and the pull-out prevention locks of the multiple paper feed stacks are activated by the multiple protrusions and curved portions pressing the downward protrusions provided on the multiple paper feed stacks, thereby activating the pull-out prevention lock.

[0011] A movable plate that rotates around a predetermined rotation axis is provided on the bottom surface of the image forming device body, and it is preferable that the movement of the movable member in the vertical direction is achieved by rotating the movable plate and moving the lower end of the movable member in the vertical direction. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, a movable member is provided which is in a position in contact with the installation surface when installed, and which moves in conjunction with an adjuster located above the installation surface when moved, and the movable member restricts the movement of multiple paper feed stacking sections when the adjuster is in a predetermined position away from the installation surface, and releases the restriction on the movement of the multiple paper feed stacking sections when the adjuster is in contact with the installation surface.

[0013] As a result, there is no load acting as a regulating means when the cassette is pulled in, so the pull-in load can be set low and unstable factors causing pull-in failures can be eliminated, making it possible to provide an image forming apparatus equipped with a cassette pull-out prevention device.

[0014] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus main body capable of accommodating a plurality of cassettes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2A] 2 is a perspective view showing a main body frame of the image forming apparatus main body shown in FIG. 1 with a cassette removed. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is an enlarged perspective view of a portion indicated by a frame 2B in FIG. 2A. [Figure 3A] 13 is a view of the lock holder in the image forming apparatus main body with the adjuster lowered, seen from the cassette pull-out direction. FIG. [Figure 3B] 11 is a view of the lock holder in the image forming apparatus main body with the adjuster raised, as viewed from the cassette pull-out direction. FIG. [Figure 4A] FIG. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by 4B in FIG. 4A. [Figure 5A] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the lock holder with the adjuster shown in FIG. 3A lowered. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the lock holder shown in FIG. 5A with a cassette attached thereto. [Figure 6A] 11 is a view of the lock holder in the image forming apparatus main body with the adjuster raised, as viewed from the cassette pull-out direction. FIG. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the lock holder shown in FIG. 6A with a cassette attached. [Figure 7A] 11 is a side view showing a retraction mechanism serving as another cassette removal prevention device of a conventional image forming apparatus. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is an enlarged view showing details of the locking mechanism of the cassette shown in FIG. 7A. [Figure 7C] FIG. 7B is an enlarged view showing details of the locking mechanism of the cassette shown in FIG. 7A. [Figure 7D] FIG. 7B is an enlarged view showing details of the locking mechanism of the cassette shown in FIG. 7A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus main body capable of storing a plurality of cassettes (paper feed stacking units) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the illustration of a paper transport unit, an image forming unit, and the like provided on the image forming apparatus main body 10 is omitted, and the top surface of the topmost cassette is shown at the top.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus main body 10 accommodates three tiers of cassettes 30a to 30c, an upper tier, a middle tier, and a lower tier, and is provided with a handle for removing the cassettes on the front surface.

[0018] Next, the image forming apparatus main body 10 will be described. Fig. 2A is a perspective view showing the main body frame of the image forming apparatus main body 10 shown in Fig. 1 with the cassette removed, and Fig. 2B is an enlarged perspective view of the portion indicated by frame 2B in Fig. 2A. In Fig. 2A, the arrow indicates the cassette removal direction.

[0019] 2A, the image forming apparatus main body 10 includes a main body frame 11 constituting the image forming apparatus main body 10, and the main body frame 11 includes holding rails for holding three tiers of cassettes, an upper tier, a middle tier, and a lower tier, in that order from top to bottom in the horizontal direction. The holding rails each include a pair of upper cassette holding rails 11a, a middle cassette holding rail 11b provided below the upper cassette holding rail 11a, and a lower cassette holding rail 11c provided below the middle cassette holding rail 11b, and a lower plate 11d is provided below the lower cassette holding rail 11c.

[0020] The main body frame 11 includes vertical pillars 12a to 12d provided vertically at its four corners so as to support the above-mentioned cassette holding rails 11a to 11c and the lower plate 11d.

[0021] The lower plate 11d includes casters (not shown) that are provided at the four corners of the main body frame 11 and can rotate to adjust the position after the image forming apparatus main body 10 is fixed and installed, and four adjusters 14 that are provided outside the casters. The adjusters 14 are provided to be movable in the vertical direction so that when moving, they move up to come close to the lower plate 11d, and when installing, they move down to come into contact with the installation surface.

[0022] The adjuster 14 is provided on the right side of the cassette (not shown) housed in the main frame 11 in the pull-out direction.

[0023] Next, referring to FIG. 2B, the configuration of one of the four vertical pillars 12a to 12d and the vicinity thereof will be described. In this embodiment, a lock holder (moving member) 16 is provided at the rear of the vertical pillar 12a on the right side of the image forming apparatus main body 10, which is located at the opening side where a cassette (not shown) is pulled out from the main body, and extends vertically upward. As shown in the figure, the lock holder 16 is a rod-shaped member having a rectangular cross section that is long in the cassette pull-out direction, and has two protrusions 18a, 18b extending from the lock holder 16 toward the cassette (not shown) at positions below the holding rails 11a to 11c of each cassette, and a curved portion 16a at the lower end. The two protrusions 18a, 18b and the curved portion 16a at the lower end have the same length and extend toward the cassette (not shown). The protrusions 18a, 18b and the curved portion 16a at the lower end are preferably the same width as the lock holder 16, but may have a dimension that operates a protrusion that will be described later.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2B, the adjuster 14 includes a disk-shaped adjuster body 14a, an adjuster adjustment bolt 14b provided at the center of the adjuster body 14a and extending in the vertical direction, and a nut 14c (see FIG. 3A) provided on the lower plate 11d so as to be engageable with the adjuster adjustment bolt 14b.

[0025] Also, at the right end of the opening of the lower plate 11d on the cassette pull-out side, a mounting plate 22 is provided to mount a pair of plate-shaped holding parts 21a, 21b extending vertically upward and holding the rotating shaft 20 therebetween. A movable plate 23 (see Figs. 3A and 3B) is connected to the rotating shaft 20, and the end of the movable plate 23 on the opposite side to the rotating shaft 20 extends up to above the adjuster adjustment bolt 14b. When the adjuster body 14a is rotated and moved upward, the adjuster adjustment bolt 14b rotates. As a result, the movable plate 23 rotates around the rotating shaft 20 and moves upward, and the curved part 16a at the lower end of the lock holder 16 supported by the movable plate 23 moves upward. This movement will be described in detail later.

[0026] In addition, shafts 16b, 16c which protrude in the cassette removal direction are provided at the top of the lock holder 16 in the longitudinal direction and at a predetermined intermediate position, and long holes 19a, 19b of a predetermined length which extend vertically upward are provided at predetermined positions on the vertical column portion 12a adjacent to the lock holder 16, so that when the lock holder 16 moves in the vertical direction, the shafts 16b, 16c move along the long holes 19a, 19b.

[0027] Therefore, when the adjuster 14 is moved upward, the lock holder 16 moves vertically upward along the long holes 19a, 19b of the vertical column portion 12a.

[0028] Next, we will explain how to prevent the cassette from being pulled out due to the above-mentioned vertical movement of adjuster 14. Figure 3A is a diagram of lock holder 16 viewed from the cassette pull-out direction in a state in which adjuster 14 is lowered in image forming apparatus main body 10, and Figure 3B is a diagram of lock holder 16 viewed from the cassette pull-out direction in a state in which adjuster 14 is raised in image forming apparatus main body 10, and is an enlarged view showing the operating state of lock holder 16 shown in Figure 2B.

[0029] That is, FIG. 3A shows a state in which the image forming apparatus main body 10 is installed, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the image forming apparatus main body 10 is being moved.

[0030] First, referring to Fig. 3A, when the image forming apparatus main body 10 is installed, the adjuster 14 is in contact with the installation surface 25, the adjuster adjustment bolt 14b is engaged with a nut 14c provided at a corner of the lower plate 11d, and its upper end does not reach the movable plate 23, which is positioned horizontally. In this state, the protruding parts 18a, 18b and the curved part 16a of the lock holder 16 protrude toward the cassette (not shown). Note that the caster 13 provided on the inside of the adjuster 14 is shown here.

[0031] Next, a state in which the image forming apparatus main body 10 is moved will be described. With reference to Fig. 3B, when the image forming apparatus main body 10 is moved, the adjuster 14 is raised from the installation surface 25 to the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body 10 (a position close to the lower plate 11d) and is not in contact with the installation surface 25, and the upper end of the adjuster adjustment bolt 14b raised via the nut 14c pushes the movable plate 23 upward, so that the movable plate 23 is inclined obliquely upward. Even in this state, the protrusions 18a and 18b of the lock holder 16 protrude toward the cassette (not shown).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2B, the lock holder 16 is movable up and down so that the shafts 16b and 16c are aligned with the long holes 19a and 19b.

[0033] [First embodiment] Next, a description will be given of a configuration in which the cassette is not pulled out by moving the adjuster 14 upward during movement as described above. Fig. 4A is a diagram showing the back surface of the cassette 30, and Fig. 4B is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by 4B in Fig. 4A.

[0034] 4B, a protrusion 31 that restricts movement of cassette 30 and acts as a lock to prevent cassette 30 from being pulled out is provided on the bottom surface on the right side of the opening side of cassette 30. Protrusion 31 can move up and down and is normally biased downward, but by pushing this downward protrusion upward, cassette 30 is prevented from being pulled out.

[0035] When the image forming apparatus main body 10 is moved, the adjuster 14 is moved upward as shown in Fig. 3B, the movable plate 23 rotates, and the lock holder 16 moves from the position shown in Fig. 3A to the position shown in Fig. 3B. This movement causes the protruding parts 18a, 18b and the curved part 16a of the lock holder 16 to push up the protrusion 31 (see Fig. 4B). As a result, the opening of the cassette 30 is restricted, and the cassette cannot be pulled out.

[0036] Next, a specific configuration for pushing up the projection 31 serving as a lock to prevent the cassette 30 from being pulled out near the adjuster 14 at the lower part of the lock holder 16 will be described.

[0037] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of lock holder 16 with adjuster 14 shown in FIG. 3A lowered, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the perspective view of lock holder 16 shown in FIG. 5A with cassettes 30a to 30c attached.

[0038] 5A and 5B, in Fig. 5A where the image forming apparatus main body 10 is in an installed state, the adjuster 14 is in a lower position, and the lock holder 16 is also in a lower position, so that the protrusions 18a, 18b and the curved portion 16a of the lock holder 16 are not in contact with the projections 31a-31c of the cassettes 30a-30c. In other words, the restriction on the movement of the cassettes 30a-30c is released.

[0039] In contrast, Figure 6A is a diagram of lock holder 16 in the image forming apparatus main body 10 with the adjuster raised, viewed from the cassette removal direction (not shown), and Figure 6B is a diagram showing the state in which cassettes 30a to 30c are attached in the perspective view of lock holder 16 shown in Figure 6A.

[0040] [Second embodiment] 6A and 6B, in Fig. 6A where the image forming apparatus main body 10 is in a moving state, the adjuster 14 is in an upper position (a predetermined position separated from the installation surface) and the lock holder 16 is also in an upper position, so that the protrusions 18a, 18b and the curved portion 16a of the lock holder 16 come into contact with the projections 31a to 31c of the cassettes 30a to 30c and push them upward, thereby activating the pull-out prevention lock of the cassettes 30a to 30c. As a result, the opening of the cassettes 30a to 30c is restricted, and the cassettes 30a to 30c cannot be pulled out.

[0041] In the above embodiment, a case was described in which the lock holder is provided along the vertical pillar on the right side facing the main body, on the opening side where the cassette is pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body, but this is not limited to this and the lock holder may be provided along another vertical pillar.

[0042] In the above embodiment, only the up and down movement of the adjuster that moves the lock holder up and down has been described, but it is assumed that the other adjusters also move up and down in the same manner during installation.

[0043] The present disclosure can be implemented in various other forms without departing from its spirit or main features. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be interpreted as being limited. All modifications and variations within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure are within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] According to the present disclosure, when retracting, The present invention is useful as an image forming apparatus since it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus equipped with a cassette pull-out prevention device that can set a low pull-in load without imposing a load as a regulating means and can eliminate unstable factors such as pull-in failure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Image forming device main body 11 Main frame 11a Upper cassette holding rail 11b Middle cassette holding rail 11c Lower cassette retaining rail 11d Lower plate 12a~12d Vertical column part 13 Caster 14 Adjuster 14a Adjuster body 14b Adjuster adjustment bolt 14c Nut 16 Lock holder (moving part) 16a Curved section 16b,16c axis 18a,18b protrusion 19 long hole 20 Rotational Axis 21 Holding part 22 Mounting plate 23 Movable plate 25 Installation surface 30 Cassette (paper feeder) 31 Protrusion (anti-pullout lock)

Claims

1. an image forming apparatus body having a plurality of removable paper feed stacking units; an adjuster provided on a bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body in a pull-out direction of the plurality of paper feed stacking units, the adjuster being capable of adjusting a height of the image forming apparatus main body; the adjuster is movable between a position where the adjuster comes into contact with an installation surface when the image forming apparatus main body is installed and a position where the adjuster comes into contact with a bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body; a moving member that moves in conjunction with the adjuster, the movable member restricts movement of the plurality of paper feed stacking units at a predetermined position where the adjuster is spaced from a placement surface; When the adjuster is in contact with a mounting surface, the image forming apparatus releases the restriction on the movement of the plurality of paper feed stacking units.

2. each of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections includes a pull-out prevention lock that prevents the paper feed stacking section from being pulled out; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections is restricted by the movable member operating a lock to prevent the paper feed stacking sections from being pulled out.

3. The movable member is a rod-shaped member extending upward and movable in the up-down direction, a plurality of protrusions and curved portions extending laterally from the rod-shaped member; the pull-out prevention locks of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections are downward projections provided on the plurality of paper feed stacking sections, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lock for preventing withdrawal of the plurality of paper feed stacking sections is activated by the plurality of protruding portions and curved portions pressing downward protrusions provided on the plurality of paper feed stacking sections, thereby activating the lock for preventing withdrawal.

4. A movable plate that rotates around a predetermined rotation axis is provided on the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus body, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement of said moving member is performed by rotating said movable plate to move a lower end of said moving member in the vertical direction.

Images