Sheet feed device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To prevent a recording medium from remaining inside a housing when a storage unit that stores the recording medium is pulled out of the housing compared to when the recording medium comes into contact with a concave portion that is provided on a frame of the housing, is located in front of the direction in which the storage unit is pulled out, and is provided in a concave shape facing the sheet feed direction of the recording medium.SOLUTION: A sheet feed device includes a sheet storage unit 51 that is provided in a drawer direction that intersects with a sheet feed direction of the housing and stores recording sheet, a concave portion 90 that is provided with a concave shape facing the sheet feed direction of the recording sheet on the front side of a drawer direction, and a protruding portion 97 that is provided so that a member protrudes from the concave portion 90 to the sheet storage unit 51 side when the concave portion 90 is viewed from the front side to the back side in the drawer direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper feeder and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques relating to paper feeders have already been proposed, for example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a guide member having a guide surface between a storage section and a nip section that nips the sheet between first and second rollers, which guides the sheet from the storage section toward the nip section, and which is configured so that the distance between the storage section and the edge of the guide surface on the nip section side has an enlarged section that gradually increases from the end of the guide surface upstream in the pull-out direction toward the pull-out direction.

[0004] Patent document 2 discloses a side regulating member at the rear side of the paper feed tray in the pull-out direction that has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the paper to prevent paper from being left behind, and the protruding portion is configured to be positioned above the top surface of the paper when it is fed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-166912 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-77291 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The object of this invention is to prevent the recording medium from remaining inside the housing when the storage section that stores the recording medium is pulled out from the housing, compared to when the recording medium comes into contact with a recess that is provided on the frame of the housing and has a concave shape facing the feed direction of the recording medium on the front side in the pull-out direction of the storage section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 includes a storage section that is provided so as to be removable in a removal direction that intersects with a paper feed direction of a housing and that stores a recording medium; a recessed portion provided on a front side in the pull-out direction toward a feed direction of the recording medium; a protrusion provided on the housing portion side such that a member protrudes beyond the recess when the recess is viewed from the front side to the back side in the pull-out direction; The paper feed device is provided with:

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the paper feeding device described in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided in a non-paper passing area of ​​the recording medium fed from the storage unit.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the paper feeding device described in claim 2, wherein the protruding portion has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side along the pull-out direction.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is the paper feeding device described in claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a front end portion in the pull-out direction that protrudes beyond an edge of the recessed portion.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is the paper feeding device described in claim 4, wherein the protruding portion is inclined toward the paper passing region from the upstream side to the downstream side along the paper feeding direction.

[0012] The invention described in claim 6 is the paper feeding device described in claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is provided so as to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape toward the rear side of the recess in the pull-out direction.

[0013] The invention described in claim 7 is the paper feeding device described in claim 6, wherein the protruding portion has an apex of the triangular pyramid disposed inside the recessed portion.

[0014] The invention described in claim 8 is a paper feeding device described in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is integral with a curved guide member so as to guide the recording medium fed from the storage section upward in the vertical direction.

[0015] The invention described in claim 9 is the paper feeding device described in claim 8, wherein the protrusion is provided on a curved portion of the guide member.

[0016] The invention described in claim 10 includes a paper feed means for feeding the stored recording medium; an image forming means for forming an image on the recording medium fed from the paper feeding means; Equipped with The image forming apparatus uses the paper feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as the paper feed means. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 1, when the storage section that stores the recording medium is pulled out from the housing, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from remaining inside the housing, compared to a case in which the recording medium comes into contact with a recess that is provided on the frame of the housing and has a concave shape toward the feed direction of the recording medium on the front side in the pull-out direction in which the storage section is pulled out, the recording medium can be prevented from remaining inside the housing.

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 2, interference with the recording medium can be prevented compared to when the protruding portion is provided in the paper passing area.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 3, the protrusion can prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the recess, compared to a case in which the protrusion does not have an inclined surface that slopes from the rear side to the front side along the pull-out direction.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 4, the protrusion can prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the recess even when an attachment error occurs in the protrusion, compared to when the front end along the withdrawal direction is flush with the edge of the recess.

[0021] According to the invention described in claim 5, the protrusion can be prevented from interfering with the recording medium, compared to when the protrusion is arranged in a straight line from the upstream side to the downstream side along the paper feed direction.

[0022] According to the invention described in claim 6, the protrusion can guide the recording medium more smoothly compared to when the protrusion protrudes into a shape other than a triangular pyramid toward the rear side of the recess along the withdrawal direction.

[0023] According to the invention described in claim 7, the protrusion can reliably prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the recess, compared to when the apex of the triangular pyramid is positioned outside the recess.

[0024] According to the invention described in claim 8, the protrusion can be more easily disposed at an appropriate position on the guide member, compared to a case in which the protrusion is separate from the guide member.

[0025] According to the invention as recited in claim 9, the protrusion can reliably guide the recording medium guided by the guiding member to the recessed portion, compared to a case in which the protrusion is provided on the straight portion of the guiding member.

[0026] According to the invention described in claim 10, it is possible to prevent recording media from remaining inside the housing, compared to a case in which a paper feeding device described in any of claims 1 to 9 is not used as a paper feeding means. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus to which a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an image forming section of an image forming apparatus to which a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a main part of a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a side configuration diagram showing a main part of a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first guide member; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view showing a main body of an image forming apparatus to which a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a main part of a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a main part of a paper feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram showing the operation of the paper feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] [Embodiment 1] Figures 1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus to which a paper feeder according to embodiment 1 is applied. Figure 1 shows an overview of the entire image forming apparatus, and Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of the main parts (imaging device, etc.) of the image forming apparatus. In Figure 1, the symbol X indicates the horizontal direction (width direction) of the image forming apparatus, the symbol Y indicates the depth direction of the image forming apparatus, and the symbol Z indicates the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus.

[0030] <Overall configuration of image forming apparatus> The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured as, for example, a color copier. The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an image reading device 2 that reads an image of an original (not shown) at the upper end of the apparatus main body 1a. In addition to the function of copying the image of the original read by the image reading device 2, the image forming apparatus 1 also functions as a color printer or the like that records image information sent from a host computer (not shown) or the like.

[0031] The image forming apparatus 1 includes, inside the apparatus main body 1a, a plurality of image forming devices 10 that form toner images developed with toner constituting the developer 4, an intermediate transfer device 20 that holds the toner images formed by each image forming device 10 and transports them to a secondary transfer position where they are finally secondarily transferred onto a recording paper 5 as an example of a recording medium, a paper feed device 50 as an example of a paper feed means according to the present embodiment that stores and transports the required recording paper 5 to be supplied to the secondary transfer position of the intermediate transfer device 20, and a fixing device 40 that fixes the toner image on the recording paper 5 that has been secondarily transferred by the intermediate transfer device 20. The plurality of image forming devices 10 and the intermediate transfer device 20 constitute an image forming means that forms an image on the recording paper 5. The apparatus main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 is formed of a support structure member, an exterior cover, and the like.

[0032] The imaging device 10 is composed of four imaging devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K that are dedicated to forming toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. These four imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, and K) are arranged in a line in an inclined state in the internal space of the device main body 1a. Of the four imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, and K), the yellow (Y) imaging device 10Y is located relatively high above along the vertical direction Z, and the black (K) imaging device 10K is located relatively low.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, each of the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) image creating devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) is equipped with a rotating photosensitive drum 11 as an example of an image holding means for holding an electrostatic latent image, and around this photosensitive drum 11, various devices as examples of toner image forming means, such as the following, are mainly arranged. The main devices are a charging device 12 which charges the peripheral surface (image bearing surface) of the photosensitive drum 11 capable of forming an image to a required potential, an exposure device 13 which irradiates the charged peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with light based on image information (signal) to form an electrostatic latent image (for each color) with a potential difference, a developing device 14 which develops the electrostatic latent image with toner of the developer 4 of the corresponding color (Y, M, C, K) to form a toner image, a primary transfer device 15 which transfers each toner image to the intermediate transfer device 20, and a drum cleaning device 16 which removes and cleans any toner and other deposits that remain on and adhere to the image bearing surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the primary transfer.

[0034] The photoconductor drum 11 has an image bearing surface formed on the peripheral surface of a grounded cylindrical or columnar substrate, the peripheral surface of which has a photoconductive layer (photosensitive layer) made of a photosensitive material. The photoconductor drum 11 is supported so as to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow A by power transmitted from a rotation drive device (not shown).

[0035] 2, the charging device 12 is composed of a contact-type charging roll 121 that is arranged in contact with the photoconductor drum 11. A cleaning roll 122 that cleans the surface of the charging roll 121 is arranged on the rear side of the charging roll 121. A charging voltage is supplied to the charging roll 121 of the charging device 12. When the developing device 14 performs reversal development, a voltage or current of the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner supplied from the developing device 14 is supplied as the charging voltage.

[0036] The exposure device 13 forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the charged peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 11 with light configured according to image information of the original document read by the image reading device 2 and image information input to the image forming device 1. When the latent image is to be formed, the exposure device 13 receives image information (signals) of the original document read by the image reading device 2 and image information (signals) input to the image forming device 1 by any means.

[0037] The exposure device 13 is an LED print head that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the photoconductor drum 11 with light corresponding to image information using LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as a plurality of light emitting elements arranged along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 11. Note that the exposure device 13 may be one that deflects and scans laser light configured according to the image information along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 11.

[0038] Each of the developing devices 14 is configured by arranging a developing roll 141 that holds the developer and transports it to a developing area facing the photosensitive drum 11 inside a housing 140 in which an opening portion at a position facing the photosensitive drum 11 and a developer storage chamber are formed, an agitation supply member 142 made of a screw auger or the like that supplies the developer while stirring it so that it passes through the developing roll 141, an agitation transport member 143 made of a screw auger or the like that transports the developer to the agitation supply member 142 while stirring it, and a layer thickness regulating member 144 that regulates the amount (layer thickness) of the developer held on the developing roll 141. A developing voltage is supplied from a power supply device (not shown) between the developing roll 141 and the photosensitive drum 11 in this developing device 14. For example, a two-component developer containing a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier is used as the four-color developer.

[0039] The primary transfer device 15 is a contact type transfer device that includes a primary transfer roll that rotates in contact with the periphery of the photosensitive drum 11 via the intermediate transfer belt 21 and is supplied with a primary transfer voltage. As the primary transfer voltage, a DC voltage showing a polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the toner is supplied from a power supply device (not shown).

[0040] 2, the drum cleaning device 16 is composed of a container-shaped main body 160 with a portion open, a cleaning plate 161 that is arranged so as to come into contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after primary transfer with a required pressure to remove and clean residual toner and other deposits, and a sending member 162 such as a screw auger that collects the toner and other deposits removed by the cleaning plate 161 and conveys them to a collection system (not shown). A plate-shaped member (e.g., a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used as the cleaning plate 161.

[0041] 1, the intermediate transfer device 20 is disposed so as to be present at a position above each of the image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) in the vertical direction Z. The intermediate transfer device 20 is mainly composed of an intermediate transfer belt 21 that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B while passing through a primary transfer position between the photosensitive drum 11 and the primary transfer device 15 (primary transfer roll), a plurality of belt support rolls 22-25 that support the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a desired state from its inner surface and rotatably, a secondary transfer device 30 that is disposed on the outer peripheral surface (image bearing surface) side of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 and performs a secondary transfer of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the recording paper 5, and a belt cleaning device 26 that removes and cleans toner, paper powder, and other deposits that remain and adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer device 30.

[0042] An endless belt made of a material in which a resistance adjusting agent such as carbon black is dispersed in a synthetic resin such as polyimide resin or polyamide resin is used as the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support roll 22 is configured as a drive roll that is rotated by a drive device (not shown), the belt support roll 23 is configured as a surface finishing roll that maintains the running position of the intermediate transfer belt 21, the belt support roll 24 is configured as a tension applying roll that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the belt support roll 25 is configured as a backup roll for secondary transfer.

[0043] 1, the secondary transfer device 30 is a contact type transfer device including a secondary transfer roll 31 that rotates in contact with the circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and is supplied with a secondary transfer voltage at a secondary transfer position, which is the outer circumferential surface portion of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 in the intermediate transfer device 20. A DC voltage having the same polarity as or opposite to the charge polarity of the toner is supplied as the secondary transfer voltage to the secondary transfer roll 31 or the belt support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20.

[0044] 2, the belt cleaning device 26 is composed of a container-shaped main body 260 with a portion open, a cleaning plate 261 that is arranged so as to come into contact with the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after secondary transfer with a required pressure to remove and clean residual toner and other deposits, and a delivery member 262 such as a screw auger that collects the toner and other deposits removed by the cleaning plate 261 and conveys them to a recovery system (not shown). A plate-shaped member (e.g., a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used as the cleaning plate 261.

[0045] The fixing device 40 is configured by arranging a heating rotor 41 in the form of a drum or belt, which is heated by a heating means so that the surface temperature is maintained at a required temperature, and a pressure rotor 42 in the form of a drum or belt, which rotates in contact with the heating rotor 41 at a specified pressure in a state substantially along the axial direction of the heating rotor 41. An exit roll 43 is provided at the exit portion of the fixing device 40 to transport the recording paper 5 that has been subjected to the fixing process. In this fixing device 40, the contact portion where the heating rotor 41 and the pressure rotor 42 come into contact with each other becomes a fixing processing portion where the required fixing process (heating and pressurization) is performed.

[0046] The paper feeder 50 is disposed so as to be located below the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in the vertical direction Z. The paper feeder 50 is mainly composed of a plurality (or a single) of paper containers 51 that store recording paper 5 of a desired size, type, etc. in a stacked state, a pickup roll 52 that feeds the recording paper 5 one by one from the paper container 51, a feed roll 53a, and a retard roll 53b. The paper container 51 is attached so as to be removable, for example, on the front side (the side that the user faces during operation) of the device main body 1a, or in the illustrated example, on the near side of the paper surface. The paper feeder 50 will be described in detail later.

[0047] Examples of the recording paper 5 include plain paper, thin paper, and OHP sheets used in electrophotographic copiers and printers. In order to further improve the smoothness of the image surface after fixing, it is preferable that the surface of the recording paper 5 is as smooth as possible, and for example, coated paper in which the surface of plain paper is coated with a resin or the like, or so-called thick paper with a relatively large basis weight such as art paper for printing can be used. Also, envelopes of various sizes can be used as the recording paper 5.

[0048] Between the paper feeder 50 and the secondary transfer device 30, there is provided a paper feed conveying path 56 including a plurality (or a single) of paper conveying roll pairs 54, 55 and a conveying guide (not shown) for conveying the recording paper 5 sent out from the paper feeder 50 to the secondary transfer position. The paper conveying roll pair 55 is configured as, for example, a registration roll for adjusting the conveying timing of the recording paper 5. In addition, at the upper portion along the vertical direction Z of the fixing device 40, there is provided a paper discharge conveying section 58 including first to fourth paper discharge conveying paths 57a to 57d for discharging the recording paper 5 sent out from the exit roll 43 of the fixing device 40 after fixing to a sheet discharge device 60 provided at the upper portion of the device main body 1a.

[0049] The sheet discharge device 60 includes first and second discharge trays 61 and 62 of a so-called internal discharge type provided on the upper portion of the device main body 1a, and a third discharge tray 63 provided toward the outside on a side (left side in the drawing) of the paper discharge conveyance section 58. Inside the paper discharge conveyance section 58, there are provided a first paper discharge conveyance path 57a branching off from the second paper discharge conveyance path 57b and including a first paper discharge roll pair 64 for discharging the recording paper 5 to the first discharge tray 61, a third paper discharge conveyance path 57c branching off from the second paper discharge conveyance path 57b and including a second paper discharge roll pair 66 for discharging the recording paper 5 to the second discharge tray 62, and a fourth paper discharge conveyance path 57d branching off from the third paper discharge conveyance path 57c and including a third paper discharge roll pair 67 for discharging the recording paper 5 to the third discharge tray 63.

[0050] In FIG. 1, reference symbol 68 indicates a pair of paper transport rolls provided in the middle of the second paper discharge transport path 57b, G1 indicates a first switching gate that branches off the first paper discharge transport path 57a and the second paper discharge transport path 57b, and G2 indicates a second switching gate that branches off the third paper discharge transport path 57c and the fourth paper discharge transport path 57d.

[0051] Inside the device main body 1a, as shown in FIG. 1, there is provided a double-sided transport path 70 equipped with a paper transport roll pair 69 that flips the recording paper 5 with an image formed on one side thereof and transports it again to the paper transport roll pair 55 by switching the rotation direction of the first paper discharge roll pair 64 from the forward direction to the reverse direction while the recording paper 5 with an image formed on one side is held by the first paper discharge roll pair 64.

[0052] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 71 denotes a large-capacity paper feeder that stores a large number of sheets of recording paper 5 and is disposed on the left side of the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 in the horizontal direction X.

[0053] Furthermore, in FIG. 1, the symbols 145 (Y, M, C, K) indicate toner cartridges arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, each of which contains developer including at least toner to be supplied to the corresponding developing device 14 (Y, M, C, K).

[0054] 1 indicates a control device that comprehensively controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a bus for connecting the CPU, the ROM, etc., a communication interface, etc. (not shown).

[0055] <Operation of the image forming device> Hereinafter, a basic image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

[0056] Here, an operation of forming a full-color image by combining toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K) using the four image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) will be described.

[0057] When the control device 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives command information requesting an image forming operation (printing), the four image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K), the intermediate transfer device 20, the secondary transfer device 30, the fixing device 40, etc. start up.

[0058] In each imaging device 10 (Y, M, C, K), first, each photoconductor drum 11 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A, and each charging device 12 charges the surface of each photoconductor drum 11 to a required polarity (negative polarity in the first embodiment) and potential. Next, exposure device 13 irradiates the surface of the charged photoconductor drum 11 with light emitted based on an image signal obtained by converting image information input to image forming device 1 into each color component (Y, M, C, K), and forms an electrostatic latent image of each color component composed of a required potential difference on the surface.

[0059] Next, each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) develops the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on the photoconductor drum 11 by supplying toner of the corresponding color (Y, M, C, K) charged to the required polarity (negative polarity) from the developing roll 141 and electrostatically attaching it to the electrostatic latent image of each color component. Through this development, the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on each photoconductor drum 11 is visualized as a toner image of four colors (Y, M, C, K) developed with the toner of the corresponding color.

[0060] Next, when the toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of each image creating device 10 (Y, M, C, K) are transported to the primary transfer position, the primary transfer device 15 (Y, M, C, K) performs primary transfer of the toner images of each color in such a manner that they are superimposed in order onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotating in the direction indicated by arrow B of the intermediate transfer device 20.

[0061] In addition, in each of the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) where the primary transfer has been completed, the drum cleaning device 16 scrapes off any adhering matter to clean the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. This makes each of the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) ready for the next image formation operation.

[0062] Next, the intermediate transfer device 20 conveys the primary transferred toner image to the secondary transfer position by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21. Meanwhile, the paper feeder 50 sends out the required recording paper 5 to the paper feed path 56 in accordance with the image creation operation. In the paper feed path 56, a pair of paper feed rolls 55 as registration rolls sends out and supplies the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing.

[0063] At the secondary transfer position, the secondary transfer roll 31 of the secondary transfer device 30 performs secondary transfer of the toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 21 all at once onto the recording paper 5. In the intermediate transfer device 20 where the secondary transfer is completed, the belt cleaning device 26 removes and cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 to remove any adhering matter such as toner remaining thereon after the secondary transfer.

[0064] Subsequently, the recording paper 5 onto which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roll 31 and then conveyed to the fixing device 40. In the fixing device 40, the recording paper 5 after the secondary transfer is introduced into and passes through a contact portion between the rotating heating rotator 41 and the pressing rotator 42, whereby the necessary fixing process (heating and pressing) is performed to fix the unfixed toner image onto the recording paper 5. Finally, in the case of an image forming operation in which an image is only formed on one side of the recording paper 5 after fixing, the recording paper 5 after fixing is discharged to one of the first to third discharge trays 61 to 63 installed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1a via the first to fourth paper discharge conveying paths 57a to 57d.

[0065] When forming an image on both sides of the recording paper 5, the recording paper 5 with an image formed on one side is not discharged to the first discharge tray 61 by the first paper discharge roll pair 64, but the rotation direction of the first paper discharge roll pair 64 is switched to the reverse direction while the first paper discharge roll pair 64 is holding the rear end of the recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 transported in the reverse direction by the first paper discharge roll pair 64 is transported to a double-sided transport path 70 equipped with a paper transport roll pair 69 and the like, and is transported again to the paper transport roll pair 55 in a reversed state. The paper transport roll pair 55 sends out and supplies the recording paper 5 to a secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing, forms an image on the back side of the recording paper 5, and discharges the recording paper 5 with the image fixed on the back side to one of the first to third discharge trays 61 to 63 installed at the top of the device main body 1a via one of the first to fourth paper discharge transport paths 57a to 57d.

[0066] By the above operation, a recording sheet 5 is outputted, on one or both sides of which a full-color image formed by combining four color toner images is formed.

[0067] <Paper feeder configuration> 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feeder 50 disposed inside the apparatus main body 1a and positioned below the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) in the vertical direction Z. As described above, the paper feeder 50 is mainly composed of a plurality of paper containers 51 (four in the illustrated example) as an example of a container section that stores recording paper 5 of a desired size, type, etc. in a stacked state, a pickup roll 52 that feeds the recording paper 5 from the paper container 51 one sheet at a time, a feed roll 53a, and a retard roll 53b.

[0068] The paper container 51 is attached so as to be able to be pulled out, for example, from the front side (the side the user faces during operation) of the device main body 1a as an example of a housing, that is, in the illustrated example, from the front side of the paper surface.

[0069] 3, the paper container 51 is configured as a rectangular parallelepiped box with a top surface fully open and a height according to the number of sheets of recording paper 5 to be stored therein, the top surface being made up of a bottom wall 511, left and right side walls 512, 513 arranged on the left and right sides along the horizontal direction X, and front and rear walls 514, 515 arranged on the front and rear sides along the depth direction Y. The front surface of the paper container 51 is formed as an operation panel 516 which, together with a front panel (not shown) of the device main body 1a, constitutes the external shape of the front surface of the device main body 1a. The operation panel 516 of the paper container 51 is provided with a grip 517 on which a user places his or her hand when pulling the paper container 51 out of the device main body 1a.

[0070] The device main body 1a is provided with a detection means (not shown) that detects the pulling out of the paper container 51 when a user places his / her hand on the grip portion 517 of the operation panel 516 to pull out the paper container 51 from the device main body 1a.

[0071] A bottom plate 518 on which a plurality of sheets of recording paper 5 are placed in a stacked state is disposed on the bottom wall 511 of the paper container 51. The bottom plate 518 is attached to the front and rear walls 514, 515 of the paper container 51 so that a downstream end 518c in the paper feed direction can rotate upward around a rotation fulcrum 518b provided at both ends in a depth direction (width direction) Y intersecting with the paper feed direction at an upstream end 518a in the paper feed direction. A crank-shaped drive member 519 for rotating the bottom plate 518 in the up-down direction with the recording paper 5 loaded thereon is rotatably provided on the bottom wall 511 of the paper container 51 on the back surface of the downstream end 518c in the paper feed direction of the bottom plate 518. When the paper container 51 is attached to the paper feed position of the device main body 1a, a driving force is transmitted from a driving means (not shown) provided in the device main body 1a to the driving member 519, and the driving member 519 is rotated in the required direction through the required angle.

[0072] In addition, when a detection means (not shown) detects that the paper container 51 has been pulled out from the device main body 1a, the bottom plate 518 is configured to be lowered to the bottom wall portion 511 by a drive member 519 driven by a drive means (not shown) on the device main body 1a side.

[0073] On the other hand, when a detection means, not shown, detects that the paper container 51 has been attached to the paper feed position of the device main body 1a, the drive member 519 is driven by a drive means, not shown, on the device main body 1a side, and the topmost recording paper 5 among the recording papers 5 contained in the paper container 51 moves to the paper feed position where it abuts the pickup roll 52.

[0074] 3, an end guide 521 that abuts against an upstream end of the recording paper 5 stored inside the paper storage body 51 in the paper feed direction to position the recording paper 5, and side guides 522 and 523 that abut against both ends of the recording paper 5 in the width direction intersecting the paper feed direction to position the recording paper 5 are disposed on the bottom wall 511 of the paper storage body 51. The end guide 521 is attached to the bottom wall 511 of the paper storage body 51 so as to be movable along the paper feed direction of the recording paper 5 and to be able to hold a stopped position. The side guides 522 and 523 are attached to the bottom wall 511 of the paper storage body 51 so as to be able to move in unison by an equal distance along the width direction intersecting the paper feed direction, based on the center of the width direction intersecting the paper feed direction of the recording paper 5, and to be able to hold a stopped position.

[0075] The bottom plate 518 is provided with a plurality of openings 524 having a rectangular shape in plan view that allow the end guide 521 and the side guides 522 and 523 to move.

[0076] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in the paper feeding device 50, a pickup roll 52 is arranged at a position corresponding to the downstream end in the paper feeding direction of each paper container 51, and is rotatably arranged at the required timing to abut against the surface of the topmost recording paper 5 among the recording papers 5 stacked on the bottom plate 518 and feed the topmost recording paper 5.

[0077] In addition, in the paper feed device 50, a feed roll 53a and a retard roll 53b are arranged downstream in the paper feed direction of the pickup roll 52 so as to be rotated and driven at a required timing, for separating and feeding the recording paper 5 fed by the pickup roll 52 one sheet at a time. The feed roll 53a is in pressure contact with the retard roll 53b and transports only the topmost sheet of recording paper 5 of the recording paper 5 fed by the pickup roll 52 downstream in the paper feed direction. Meanwhile, the retard roll 53b is biased to rotate in the opposite direction to the feed roll 53a, and transports the second and subsequent sheets of recording paper 5 fed together with the topmost recording paper 5 in the opposite direction to the paper feed direction, thereby separating the recording paper 5 so that multiple sheets of recording paper 5 are not fed at the same time.

[0078] The pickup rolls 52, the feed rolls 53a and the retard rolls 53b are arranged in pairs at the center of each paper container 51 along the width direction intersecting with the paper feed direction of the recording paper 5.

[0079] The left side wall portion 512, located at the downstream end along the paper feed direction of the paper container 51, has an introduction plate 525 on the front side along the width direction intersecting the paper feed direction of the recording paper 5, as shown in Figure 4, which introduces the leading edge of the recording paper 5 fed by the pickup roll 52 into the nip portion between the feed roll 53a and the retard roll 53b.

[0080] 3, the paper feeder 50 includes a first guide member 80 as an example of a guide member that guides the recording paper 5 fed from the paper container 51 by the pickup roll 52, the feed roll 53a, and the retard roll 53b upward in the vertical direction Z. The first guide member 80 is a conveyance guide that constitutes a part of the paper feed conveyance path 56 that conveys the recording paper 5 fed from the paper container 51 to the secondary transfer position. In addition, below the first guide member 80 in the vertical direction Z, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a flat plate-shaped second guide member 81 is provided that guides the recording paper 5 fed from the lower paper container 51 upward.

[0081] 5, the first guide member 80 has a guide surface 82 formed in a curved shape forming a part of a circular arc so as to guide the recording paper 5, which is fed in a state in which it is separated one sheet at a time by the feed roll 53a and the retard roll 53b, upward along the vertical direction Z. The guide surface 82 of the first guide member 80 has a plurality of ribs 83, 83... that come into contact with the back surface of the recording paper 5 and are provided at required intervals along a direction intersecting the paper feed direction.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 6, the paper feeder 50 is attached to a plurality of support frames 84, 85, etc., which constitute the device body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1. The support frames 84, 85, etc. are provided with a front plate 86 on which the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are attached, a partition plate 87 which separates the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) from the paper feeder 50, a partition plate 88 which separates the plurality of paper containers 51 of the paper feeder 50, and a mounting frame 89 on which the pickup roll 52, feed roll 53a, retard roll 53b, etc. of the paper feeder 50 are attached, by means such as fastening with bolts (not shown). The paper container 51 is attached to the device body 1a via a guide rail (not shown) so as to be able to be pulled out in a diagonally forward right direction in Fig. 6. For convenience, FIG. 6 shows the paper container 51 with the operation panel 516 removed.

[0083] The recording paper 5 is fed from the paper feeding device 50 and guided vertically upward by the first guide member 80, and is transported to the secondary transfer position via a paper feeding transport path 56 composed of multiple (or a single) paper transport roll pairs 54, 55 and a transport guide (not shown), as shown in FIG. 1.

[0084] Incidentally, in the paper feeder 50, as described above, when the paper container 51 is refilled with recording paper 5, the paper container 51 is pulled out from the device main body 1a. Then, in the paper feeder 50, the pull-out operation of the paper container 51 is detected by a detection means (not shown), and the driving member 519 is driven by a driving means (not shown) provided on the device main body 1a side, and the bottom plate 518 is lowered to the bottom wall portion 511, as shown in FIG.

[0085] At this time, it takes a certain amount of time for the pull-out operation of the paper container 51 to be detected by the detection means and the bottom plate 518 of the paper container 51 to actually start to move down. Therefore, in the conventional paper feeder 50, the paper container 51 may be pulled out from the device main body 1a before the bottom plate 518 has completely moved down to the bottom wall portion 511 after the pull-out operation of the paper container 51 is detected. In particular, when a large number of sheets of recording paper 5 are stored in the paper container 51, the paper container 51 is pulled out before the topmost recording paper 5 of the recording papers 5 stored in the paper container 51 is sufficiently separated from the pickup roll 52, and the recording paper 5 stored in the paper container 51 abuts against the support frame 84 located on the front side along the pull-out direction of the device main body 1a, resulting in a technical problem in which so-called residual paper is generated, that is, the recording paper 5 remains inside the device main body 1a.

[0086] Also, the paper container 51 may be pulled out from the device main body 1a with the leading edge of the recording paper 5 transported downstream in the paper feed direction from the pickup roll 52. In this case, too, the recording paper 5 contained in the paper container 51 may come into contact with the support frame 84 located on the front side in the pull-out direction of the device main body 1a, resulting in so-called residual paper remaining inside the device main body 1a.

[0087] In contrast, in the conventional paper feeding device 50, in order to prevent the topmost recording paper 5 of the paper container 51 from abutting against the support frame 83 and remaining inside the device main body 1a when the paper container 51 is pulled out from the device main body 1a, a recess 90 is provided in the support frame 84 of the device main body 1a and a mounting frame 89 attached to the support frame 84 to prevent interference with the recording paper 5 contained in the paper container 51, as shown in Figure 4.

[0088] However, the inventor's investigation has revealed that the conventional paper feeding device 50 still has a technical problem in that, even when a recess 90 is provided in the support frame 84 of the device main body 1a or the mounting frame 89 attached to the support frame 83, as shown in Figure 4, when the paper container 51 is pulled out of the device main body 1a, so-called leftover recording paper 5 remains inside the device main body 1a.

[0089] To explain further, in the conventional paper feeding device 50, as shown in FIG. 7, when the paper container 51 is pulled out from the device main body 1a, particularly in the case of a recording paper 5 such as an envelope 5a whose length along the paper feed direction is relatively short compared to its length along the direction intersecting the paper feed direction, it takes a certain amount of time for the bottom plate 518 of the paper container 51 to descend, and when the paper container 51 is pulled out from the device main body 1a, the topmost recording paper 5 of the paper container 51 comes into contact with the pick-up roll 52 and rotates clockwise in the figure with the pick-up roll 52 as a fulcrum, so that the downstream corner 5b in the pull-out direction of the recording paper 5 such as an envelope 5a may be located downstream in the paper feed direction of the recess 90 provided in the support frame 84 or mounting frame 89 of the device main body 1a.

[0090] In the conventional paper feeding device 50, the downstream corner 5b in the pull-out direction of the recording paper 5 cannot pass through the recess 90 provided in the mounting frame 89 of the device main body 1a, and there is still a risk that the recording paper 5 will abut against the mounting frame 89 of the device main body 1a and remain inside the device main body 1a, resulting in so-called leftover paper.

[0091] Therefore, the paper feeding device of this embodiment 1 is configured to have a recess on the front side of the pull-out direction of the storage section, which has a concave shape toward the feed direction of the recording medium, and a protrusion on the storage section side such that a member protrudes beyond the recess when the recess is viewed from the front side to the rear side in the pull-out direction.

[0092] That is, as shown in Fig. 4, the paper feeder 50 according to the first embodiment is provided with a recess 90 that is recessed toward the feed direction of the recording paper 5 on the front side in the pull-out direction of the paper container 51, that is, on the front side of the device main body 1a. The recess 90 is provided at the downstream end in the feed direction of the paper container 51, and at the downstream (front) end in the pull-out direction of the paper container 51 that is along the width direction intersecting with the feed direction of the recording paper 5. The upstream side (rear side) in the pull-out direction of the paper container 51 is the rear side (back side) of the device main body 1a, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0093] The recess 90 may be provided directly on the support frame 84 of the apparatus main body 1 a , but is not limited to being provided directly on the support frame 84 .

[0094] In the paper feeder 50 according to the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6, a recess 90 is provided in a mounting frame 89 that is hung across the support frame 84 of the device body 1a along the depth direction Y. The mounting frame 89 is a member that is hung across the support frame 84 of the device body 1a along the depth direction Y, and the pickup roll 52, the feed roll 53a, the retard roll 53b, the drive shafts that rotate the pickup roll 52, the feed roll 53a, and the retard roll 53b, and the first and second guide members 80, 81 are attached to the mounting frame 89. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the support frame 84 is provided with a recess 900 that is equal to or larger than the recess 90 of the mounting frame 89 at a position corresponding to the recess 90 of the mounting frame 89.

[0095] 6 and 8, the mounting frame 89 includes a horizontal plate portion 891 disposed horizontally along the depth direction Y, and vertical plate portions 892 bent downward along the vertical direction Z at both longitudinal ends of the horizontal plate portion 891. A narrow mounting flange portion 893 is integrally provided in a bent state on the downstream end in the paper feed direction of the vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89. The mounting flange portion 893 of the vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89 is positioned by a positioning pin 841 provided on the support frame 84, and is fixed to the support frame 84 by bolts, nuts, or the like (not shown) fastened through elongated mounting holes 842.

[0096] 4, the pickup roll 52, the feed roll 53a, the retard roll 53b, etc. are attached to a horizontal plate portion 891 of the mounting frame 89. Also, the first and second guide members 80, 81 are attached to a vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89. The vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89 is provided with insertion holes 894, 895, 896 into which positioning bosses 801, 811, 812 provided on the first and second guide members 80, 81 are inserted in order to attach the first and second guide members 80, 81 in a positioned state, and fastening holes (not shown) for fastening the first and second guide members 80, 81 with bolts 897, 898, 899, nuts (not shown), etc. are opened.

[0097] Incidentally, the recess 90 provided in the vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89 is provided in a substantially U-shaped side as shown in FIG. 4. The upper end portion 91 of the recess 90 is disposed in a state of inclination so as to descend toward the downstream side along the paper feed direction. The vertical portion 92 located at the innermost part of the recess 90 is formed in a straight line downward along the vertical direction via an arc-shaped curved portion 93 between the upper end portion 91 and the upper end portion 91. The vertical portion 92 of the recess 90 is located on the downstream side in the paper feed direction corresponding to the nip portion between the feed roll 53a and the retard roll 53b. In addition, the lower end portion 94 of the recess 90 is formed so as to descend in two steps from an upper step portion 94a, an inclined portion 94b, and a lower step portion 94c along the horizontal direction via the lower end of the vertical portion 92 and an arc-shaped curved portion 95 with a small curvature. The vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89 is arranged such that a portion 96 located below the recessed portion 90 is linearly oriented downward along the vertical direction Z in the vicinity of the center of the retard roll 53b.

[0098] As a result, the recess 90 is provided with a concave shape facing the feed direction of the recording paper 5 on the front side along the pull-out direction of the paper container 51. The nip portion between the feed roll 53a and the retard roll 53b is disposed at the entrance of the recess 90. The leading end of the introduction plate 525 of the paper container 51 is located above the inclined portion 94b at the lower end 94 of the recess 90. The lower step portion 94c at the lower end 94 of the recess 90 prevents interference between the vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89 and the introduction plate 525 of the paper container 51.

[0099] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the paper feeding device 50 of this embodiment 1 has a protrusion 97 that is provided on the paper container 51 side (the right side in the figure) so that a member protrudes beyond the recess 90 when the recess 90 is viewed from the front to the back in the pull-out direction of the paper container 51, that is, when viewed from the front to the back on the paper surface in FIG. 4.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 97 is provided as a separate body (integral body in the illustrated example) integral with the first guide member 80 or by means of adhesion or the like so as to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape toward the front side in the withdrawal direction of the recess 90.

[0101] 5(a), the first guide member 80 is integrally formed, for example, by injection molding of synthetic resin. At both ends along the longitudinal direction of the first guide member 80, mounting portions 802 are provided in a generally L-shaped side for positioning and mounting the first guide member 80 to a vertical plate portion 892 of a mounting frame 89 of the apparatus main body 1a. At the tip of the mounting portion 802, a boss 801 for positioning and fixing to the vertical plate portion 892 of the mounting frame 89 is provided protruding outward.

[0102] The protrusion 97 is formed in a triangular pyramid shape in the middle of the guide surface 82 along the curved shape of the first guide member 80. The protrusion 97 is formed in a triangular pyramid shape, so that the recording paper 5 can be guided more smoothly than when the protrusion 97 is formed in a shape other than a triangular pyramid shape. A side surface 971 located at the outer end of the protrusion 97 along the longitudinal direction of the first guide member 80 is arranged so as to be flush with the outer side surface of the first guide member 80. In addition, a triangular side surface 972 located on the inside of the protrusion 97 is arranged so that its lower edge 972a is inclined from the outer end along the longitudinal direction of the first guide member 80 toward the paper passing region in the non-paper passing region of the first guide member 80. In this way, by providing the protrusion 97 in the non-paper passing region, it is possible to prevent interference with the recording paper 5 being fed, compared to when the protrusion 97 is provided in the paper passing region.

[0103] Further, an edge 972b including the apex of the triangular pyramid located on the upstream side in the paper feed direction on the side 972 of the protruding portion 97 is arranged in an upright state along the vertical direction Z. As a result, the edge 972b located on the upstream side in the paper feed direction on the side 972 of the protruding portion 97 is arranged to protrude further inward of the recessed portion 90 than the vertical portion 92 of the recessed portion 90, as shown in FIG.

[0104] In other words, the edge 972b located on the upstream side in the paper feed direction on the side surface 972 of the protruding portion 97 is a member that is provided so that a part of the protruding portion 97 protrudes beyond the recessed portion 90 on the paper container 51 side (right side in the figure) when the recessed portion 90 is viewed from the front side to the back side in the pull-out direction of the paper container 51. In this way, by providing the edge 972b of the protruding portion 97 so that it protrudes beyond the recessed portion 90 on the paper container 51 side (right side in the figure), it is possible to prevent the recording paper 5 from contacting the recessed portion 90 even when an attachment error occurs in the protruding portion 97, compared to a case where the end on the front side in the pull-out direction is flush with the vertical portion 92 of the recessed portion 90.

[0105] 5(c), the side surface 972 of the protrusion 97 is formed so as to be inclined from the non-paper passing region to the paper passing region in the paper feed direction, and also inclined from the back side to the front side along the pull-out direction of the paper container 51. In this way, the side surface 972 of the protrusion 97 is inclined from the non-paper passing region to the paper passing region in the paper feed direction, so that the recording paper 5 can be prevented from interfering with the protrusion 97, compared to a case where the side surface 972 is arranged in a straight line from the upstream side to the downstream side along the paper feed direction. In addition, the side surface 972 of the protrusion 97 is formed so as to be inclined from the back side to the front side along the pull-out direction of the paper container 51, so that the recording paper 5 can be prevented from contacting the recess 90, compared to a case where the side surface 972 does not have an inclined surface inclined from the back side to the front side along the pull-out direction.

[0106] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the paper container 51 is pulled out from the device main body 1a, the recording paper 5 which has come into contact with the pickup roll 52 and rotated clockwise and become tilted moves along the guide surface 82 of the first guide member 80 as the paper container 51 is pulled out, and further the corner 5b of the recording paper 5 comes into contact with the side surface 972 of the protrusion 97 of the first guide member 80.

[0107] As a result, the recording paper 5 moves along the side 972 of the protrusion 97 as the paper container 51 is pulled out, and moves inside the recess 90 of the mounting frame 89, i.e., on the paper container 51 side, rather than the vertical portion 92 of the recess 90, thereby preventing the recording paper 5 from coming into contact with the recess 90 of the mounting frame 89 and remaining inside the device main body 1a.

[0108] <Function of the paper feeder> In the paper feeding device of embodiment 1, when the storage section that stores the recording medium is pulled out from the housing, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from remaining inside the housing, as compared to the case where the recording medium comes into contact with a recess that is provided on the frame of the housing and has a concave shape facing the feeding direction of the recording medium on the front side in the pull-out direction of the storage section, as follows.

[0109] That is, in the paper feeding device 50 according to this embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 3, when the paper container 51 is pulled out from the device main body 1a in order to refill the paper container 51 with recording paper 5, the driving member 519 is driven and the bottom plate 518 is lowered to the bottom wall portion 511.

[0110] At that time, when the paper container 51 is pulled out before the bottom plate 518 has fully descended to the bottom wall portion 511, or when the leading edge of the recording paper 5 is located near the feed roll 53a and the retard roll 53b which are located downstream of the pickup roll 52 in the paper feed direction, the paper container 51 may be pulled out in a state in which the topmost recording paper 5 comes into contact with the pickup roll 52 and rotates clockwise as the paper container 51 is pulled out.

[0111] 9, in the paper feeder 50, as the paper container 51 is pulled out, the corner 5b of the paper container 51 along the pull-out direction intersecting with the feed direction of the topmost recording paper 5 comes into contact with the side surface 972 of the protruding portion 97 of the first guide member 80, and is guided along the side surface 972 of the protruding portion 97 toward the inside of the recess 90 of the mounting frame 89, beyond the recess 90. Therefore, the topmost recording paper 5 pulled out together with the paper container 51 comes into contact with the side surface 972 of the protruding portion 97 of the first guide member 80, and is reliably guided toward the inside of the recess 90, and is pulled out together with the paper container 51 to the outside of the device main body 1a, preventing or suppressing the recording paper 5 from remaining inside the device main body 1a.

[0112] In the above embodiment, a full-color image forming apparatus has been described, but the present invention can of course also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus.

[0113] In addition, in the above embodiment, the protrusion 97 is described as being provided on the first guide member 80, but the protrusion 97 is not limited to being provided on the first guide member 80 and may be configured to be provided on another member, such as the mounting frame 89.

[0114] (Additional Note) (((1))) a storage section that stores a recording medium and is provided so as to be removable in a removal direction that intersects with a paper feed direction of the housing; a recessed portion provided on a front side in the pull-out direction toward a feed direction of the recording medium; a protrusion provided on the housing portion side such that a member protrudes from the recess when the recess is viewed from the front side to the back side in the pull-out direction; A paper feeding device comprising: (((2))) The paper feeding device according to (((1))), wherein the protrusion is provided in a non-paper passing area of ​​the recording medium fed from the storage unit. (((3))) The paper feeding device according to (((2))), wherein the protrusion has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side in the pull-out direction. (((4))) The paper feeding device according to (((1))), wherein the protruding portion has a front end in the pull-out direction protruding beyond an edge of the recessed portion. (((5))) The paper feeding device described in (((4))), wherein the protruding portion is inclined toward the paper passing area from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper feeding direction. (((6))) The paper feeding device according to (((1))), wherein the protrusion is provided so as to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape toward the rear side of the recess in the pull-out direction. (((7))) The paper feeding device according to ((6))), wherein the protrusion has an apex of the triangular pyramid disposed inside the recess. (((8))) The paper feeding device described in (((1))), wherein the protrusion is integrally formed with a curved guide member so as to guide the recording medium fed from the storage section upward in the vertical direction. (((9))) The paper feeding device according to (((8))), wherein the protrusion is provided on a curved portion of the guide member. (((10))) A paper feed means for feeding the stored recording medium; an image forming means for forming an image on the recording medium fed from the paper feeding means; Equipped with An image forming apparatus using the paper feed device according to any one of ((1))) to (((9))) as the paper feed means.

[0115] According to the paper feeding device of (((1))), when the storage section that stores the recording medium is pulled out from the housing, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from remaining inside the housing, compared to a case in which the recording medium comes into contact with a recess that is provided on the frame of the housing and has a concave shape toward the feeding direction of the recording medium on the front side in the pull-out direction in which the storage section is pulled out. According to the paper feeding device of (((2))), interference with the recording medium can be prevented, compared to when the protrusion is provided in the paper passage area. According to the paper feeding device of (((3))), the protrusion can prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the recess, compared to a case in which the protrusion does not have an inclined surface that slopes from the back side to the front side along the pull-out direction. According to the paper feeding device of (((4))), the protrusion can prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the recess even when an installation error occurs in the protrusion, compared to when the front end along the pull-out direction is flush with the edge of the recess. According to the paper feeding device of (((5))), the protrusion can be arranged in a straight line from the upstream side to the downstream side along the paper feeding direction, making it possible to prevent the recording medium from interfering with the protrusion. According to the paper feeding device of (((6))), the protrusion can guide the recording medium more smoothly compared to when the protrusion protrudes into a shape other than a triangular pyramid toward the rear side of the recess along the pull-out direction. According to the paper feeding device of (((7))), the protrusion can reliably prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the recess, compared to when the apex of the triangular pyramid is positioned outside the recess. According to the paper feeding device of (((8))), the protrusion can be easily positioned in an appropriate position on the guide member, compared to when the protrusion is separate from the guide member. According to the paper feeding device of (((9))), the protrusion can reliably guide the recording medium guided by the guiding member to the recessed portion, compared to when the protrusion is provided on a straight portion of the guiding member. According to the image forming apparatus of (((10))), it is possible to prevent the recording medium from remaining inside the housing, compared to a case in which a paper feeding device described in any of (((1))) to (((9))) is not used as a paper feeding means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1...Image forming device 5. Recording paper 50...Paper feeder 51...Paper container 52...Pickup roll 53a…Feed roll 53b…Retard roll 80...first guide member 89…Mounting frame 90…Concave 97...Protrusion

Claims

1. a storage section that is provided so as to be removable in a removable direction that intersects with a paper feed direction of the housing and that stores a recording medium; a recessed portion provided on a front side in the pull-out direction toward a feed direction of the recording medium; a protrusion provided on the housing portion side such that a member protrudes beyond the recess when the recess is viewed from the front side to the back side in the pull-out direction; A paper feeding device comprising:

2. The paper feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is provided in a non-paper passing area of ​​the recording medium fed from the storage unit.

3. The paper feeder according to claim 2 , wherein the protruding portion has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side to the front side along the pull-out direction.

4. 2. The paper feed device according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a front end in the pull-out direction protruding beyond an edge of the recessed portion.

5. The paper feeder according to claim 4 , wherein the protruding portion is inclined toward the paper passing region from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper feed direction.

6. The paper feeder according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion is provided so as to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape toward the rear side of the recess in the drawing direction.

7. The paper feeder according to claim 6 , wherein the protrusion has an apex of the triangular pyramid disposed inside the recess.

8. 2. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is integral with a curved guide member so as to guide the recording medium fed from the storage unit upward in a vertical direction.

9. 9. The paper feeder according to claim 8, wherein the protrusion is provided on a curved portion of the guide member.

10. A paper feed means for feeding the stored recording medium; an image forming means for forming an image on the recording medium fed from the paper feeding means; Equipped with 10. An image forming apparatus using the paper feed device according to claim 1 as the paper feed means.

Images