Storage

Abstract

To make it easy to handle paper sheets etc., by a machine when taking the paper sheets, housed in a storage, out of the storage.SOLUTION: A storage 100B comprises a front lid body 130 which can be opened and closed and a storage part 101 in which paper sheet bundles Ps are stored so that they ca be taken out freely. The storage 100B enables the paper sheet bundles Ps to be stored in the storage part 101 and also taken out of the storage part 101 with the lid body 130 open. The storage 100B comprises an elevation plate 170 and an elastic member 190 as pressing means for pressing the paper bundles Ps stored in the storage part 101. The pressing means presses the paper sheet bundles Ps in the storage part 101 in a swingable state with the lid body 130 closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage box for storing paper sheets as stored items. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, banknotes (one example of paper sheets) received from customers at stores such as supermarkets and cafes are processed as follows: A store clerk bundles the banknotes into a bundle with a rubber band or the like and places it in a cash storage bag, and a security company transports the cash storage bag to a cash center. At the cash center, a worker removes the bundle of banknotes from the cash storage bag and removes the rubber band from the bundle of banknotes. The worker performs the tasks required to count, sort, and organize the banknotes. Thus, counting, sorting, and sorting of bills at cash centers requires a huge amount of manual work. If at least a part of these tasks could be mechanized and automated, the efficiency and security of cash handling operations could be improved.

[0003] Incidentally, conventionally, as a storage means for storing banknotes in a stacked state, a storage box used in response to mechanical processing of banknotes by a cash processing machine or the like is known.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a rectangular parallelepiped storage vault that is detachably attached to a cash processing machine. The storage vault includes a storage section that stores banknotes in a stacked state, and a spring and a backup plate that elastically urge the banknotes in the storage section in the stacking direction of the banknotes on the side of the pay-out roller of the cash processing machine. The cash processing machine processes the banknotes by paying them out of the storage vault one by one using the pay-out roller. In Patent Document 1, a stack of banknotes is stored in the storage section by hand by an operator.

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes a storage that is detachably attached to a banknote deposit / withdrawal machine that deposits or returns banknotes. This storage is roughly rectangular. The storage includes a banknote deposit port located at the top front and receiving transported banknotes, a banknote deposit section located inside the storage and at the top for temporarily storing banknotes received from the banknote deposit port, and a storage section located directly below the banknote deposit section for storing banknotes in a vertically stacked state. The storage section includes a stage that loads banknotes and reciprocates in the stacking direction of the banknotes, and a spring that elastically biases the stage toward the banknote deposit section. The banknotes temporarily stored in the banknote deposit section are pushed into the storage section by a pusher and piled up on the stage.

[0006] The storage in Patent Document 2 is intended to be removed from the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine for transport. The storage allows the stage to move back and forth when attached to the banknote deposit machine. On the other hand, when the storage is removed from the banknote deposit machine, the storage fixes the stage to a position according to the amount of banknotes loaded, preventing the stage from moving back and forth due to the expansion and contraction of the spring. This prevents the stack of banknotes stored inside from being disturbed by vibrations received when the storage is transported, and maintains the stacked state of the banknotes.

[0007] Patent Document 3 describes a robot hand that handles bill bundles and a storage unit that supports the removal of bill bundles by the robot hand. This storage unit includes an upper support plate and a lower support plate that clamp and hold the bill bundle in the stacking direction. The upper support plate is configured to be able to approach or move away from the lower support plate, and is elastically biased toward the lower support plate by a coil spring or the like. The robot hand grasps the bill bundle clamped and held between the upper support plate and the lower support plate between fixed fingers and movable fingers, and pulls it out of the storage unit.

[0008] As in Patent Document 3, in order to mechanically process a banknote bundle, such as by using a machine to remove the banknote bundle from a storage unit, it is desirable for the banknote bundle to be in a state suitable for handling by the machine. For example, it is desirable for there to be no positional misalignment between the banknotes that make up the banknote bundle in the storage unit, that is, for the banknote bundle to be aligned.

[0009] In Patent Document 1, an operator is required to store the bill bundles in the storage unit in an aligned state, which makes the work of storing the bill bundles in the storage unit complicated. In Patent Document 2, once the stage is locked, the bill bundle is no longer disturbed. However, if the stage is locked while the bill bundle is in a disturbed state, the bill bundle will maintain the disturbed state, making the bill bundle unsuitable for subsequent handling by the machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-288763 [Patent Document 2] JP 2000-20787 A [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication 2019-202370 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to make it easier for a machine to handle paper sheets stored in a storage cabinet when the paper sheets are removed from the storage cabinet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a storage cabinet which comprises an openable and closable lid and a storage section for storing stacks of paper sheets so that they can be freely inserted and removed, and which allows the stack of paper sheets to be stored in the storage section and removed from the storage section to the outside when the lid is opened, and which further comprises a pressing means for pressing the stack of paper sheets stored in the storage section, and which is characterized in that the pressing means presses the stack of paper sheets in the storage section in a manner that allows it to swing when the lid is closed. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, when paper sheets stored in a storage box are removed from the storage box, the paper sheets can be easily handled by a machine. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] (a) is a front view of the storage unit, and (b) is a right side view of the storage unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3 with the internal mechanism omitted. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are right side views of the storage cabinet, in which FIG. 1A shows a state in which the front lid body is open, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the front lid body and the upper lid body are open. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the storage unit with the front and top lids open. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the storage unit with the front and top lids open. [Figure 8] 4 is a diagram for explaining the internal structure of the storage unit, and corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 13A and 13B are perspective views illustrating the operation of removing paper sheets from a storage unit using a robot hand. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage cabinet according to the first embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows the front cover in a closed state, and (b) shows the front cover in an open state. [Figure 11] 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of a compression coil spring and a pressing force. FIG. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are schematic cross-sectional views showing how a paper stack including misaligned paper sheets is aligned, in which FIG. 1A shows the state before alignment, and FIG. 1B shows the state after alignment. [Figure 13] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the pressure varying mechanism, in which FIG. 5A shows a reduced pressure posture and FIG. 5B shows a pressurized posture. [Figure 14]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the pressing force variable mechanism in a pressing position. [Figure 15] 5A and 5B are side views showing a first link and a second link that configure the slider-crank mechanism, in which FIG. 5A shows the retracted position (when depressurized) and FIG. 5B shows the advanced position (when pressurized). [Figure 16] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage cabinet according to a second embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows the front cover in a closed state, and (b) shows the front cover in an open state. [Figure 17] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage cabinet according to a third embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows the front cover in a closed state, and (b) shows the front cover in an open state. [Figure 18] 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views showing a storage cabinet according to a fourth embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows the front cover in a closed state, and (b) shows the front cover in an open state. [Figure 19] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a storage cabinet according to a fifth embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows the front cover in a closed state, and (b) shows the front cover in an open state. [Figure 20] 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views showing a storage cabinet according to a sixth embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows the front cover in a closed state, and (b) shows the front cover in an open state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative positions, etc. described in the embodiment are merely illustrative examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0016] [A. First Invention] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior of a storage cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the storage cabinet, FIG. 2(b) is a right side view of the storage cabinet, and FIG. 3 is a top view of the storage cabinet. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, with the internal mechanism omitted. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the storage cabinet, where (a) shows a state in which the front cover body is open, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover body and the upper cover body are open. FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views explaining the internal structure of the storage cabinet with the front cover body and the upper cover body open. FIG. 8 is a view explaining the internal structure of the storage cabinet, and corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. For ease of explanation, in each drawing, the X direction is the front-rear direction, the Y direction is the up-down direction, and the Z direction is the width direction (left-right direction). Note that the elastic member 190 is not shown in Figs.

[0017] The storage (storage box) 100 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a storage section 101, which is a space for storing stored items. As stored items, particularly paper stacks, which are bundles of paper sheets such as banknotes, securities, and admission tickets, are suitable. In other words, the storage 100 is suitable as a paper sheet storage (banknote storage) for storing stacked paper sheets.

[0018] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the storage cabinet 100 is equipped with a box body 110 having a front opening (first opening) 111 on its front side and an upper opening (second opening) 113 on its upper surface that is continuous with the upper part of the front opening 111, a front lid body (first lid body) 130 that opens and closes the front opening 111, and an upper lid body (second lid body) 140 that opens and closes the upper opening 113. The paper bundle is stored in the storage unit 101 with the paper sheets stacked vertically. The front opening 111 faces one of the stacking surfaces of the paper bundle, and the top opening 113 faces the topmost paper sheet of the paper bundle. In this example, the front-to-rear direction of storage 100 is set to be along the longitudinal direction of the paper sheets, and the width direction of storage 100 is set to be along the short edge direction of the paper sheets. Storage 100 may store stacks of paper sheets in storage section 101 so that its front-to-rear direction matches the short edge direction of the paper sheets, and its width direction matches the longitudinal direction of the paper sheets.

[0019] <Cover> One portion of upper cover 140 is pivotally supported in the vertical direction at an appropriate position in upper opening 113. In this example, upper cover 140 has its rear portion 141 pivotally supported in the vertical direction by an upper hinge portion (pivot support portion) 115 provided at rear portion 114 of upper opening 113 (at the rear of the upper end portion of box body 110). Upper hinge portion 115 is provided on one side of upper opening 113. One portion of the front cover 130 is rotatably supported by an appropriate position of the upper cover 140. In this example, an upper portion 131 of the front cover 130 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by a front hinge portion (support portion) 143 provided on a front portion 142 of the upper cover 140. The front hinge portion 143 is provided on one side of the upper cover 140.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2(b) and 5, in addition to a closed state (Figure 2(b)) in which the upper cover body 140 and the front cover body 130 are closed, the storage cabinet 100 can be in two open states: a first open state (Figure 5(a)) in which the front opening 111 is open, and a second open state (Figure 5(b)) in which the front opening 111 and the upper opening 113 are open.

[0021] In this example, the upper hinge portion 115 is disposed on one side of the rear of the upper cover body 140, and the front hinge portion 143 is disposed on one side of the front of the upper cover body 140, and the axes that serve as the rotation centers of the upper hinge portion 115 and the front hinge portion 143 are parallel. The axis serving as the center of rotation for opening and closing the upper cover 140 does not have to be parallel to the axis serving as the center of rotation for opening and closing the front cover 130. For example, the upper cover 140 may be pivotally supported by the left end of the upper end of the box body 110, and the front cover 130 may be pivotally supported by the front part 142 of the upper cover 140.

[0022] <<Lock>> The front cover 130 is provided with a lock (locking means) 133 that locks and unlocks the storage unit 100 with a key. As an example, the lock 133 is a tubular pin tumbler lock (FIG. 2(a)). Note that other locking means may be used as the lock. The lock 133 makes the front opening 111 unopenable when the claw of the lock is locked in an appropriate position in the box body by turning the key inserted in the keyhole, and makes the front opening 111 openable when the claw of the lock is released from the state where it is locked in the box body by turning the key inserted in the keyhole. Since the storage cabinet 100 is equipped with a lock 133, the storage cabinet 100 can be transported under security with the front cover 130 locked.

[0023] <Support stand> 6 and 7, a pair of support stands 160, 160 extending along the front-rear direction of the box body 110 are disposed at both ends in the width direction at the bottom inside the box body 110. The support stands 160, 160 are means for supporting the underside of the paper stack, and the space above the support stands 160, 160 is the storage section 101 that stores the paper stack. The storage section 101 is set at a position spaced a predetermined distance above the lowest position of the box body 110. A slit 161 is formed between the support bases 160, 160. The slit 161 keeps the middle part in the width direction of the paper sheet located at the bottom of the paper sheet bundle exposed inside the box body 110.

[0024] <Lifting plate> As shown in Figures 6 to 8, storage 100 is equipped with a lift plate 170 that moves up and down within storage section 101. Lift plate 170 moves back and forth between a lowered position (Figure 8) where it is lowered to the lowest position of storage section 101, and an elevated position (Figures 7 and 6) where it is elevated from the lowest position of storage section 101. Lift plate 170 is in the shape of a roughly rectangular flat plate. 8, the lift plate 170 is supported by the upper cover 140 via elastic members 190, 190. When the upper cover 140 is closed, the lift plate 170 is positioned at a height according to the amount of paper sheets stored in the storage section 101. 6 and 7, the lift plate 170 connected to the upper cover 140 via elastic members 190, 190 rises and falls in conjunction with the opening and closing of the upper cover 140. As shown in Fig. 6, the lift plate 170 detaches from the storage unit 101 depending on the amount of opening of the upper cover 140. In the state shown in Fig. 6, an operator can easily store the paper stack Ps in the storage unit 101.

[0025] 6, the lift plate 170 has a notch 175 formed in the middle of the front end in the width direction, recessed from the front end toward the rear. The notch 175 allows a part of the front end of the topmost sheet in the stack of sheets to be exposed inside the box body 110. As shown in Fig. 7 (or Fig. 9), the notch 175 of the lift plate 170 is positioned so as to overlap in the vertical direction with the slit 161 formed between the support bases 160, 160. The notch 175 and the slit 161 are provided to facilitate a reliable grip of the stack of paper sheets when the stack of paper sheets held between the lift plate 170 and the support bases 160, 160 is pulled out toward the front of the storage cabinet 100.

[0026] <Elastic material> As shown in FIG. 8, the storage cabinet 100 is provided with elastic members 190, 190, one part of which is supported by the inner surface of the upper cover body 140 and the other part of which is supported by the upper surface of the lifting plate 170, thereby elastically pressing the lifting plate 170 toward the support bases 160, 160 when the upper cover body 140 is closed. The elastic members 190, 190 are fixed to at least one of the upper cover 140 and the lift plate 170. The elastic members 190, 190 reduce the pressure on the lift plate 170 to zero when the upper cover 140 is opened.

[0027] In this example, elastic members 190, 190 connect the upper cover 140 and the lift plate 170. This allows the lift plate 170 to move up and down within the storage section 101 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the upper cover 140 (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

[0028] As an example, the elastic member 190 is a coil spring. The coil spring shown in the figure is wound in a roughly truncated cone shape. The coil spring is arranged so that the diameter on the upper cover 140 side is larger and the diameter on the lift plate 170 side is smaller. One axial end of the coil spring is fixed to the inner surface of the upper cover 140, and the other axial end is fixed to the upper surface of the lift plate 170. In this example, two coil springs are arranged at the front and rear of the upper cover 140, respectively. As the elastic member 190, various elastic members such as a leaf spring, rubber, etc., other than a coil spring can be used.

[0029] <Operation> <<When removing a stack of paper sheets>> The repository 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is adapted for automatic removal of stacks of paper sheets by an automatic paper sheet handling system equipped with a robot hand.

[0030] <<<Outline of the robot hand>>> 9(a) and (b) are perspective views explaining the operation of taking out paper sheets from a storage unit using a robot hand. (a) shows the state before the robot hand is inserted, and (b) shows the state after the robot hand is inserted into the storage unit and grips a stack of paper sheets. The illustrated robot hand 200 is a two-fingered robot hand, and includes a fixed finger 201, a movable finger 204, and a movable finger lifting mechanism 207 that lifts and lowers the movable finger 204. The fixed finger 201 includes a relatively wide and thick base 202 and a relatively narrow and thin claw portion 203 protruding forward from the base 202. The fixed finger 201 is fixedly supported by a movable finger lifting mechanism 207. The movable finger 204 has a relatively wide and thick base 205 and a relatively narrow and thin claw portion 206 protruding forward from the base 205. The base 205 of the movable finger 204 is supported by a movable finger lifting mechanism 207 so as to be able to move toward or away from the fixed finger 201. The protruding length of the claw portion 206 of the movable finger 204 is shorter than the protruding length of the claw portion 203 of the fixed finger 201. The operation of the robot hand 200 is controlled by a control device.

[0031] <<<Removal of paper stacks by robot hand>>> First, the control device controls another robot arm equipped with a key to insert the key into the lock 133 and rotate it to unlock the lock 133, and also rotates the front cover 130 upward to open the front opening 111 (FIGS. 2(a) and 6(a)). Next, the control device controls the movable finger 204 to be separated from the fixed finger 201 so that the distance between the fixed finger 201 and the movable finger 204 of the robot hand 200 becomes larger than the stack thickness of the paper stack Ps (FIG. 9(a)). The control device controls the robot hand 200 so that the claw portion 203 of the fixed finger 201 is inserted between the support bases 160, 160 (inside the slit 161: see FIG. 6, etc.). The control device controls the drive of the movable finger 204 to approach the fixed finger 201. The claw portion 206 of the movable finger 204 comes into contact with the paper stack Ps through the notch 175 of the lift plate 170. The paper stack Ps is gripped by the claw portion 203 of the fixed finger 201 and the claw portion 206 of the movable finger 204 (FIG. 9(b)).

[0032] The control device controls the robot hand 200 gripping the paper stack Ps to retreat forward from the repository 100, and pulls out the paper stack Ps from the repository 100 (in the direction of arrow E). Since the lift plate 170 is pressed toward the support bases 160 by the elastic members 190, when the paper stack Ps is pulled out, the lift plate 170 descends to the lowest position of the storage section 101 and abuts against the support bases 160 (see FIG. 8). The control device controls another robot arm equipped with a key to rotate the front cover 130 downward to close the front opening 111, and also locks the lock 133 by rotating the key and removes the key from the lock 133.

[0033] 〔effect〕 For the robot hand to take out the paper stack Ps, the paper stack Ps needs to be clamped between the support bases 160, 160 and the lift plate 170. The lift plate 170 is in close contact with the top surface of the paper stack Ps, and the paper stack Ps is pressurized by the elastic member, creating a state suitable for the robot hand to take out the paper stack Ps. Furthermore, when only the front opening 111 of the storage 100 is open, this is an open state suitable for removing the paper stack Ps using the robot hand 200, and the paper stack Ps can be removed without human intervention.

[0034] [B. Second Invention] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the second invention will be described. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage unit according to the first embodiment of the second invention, where (a) shows a state in which the front cover is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover is open. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 2(a). In the following description, the configurations common to the first aspect of the present invention will be denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first aspect of the present invention, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0035] The storage 100B includes a cover (front cover 130: first cover) that can open and close a front opening (first opening) 111, and a storage section 101 that stores a paper stack Ps so that it can be freely inserted and removed. When the front cover 130 is opened, the storage 100B can store the paper stack Ps in the storage section 101 or can remove the paper stack Ps from the storage section 101 to the outside. When at least the front cover 130 of the storage 100B is open, an operator can manually store the paper stack Ps in the storage unit 101. When the front cover 130 of the storage 100B is open, the paper stack Ps can be removed from the storage unit 101 by the robot hand 200 (FIG. 9).

[0036] Each of the sheets constituting the paper stack Ps is roughly rectangular. The paper stack Ps is stored in the storage unit 101 so that one of the stacked surfaces faces the front opening 111 (front cover 130). Here, the stacked surface of the paper stack Ps is a surface on which each edge of the overlapping paper sheets can be observed. The storage 100B includes a pressing means (lift plate 170 and elastic member 190) for pressing the paper stack Ps stored in the storage section 101. The pressing means is configured to swayably press the paper stack Ps inside when the front cover 130 is closed.

[0037] The pressing force of the pressing means when the front cover 130 is closed is set so that the vibrations generated when the storage 100B is moved (or transported) cause the paper stack Ps to swing, changing the positional relationship between the paper sheets along the paper sheet surface and moving to an aligned state. The paper stack Ps swings to an extent that the positional relationship between the paper sheets in the stacking direction does not change. When the paper stack Ps swings, each of the paper sheets that make up the paper stack Ps moves back and forth and left and right along its surface (generally within the XZ plane in the figure). In the storage 100B, when vibration is applied to the storage 100B with the front cover 130 closed, the paper stack Ps including the misaligned paper sheets transitions to an aligned state.

[0038] Here, "(the paper stack Ps) is capable of swinging" means that the paper stack Ps can move in various directions without changing the positional relationship of each of the sheets constituting the paper stack Ps in the stacking direction. When the storage cabinet 100B moves, it vibrates in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, or a combination of these directions. The magnitude, period, and acceleration of the vibrations that the storage cabinet 100B receives are not necessarily constant. The storage cabinet 100B may be subjected to continuous vibrations that occur consecutively, or may be subjected to intermittent shocks. The paper stack Ps rocks vertically, horizontally, or in a combination of these directions within the storage unit 101 due to the vibration of the storage 100B.

[0039] Here, "misaligned paper sheets" refers to paper sheets in a paper stack Ps where some of the paper sheets are misaligned (shifted) in the short or long direction relative to the other paper sheets, or are skewed. In addition, "the paper bundle Ps is aligned" refers to a state in which the edge positions of the sheets constituting the paper bundle are roughly aligned. This is sufficient if the edge positions of the sheets are aligned to an extent that makes it suitable for mechanical handling of the sheets.

[0040] In addition, the paper stack Ps may be manually stored in the storage section 101 through the front opening 111 and the upper opening (second opening) 113 by opening the front cover 130 and the upper cover (second cover) 140. Storage 100B may receive paper sheets or the like inside through an acceptance opening provided at an appropriate position on the outer surface of storage 100B. That is, storage 100B may be detachably attached to a recycling or non-recycling money handling device, and may receive paper sheets or the like conveyed from the money handling device (for example, various vending machines, currency exchange machines, money dispensing machines, and various other money handling devices that receive inserted banknotes and provide goods and services to users) through the acceptance opening and store them in storage unit 101.

[0041] <Pressing means: lift plate, elastic member> As shown in FIG. 10, the pressing means for pressing the paper stack Ps includes a lifting plate (pressing plate) 170 which rises and falls within the storage section 101 and faces the topmost paper sheet of the paper stack Ps (the paper sheet located at one end of the stacking direction of the paper stack), and an elastic member 190 which elastically biases the lifting plate 170 against the paper stack.

[0042] The elastic member 190 elastically biases the paper stack Ps in the stacking direction of the paper sheets. The elastic member 190 elastically presses the lift plate 170 downward in the figure (in the direction of arrows G1 and G2) toward the support base 160 when the front cover 130 is closed and opened. That is, the paper stack Ps is sandwiched and held between the lift plate 170 and the support base 160. The elastic member 190 presses the paper stack Ps with a force according to the number of paper sheets (stacking amount) positioned between the support base 160 and the lift plate 170. The pressing force of the elastic member 190 is set so as to press the paper stack Ps stored inside the storage unit 101 with at least a force that allows the paper stack Ps to swing when the front cover 130 is closed.

[0043] 10 shows a compression coil spring disposed between the upper cover 140 and the lift plate 170 as the elastic member 190. In FIG. 10, L1 and L2 indicate the lengths of the elastic member 190 when the front cover 130 is closed and when it is open, respectively. The lengths L1 and L2 correspond to the amount of stacked paper bundles Ps. The location and type of the elastic member 190 are merely examples. Other types of elastic members, such as tension coil springs and leaf springs, may also be used as the elastic member. The elastic member is disposed at an appropriate location depending on the type.

[0044] Here, the paper bundle Ps may be manually stored in the storage unit 101 by an operator. In this case, there is a possibility that the paper bundle will be stored in a non-aligned state (misaligned state). If mismatched sheets are mixed in the paper stack Ps, it becomes difficult to process the sheets mechanically. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the paper stack may become distorted when a robot hand is used to remove the paper stack from the storage, or the counting machine may stop counting the number of sheets in the middle of counting.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, the pressing force of the elastic member 190 is set so that when vibration is applied to the storage 100B, the paper stack Ps including the misaligned paper sheets can be aligned without being inverted (while maintaining the stacked state). The vibration is preferably vibration applied to the storage 100B during normal handling of the storage 100B. A more specific example of the vibration is vibration applied to the storage 100B during transportation of the storage 100B (for example, during security transport from a store to a cash center).

[0046] <Pressure of elastic member> FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the compression coil spring and the pressing force. A curve G1 shows an example of a pressing force that is set when the swinging of the paper bundle is permitted, and a curve G2 shows an example of a pressing force that is set when the swinging of the paper bundle is not permitted.

[0047] For example, consider a case where 200 sheets of paper are stored in the storage unit 101. When paper sheets are stored in the storage unit 101 so as not to be able to swing, as in the conventional case, the pressing force of the compression coil spring is set to 400 [gf] (gram weight). When paper sheets are stored in the storage unit 101 so as to be able to swing, as in this embodiment, the pressing force of the compression coil spring is set to 150 [gf], which is slightly weaker than the above. However, the pressing force of the elastic member 190 is set to a pressing force that can hold the aligned (ordered) paper stacks without being disturbed by the vibrations normally imparted to the repository 100B during transportation of the repository 100B.

[0048] <Swinging and Alignment of Paper Sheets> Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing how a paper stack including misaligned paper sheets is aligned, (a) showing the state before alignment, and (b) showing the state after alignment. This figure corresponds to the cross section of line BB in Fig. 4(e). Below, an example will be described in which the paper stack is aligned when the storage 100B receives a vibration component in the left-right direction (Z direction, short side direction) in the figure.

[0049] The inner periphery of the storage section 101, which is a hollow space that stores the paper stack Ps, is defined by inner wall parts 102 (102a, 102b) that can abut against the short-side end and the long-side end of the paper sheet. A predetermined play (gap 103) is set between the paper stack Ps and the inner wall parts 102 of the storage section 101.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 12(a), when the paper stack Ps vibrates in the left-right direction in the figure (the direction of the arrow H), the paper stack Ps swings and collides with the inner wall 102 (102a, 102b) of the storage unit 101. The frictional force generated between overlapping sheets by the pressing force G1 of the elastic member 190 is large enough to allow each sheet to move along its surface.

[0051] The misaligned sheets P1, P2 are subjected to stresses J1, J2 that push them inward (in the direction in which the sheets are aligned) of the paper bundle Ps from the inner walls 102a, 102b of the storage unit 101. The misaligned sheets P1, P2 move inward along the surfaces of the sheets due to the stiffness of the sheets, and the amount of protrusion from the stacking surfaces Ps1a, Ps2b of the aligned paper bundle portions Ps1, Ps2 decreases. The misaligned sheets P1, P2 are repeatedly subjected to the stresses J1, J2 due to the swinging of the paper bundle Ps, and the paper bundle Ps including the misaligned sheets gradually becomes aligned as a whole. As a result of the paper sheet bundle Ps swinging, a relative displacement occurs in the positional relationship between the paper sheets constituting the paper sheet bundle.

[0052] 12(b), the paper stack Ps maintains the aligned state by repeatedly colliding with the inner wall 102. The pressing force G1 of the elastic member 190 is set to a level that does not allow the individual sheets in the paper stack Ps to be turned over, so that the paper stack Ps maintains the aligned state within the storage section 101.

[0053] <Relationship between paper sheets (bundles of paper sheets) and storage area size> Here, the paper sheets stored in the storage unit 101 are roughly rectangular, with the short side length of the paper sheets being 60 to 85 mm and the long side length being 110 to 170 mm.

[0054] The size (short length and long length) of the storage section 101 is set to a size such that when the storage 100B vibrates, each end of each sheet constituting the paper stack Ps comes into contact with the inner wall 102 of the storage section 101, thereby correcting the edge position of each sheet and allowing the paper stack Ps to move into an aligned state.

[0055] Specifically, the distance between the inner walls 102a, 102b facing both short-side edges of the paper sheets (both side surfaces of the paper stack Ps) (the short-side length of the storage section 101, the Z-direction length in the figure) is set to 107 to 110% of the short-side length of the paper sheets to be stored. The distance between both longitudinal edges of the paper sheets (both side surfaces of the paper stack Ps) and the opposing inner wall (the longitudinal length of the storage section 101, the X-direction length in the figure) is set to 103 to 105% of the longitudinal length of the paper sheets to be stored. By setting it in this way, it is possible to align the paper sheets by utilizing the vibrations that the repository 100B receives while it is being transported.

[0056] <Pressure variable mechanism> As shown in FIG. 10, the lift plate 170 presses the paper stack Ps with a weaker force when the front cover 130 is closed than when the front cover 130 is open (pressing force G2 when opened, pressing force G1 when closed). In the following, the state (or posture) of each part of the storage cabinet 100B will be referred to as a decompressed state (or decompressed posture) when the pressing force on the paper stack Ps is weak, and as a pressurized state (or pressurized posture) when the pressing force on the paper stack Ps is strong.

[0057] The elastic member 190 has one axial end (upper end) supported by the upper cover 140 via a pressure variable mechanism 300 . The pressing force variable mechanism 300 is a mechanism that changes the pressing force G1 when the front cover 130 is closed so that it is weaker than the pressing force G2 when the front cover 130 is opened.

[0058] In this example, a part of the front cover 130 (upper part 131) is rotatably supported by a front hinge part 143 at a suitable position of the storage 100B (front part 142 of the upper cover 140). The pressing force variable mechanism 300 includes a drive input section that is connected to the front cover body 130 and operates together with the front cover body 130, and a drive output section that transmits the operation of the drive input section to the pressing means. In the example of Fig. 10, the drive input section is a first link 311, and the drive output section is a pressing force adjustment plate 380. The pressing force variable mechanism 300 shown in this example operates in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the front cover body 130.

[0059] The pressing force variable mechanism 300 takes a decompression posture to weaken the pressing force of the elastic member 190 when the front cover 130 is closed (FIG. 10(a)), and takes a pressurization posture to strengthen the pressing force of the elastic member 190 when the front cover 130 is opened (FIG. 10(b)). The pressing force variable mechanism 300 is configured to transmit the movement of the front cover 130 in the opening direction, which is input to the drive input section, to the drive output section as a movement that changes the pressing means from a decompression state to a pressurization state. The pressing force variable mechanism 300 can take various configurations.

[0060] 10, in which a compression coil spring is used as the elastic member 190, the pressing force variable mechanism 300 displaces so as to expand the elastic member 190 in a decompressed state and contract the elastic member 190 in a pressurized state. That is, the pressing force variable mechanism 300 converts the rotational movement of the front cover 130 into a movement that expands or contracts the elastic member 190.

[0061] For example, the pressing force of the elastic member 190 when the pressing force variable mechanism 300 is in the decompression posture (FIG. 10(a)) is set as shown by the curve G1 in FIG. 11, and the pressing force of the elastic member 190 when the pressing force variable mechanism 300 is in the pressurization posture (FIG. 10(b)) is set as shown by the curve G2 in FIG. 11, for example. In this embodiment, the pressing force variable mechanism 300 generates a pressing force that changes continuously according to the amount of opening of the front cover 130 .

[0062] Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the pressing force variable mechanism, (a) showing the depressurizing position and (b) showing the pressing position Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the pressing force variable mechanism in the pressing position. As shown in Figures 10, 13 and 14, the pressing force variable mechanism 300 includes a slider crank mechanism 310 which converts the rotational motion of the front cover body 130 during opening and closing of the front cover body 130 into reciprocating linear motion of the pin slider 331, a pantograph mechanism 350 which converts the reciprocating linear motion of the pin slider 331 into extension and contraction motion in a direction intersecting the same, and a pressing force adjustment plate (drive output section) 380 which presses the elastic member 190 towards the lifting plate 170 at a position according to the length (height) of the pantograph mechanism 350.

[0063] <<Slider crank mechanism>> The slider crank mechanism (slider advancement / retraction mechanism) 310 comprises a relatively short first link 311 having one end (part) 311a rotatably supported by a suitable position (mounting portion 301) of the front cover body 130 other than the front hinge portion 143 and close to the front hinge portion 143, a relatively long second link 321 having one end 321a rotatably supported by the other end 311b of the first link 311, a pin slider 331 provided on the other end 321b of the second link 321, and a guide member 341 equipped with a slide guide 343 that supports the pin slider 331 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the front-rear direction.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 10, guide member 341 is fixed to upper cover 140, and slide guide 343 is formed at an appropriate position through guide member 341 as a long hole extending linearly in the front-rear direction of storage 100B. The slider crank mechanism 310 takes a retracted position in which the pin slider 331 is retracted rearward when the front cover 130 is closed (FIG. 13(a)), and takes an advanced position in which the pin slider 331 is advanced forward when the front cover 130 is opened (FIG. 13(b)). That is, the pin slider 331 advances and retreats in the front-rear direction in response to the opening and closing operation of the front cover 130.

[0065] <<Angle control part>> FIG. 15 is a side view showing a first link and a second link that configure the slider crank mechanism, in which (a) shows the retracted position (when depressurizing) and (b) shows the advanced position (when pressurizing).

[0066] Here, the angle θ (θ1, θ2) between the first link 311 and the second link 321 is defined as the angle connecting the centers of the pins 312a, 312b provided at each pivot point of the first link 311 and the centers of the pins 312b and pin slider 331 provided at each pivot point of the second link 321. The angle between the first link 311 and the second link 321 is maximum (θ1) when the pin slider 331 retreats rearward, and is smaller (θ2) when the pin slider 331 advances forward. The first link 311 and the second link 321 operate within a range (0°<θ<180°) in which the angle θ between the two links is not linear.

[0067] The first link 311 and the second link 321 each include an angle restricting portion 313, 323 that restricts the angle between the two links. The angle restricting portions 313, 323 come into contact when the front cover 130 is closed, and restrict the angle between the first link 311 and the second link 321 so that they do not pass through the dead point (θ=180°) (so that θ≧180° is not satisfied). The angle restricting portions 313, 323 ensure smooth operation of the slider crank mechanism 310.

[0068] <<Second Link Guide>> The second link 321 has a guide protrusion 325 at its rear end that protrudes upward toward the guide member 341. A link guide 345 for receiving the guide protrusion 325 is formed penetrating the surface of the guide member 341 that is parallel to the upper cover 140. The link guide 345 is a long hole extending in the front-rear direction. The guide protrusion 325 is always inserted into the link guide 345. The second link 321 moves back and forth in the front-rear direction while swinging up and down around the pin slider 331 as the center of rotation. The link guide 345 stabilizes the posture of the second link 321 during operation.

[0069] <Pantograph mechanism> As shown in FIGS. 10, 13 and 14, the pantograph mechanism 350 includes a pair of pantograph arms (a driving arm 351 and a driven arm 361) rotatably assembled in an X-shape.

[0070] One end (part) 351a in the longitudinal direction of the drive arm 351 is rotatably supported by the pin slider 331, and moves back and forth in the front-rear direction of the storage 100B along the slide guide 343 together with the pin slider 331. The other end 351b of the drive arm 351 is rotatably supported by a support part 381 provided at an appropriate position of the pressing force adjustment plate 380.

[0071] A longitudinal intermediate portion of the driven arm 361 is rotatably supported by a support portion 353 provided at a longitudinal intermediate portion of the drive arm 351. One longitudinal end portion 361a of the driven arm 361 is rotatably supported by a support portion 347 provided at an appropriate position of the guide member 341. A pin slider 363 is disposed at the other longitudinal end portion 361b of the driven arm 361. The pin slider 363 is supported by a slide guide 383 provided on the pressing force adjustment plate 380 so as to be rotatable and reciprocatable in the front-rear direction of the storage cabinet 100B.

[0072] The slide guide 343 formed on the guide member 341 and the slide guide 383 formed on the pressing force adjustment plate 380 are both shown as long holes extending linearly in the front-to-rear direction of the storage cabinet 100B, but may have other shapes.

[0073] The pantograph mechanism 350 takes a contracted posture (decompressed pressure posture) in which it is contracted in the vertical direction when one end 351a of the driving arm 351 in the longitudinal direction and the other end 361b of the driven arm 361 in the longitudinal direction are positioned at the rear ends of the slide guides 343, 383, and takes an extended posture (pressurized posture) in which it is extended when the one end 351a and the other end 361b are positioned at the front ends of the slide guides 343, 383.

[0074] <Operation> 10(a), when the front cover 130 is closed, the pin slider 331 is retracted backward and the pantograph mechanism 350 is contracted. At this time, the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is in the highest raised position in the storage unit 101 and the pressing force variable mechanism 300 is in a reduced pressure position. The elastic member 190 presses the paper stack Ps with a weak pressing force G1 that allows it to swing.

[0075] 10(b), when the front cover 130 is opened, the front cover 130 rotates upward about the front hinge portion 143, and the first link 311 is pulled out to the outside of the box body 110. In addition, the second link 321 and the pin slider 331 advance forward in accordance with the movement of the first link 311.

[0076] As the pin slider 331 moves forward along the slide guide 343, the pantograph mechanism 350 is displaced to the extended position. At this time, the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is in the lowest position in the storage unit 101, and the pressing force variable mechanism 300 is in the pressing position. The elastic member 190 presses the paper stack Ps with a strong pressing force G2.

[0077] The first link 311 prevents interference between the slider crank mechanism 310 and the front hinge portion 143 when the front cover 130 is opened or closed.

[0078] The pressing force variable mechanism 300 is fixed to the upper cover 140 via a guide member 341. One axial end (upper end) of the elastic member 190 is connected to the pressing force adjustment plate 380, and the other axial end (lower end) of the elastic member 190 is connected to the lift plate 170. Therefore, the pressing force variable mechanism 300, the elastic member 190, and the lift plate 170 move in conjunction with the upper cover 140 when the upper cover 140 is opened or closed, and are separated from the storage section 101 when the upper cover 140 is opened (see FIG. 6).

[0079] When closing the front cover 130, the pressing force variable mechanism 300 operates in the opposite direction to when the front cover 130 is opened. That is, the slider crank mechanism 310 receives a force from the front cover 130 rotating in the closing direction to retract the pin slider 331 rearward. Furthermore, the pantograph mechanism 350 receives a biasing force from the elastic member 190 as a reaction force to displace the pantograph mechanism 350 to a contracted position, that is, a biasing force to retract the pin slider 331 rearward. The elastic member 190 functions to assist the pressing force variable mechanism 300 in smoothly changing its position.

[0080] <Down amount of pressure adjustment plate> The amount of descent K of the pressing force adjustment plate 380 when the front cover 130 is opened enough to allow the paper stack Ps to be removed from the storage cabinet 100B (see Figures 10 and 11) is determined based on the pressing force G1 that allows the paper stack Ps to swing and the pressing force G2 that prevents it from swinging. The pressing force G2 at which swinging is disabled here is the pressing force required when removing the paper bundle Ps from the storage 100B, and is a pressing force that allows the robot hand 200 (FIG. 9) to stably grasp the paper bundle Ps without destroying the stacked state of the paper bundle Ps. By the elastic member 190 compressing the paper bundle Ps in advance in the stacking direction with the pressing force G2, the length of the paper bundle Ps in the stacking direction does not change significantly when the robot hand 200 grasps the paper bundle Ps, and the robot hand 200 can stably grasp the paper bundle Ps.

[0081] The lengths L1, L2 of the elastic member 190 when the front cover 130 is closed and opened vary according to the amount of stacked paper bundles Ps, whereas the amount of lowering K of the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is constant regardless of the amount of stacked paper bundles Ps.

[0082] <Effects> In this embodiment, the pressing means presses the paper stack Ps with a pressing force G1 that allows the paper stack Ps to swing when the front cover 130 is closed. When vibration is applied to the storage 100B with the front cover 130 closed, the paper stack Ps including misaligned paper sheets stored in the storage section 101 swings and becomes aligned. The vibration may be vibration generated during normal handling of the storage 100B, such as when the storage 100B is moved (transported). Therefore, according to this embodiment, by vibrations applied to storage cabinet 100B during transportation, etc., the positions of misaligned paper sheets among the paper sheets stored in storage section 101 can be corrected and the paper stack Ps can be aligned.

[0083] On the other hand, the pressing force G1 when the front cover 130 is closed may be insufficient to hold the paper stack Ps without collapsing it and remove it from the storage 100B. According to this embodiment, by pressing the paper stack Ps with a strong pressing force G2 when the front cover 130 is opened, it is possible to hold the stacked state of the paper stack Ps without collapsing it and remove it from the storage 100B.

[0084] <Modification> The storage cabinet 100B may be configured without the upper opening (second opening) 113 continuous with the upper part of the front opening 111 and the upper cover (second cover) 140 that opens and closes the upper opening 113. In this case, if the parts that define the outer faces of the roughly rectangular parallelepiped storage cabinet on the top, bottom, front, back, left and right are defined as the casing, the lifting plate 170, the elastic member 190, and the pressing force variable mechanism 300 are supported by the part that corresponds to the upper cover 140 (the ceiling part of the casing).

[0085] Second Embodiment Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage unit according to a second embodiment of the second invention, where (a) shows a state in which the front cover is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover is open. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 2(a). In this embodiment, a modified example of the pressure variable mechanism that operates in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover will be described. Note that the same reference numerals as in the above embodiments will be used to designate components that are common to the above embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0086] The pressing force variable mechanism 300B is constituted by a gear train including a plurality of gears 411-416. The drive gear (drive input portion) 411 is attached coaxially to the front hinge portion 143, which is the rotation center of the front cover body 130. The drive gear 411 rotates integrally with the front cover body 130 around the front hinge portion 143. The stepped gear 412 includes a large gear 412a and a small gear 412b, which rotate integrally and coaxially. The large gear 412a meshes with the drive gear 411. The small gear 412b meshes with the idle gear 413. The idle gear 413 meshes with the idle gear 414. The idle gear 414 meshes with a pinion gear 415 (driven gear). The pinion gear 415 meshes with a rack gear 416.

[0087] The gears 412-415 are axially supported in appropriate positions on the storage 100B so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. The gears 412-415 may be axially fixedly supported by the box body 110, or may be configured to be displaced in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 140 (see FIG. 5). The rack gear 416 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction extends in the moving direction (lifting direction) of the pressing force adjustment plate 380, and one end portion (upper end portion) in the longitudinal direction is fixed at an appropriate position on the pressing force adjustment plate 380. The rack gear 416 moves up and down together with the pressing force adjustment plate 380, displacing the elastic member 190 between a reduced pressure state (FIG. 16(a)) and a pressurized state (FIG. 16(b)).

[0088] When the front cover 130 is shifted from the closed position shown in Fig. 16(a) to the open position shown in Fig. 16(b), the drive gear 411 rotates in the direction of arrow M1. The rotation of the drive gear 411 is sequentially transmitted to the gears 412-415 constituting the pressing force variable mechanism 300B (arrows M2-M5). Finally, the pinion gear 415 lowers the pressing force adjustment plate 380 via the rack gear 416 (arrow M6).

[0089] The pressing force adjustment plate 380 descends to a position according to the opening angle of the front cover 130. The gear train constituting the pressing force variable mechanism 300B is configured to lower the pressing force adjustment plate 380 to an extent that a necessary pressing force is applied to the paper stack Ps when the paper stack Ps is removed from the repository 100B (see length K shown in FIG. 10(b)).

[0090] The pressing force variable mechanism 300B may include a stopper that determines the lowest position of the pressing force adjustment plate 380. In this case, the pressing force variable mechanism 300B may include a torque limiter that prevents rotation of the gears in the gear train when the pressing force adjustment plate 380 reaches the lowest position. As an example, the torque limiter may be configured with a torsion spring that is disposed in the front hinge portion 143 and interposed between the front cover body 130 and the drive gear 411. The torsion spring causes the drive gear 411 to rotate freely relative to the rotation of the front cover body 130 when the pressing force adjustment plate 380 reaches the lowest position. The pressing force variable mechanism 300B may include a guide means for raising and lowering the pressing force adjustment plate 380 while keeping it in a horizontal position.

[0091] Third Embodiment Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage unit according to a third embodiment of the second invention, where (a) shows a state in which the front cover is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover is open. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 2(a). In this embodiment, a modified example of the pressure variable mechanism that operates in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover will be described. Note that the same reference numerals as in the above embodiments will be used to designate components that are common to the above embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0092] The pressing force variable mechanism 300C includes a gear train having a plurality of gears 421 to 425, and an eccentric cam 426 that rotates together with the final gear 425. Drive gear (drive input portion) 421, stepped gear 422, large gear 422a, small gear 422b, and idle gears 423, 424 are similar to gears 411 to 414, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] The gear 425 meshes with the idle gear 424. The eccentric cam 426 is, for example, a plate cam having a roughly teardrop shape. A cam surface 427 of the eccentric cam 426 comes into contact with the pressing force adjustment plate 380 from above. The eccentric cam 426 drives the pressing force adjustment plate 380 to displace the elastic member 190 between a reduced pressure state (FIG. 17(a)) and a pressurized state (FIG. 17(b)). The gears 422-425 and the eccentric cam 426 are axially supported in appropriate positions on the storage 100B so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. The gears 422-425 and the eccentric cam 426 may be axially fixedly supported by the box body 110, or may be configured to be displaced in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 140 (see FIG. 5).

[0094] When the front cover 130 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 17(a), the cam surface 427 of the eccentric cam 426 is in contact with the pressing force adjustment plate 380 at a relatively short portion from the center of rotation of the eccentric cam 426, and maintains the pressing force adjustment plate 380 in a raised position. When the front cover 130 is shifted from the closed position shown in Fig. 17(a) to the open position shown in Fig. 17(b), the drive gear 421 rotates in the direction of the arrow N1. The rotation of the drive gear 421 is transmitted in sequence to each gear constituting the pressing force variable mechanism 300C (arrows N2 to N5). When the eccentric cam 426 rotates in the direction of the arrow N5 together with the gear 425, the eccentric cam 426 lowers the pressing force adjustment plate 380.

[0095] The pressing force adjustment plate 380 descends to a position according to the opening angle of the front cover 130. The shape (lift amount) of the cam surface 427 of the eccentric cam 426 is configured to lower the pressing force adjustment plate 380 to an extent that the necessary pressing force is applied to the paper stack Ps when the paper stack Ps is removed from the repository 100B (see length K shown in FIG. 10(b)). The pressing force variable mechanism 300C may include any or all of the following: a stopper that determines the lowest position of the pressing force adjustment plate 380, a torque limiter that prevents rotation of the gears in the gear train when the pressing force adjustment plate 380 reaches the lowest position, and a guide means that raises and lowers the pressing force adjustment plate 380 while maintaining it in a horizontal position.

[0096] [Fourth embodiment] Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage unit according to a fourth embodiment of the second invention, where (a) shows a state in which the front cover is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover is open. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 2(a). In this embodiment, a modified example of the pressure variable mechanism that operates in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover will be described. Note that the same reference numerals as in the above embodiments will be used to designate components that are common to the above embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0097] The pressing force variable mechanism 300D is configured to include a parallel link mechanism. That is, the pressing force variable mechanism 300D is provided with a pair of equal-length links (link portion 434, driven link 436) that are rotatably supported at their respective pivotal support portions (433a, 436a) by appropriate positions of the storage 100B and arranged in parallel, and an intermediate link (pressing force adjustment plate 380) that rotatably supports the other portions (433c, 436c) of each equal-length link as a parallel link mechanism. The pressing force variable mechanism 300D is configured to raise and lower the pressing force adjustment plate 380 while keeping it in a horizontal position by the parallel link mechanism. That is, the pressing force variable mechanism 300D displaces the elastic member 190 between a reduced pressure state (FIG. 18(a)) and a pressurized state (FIG. 18(b)).

[0098] The pressing force variable mechanism 300D includes a guide base (driving input portion) 431, a driving arm 433, and a driven link 436. The guide base 431 extends in the XY plane and operates integrally with the front cover 130. In this example, the guide base 431 is an arm member extending in an arc shape around the hinge portion 143, and a part 431a of the guide base 431 is attached to an appropriate position of the front cover 130 spaced apart from the front hinge portion 143. The guide base 431 includes an arc-shaped guide 432 formed in its plane along the extension direction of the guide base 431. In this example, the guide 432 is an elongated hole formed penetrating the plane of the guide base 431.

[0099] The drive arm 433 is supported by a pivot support 433a provided at a suitable position (middle part) of the storage 100B so as to be rotatable (or swingable) in both directions. The drive arm 433 has an extension 435 that extends beyond the pivot support 433a in the opposite direction to the link part 434. A part 433b (a part of the extension 435) of the drive arm 433 is supported by the guide base 431 so as to be guided within the guide 432, and another part 433c is axially supported by the pressing force adjustment plate 380 so as to be rotatable in both directions. In this example, the drive arm 433 is roughly V-shaped. When the front cover 130 is opened or closed, the drive arm 433 rotates in the same direction as the front cover 130 around the pivot support 433a.

[0100] The driven link 436 has a shaft support 436a supported by a suitable position on the storage 100B so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions, and another portion 436c is axially supported by the pressing force adjustment plate 380 so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. A link portion 434 extending from the pivot support portion 433a of the drive arm 433 to the other portion 433c, the pressing force adjusting plate 380, and the driven link 436 constitute a parallel link mechanism.

[0101] The pivotal supports 433a, 436a may be fixedly pivotally supported by the box body 110, or may be configured to be displaced in conjunction with the opening and closing operation (see FIG. 5) of the top cover 140. The pivotal supports 433a, 436a are held in predetermined positions in the storage 100B at least when the front cover 130 is opening and closing.

[0102] When the front cover 130 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 18(a), the other part 433c of the drive arm 433 and the other part 436c of the driven link 436 are in a position where the pressing force adjusting plate 380 is raised.

[0103] 18(a) to the open position shown in FIG 18(b), the guide base 431 rotates in the direction of arrow O1 about the hinge portion 143. The guide base 431 is pulled out to the front of the storage cabinet 100B. In the process of displacement, the guide base 431 guides a part 433b of the drive arm 433 along the guide 432. In conjunction with the displacement of the guide base 431, the drive arm 433 rotates in the direction of arrow O2 around the pivot part 433a. The part 433b of the drive arm 433 is pulled forward, and the other part 433c of the drive arm 433 lowers the pressing force adjustment plate 380. In addition, the driven link 436 is linked to the drive arm 433 via the pressing force adjustment plate 380, and lowers the pressing force adjustment plate 380 while maintaining the pressing force adjustment plate 380 in a horizontal position.

[0104] The amount of descent of the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is determined according to the opening angle of the front cover 130. The length and rotation amount of the link portion 434 and the driven link 436 are configured so that the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is lowered to an extent that the necessary pressing force is applied to the paper stack Ps when the paper stack Ps is removed from the repository 100B (see length K shown in FIG. 10(b)).

[0105] Fifth embodiment Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage unit according to a fifth embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows a state in which the front cover is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover is open. Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 2(a). In this embodiment, a modified example of the pressure variable mechanism that operates in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover will be described. Note that the same reference numerals as in the above embodiments will be used to designate components that are common to the above embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0106] The pressing force variable mechanism 300E comprises a wire 441 having one end 441a connected to an appropriate position on the pressing force adjustment plate 380 and the other end (drive input portion) 441b connected to an appropriate position on the front cover body 130, a first pulley 442 positioned below the pressing force adjustment plate 380 and guiding the wire 441, and a second pulley 443 that guides the wire 441 at an appropriate position closer to the other end 441b than the first pulley 442. The pressing force variable mechanism 300E is configured so that when the front cover 130 is opened, the wire 441 is pulled forward to lower the pressing force adjustment plate 380. The wire 441 drives the pressing force adjusting plate 380 to displace the elastic member 190 between a reduced pressure state (FIG. 19(a)) and a pressurized state (FIG. 19(b)).

[0107] The wire 441 has flexibility allowing it to be wound around the first pulley 442 and the second pulley 443, and is substantially inelastic. One end 441a of the wire 441 is connected to an appropriate position in the middle part of the pressing force adjustment plate 380. The other end 441b of the wire 441 is connected to an appropriate position of the front cover body 130 spaced from the front hinge portion 143. The other end 441b of the wire 441 moves integrally with the front cover body 130.

[0108] The wire 441 is wound around the first pulley 442 and the second pulley 443. The first pulley 442 and the second pulley 443 change the running direction of the wire 441. The first pulley 442 changes the running direction of the wire 441 from the up-down direction to the front-back direction or the diagonal up-down direction. The second pulley 443 guides the wire 441 so that the wire 441 runs smoothly. The first pulley 442 and the second pulley 443 are rotatably supported at appropriate positions in the storage 100B. The first pulley 442 and the second pulley 443 may be supported by the box body 110. The first pulley 442 and the second pulley 443 may be supported by appropriate positions other than the box body 110 so as to be displaced in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 140 (see FIG. 5).

[0109] When the front cover 130 is shifted from the open position shown in Fig. 19(a) to the open position shown in Fig. 19(b), the wire 441 is pulled out to the outside of the storage 100B. The wire 441 is pulled out according to the open angle of the front cover 130 (in the direction of arrow Q). The pressing force adjustment plate 380 descends according to the amount of the wire 441 pulled out. The amount of wire 441 pulled out by opening the front cover 130 is configured so that the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is lowered to the extent that the necessary pressing force is applied to the paper stack Ps when the paper stack Ps is removed from the storage cabinet 100B (see length K shown in Figure 10 (b)). When the opened front cover 130 is closed, the pressing force variable mechanism 300E is displaced to the reduced pressure state shown in FIG. 19(a) due to the reaction force from the elastic member 190 which tends to lift the pressing force adjustment plate 380.

[0110] The pressing force variable mechanism 300E may include a guide means for raising and lowering the pressing force adjustment plate 380 while keeping it in a horizontal position.

[0111] Sixth embodiment Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage unit according to a sixth embodiment of the second invention, in which (a) shows a state in which the front cover is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the front cover is open. Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 2(a). In this embodiment, a modified example of the pressure variable mechanism that operates in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover will be described. Note that the same reference numerals as in the above embodiments will be used to designate components that are common to the above embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0112] The pressing force variable mechanism 300F includes a pressing lever (drive input portion) 451 that presses and lowers the pressing force adjustment plate 380 when the front cover 130 is opened. The pressing force variable mechanism 300F also includes a torsion spring (not shown) disposed in the front hinge portion 143.

[0113] One longitudinal end 451a of the pressing lever 451 is supported by the front hinge portion 143. The other longitudinal end 451b of the pressing lever 451 presses the pressing force adjustment plate 380. The pressing lever 451 drives the pressing force adjustment plate 380 to displace the elastic member 190 between a reduced pressure state (FIG. 20(a)) and a pressurized state (FIG. 20(b)). The length of the pressing lever 451 is set so that the pressing force adjustment plate 380 can be lowered to an extent that a necessary pressing force is applied to the paper stack Ps when the paper stack Ps is taken out of the storage 100B (see length K shown in FIG. 10(b)).

[0114] The pressing lever 451 is connected to the front cover 130 via a torsion spring. The torsion spring rotates the pressing lever 451 in unison with the front cover 130 until a torque of a predetermined magnitude is input from the pressing lever 451. When a torque exceeding a predetermined value is input from the pressing lever 451, the torsion spring rotates the front cover 130 and the pressing lever 451 independently.

[0115] For example, the torsion spring rotates the front cover 130 and the pressing lever 451 independently when the reaction force of the elastic member 190 transmitted via the pressing force adjustment plate 380 exceeds a predetermined value. As another configuration, the pressing force variable mechanism 300F can include a stopper that determines the lowest position of the pressing force adjustment plate 380. In this case, the torsion spring rotates the front cover body 130 and the pressing lever 451 independently when the descent of the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is stopped by the stopper.

[0116] When the front cover 130 is rotated in the direction of arrow R1 from the closed position shown in FIG. 20(a) to the open position shown in FIG. 20(b), the pressing lever 451 rotates in the direction of arrow R2 around the front hinge portion 143 in conjunction with the rotation of the front cover 130. When the pressing force adjustment plate 380 is lowered by the required amount, a torque exceeding a predetermined value is input to the torsion spring arranged in the front hinge portion 143. As a result, the front cover body 130 continues to rotate, but the pressing lever 451 stops rotating. The paper stack Ps is pressed with a pressing force G2. The pressing force variable mechanism 300F may include a guide means for raising and lowering the pressing force adjustment plate 380 while keeping it in a horizontal position.

[0117] [Summary of the embodiments, functions and effects of the present invention] <First embodiment> The storage cabinet 100B in this embodiment is equipped with an openable and closable lid (front lid 130) and a storage section 101 for storing stacks of paper Ps in and out freely, and is a storage cabinet in which stacks of paper can be stored in the storage section or removed from the storage section when the lid is opened. The storage cabinet is equipped with a pressing means (lifting plate 170 and elastic member 190) for pressing the stack of paper sheets stored in the storage section, and the pressing means is characterized in that it presses the stack of paper sheets in the storage section in a swingable manner when the lid is closed.

[0118] This storage box allows an operator to store the paper stacks in the storage section by opening the lid. When the paper stacks are stored in the storage section by the operator, the paper stacks may not be fully aligned and may be stored in a disorganized state (misaligned state). Misaligned paper stacks are not suitable for machine handling, as they can cause the stack to become misaligned when a robotic hand picks up the stack, and can also cause a counter to stop counting the sheets.

[0119] If the pressing means presses the paper bundle with a pressure that can cause the paper bundle to swing, as in this embodiment, it is possible to align the paper bundles in the storage section when the storage unit is vibrated. Even if a disorderly paper bundle is stored in the storage section, if the paper bundle is aligned with the lid closed, it will be easy to remove the paper bundle and to handle the paper bundles by the machine thereafter. According to this aspect, when the paper sheets stored in the storage container are removed from the storage container, the paper sheets can be easily handled by a machine.

[0120] <Second and fourth embodiments> In the storage cabinet 100B of this embodiment, the pressing force of the pressing means (lifting plate 170 and elastic member 190) when the lid body (front lid body 130) is closed is set so that the vibrations generated when the storage cabinet moves cause the stack of paper sheets Ps to oscillate, changing the positional relationship between the paper sheets along the paper sheet surfaces and moving them into an aligned state.

[0121] The pressing means presses the paper stack with a pressing force that causes the paper stack to swing when vibration is applied to the storage. The vibration that is normally applied to the storage when it is handled can be selected as the reference vibration for determining the pressing force of the pressing means. Specifically, the vibration that is applied when the storage is moved (transported) can be selected as the reference vibration for determining the pressing force of the pressing means. According to this aspect, the paper bundles in the storage container can be aligned during normal handling of the storage container, including the process of moving the storage container.

[0122] <Third embodiment> The storage cabinet 100B in this embodiment is equipped with an openable and closable lid (front lid 130) and a storage section 101 for storing stacks of paper Ps in and out freely, and is a storage cabinet in which stacks of paper can be stored in the storage section or removed from the storage section when the lid is opened. The storage box includes a pressing means (a lift plate 170 and an elastic member 190) for pressing the paper stacks stored in the storage section. The storage container is characterized in that when the storage container is vibrated with the lid closed, the paper stack Ps including the misaligned paper sheets P1, P2 is aligned.

[0123] The pressing means presses the paper stack with such a pressing force that the paper stack is aligned when the storage is subjected to vibration. That is, the pressing force of the pressing means is set so as to achieve the following (1) and (2) when vibration is applied to the storage: (1) Misaligned paper sheets, parts of which protrude from the stacking surface of the paper stack, move along the surface of the paper sheets and become aligned with other paper sheets. (2) The aligned parts of the paper stack maintain their aligned state even when shaken. According to this aspect, the paper stacks stored in the storage unit can be aligned with the lid closed.

[0124] <Fifth and sixth embodiments> In the storage cabinet 100B according to the fifth embodiment, the size of the storage section 101 is set so that when the vibrations generated when the storage cabinet is moved cause the sheets P1, P2 constituting the paper stack Ps to come into contact with the inner wall section 102 of the storage section, the sheets change their positional relationship along the surface of the sheets, and the stack moves into an aligned state.

[0125] In the storage 100B according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the paper sheets P constituting the paper stack Ps are roughly rectangular in shape, the short-side length of the storage section 101 is set to 107 to 110% of the short-side length of the paper sheets, and the long-side length of the storage section is set to 103 to 105% of the long-side length of the paper sheets.

[0126] The size of the storage section is set so that when the storage box vibrates, the paper sheets constituting the paper stack come into contact with the inner wall of the storage section, correcting the edge positions of the paper sheets, and allowing the paper stack to move into an aligned state. Here, the inner wall of the storage unit is a portion that faces each edge of the paper sheet and can come into contact with each edge of the paper sheet. When the paper sheet is rectangular, the short-side length of the storage unit is the distance between the inner wall portions that face each short-side edge of the paper sheet, and the long-side length of the storage unit is the distance between the inner wall portions that face each long-side edge of the paper sheet.

[0127] In this embodiment, the storage section is set to a size suitable for aligning the paper bundles in a stacked state. According to this embodiment, the paper bundles in the storage can be aligned by utilizing the vibration applied to the storage.

[0128] <Seventh embodiment> The storage cabinet 100B in this embodiment is equipped with an openable and closable lid (front lid 130) and a storage section 101 for storing stacks of paper Ps in and out freely, and is a storage cabinet in which stacks of paper can be stored in the storage section or removed from the storage section when the lid is opened. The storage cabinet is equipped with a pressing means (lifting plate 170 and elastic member 190) for pressing the stack of paper sheets stored in the storage section, and the pressing means is characterized in that it presses the stack of paper sheets with a weaker force when the lid is closed than when the lid is open. The storage cabinet according to this embodiment is configured so that the pressing force G2 is strong when the lid is opened, and the pressing force G1 is weak when the lid is closed.

[0129] As in Patent Document 3 (JP 2019-202370 A), in order to mechanically process stacks of paper leaves, such as using a robot hand to remove stacks of paper leaves from a storage facility, it is desirable for the stacks of paper leaves to be in a state suitable for handling by the machine. A state of a paper bundle suitable for handling by a machine is, first, a state in which there is no misalignment between the sheets that make up the paper bundle in the storage, that is, a state in which the paper bundle is aligned.

[0130] For example, when an operator stores a paper stack in a storage unit as in Patent Document 1, the paper stack may be stored in an unaligned state. For this reason, it is conceivable to configure each part of the storage unit so that the pressing force of the pressing means is set to a weak pressing force G1 that allows the paper stack to oscillate, and the paper stack moves to an aligned state when the storage unit vibrates. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the pressing force G1 is insufficient for the robot hand to stably grip the paper stack. Therefore, in this embodiment, the paper bundle Ps is pressed with a pressing force G2 that enables the machine to stably grip the paper bundle Ps, thereby making the paper bundle suitable for handling by the machine.

[0131] According to this aspect, when removing paper sheets stored in the storage unit from the storage unit, the paper sheets are easily handled. According to this aspect, the paper stack is strongly pressed when the lid is opened, making it easy to remove the paper stack. According to this aspect, even if the pressing force when the lid is closed is weakened, the pressing force when the lid is opened is strengthened, making it possible to stably grasp the paper stack when removing it.

[0132] <Eighth embodiment> The storage 100B according to this embodiment is a storage that allows a paper stack Ps to be stored in or removed from the inside (storage section 101) by opening and closing a cover (front cover 130). The storage cabinet includes a pressing means (lift plate 170 and elastic member 190) for pressing the paper stack, and a pressing force variable mechanism 300 for changing the pressing force of the pressing means. The pressing force variable mechanism is characterized by changing the pressing force of the pressing means so that the paper stack is pressed with less force when the lid is closed than when the lid is open. This embodiment has the same effects as the seventh embodiment.

[0133] <Ninth embodiment> In the storage cabinet 100B of this embodiment, a portion of the lid body (front lid body 130) is axially supported by a hinge portion (front hinge portion 143) so as to be freely rotatable at an appropriate position in the storage cabinet, and the pressing means (lifting plate 170 and elastic member 190) is configured to be displaceable between a reduced pressure state that reduces the pressing force and a pressurized state that increases the pressing force. The pressing force variable mechanisms 300 to 300F include a drive input part (first link 311, drive gear 411, drive gear 421, guide base 431, wire 441, pressing lever 451) connected to the lid body, and a drive output part (pressing force adjustment plate 380) that transmits the operation of the drive input part to the pressing means, and the pressing force variable mechanisms are characterized in that they are configured to transmit the operation of the lid body in the opening direction input to the drive input part to the drive output part as an operation that changes the pressing means from a reduced pressure state to a pressurized state.

[0134] According to this aspect, the pressing means can be changed from a reduced pressure state to a pressurized state by utilizing the action required when removing the paper stack from the storage unit. Specifically, the pressing means can be changed from a reduced pressure state to a pressurized state by utilizing the rotational action in the opening direction of the lid body that is pivoted freely by the hinge portion. The pressure variable mechanism can be realized by various mechanisms. For example, the pressure variable mechanism can include a slider crank mechanism and a pantograph mechanism (300), a gear train (300B), a gear train and an eccentric cam (300C), a parallel crank mechanism (300D), a wire (300E), and a pressure lever (300F).

[0135] <Tenth embodiment> In the storage cabinet 100B according to this embodiment, a portion of the lid (front lid 130) is pivotally supported at an appropriate position of the storage cabinet by a hinge portion (front hinge portion 143) so as to be freely rotatable. The pressure variable mechanism 300 comprises a slider crank mechanism 310 in which a part (one end 311a of the first link 311) is rotatably supported by a suitable position (mounting portion 301) of the cover body other than the hinge portion, and a slider (pin slider 331) provided on the other part is configured to advance and retreat in response to the opening and closing operation of the cover body, and a pantograph mechanism 350 having a drive arm 351, a part (one end 351a) of which is supported by the slider so as to advance and retreat together with the slider, and a driven arm 361, a part of which is supported by the other part of the drive arm (support portion 353). The pantograph mechanism is characterized in that it takes a decompression posture that weakens the pressing force of the pressing means (lift plate 170 and elastic member 190) when the lid body is closed and the slider is retracted, and takes a pressurization posture that strengthens the pressing force of the pressing means when the lid body is opened and the slider is advanced.

[0136] According to this aspect, the pressing means can be changed from a reduced pressure state in which the pressing force is reduced to a pressurized state in which the pressing force is increased by utilizing the rotational movement of the lid body, which is freely rotatable by the hinge portion, in the opening direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] Ps...paper stack, Ps1, Ps2...paper stack portion, Ps1a, Ps2b...stacking surface, P1, P2...paper, 100, 100B...storage, 101...storage section, 102, 102a, 102b...inner wall, 103...gap, 110...box body, 111...front opening, 113...upper opening, 114...rear, 115...upper hinge portion (pivot support portion), 130...front cover, 131...upper portion, 133...lock (locking means), 140...upper cover, 141...rear, 142...front, 143...front hinge portion (pivot support portion), 160...support base, 161...slit, 170...lifting plate, 1 90...elastic member, 200...robot hand, 201...fixed finger, 202...base, 203...claw portion, 204...movable finger, 205...base, 206...claw portion, 207...movable finger lifting mechanism, 300-300F...pressure variable mechanism, 301...mounting portion, 310...slider crank mechanism, 311...first link, 311a...one end, 311b...other end, 312a, 312b...pin, 313...angle regulating portion, 321...second link, 321a...one end, 321b...other end, 325...guide protrusion, 331...pin slider, 341...guide member, 34 3...slide guide, 345...link guide, 347...axial support, 350...pantograph mechanism, 351...driving arm, 351a...one end, 351b...other end, 353...axial support, 361...follower arm, 361a...one end, 361b...other end, 363...pin slider, 380...pressure adjustment plate, 381...axial support, 383...slide guide, 411...driving gear, 412...step gear, 412a...large gear, 412b...small gear, 413, 414...idle gear, 415...pinion gear, 416...rack gear, 421...driving gear, 422...step gear , 422a...large gear, 422b...small gear, 423, 424...idle gears, 425...gear, 426...eccentric cam, 427...cam surface, 431...guide base, 431a...part, 432...guide, 433...drive arm, 433a...axial support portion, 433b...part, 433c...other portion, 434...link portion, 435...extension portion, 436...driven link, 436a...axial support portion, 436c...other portion, 441...wire, 441a...one end portion, 441b...other end portion, 442...first pulley, 443...second pulley, 451...pressure lever, 451a...one end portion, 451b...other end portion.

Claims

1. A storage cabinet comprising an openable / closable cover and a storage section for storing a paper stack in a freely removable manner, and capable of storing the paper stack in the storage section and removing the paper stack from the storage section when the cover is opened, a pressing means for pressing the paper stack stored in the storage section, The storage unit is characterized in that the pressing means is configured to press the paper stack in the storage section so as to be capable of swinging when the lid is closed.

2. A storage cabinet as described in claim 1, characterized in that the pressing force of the pressing means when the lid is closed is set so that the vibrations generated when the storage cabinet is moved cause the stack of paper sheets to sway, changing the positional relationship between the paper sheets along the paper sheet surfaces and moving them into an aligned state.

3. A storage cabinet comprising an openable / closable cover and a storage section for storing a paper stack in a freely removable manner, and capable of storing the paper stack in the storage section and removing the paper stack from the storage section when the cover is opened, a pressing means for pressing the paper stack stored in the storage section, A storage container characterized in that, when vibration is applied to the storage container with the lid closed, the stack of paper sheets including misaligned paper sheets transitions to an aligned state.

4. A storage unit as described in claim 3, characterized in that the pressing force of the pressing means when the lid is closed is configured so that the vibration generated when the storage unit moves causes the stack of paper sheets to oscillate, changing the positional relationship between the paper sheets along the paper sheet surfaces and moving them into an aligned state.

5. A storage unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the size of the storage unit is set so that when each of the sheets constituting the stack of sheets comes into contact with the inner wall of the storage unit due to vibrations generated when the storage unit is moved, the positional relationship of each of the sheets changes along the surface of the sheets, and the stack of sheets moves into an aligned state.

6. Each of the sheets constituting the bundle of sheets is generally rectangular in shape, The length of the short side of the storage section is set to 107 to 110% of the length of the short side of the paper sheets, 5. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the length of the storage section in the longitudinal direction is set to 103 to 105% of the length of the paper sheets in the longitudinal direction.

7. A storage cabinet comprising an openable / closable cover and a storage section for storing a paper stack in a freely removable manner, and capable of storing the paper stack in the storage section and removing the paper stack from the storage section when the cover is opened, a pressing means for pressing the paper stack stored in the storage section, The pressing means presses the paper stack with a weaker force when the lid is closed than when the lid is open.

8. A storage cabinet comprising an openable / closable cover and a storage section for storing a paper stack in a freely removable manner, and capable of storing the paper stack in the storage section and removing the paper stack from the storage section when the cover is opened, a pressing means for pressing the paper stack stored in the storage section; a pressing force variable mechanism for changing the pressing force of the pressing means, The storage cabinet is characterized in that the variable pressing force mechanism changes the pressing force of the pressing means so that the paper stack is pressed with a weaker force when the lid is closed than when the lid is open.

9. The lid body is pivotally supported at a suitable position of the storage unit by a hinge portion, The pressing means is configured to shift between a reduced pressure state for reducing the pressing force and a pressurized state for increasing the pressing force, the pressing force variable mechanism includes a drive input portion connected to the lid body and a drive output portion that transmits the operation of the drive input portion to the pressing means, The storage cabinet according to claim 8, characterized in that the pressing force variable mechanism is configured to transmit the movement of the lid body in the opening direction input to the drive input portion to the drive output portion as an operation that changes the pressing means from the decompressed state to the pressurized state.

10. The lid body is pivotally supported at a suitable position of the storage unit by a hinge portion, The pressing force variable mechanism includes: a slider crank mechanism, a part of which is pivotally supported by a suitable position of the lid other than the hinge portion, and a slider provided on the other part is configured to advance and retreat in response to the opening and closing operation of the lid; a pantograph mechanism having a drive arm, a portion of which is pivotally supported by the slider so as to move forward and backward together with the slider, and a driven arm, a portion of which is pivotally supported by the other portion of the drive arm, The storage cabinet according to claim 8, characterized in that the pantograph mechanism takes a decompression posture to reduce the pressing force of the pressing means when the lid body is closed and the slider is retracted, and takes a pressurization posture to increase the pressing force of the pressing means when the lid body is opened and the slider is advanced.

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