Sheet support device and image forming system

Abstract

To allow the manual feed unit to support more long sheets that are longer than the manual feed unit can support in the sheet transport direction. [Solution] A sheet support device (3001) that can be attached to a manual feed unit (2001) capable of supporting a sheet (S) fed to the image forming section (513) of an image forming apparatus (1) comprises: a mounting section (330) that can be attached to a mounting section (230) provided on the manual feed unit (2001); a sheet support section (305) having an upper surface capable of supporting the upstream side in the sheet transport direction of the sheet (S) supported by the manual feed unit (2001) when the mounting section (330) is attached to the mounting section (230); and a first support leg (311) that makes contact with the floor surface (900) on which the image forming apparatus (1) is supported and supports the sheet support section (305) when the mounting section (330) is attached to the mounting section (230).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet support device that is attached to a manual feed unit and supports a sheet, and an image forming system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in image forming apparatuses, it has been required to perform image formation on sheets of various sizes. For example, some cassettes disposed inside the image forming apparatus can set A3-size sheets, and some feeding devices such as large-capacity decks externally attached to the image forming apparatus can set long sheets with a length of 30 (762 mm) inches. And, for example, for posters for sales promotion, folded pamphlets, etc., there may also be a demand for image formation on sheets having a length of more than 30 inches, which is longer than the sheets that can be set in the large-capacity deck.

[0003] Sheets having a length of, for example, 30 inches or more as described above are set in a so-called manual feed tray for image formation. However, such long sheets are longer than the length of the manual feed tray, and the rear end of the sheet protrudes. If the rear end of the sheet protrudes from the support surface of the sheet such as the manual feed tray, the rear end of the sheet may hang down, and the sheet may be folded or scratched at the corners. Therefore, it is required to support the entire sheet.

[0004] Therefore, a structure for extending the manual feed tray by attaching it to the manual feed tray (the long document storage section (84) and the holder (91) of Patent Document 1) has also been proposed. In addition, a structure in which a second holding portion (76) for dispersedly supporting a long sheet is provided above the manual feed tray (the first holding portion (71)) has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2). Further, in the side paper deck section (100), a structure in which a manual sheet stacking section (102) is provided above the sheet storage and feeding section (101) to support together the sheets set in the manual feed tray (30e) has also been proposed (see Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-63663 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-31093 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-137742 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, the devices described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 require the rear end of the long sheet to be rolled up when setting it, which means that a large number of sheets cannot be set, and thus the number of sheets that can be set in the manual feed tray is limited. Furthermore, with the device described in Patent Document 3, a long sheet cannot be set in the manual feed tray unless the side paper deck is attached to the printer.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a sheet support device and an image forming system that enable the manual feed unit to support a greater number of sheets that are longer than the manual feed unit in the sheet transport direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a sheet support device that can be attached to a manual feed unit capable of supporting a manually fed sheet that is fed to the image forming section of an image forming apparatus, the sheet support device comprising: a mounting section that can be attached to a section to be mounted provided on the manual feed unit; a sheet support section having an upper surface capable of supporting the upstream side in the sheet transport direction of the sheet supported by the manual feed unit when the mounting section is attached to the section to be mounted; and a first support leg that contacts the floor surface on which the image forming apparatus is supported and supports the sheet support section when the mounting section is attached to the section to be mounted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to support more long sheets, which are longer than the length of the manual feed unit in the sheet transport direction, with the manual feed unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an image forming system equipped with a sheet holder according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing an image forming system equipped with a sheet holder according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] (a) is a perspective view showing the state immediately before attaching the manual feed unit and the sheet holder. (b) is a perspective view showing the attachment part of the sheet holder. (c) is a perspective view showing the attachment part of the manual feed unit. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the large-capacity deck is separated from the image forming apparatus in the image forming system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the opening and closing door is open in the image forming system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing an image forming system equipped with a sheet holder according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the large-capacity deck is separated from the image forming apparatus in the image forming system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the sheet holder is separated from the image forming apparatus in the image forming system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing an image forming system equipped with a sheet holder according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <First Embodiment> The first embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. First, the schematic configuration of the image forming system 100, which comprises a sheet stand 3001 as a sheet support device, a printer 1 as an image forming apparatus, and a large-capacity deck 6001 as a sheet supply device according to this first embodiment, will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the image forming system with the sheet stand according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming system with the sheet stand according to the first embodiment. Figure 3(a) is a perspective view showing the state immediately before mounting the manual feed unit and the sheet stand. Figure 3(b) is a perspective view showing the mounting part of the sheet stand. Figure 3(c) is a perspective view showing the mounting part of the manual feed unit. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the large-capacity deck is separated from the image forming apparatus in the image forming system according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the opening and closing door is open in the image forming system according to the first embodiment. In the printer 1, various sheets such as paper and envelopes, glossy paper, plastic films such as overhead projector sheets, and cloth can be used as the recording medium.

[0012] [Printer Configuration Overview] First, the general configuration of the printer 1 provided in the image forming system 100 will be explained using Figure 1. The printer 1's overall operation is controlled by a control unit (not shown) based on image information input from an external PC and image information read from a document.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a device main body 1A, and the device main body 1A houses an image forming engine 513 as an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet S fed from one of three feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c that store the sheet S. The image forming engine 513 includes four image forming process units PY, PM, PC, and PK that respectively form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images, and an intermediate transfer belt 506 as an image carrier. The image forming engine 513 forms an image on the sheet S by a tandem type intermediate transfer method. The image forming process units PY to PK are electrophotographic units each having a photosensitive drum 508 that is a photoreceptor.

[0014] The image forming process units PY to PK have the same configuration except that the color of the toner used for development is different. Here, taking the yellow image forming process unit PY as an example, the configuration of the image forming engine 513 and the image forming process of the toner image will be described. In addition to the photosensitive drum 508, the image forming process unit PY includes an exposure device 511, a developing device 510, and a drum cleaner 509. The photosensitive drum 508 is a drum-shaped photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer on its outer peripheral portion, and rotates in a direction (arrow A in the figure) along the rotation direction (arrow B in FIG. 1) of the intermediate transfer belt 506. The surface of the photosensitive drum 508 is charged by receiving a supply of electric charges from a charging means such as a charging roller (not shown). The exposure device 511 irradiates a laser beam modulated according to image information, scans the photosensitive drum 508, and draws an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 508. The developing device 510 stores a developer containing toner, supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 508, and visualizes the electrostatic latent image as a toner image. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 508 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 506 at a primary transfer portion that is a nip portion between the primary transfer roller 507 and the intermediate transfer belt 506. The residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 508 after transfer is removed by the drum cleaner 509.

[0015] The intermediate transfer belt 506 is wound around the driving roller 504, the driven roller 505, the secondary transfer inner roller 503, and the primary transfer roller 507, and is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction (arrow B in FIG. 1) by the driving roller 504. The above-described image forming process proceeds in parallel in each image forming process unit PY to PK, and is multi-transferred so that the four-color toner images are superimposed, and a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 506. This toner image is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 1C while being carried on the intermediate transfer belt 506. The secondary transfer unit 1C is configured as a nip portion between the secondary transfer roller 56 as a transfer roller and the secondary transfer inner roller 503. A bias voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the secondary transfer roller 56, whereby the toner image is secondarily transferred onto the sheet S. The residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 506 after transfer is removed by the belt cleaner 514.

[0016] The sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is delivered to the fixing unit 158 by the pre-fixing conveyance unit 157. The fixing unit 158 has a fixing roller pair that sandwiches and conveys the sheet S, and a heat source such as a halogen heater, and applies pressure and heat to the toner image carried on the sheet S. Thereby, the toner particles are melted and fixed, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet S.

[0017] (Sheet conveyance system inside the printer and conveyance of the sheet) Next, a sheet conveyance process for conveying the sheet will be described. The sheet conveyance system 1D of the printer 1 conveys the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 1B as a sheet feeding unit, and discharges the sheet S on which an image has been formed to the outside of the apparatus main body 1A. The sheet conveyance system 1D includes sheet feeding units 53a, 53b, 53c, conveyance roller pairs 5, registration pre-roller pairs 6, registration roller pairs 7, pre-fixing conveyance unit 157, branch conveyance unit 159, reverse conveyance unit 501, and duplex conveyance unit 502.

[0018] The feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c provided in the sheet feeding unit 1B are removablely attached to the main unit 1A. Each of the feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c stores multiple sheets S, which are supported by being loaded onto the liftable trays 52a, 52b, and 52c. In each of the feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c, the position of the front and rear ends in the sheet transport direction is restricted by the front end restricting parts 62a, 62b, and 62c and the rear end restricting parts 61a, 61b, and 61c. The position of the sheet S in the width direction is also restricted by restricting parts not shown. The maximum size of sheets that can be stored in these feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c is generally the standard large size, A3 size with a width of 297 mm and a length of 420 mm, or up to a size of 13 inches in width and 19 inches in length. Sheets longer than the maximum size that can be stored in these supply cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c can be called long sheets.

[0019] The sheets S stored in the feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c are fed one by one by the sheet feeding units 53a, 53b, and 53c. Specifically, each of the sheet feeding units 53a, 53b, and 53c has a pickup roller 54a, 54b, and 54c for picking up the top sheet. Each of the sheet feeding units 53a, 53b, and 53c also has a feed roller pair 55a, 55b, and 55c and a retard roller pair 56a, 56b, and 56c for separating the double-fed sheets one by one. Furthermore, each of the sheet feeding units 53a, 53b, and 53c has a pull-out roller pair 57a, 57b, and 57c for pulling out the sheets separated one by one by the separation roller pair and transporting them toward the secondary transfer unit 1C. The sheet S, transported by the pull-out roller pairs 57a, 57b, and 57c, is transported along a transport path 58a formed by the opening / closing door 72 and guide member 71, which will be described in more detail later, and is then handed over to the transport roller pair 5.

[0020] The sheet S, which has been passed to the transport roller pair 5, is transported by the pre-registration roller pair 6, and after being brought into contact with the registration roller pair 7, it is transported to the secondary transfer section 1C after diagonal correction and timing correction have been performed. At this time, the registration roller pair 7 feeds the sheet S to the secondary transfer section 1C in accordance with the progress of the image formation process by the image formation process section PY~PK, based on the detection of the sheet by the sheet detection sensor 8. After the toner image is transferred in the secondary transfer section 1C and the image is fixed by the fixing unit 158, the sheet S is transported to the branch transport section 159, which branches the transport path of the sheet S. If image formation on the sheet S is complete, the sheet S is discharged by the discharge roller pair to the discharge tray 500 located outside the main body 1A of the device.

[0021] On the other hand, when forming an image on the back side of sheet S, sheet S is transferred to double-sided transfer unit 502 via inversion transfer unit 501. Inversion transfer unit 501 has a pair of inversion rollers that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions, and inverts the sheet S using a switchback method that reverses the front and back sides of sheet S. That is, after retracting the leading edge of the sheet, the inversion transfer unit 501 reverses the front and back sides by reversing the transfer direction, and then transfers the sheet to double-sided transfer unit 502. Double-sided transfer unit 502 then transfers sheet S again towards the transfer roller pair 5 via the transfer path 58b. After the image is formed on the back side of sheet S, it is discharged to the discharge tray 500.

[0022] (Configuration of a large-capacity deck and its sheet feeding) Next, the configuration of the large-capacity deck 6001 and the sheet feeding using it will be described. The large-capacity deck 6001 has a main unit 600A, and inside the main unit 600A is a storage compartment 651 capable of storing multiple sheets (more than the number of feeding cassettes) and a sheet feeding unit 600B for feeding the sheets from the storage compartment 651. The storage compartment 651 is removable from the main unit 600A. Multiple sheets S are stored in the storage compartment 651, supported by being loaded on a liftable tray 652 that can be raised and lowered. In the storage compartment 651, the sheets S are positioned by restricting the position of their front and rear ends in the sheet transport direction by a front end restricting part 661 and a rear end restricting part 662. The sheet S are also positioned by restricting the position in the width direction by a restricting part (not shown). The maximum size (maximum length) of sheets that can be stored in storage unit 651 is generally 30 inches (762 mm) or less in length, meaning it accommodates standard long sheets.

[0023] The sheets S stored in the storage compartment 651 are fed one by one by the sheet feeding unit 600B. Specifically, the sheet feeding unit 600B has a pickup roller 653 that picks up the top sheet, and a feed roller 654 and a retard roller 655 that constitute a pair of separation rollers that separate the double-feed sheets one by one. The sheet feeding unit 600B also has a pair of pull-out rollers 656 that pull out and transport the sheets that have been separated one by one by the pair of separation rollers. The sheets S transported by the pull-out rollers 656 are transported to the transport path 58a described above and handed over to the transport roller pair 5. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as when sheets are fed from the feed cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c, respectively, so the explanation is omitted.

[0024] (Configuration of the manual feed unit and its sheet feeding) Next, I will explain the manual feed unit 2001 provided with printer 1. Note that the sheet sizes that can be printed using the manual feed unit 2001 include long sheets (larger than 30 inches (762 mm) in length) that cannot be loaded into the feed cassettes 51a, 51b, 51c or the storage compartment 651 of the high-capacity deck 6001. However, of course, sheets that can be loaded into the feed cassettes 51a, 51b, 51c or the storage compartment 651 of the high-capacity deck 6001 may also be loaded into the manual feed unit 2001. Furthermore, special papers that are recommended to be loaded one sheet at a time can also be loaded into the manual feed unit 2001.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the manual feed unit 2001 broadly comprises a manual feed tray section 210, a sheet feeding section 220, a storage section 200A, and a mounting section 230, which will be described in more detail later. The storage section 200A stores the manual feed tray section 210 inside when the manual feed tray section 210 is rotated around a pivot point (not shown) and closed relative to the main body 1A of the printer 1. The storage section 200A is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) that engages with the closed manual feed tray section 210 and locks the manual feed tray section 210 in the closed position. By releasing this locking mechanism, the manual feed tray section 210 can rotate around the pivot point and open from the storage section 200A so that it is positioned above the large capacity deck 6001. Then, a sheet S can be set on the sheet support surface 210S of the open manual feed tray section 210.

[0026] The manual feed tray section 210 comprises a tray body 211 and an extension tray 212. The extension tray 212 is positioned on the side (i.e., above) the sheet support surface 210S of the tray body 211 and slides from the tray body 211 in the direction of the sheet support surface 210S to extend the sheet support surface 210S. The extension tray 212 also slides to overlap the tray body 211 when the manual feed tray section 210 is closed and stored in the storage section 200A, or when setting a short sheet. In other words, the manual feed tray section 210 is shortened in the sheet transport direction when the extension tray 212 overlaps the tray body 211. Sheets up to, for example, 19 inches (483 mm) in length can be set in this shortened manual feed tray section 210. Furthermore, when the extension tray 212 is slid relative to the tray body 211 to extend the manual feed tray section 210, sheets with a maximum length of, for example, 30 inches (762 mm) can be set.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(a), the extension tray 212 has a side restricting plate 212a that restricts the width direction of the sheet set on the sheet support surface 210S, perpendicular to the sheet transport direction. This side restricting plate 212a moves in conjunction with the sheet transport center by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) in the width direction, and restricts the position of the sheet in the width direction by contacting the end of the sheet in the width direction. On the tip of the tray body 211 opposite the pivot point, there is a mounting portion 230 to which the mounting portion 330 of the sheet holder 3001, which will be described in more detail later, can be attached.

[0028] The sheets S, which are set (manually inserted) on the sheet support surface 210S, are fed one by one by the sheet feeding unit 220. Specifically, the sheet feeding unit 220 has a pickup roller 221 that picks up the top sheet, and a feed roller pair 222 and a retard roller 223 that separate the double-feed sheets one by one. The sheet feeding unit 220 also has a pull-out roller pair 59 that pulls out and transports the sheets that have been separated one by one by the pull-out roller pair. The sheets S transported by the pull-out roller pair 59 are transported to the transport path 58c and handed over to the pre-registration roller pair 6. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as when sheets are fed from the feed cassettes 51a, 51b, 51c or the large-capacity deck 6001, so the explanation is omitted.

[0029] In this embodiment, the handling tray section 210 is described as being composed of a tray body 211 and an extension tray 212, but it is not limited to this configuration, and may be composed of a single tray.

[0030] [Seat stand configuration] Next, the configuration of the sheet support stand 3001 according to the first embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sheet support stand 3001 broadly comprises a support plate portion 305 as a sheet support part having an upper surface 305a that serves as a sheet support surface, and a frame portion 310 that supports the support plate portion 305. The sheet support stand 3001 also includes a mounting portion 330 that can be attached to the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 2001. Details of the mounting portion 330 will be described later.

[0031] The frame section 310 is composed of a first upper frame 301, a second upper frame 302, two long legs 311 serving as first support legs, and two short legs 312 serving as second support legs. The first upper frame 301 is fixed so as to be connected to either the upper ends of the two long legs 311 or the upper ends of the two short legs 312, and is arranged in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, with a support plate section 305 installed above it. The second upper frame 302 is fixed slightly below the first upper frame 301 so as to be connected to either the two long legs 311 or the two short legs 312, and is similarly arranged in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, reinforcing the entire frame section 310. A reinforcing frame 319 is also positioned on the frame section 310 so as to connect the lower parts of the two long legs 311. The support plate section 305 is flat, and its upper surface 305a is formed as a planar shape extending horizontally.

[0032] Furthermore, the long legs 311 support the support plate portion 305 by contacting the floor surface 900 on which the printer 1 is supported, with the mounting portion 330 (described later) attached to the mounting portion 230. The long legs 311 are positioned horizontally on the opposite side of the printer 1 from the installation space 600S of the large-capacity deck 6001. The long legs 311 are positioned so as not to interfere with the large-capacity deck 6001 when the large-capacity deck 6001 is separated from the connected portion 1E so that the opening / closing door 72 can be opened, with the mounting portion 330 attached to the mounting portion 230, as will be described in more detail later. The long legs 311 also have casters 311a as first rotating bodies at their lower ends. This caster 311a is capable of rolling on the floor surface 900 on which the printer 1 is placed, meaning that the sheet stand 3001 can move in the X1-X2 direction horizontally as the caster 311a rolls. In this embodiment, the rotating body is described using a caster as an example, but it is not limited to this and may be a roller, belt, etc., in other words, anything that rotates and rolls on the part that contacts or touches the ground.

[0033] Furthermore, each short leg 312 has a caster 312a as a contact part or second rotating body at its lower portion. The caster 312a can contact and roll against the upper surface 601 of the large-capacity deck 6001, meaning that the sheet stand 3001 can move in the X1-X2 direction in the horizontal direction relative to the large-capacity deck 6001 as the caster 312a rolls. As a result, the sheet stand 3001 can move horizontally independently of the large-capacity deck 6001 and the printer 1 when the mounting part 330 and the mounted part 230, described later, are not attached. Also, when the mounting part 330 and the mounted part 230, described later, are attached, the sheet stand 3001 allows the large-capacity deck 6001 to move horizontally independently relative to the printer 1 and the sheet stand 3001.

[0034] [Configuration of the mounting part of the manual feed unit and the mounting part of the sheet holder] Next, the configuration of the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 2001 and the configuration of the mounting portion 330 of the sheet holder 3001 will be described. As shown in Figure 3(c), the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 2001 is configured to allow the mounting portion 330 of the sheet holder 3001, which will be described in more detail later, to be attached, and is provided at the upstream end of the tray body 201 of the manual feed unit 2001 in the sheet transport direction. The mounting portion 230 has a base 235 which is a flat plate with a round hole 231 as a first hole and an elongated hole 232 as a second hole, and a locking mechanism 240 provided on the base 235.

[0035] The round hole 231 formed in the base 235 is formed to be a perfect circle when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the base 235. The elongated hole 232 is formed to be elongated when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface, with the same width (diameter) in the vertical direction as the round hole 231, and with a width in the horizontal direction that is longer than the width in the vertical direction. The locking mechanism 240 is composed of a pivot shaft 233 rotatably supported on the base 235, two hook levers 234 fixedly supported at both ends of the pivot shaft 233, and two hook shafts 339 provided on the mounting part 330, which will be described later (see Figure 3(b)).

[0036] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3(b), the mounting portion 330 of the seat stand 3001 is configured to include a base 333, a first pin 331 and a second pin 332 fixedly supported on the base 333, and the two hook shafts 339.

[0037] When moving the sheet holder 3001 in the horizontal direction X1 (see Figure 1) to attach it to the manual feed unit 2001 of the printer 1, the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 2001 and the mounting portion 330 of the sheet holder 3001 are attached. At this time, as shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c), the first pin 331 is inserted into the round hole 231 and engaged, and the second pin 332 is inserted into the elongated hole 232 and engaged, thereby positioning the mounting portion 330 relative to the mounting portion 230. Since the second pin 332 and the elongated hole 232 engage only in the vertical direction, the insertion of the two pins into the holes is facilitated, and the vertical position of the sheet support surface 210S of the manual feed unit 2001 and the upper surface 305a of the support plate portion 305 is accurately aligned.

[0038] Then, with the first pin 331 engaged in the round hole 231 and the second pin 332 engaged in the elongated hole 232, the hook lever 234 of the locking mechanism 240 is rotated clockwise in Figure 3(a) to engage with the hook shaft 339. This locks the movement of the mounted portion 230 and the mounting portion 330 in the direction of separation (the X2 direction in the horizontal direction, opposite to the insertion direction of the first pin 331 and the second pin 332), meaning that the sheet holder 3001 can be locked in the mounted state when attached to the printer 1. The mounting portion of the mounted portion 230 and the mounting portion 330 configured in this way maintains a particularly strong mounting state in the vertical direction due to the engagement of the first pin 331 and the second pin 332 with the round hole 231 and the elongated hole 232. For this reason, even when loading the specified number of sheets, which is about 100 to 250 sheets, the sheet weight can be reliably supported in terms of strength.

[0039] Furthermore, the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 2001 is positioned directly below the extension tray 212, that is, close to the sheet support surface 210S. In addition, the mounting portion 330 of the sheet holder 3001 is positioned directly below the support plate portion 305, that is, close to the upper surface 305a of the support plate portion 305. In this way, the structure positioned by the mounting portion 230 and the mounting portion 330 is close to the sheet support surface 210S of the manual feed tray portion 210 and the upper surface 305a of the support plate portion 305, so the effect of variations in part tolerances can be reduced. As a result, the step difference between the sheet support surface 210S and the upper surface 305a can be reduced, and the posture of the sheet S during feeding can be stabilized.

[0040] On the other hand, by rotating the hook lever 234 of the locking mechanism 240 counterclockwise in Figure 3(a), the engagement with the hook shaft 339 can be released. As a result, the mounted part 230 and the mounting part 330 become detached and can move in the direction of separation, that is, the sheet holder 3001 can be moved away from the printer 1.

[0041] [Supporting long sheets with sheet supports] As shown in Figure 1, when the mounting portion 330 and the mounted portion 230 are mounted, the upper surface 305a of the support plate portion 305 of the sheet stand 3001 is connected to the sheet support surface 210S of the manual feed unit 2001. In other words, the support plate portion 305 has the function of an extension tray that extends the loading surface on which the sheets S are loaded, in addition to the extension tray 212. That is, when a long sheet S of 30 inches or more, which is longer than the sheet support surface 210S of the manual feed unit 2001 in the sheet transport direction, is set in the manual feed unit 2001, the sheet stand 3001 supports the rear end portion Sa of the sheet S, which is on the upstream side in the sheet transport direction. Furthermore, as described above, the sheet stand 3001 of this embodiment is equipped with long legs 311 that are installed on the floor surface 900 to support the support plate portion 305. Therefore, the manual feed unit 2001 and the sheet support stand 3001 can reliably support the weight of long sheets S that are longer than 30 inches, even when loaded with approximately 100 to 250 sheets, which is the specified loading capacity of the manual feed unit 2001.

[0042] In other words, in the structures described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-63663 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-31093, the rear end portion of the sheet set in the manual feed unit 2001 needs to be wound up, so it is not possible to load a large number of sheets, such as 100 to 250 sheets. Also, structures in which something like a wire tray is connected to the manual feed tray are commonly seen. However, such structures lack sufficient strength and cause indentations on the sheets due to the weight, so it is not desirable to load a large number of sheets, such as 100 to 250 sheets. Furthermore, in structures like those described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-137742, long sheets longer than the manual feed tray cannot be set unless the printer is equipped with a large-capacity deck (side paper deck section). Moreover, in structures like those described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-137742, it is not possible to set sheets longer than the length of the large-capacity deck in the sheet transport direction (for example, sheets longer than 30 inches).

[0043] To address these challenges, the sheet holder 3001 of this embodiment can support long sheets that are longer than the large-capacity deck 6001, that is, longer than 30 inches. This makes it possible to support a larger number of long sheets, such as 100 to 250 sheets, in the manual feed unit 2001. Consequently, the occurrence of damage to the manual feed unit 2001, the dropping of set long sheets, and feeding failures can be reduced. In addition, since a large number of sheets, such as 100 to 250 sheets, can be set in the manual feed unit 2001 at once, the productivity of printed materials can be improved.

[0044] [Connection and separation states of the high-capacity deck to the printer] Next, we will explain the connected state in which the high-capacity deck 6001 is connected to printer 1, and the separated state (maintenance position) in which the high-capacity deck 6001 is separated from printer 1.

[0045] As shown in Figure 1, a plurality of casters 671 are provided below the main body 600A of the large-capacity deck 6001, and these casters 671 allow the large-capacity deck 6001 to move in the horizontal direction X1-X2. The printer 1 has a connecting part 1E to which the large-capacity deck 6001 can be connected when the opening / closing door 72, which is an opening / closing part provided on the main body 1A, is closed. This opening / closing door 72 is positioned so as to overlap with the connecting part 1E when viewed from the X1 direction in the horizontal direction, that is, the connecting part 1E cannot be formed unless the opening / closing door 72 is closed, and the large-capacity deck 6001 cannot be connected. Conversely, the opening / closing door 72 cannot be opened unless the large-capacity deck 6001 is separated from the connecting part 1E. When the opening / closing door 72 is closed, it is positioned opposite the guide member 71 and is configured to form part of the transport path 58a. Therefore, if a sheet jam (paper jam) occurs in this transport path 58a, the jammed sheet can be removed by opening the opening / closing door 72.

[0046] The large-capacity deck 6001 has a connecting portion 600C that can be connected to the connected portion 1E. A locking mechanism (not shown) is provided between the connecting portion 600C of the large-capacity deck 6001 and the connected portion 1E of the printer 1, and by locking this mechanism, the connected state of the printer 1 and the large-capacity deck 6001 can be maintained. When the large-capacity deck 6001 is connected to the printer 1, the sheet S contained in the large-capacity deck 6001 can be fed to the printer 1 as described above. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the large-capacity deck 6001 is provided with a cover 602 that covers the front side of the connecting portion when it is connected to the printer 1.

[0047] Then, by releasing the locking mechanism (not shown), the large-capacity deck 6001 can be moved horizontally in the X2 direction relative to the printer 1. As a result, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the large-capacity deck 6001 can be separated from the printer 1. This makes it possible to open the opening / closing door 72 of the printer 1 to the maintenance position, as shown in Figure 5, allowing the sheets on the transport path 58a to be removed and enabling maintenance of the inside of the printer 1.

[0048] In this embodiment, the upper surface 601 of the main body 600A of the large-capacity deck 6001 is formed as a flat surface, and the casters 312a of the short legs 312 of the sheet stand 3001 can contact it and roll. As a result, the large-capacity deck 6001 and the sheet stand 3001 are configured to move relative to each other in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, as described above, the long legs 311 of the sheet stand 3001 are positioned on the opposite side of the installation space 600S of the large-capacity deck 6001 from the printer 1, that is, outside the installation space 600S. Therefore, the large-capacity deck 6001 can be separated from the printer 1 and the opening / closing door 72 can be opened while the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 2001 and the mounting portion 330 of the sheet stand 3001 are still attached, that is, without moving the sheet stand 3001. In short, if a sheet jam occurs in the transport path 58a of printer 1, the jam can be cleared while the long sheet S remains set in the manual feed unit 2001 and the sheet tray 3001. In other words, it eliminates the need to temporarily remove the long sheet S from the manual feed unit 2001 and the sheet tray 3001k in order to clear the jam.

[0049] Furthermore, when performing service maintenance on, for example, printer 1 or high-capacity deck 6001, the sheet stand 3001 can be easily moved by simply operating the locking mechanism 240 to release the locks on the mounting part 230 and the mounting part 330. Therefore, service maintenance work on printer 1 and high-capacity deck 6001 can be performed smoothly.

[0050] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment, which is a modified version of the first embodiment described above, will be explained with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming system equipped with a sheet holder according to the second embodiment. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the image forming system according to the second embodiment with the large-capacity deck separated from the image forming apparatus. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the image forming system according to the second embodiment with the sheet holder separated from the image forming apparatus. In this description of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment will be used, and their explanations will be omitted.

[0051] As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8, the sheet support stand 3002 according to the second embodiment is larger in size in the sheet transport direction and has a longer support plate portion 305 compared to the sheet support stand 3001 according to the first embodiment (see Figure 1). The sheet support stand 3002 is also equipped with a plurality of rotatable legs 313 as third support legs that can rotate between a retracted position and a grounded position.

[0052] In detail, as shown in Figure 8, the support plate portion 305 of the sheet stand 3002 is sized to support the entire length of a long sheet S, for example, that is larger than 30 inches. Therefore, when the mounting state between the mounted portion 230 and the mounting portion 330 is released and the sheet stand 3002 is moved, as shown in Figure 6, the long sheet S can be moved from the state where it is set in the manual feed unit 2001 to the support plate portion 305 of the sheet stand 3002.

[0053] Furthermore, the rotating leg 313 is configured to be rotatable relative to the second upper frame 302 and to be held (fixed) in that position by a hand-tightened screw 315 which serves as a holding mechanism. The end of the rotating leg 313 opposite to the hand-tightened screw 315 has a caster 313a as a third rotating body that makes contact with the floor surface 900 and rolls. That is, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rotating leg 313 is rotatable to a retracted position that is at or above the same height as the second upper frame 302 by retracting upward from the installation space 600S of the large-capacity deck 6001, and is held in that retracted position by tightening the hand-tightened screw 315. Note that the rotating leg 313 in this retracted position is stored between the second upper frame 302 and the first upper frame 301, so this position may also be called the storage position. Furthermore, the rotating leg 313 can be rotated to a ground position where the caster 313a touches the floor surface 900 by loosening the hand screw 315, as shown in Figure 8, and can be held in that ground position by tightening the hand screw 315. In this way, the user can easily change the position of the rotating leg 313 simply by loosening or tightening the hand screw 315.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6, the sheet holder 3002 can be attached to the manual feed unit 2001 to support long sheets that are longer than the large capacity deck 6001, i.e., longer than 30 inches, similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to support even longer sheets, such as 100 to 250 sheets, in the manual feed unit 2001. In addition, if a sheet jam occurs in the transport path 58a of the printer 1, the large capacity deck 6001 can be separated from the printer 1, as shown in Figure 7, while the long sheets S remain set in the manual feed unit 2001 and the sheet holder 3002. Therefore, jam processing can be performed while the long sheets S remain set in the manual feed unit 2001 and the sheet holder 3002.

[0055] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the sheet stand 3002 according to this second embodiment can be moved with the sheet S on it by transferring the sheet S to the support plate portion 305 and rotating the rotating leg 313 to the ground position. This allows, for example, long sheets to be loaded onto the sheet stand 3002 from their storage location and transported. Moreover, by attaching the sheet stand 3002 to the manual feed unit 2001 and moving the leading edge of the sheet S toward the manual feed unit 2001, the sheet S can be easily set into the manual feed unit 2001. In this way, even long sheets longer than 30 inches can be easily transported, and the process of transferring the sheet S to the manual feed unit 2001 is made easier and more efficient.

[0056] In this second embodiment, a pivotable leg 313 was described as an example of a third support leg that moves between a retracted position and a grounded position. However, it is not limited to this, and other support legs such as extendable or removable support legs may also be used. In other words, any support leg is acceptable as long as it can be retracted when the large-capacity deck 6001 is below and grounded when the large-capacity deck 6001 is not below.

[0057] Furthermore, although this second embodiment describes a configuration in which only the rotating leg 313 moves from the ground position to the retracted position, the configuration is not limited to this. The long leg 311 may also be configured to rotate, retract, or detach so that it can be moved to the retracted position by folding at a position of similar length to the short leg 312. In this configuration, the vertical size of the seat stand 300 can be shortened by retracting the rotating leg 313 and the long leg 311, thereby reducing the storage space required for the seat stand 300.

[0058] Furthermore, the other configurations, operations, and effects of this second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0059] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment, which is a modified version of the first embodiment described above, will be explained with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming system equipped with a sheet holder according to the third embodiment. In this description of the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for parts similar to those in the first embodiment, and their explanations are omitted.

[0060] The image forming system 100 according to the third embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, is equipped with a buffer transport device 800 between the printer 1 and the high-capacity deck 6003. The high-capacity deck 6003 according to the third embodiment is equipped with two storage compartments 651a and 651b and a manual feed unit 2002, meaning that the manual feed unit 2002 is equipped on the high-capacity deck 6003, not the printer 1. The sheet stand 3003 according to the third embodiment is larger in size in the sheet transport direction compared to the sheet stand 3001 according to the first embodiment (see Figure 1), and the length of the support plate portion 305 is longer. The sheet stand 3003 is also equipped with a long leg 314 as a fourth support leg, which is located on the printer 1 (high-capacity deck 600) side than the long leg 311.

[0061] In detail, the large-capacity deck 6003 has a main body 600A, and inside the main body 600A are storage compartments 651a and 651b capable of storing multiple sheets, and sheet feeding sections 600Ba and 600Bb for feeding the sheets from the storage compartments 651a and 651b. Each of the storage compartments 651a and 651b is removably attached to the main body 600A. Each of the storage compartments 651a and 651b stores multiple sheets S, which are loaded and supported on liftable trays 652a and 652b. In each of the storage compartments 651a and 651b, the sheets S are positioned by restricting the position of their front and rear ends in the sheet transport direction by front end restricting sections 661a and 661b and rear end restricting sections 662a and 662b. The sheet S is also positioned by restricting sections (not shown) in the width direction. The maximum size of a sheet that can be stored in storage compartments 651a and 651b is 30 inches (762 mm) or less in length.

[0062] The sheets S stored in storage compartments 651a and 651b are fed one by one by sheet feeding units 600Ba and 600Bb. Specifically, each of the sheet feeding units 600Ba and 600Bb has pickup rollers 653a and 653b for picking up the top sheet. Each of the sheet feeding units 600Ba and 600Bb also has feed rollers 654a and 654b and retard rollers 655a and 655b which constitute a pair of separation rollers that separate the double-feeded sheets one by one. Furthermore, each of the sheet feeding units 600Ba and 600Bb has a pair of pull-out rollers 656a and 656b which pull out and transport the sheets that have been separated one by one by the pair of separation rollers. The sheet S conveyed by the pull-out roller pair 656a is transported to the transport path 811 of the buffer transport device 800, then transported by the transport roller pair 801 to the transport roller pair 802, and finally handed over to the pull-out roller pair 59 of the printer 1. The sheet S conveyed by the pull-out roller pair 656b is transported to the transport path 812 of the buffer transport device 800, then transported by the transport roller pair 802, and finally handed over to the pull-out roller pair 59 of the printer 1. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as when the sheet is fed from the manual feed unit 2001 in the first embodiment, so its explanation is omitted.

[0063] In the large-capacity deck 6003, a manual feed unit 2002 is provided on the upper part of the main unit 600A. The manual feed unit 2002 has a manual feed tray section 210, a sheet feeding section 220, a feeding section case 220C, and a mounting section 230. In the manual feed unit 2002 according to this third embodiment, the manual feed tray section 210 consists only of a tray body 211, and the upper surface of the tray body 211 forms a sheet support surface 210S.

[0064] The sheet feeding unit 220 includes a pickup roller 221 for picking up the top sheet, a feed roller 222 and a retard roller 223 which constitute a pair of separation rollers for separating the double-feed sheets one by one, and a pull-out roller pair 224. Of the sheet feeding unit 220, the feed roller 222 and retard roller 223 and the pull-out roller pair 224 are housed inside the feeding unit case 220C. The sheets S, picked up by the pickup roller 221 and separated one by one by the separation roller pair, are transported by the pull-out roller pair 224 to the transport path 813 of the buffer transport device 800. The sheets S transported to the transport path 813 are transported by the transport roller pair 802 and handed over to the pull-out roller pair 59 of the printer 1. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as when the sheet is fed from the manual feed unit 2001 in the first embodiment, so its explanation is omitted. Furthermore, the structure of the mounting portion 230 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0065] As shown in Figure 9, the sheet stand 3003 according to the third embodiment has a longer support plate portion 305, similar to the sheet stand 3002 according to the second embodiment (see Figures 6 to 8). The sheet stand 3003 is also provided with multiple long legs 314, which are the same length as the long legs 311, on the side of the installation space 600S for the large-capacity deck 600 that is opposite to the printer 1, and on the side of the installation space 600S that is closer to the long legs 311.

[0066] In detail, the support plate portion 305 of the sheet stand 3003 according to the third embodiment is sized to support the entire length of a long sheet S, for example, larger than 30 inches, similar to the second embodiment. This allows the long sheet S to be moved from the state where it is set in the manual feed unit 2002 to the support plate portion 305 of the sheet stand 3003 when the mounting state between the mounted portion 230 and the mounting portion 330 is released.

[0067] Furthermore, the long legs 314 support the support plate portion 305 by contacting the floor surface 900 on which the printer 1 is supported, with the mounting portion 330 attached to the mounting portion 230 at the downstream end of the support plate portion 305 in the sheet transport direction. In addition, the long legs 314 are positioned on the opposite side of the printer 1 from the installation space 600S of the large-capacity deck 6003 in the horizontal direction. The long legs 314 also have casters 314a as fourth rotating bodies at their lower ends, and these casters 314a are in contact with the floor surface 900 on which the printer 1 is supported and can roll. In other words, the sheet support stand 3003 can move in the X1-X2 direction in the horizontal direction by the rolling of the casters 311a of the long legs 311 and the casters 314a of the long legs 314.

[0068] In this third embodiment, the large-capacity deck 6003 is not intended to be moved during normal jam handling or maintenance after being connected to the printer 1. For example, if a sheet jam occurs inside the buffer transport device 800 or in the transport path 58a, the jammed sheet can be removed by opening the door of the buffer transport device 800 (not shown) and, if necessary, opening the opening / closing door 72.

[0069] By attaching the sheet support stand 3003 to the manual feed unit 2002, it becomes possible to support long sheets that are longer than the large-capacity deck 6002, i.e., longer than 30 inches, in the manual feed unit 2002, similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, it becomes possible to support even longer sheets, such as 100 to 250 sheets, in the manual feed unit 2002.

[0070] Furthermore, in this third embodiment, the sheet stand 3003 allows the sheet S to be placed on the support plate 305 and moved with the sheet S still on it using the long legs 311 and 314. This makes it possible, for example, to load a long sheet onto the sheet stand 3003 from its storage location and transport it. Moreover, by attaching the sheet stand 3003 to the manual feed unit 2002 and moving the leading edge of the sheet S toward the manual feed unit 2002, the sheet S can be easily set into the manual feed unit 2002. In this way, even long sheets longer than 30 inches can be easily transported, and the process of transferring the sheet S to the manual feed unit 2002 is made easier and more efficient.

[0071] Furthermore, the other configurations, operations, and effects of this third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0072] <Possibility of other embodiments> In the first to third embodiments described above, we described a system in which sheets up to 30 inches (762 mm) in length can be set in the large-capacity deck 600 or the manual feed tray section 210, which is an extension of the extension tray 212. In other words, we described a system in which sheets longer than 30 inches can be set using the sheet support stand 300. However, the size of the sheets that can be set in each section is not limited to this. For example, if sheets up to 900 mm in length can be set in the large-capacity deck 600 or the manual feed tray section 210, then a system in which sheets longer than 900 mm can be set using the sheet support stand 300 is also acceptable.

[0073] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, a first pin 331 and a second pin 332 were provided in the mounting portion 330 of the sheet holder 300, and a round hole 231 and an elongated hole 232 were provided in the mounting portion 230 of the manual feed unit 200. However, the invention is not limited to this, and a sheet holder 300 may have two holes in the mounting portion 330 and a manual feed unit 200 may have two pins in the mounting portion 230. Moreover, a sheet holder 300 may have one hole and one pin in the mounting portion 330, and a manual feed unit 200 may have one pin and one hole in the mounting portion 230. In short, the mounting portion 230 has either a first pin extending in the mounting direction and a first hole that fits into the first pin, and either a second pin extending in the mounting direction and a second hole that fits into the second pin in the vertical direction and is longer horizontally than the second pin, and the mounting portion 330 has the other of the first pin and the first hole, and the other of the second pin and the second hole.

[0074] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, a configuration was described in which casters 312a that contact the large-capacity deck 600 are provided on the short legs 312, enabling relative movement between the seat base 300 and the large-capacity deck 600. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration such as rails and wheels may be adopted, or a configuration that simply slides may be adopted, in other words, as long as the short legs 312 can contact the large-capacity deck 600 and support its weight while enabling relative movement.

[0075] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, a configuration was described in which casters 311a are provided on the long legs 311 so that the seat stand 300 can move on the floor surface 900. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the seat stand 300 may simply be configured to be installed on the floor surface 900. Similarly, the rotating legs 313 in the second embodiment and the long legs 314 in the third embodiment may also be configured to be installed on the floor surface 900.

[0076] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the upper surface 305a of the support plate portion 305 of the sheet holder 300 was described as a flat surface extending horizontally. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the upper surface 305a may be inclined at an angle of about 10 degrees with respect to the horizontal, for example, and may be slightly curved as long as it is a shape that can easily accommodate, for example, 100 to 250 sheets.

[0077] Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments described a seat support 300 equipped with two long legs 311 and two short legs 312, the invention is not limited to this configuration; it is sufficient if the total number of long legs 311 and short legs 312 is three or more. In other words, if there are two or more short legs 312, there may be one long leg 311, or if there are two or more long legs 311, there may be one short leg 312. In addition, in the second embodiment, it is preferable that the number of rotating legs 313 is equal to or greater than the number of short legs 312.

[0078] Similarly, in the third embodiment, a seat support base 300 was described that is equipped with two long legs 311 and two long legs 314, but it is not limited to this, and the total number of long legs 311 and long legs 314 is three or more. In other words, if there are two or more long legs 314, there may be one long leg 311, or if there are two or more long legs 311, there may be one long leg 314.

[0079] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, an image forming system 100 equipped with a large-capacity deck 600 was described. However, the system is not limited to this configuration; even in an image forming system where a sheet holder 300 is attached to the printer 1 and the large-capacity deck 600 is not connected to the printer 1, long sheets can still be set in the manual feed unit 200.

[0080] Furthermore, the printer 1 and high-capacity deck 600 described in the first to third embodiments are merely examples, and any other type may be used. In particular, the printer as an image forming apparatus may have any type of image forming unit, such as a monochrome laser type or an inkjet type. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1…Printer (image forming apparatus) / 1E…Connected part / 72…Opening / closing door (opening / closing part) / 100…Image forming system / 2001, 2002…Manual feed unit / 230…Mounted part / 231…Round hole (first hole) / 232…Slotted hole (second hole) / 234…Hook lever / 240…Locking mechanism / 3001, 3002, 3003…Sheet stand (sheet support device) / 305…Support plate part (sheet support part) / 305a…Top surface / 311…Long leg (first support leg) / 311a…Caster (first rotating body) / 312…Short leg (second support leg) / 312a…Caster (contact part, second rotating body) / 313…Rotating leg (third support leg) / 313a…Caster (third rotating body) / 314…Long leg (fourth support leg) / 314a…Caster (fourth rotating body) / 315…Hand-operated screw (holding mechanism) / 330…Mounting part / 331…First pin / 332…Second pin / 339…Hook shaft / 513…Image forming engine (image forming unit) / 600…Large capacity deck (sheet supply device) / 600S…Installation space / 900…Floor surface

Claims

1. In a sheet support device that can be attached to a manual feeding unit capable of supporting a manually fed sheet supplied to the image forming section of an image forming apparatus, A mounting part that can be attached to the part to be attached provided on the manual insertion unit, With the mounting portion attached to the mounting portion, the sheet support portion has an upper surface capable of supporting the upstream side in the sheet transport direction of the sheet supported by the manual feeding unit, With the mounting portion attached to the part to be mounted, the system includes a first support leg that contacts the floor surface on which the image forming apparatus is supported and supports the sheet support portion. A sheet support device characterized by the following features.

2. The image forming apparatus comprises a connecting portion to which a sheet supplying apparatus can be connected, and an opening / closing portion positioned at least to overlap with the connecting portion when viewed from the horizontal direction, and capable of opening a transport path for transporting sheets. The manual feeding unit is capable of supporting a sheet that is manually fed in while open above the connected portion. The first support leg is positioned in the horizontal direction opposite to the image forming apparatus with respect to the installation space of the sheet supply device, and is positioned so as not to interfere with the sheet supply device when the sheet supply device is separated from the connected portion so that the opening and closing portion can be opened when the mounting portion is attached to the mounted portion. The sheet support device according to feature 1.

3. The first support leg has a first rotating body that rolls on the floor surface. The sheet support device according to feature 1.

4. The mounting portion has a contact portion that can contact the sheet supply device when the mounting portion is attached to the mounting portion, and is equipped with a second support leg that supports the sheet support portion via the contact portion. The sheet support device according to feature 2.

5. The contact portion allows the sheet supply device to move relative to it in the horizontal direction. The sheet support device according to feature 4.

6. The aforementioned contact portion is a second rotating body that rolls while in contact with the sheet supply device. The sheet support device according to feature 5.

7. The sheet supply device is provided with a third support leg that is movable between a retracted position, where it is moved away from the installation space, and a grounded position, where it is in contact with the floor surface. The third support leg is moved to the ground position and supports the sheet support when the contact portion of the second support leg is not in contact with the sheet supply device. The sheet support device according to feature 4.

8. The third support leg is provided with a holding mechanism for holding it in the retracted position or the grounded position. The sheet support device according to feature 7.

9. The third support leg has a third rotating body that rolls on the floor surface. The sheet support device according to feature 7.

10. The sheet support portion is sized to support an entire sheet that is longer than the maximum length of sheet that can be stored in the sheet supply device. The sheet support device according to feature 7.

11. With the mounting portion attached to the portion to be mounted, a fourth support leg is provided, which is positioned horizontally closer to the image forming apparatus than the first support leg and makes contact with the floor surface to support the sheet support portion. The sheet support device according to feature 1.

12. The image forming apparatus includes a connecting portion to which a sheet supply device for supplying sheets can be connected, The manual feeding unit is capable of supporting a sheet that is manually fed in while open above the connected portion. The first support leg and the fourth support leg are positioned in the horizontal direction on the side opposite to the image forming apparatus with respect to the installation space of the sheet supply device. The sheet support device according to feature 11.

13. The fourth support leg has a fourth rotating body that rolls on the floor surface. The sheet support device according to feature 11.

14. The mounting portion includes one of the following: a first pin extending in the mounting direction between the mounting portion and the mounting portion, and a first hole that fits into the first pin; and one of the following: a second pin extending in the mounting direction, and a second hole that fits into the second pin in the vertical direction and is longer in the horizontal direction than the second pin. The mounting portion has the other half of the first pin and the first hole, and the other half of the second pin and the second hole. The sheet support device according to feature 1.

15. The mounting part and the mounting part are equipped with a locking mechanism that locks the movement of the mounting part and the mounting part apart when they are mounted together. The sheet support device according to feature 1.

16. The locking mechanism comprises a hook lever rotatably provided on one of the mounting portion and the mounting portion, and a hook shaft provided on the other of the mounting portion and engaging with the hook lever. The sheet support device according to claim 15.

17. The upper surface of the sheet support portion is flat. The sheet support device according to feature 1.

18. The aforementioned image forming apparatus, A sheet support device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising: An image forming system characterized by the following features.

19. The image forming apparatus is equipped with a sheet supply device connected to it. The image forming system according to claim 18.

20. The sheet supply device is movable in the horizontal direction. The sheet support device is movable in the horizontal direction independently of the sheet supply device. The image forming system according to feature 19.

Images