Paper Pack Crushing Mechanism for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in efficiently discarding empty paper packs due to limited space in the discarding unit, leading to frequent user intervention as the unit quickly becomes full with uncrushed, bulky empty packs.
Innovation Solution
An accommodating device with a processing unit that crushes and conveys empty paper packs to a discarding unit, utilizing a pair of rollers to flatten and compact the packs, reducing their size and allowing for more efficient storage, and a sensor to initiate processing when paper is depleted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If empty paper packs are discarded without crushing, then the discarding process is simple, but the discarding unit becomes full quickly requiring frequent user intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects when a paper pack is empty and initiates the crushing and discarding process without user intervention. The processing unit autonomously crushes empty paper packs and the discarding unit automatically stores them, eliminating the need for users to manually empty the discarding unit frequently
Solution Approach 2:
The empty paper packs undergo a physical state change from bulky three-dimensional form to compressed flat form through the crushing process. This parameter change in volume and shape allows significantly more packs to be stored in the same discarding unit space
2Loss of time
If the discarding unit is designed with larger capacity, then empty paper packs can be stored longer, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
By crushing empty paper packs into a compressed flat state, the volume of each discarded pack is dramatically reduced. This allows the discarding unit to store many more packs in the same physical space, extending the interval between user interventions without increasing the overall device size
Solution Approach 2:
The crushed empty paper packs are stored in a compact manner within the discarding unit, maximizing space utilization. The flattened packs can be stacked and arranged efficiently, similar to nesting, to accommodate larger quantities in a confined space
3Volume of stationary object
If a crushing mechanism is added to the paper feeding device, then empty paper packs can be compacted for better storage, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The paper feeding device is divided into distinct functional modules: the processing unit for crushing and the discarding unit for storage. This segmentation allows the crushing mechanism to be added as a separate functional block without fundamentally redesigning the entire device, managing complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The processing unit serves multiple functions: it detects empty paper packs, crushes them into compact form, and prepares them for discarding. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each operation, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces the frequency of user intervention by allowing the apparatus to automatically process and store empty paper packs more efficiently, alleviating space constraints in the discarding unit and enhancing user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a processing unit that flatly crushes and conveys an empty paper pack
Implementation Method 2
conveys the empty paper pack to a position of the processing unit when the processing unit crushes the empty paper pack
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an accommodating device that performs appropriate processing in order to discard an empty paper pack remaining in the accommodating device and an image forming apparatus including the accommodating device. The accommodating device includes an accommodating unit, a processing unit, and a discarding unit. The accommodating unit accommodates a paper pack including a bundle of stacked sheets of printer paper wrapped with wrapping paper in such a manner that the printer paper is freely taken out. The processing unit flatly crushes and conveys an empty paper pack from which all of the sheets of the printer paper have been taken out and in which only the wrapping paper has remained. The discarding unit stores a flatly crashed empty paper pack conveyed from the processing unit in order to discard them.