Sheet Feed Cassette Protrusion for Compact, Rigid Gripping

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sheet feed cassettes in image forming apparatuses protrude in the attaching and detaching direction, compromising design and making it difficult to secure rigidity and a gripping portion.

Innovation Solution

A cassette design with a standing wall incorporating a protrusion above the sheet placement face and hoods to regulate sheet conveyance, ensuring rigidity and minimizing the cassette's size in the insertion and removal direction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If the opposite face of the sheet feed cassette is configured by one standing wall to minimize size, then the size in the attaching and detaching direction is reduced, but it becomes difficult to secure a gripping portion and maintain rigidness

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesize in attaching and detaching directionVSAvoidrigidness of gripping portion

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The standing wall is divided into multiple sections: a first standing wall portion, a second standing wall portion, and a protrusion. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain compact overall dimensions while creating distinct functional zones, including a gripping portion on the outer surface that provides both user interaction capability and structural reinforcement without increasing the cassette's protrusion distance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A protrusion is added to the standing wall that extends in a direction perpendicular to the main body of the cassette. This dimensional addition creates a gripping portion that protrudes outward, providing both ergonomic grip access and structural rigidity without increasing the cassette's depth in the attaching and detaching direction, thus resolving the contradiction between compact size and gripping strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Length of moving object

If the opposite face is configured by one standing wall, then the design achieves compactness, but the operability deteriorates due to difficulty in securing a gripping portion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesize in attaching and detaching directionVSAvoidoperability of gripping portion

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The standing wall is divided into multiple sections: a first standing wall portion, a second standing wall portion, and a protrusion. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain compact overall dimensions while creating distinct functional zones, including a gripping portion on the outer surface that provides both user interaction capability and structural reinforcement without increasing the cassette's protrusion distance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protrusion acts as an intermediary element between the user's hand and the cassette body. It provides a dedicated gripping surface that mediates the interaction, allowing users to easily grasp and manipulate the cassette despite its compact size, thus improving operability without compromising the minimized dimension in the attaching and detaching direction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Length of moving object

If the cassette is minimized in the attaching and detaching direction, then the design issue is improved, but the rigidness of the cassette cannot be secured

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesize in attaching and detaching directionVSAvoidrigidness of cassette

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The standing wall is divided into multiple sections: a first standing wall portion, a second standing wall portion, and a protrusion. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain compact overall dimensions while creating distinct functional zones, including a gripping portion on the outer surface that provides both user interaction capability and structural reinforcement without increasing the cassette's protrusion distance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The standing wall structure combines multiple geometric elements (first standing wall portion, second standing wall portion, and protrusion) into a composite structural configuration. This composite design provides enhanced rigidity and structural stability throughout the cassette body, ensuring overall rigidity is maintained even though the cassette's dimension in the attaching and detaching direction is minimized.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS12434927B2Cassette and printing apparatus

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 CANON KK

AI summary

A cassette comprises a housing portion configured to have a placement face on which sheets are placed and to house sheets; and a standing wall configured to constitute a portion of the housing portion, and to regulate sheets on a back end side in a conveyance direction of sheets to be conveyed from the placement face to a printing apparatus, wherein the standing wall includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the placement face at a position above a predetermined position, which is at a height of sheets that can be stacked on the placement face.