Patent ID: 7819398
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A feeding apparatus comprising: a cassette unit; and a feeding-apparatus main body, wherein the cassette unit can be mounted to and dismounted from the feeding-apparatus main body, the cassette unit including a casing, a movable cassette hopper on which a housed recording medium is to be placed, and a locking section that projects inward from a side of the casing and incline against the cassette hopper when it is inserted, such that the locking section swings in a width direction of the housed recording medium so as to hold the attitude of the cassette hopper; and the feeding-apparatus main body includes a contact portion which projects from an opening in a base portion of the casing and comes into contact with the locking section when the casing of the cassette unit is mounted to the feeding apparatus main body, causing the locking section to swing in the width direction so as to release a holding state wherein the attitude of the cassette hopper is held, wherein the locking section swings so as to project from the casing of the cassette unit so that a distal free end of the locking section comes into contact with the cassette hopper to hold the attitude of the cassette hopper, wherein the distal free end of the locking section is thicker than a proximal end of the locking section, wherein the proximal end of the locking section is integrated with the casing of the cassette unit with a connecting portion which is thinner than the distal free end of the locking section, wherein the locking section swings in the width direction which intersects a direction of a movement of the cassette hopper by the deflection of the connecting portion, wherein when the locking section does not come into contact with the contact portion, the locking section engages with a tab of the cassette hopper, wherein when the locking section comes into contact with the contact portion, the contact portions elastically deform the locking sections outward, such that the locking section does not engage with the tab of the cassette hopper, wherein the contact portion includes: wherein the contact portion projects in the direction in which the cassette unit is dismounted, the first engaging portion is a step at a proximal end of the contact portion, and the second engaging portion is a hook at a distal end of the contact portion.