Paper cassette

Abstract: A paper cassette is formed to store multiple types of different sized media and performs paper-feeding. A media load plate is loaded with said multiple types of different sized media. A media back edge guide assembly is mounted to a media load plate on which is loaded multiple types of different-sized media, to position the media loaded on the media load plate.

Description: Background of the invention This invention relates to a paper cassette for a paper feed device which supplies cutforms and other media automatically to terminal devices such as printers. A device to automatically supply media to terminal devices such as printers was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 218238/1985. When different sized media are supplied with this type of device, there are conventionally different hoppers or paper cassettes for each size of media. Media are stored in and supplied from these hoppers. The following is an explanation of the conventional automatic paper feed device based on the drawings. Figure 1 is a partially cut-away side view showing the conventional paper feed device. Media 2 is stacked and stored in hopper or cassette 3, which is installed in automatic paper feed device 1. Printer 4 is placed on top of automatic paper feed device 1. Supply roller 5 is installed above cassette 3 and feed roller 6 is also disposed inside the device. Moreover, spring 7 is provided underneath media 2. Cassette container 9 is installed to the side of automatic paper feed device 1 and printer 4. Cassette container 9 contains cassettes 8 which store specific sizes of media which are not in use. The operation of the conventional automatic paper feed device will be explained next. The media 2 which is stacked and stored in cassette 3 is pushed by spring 7 into contact with supply roller 5. Supply roller 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow G by a drive means not shown, and this causes the media to begin to be fed from the top, one sheet at a time. Media 2, which has begun to be fed, is sent to printer 4 by feed roller 6. When one wishes to print media which is different in size from media 2 (stacked and stored in cassette 3) with printer 4, one takes cassette 3 out of automatic paper feed device 1. Cassette 8, in which is stored the media of the size desired, is then taken out of cassette container 9 and installed in automatic paper feed device 1. Paper feed to printer 4 may then be performed. Cassette 3, which has been taken out of automatic paper feed device 1 is then stored in cassette container 9. By manual input instructions are sent to printer 4 concerning the size of the media newly installed in automatic paper feed device 1. However, different cassettes for respective sizes of media are necessary in devices constructed as above. Also, since the automatic paper feed device permits mounting of only one cassette a separate place or container for the multiple cassettes storing media not in use are needed. Because of this, cassettes not being used must be placed in the immediate vicinity of the automatic paper feed device and the amount of space needed for the installation of the device is a problem. The automatic paper feed device described above also has the fault of requiring a number of cassettes in which specific sizes of media are stored. Because of this cassette container must be provided and this increases the number of structural parts, and raises the price of the automatic paper feed device. Furthermore, because the operator must send instructions to the printer concerning the size of the media it is easy for errors to occur. When errors occur it is necessary to reprint, and this is a problem because media is wasted. Another problem associated with the prior art is that the media is pushed against the hopping roller and paper feed is accomplished by the same coil springs alsways pushing up the media load plate. But because the weight of the media stored in the paper cassette varies according to its size, the pressure by which the top of the media is pushed against the hopping roller varies. Therefore too great a pressure will be obtained when feeding smaller media if springs whose pressure is appropriate to larger media are used. This will increase the occurrence of multiple feeding, in which 2 or 3 sheets are fed at the same time. When springs appropriate to smaller media are used, the pressure obtained will be too little for larger media and feed misses, in which the media is not fed, will occur more often. A single paper cassette suitable for different sizes of paper is disclosed in the document DE-A-33 31 077. It comprises a media load plate positioning the paper by a back edge guide assembly, which is in particular capable for obtaining the paper size and providing electrical signals according to the paper size. DE-A-24 16 782 is concerned with a paper cassette comprising in particular a turnable paper load plate and some guide members. Summary of the Invention An object of this invention is to solve the problems described above, making it possible for the installation area to be smaller and providing an inexpensive automatic paper feed device of excellent operability. Another object of this invention is to provide a paper cassette from which can be obtained a pressure appropriate to the size of the media in question, and which is able thereby to feed media with stability. The object is achieved by a paper cassette according to claim 1. Further embodiments are characterized in the subclaims. The movable member of the media back edge guide assembly installed on the paper cassette according to the length of the media loaded is caused to slide in relation to the fixed member and by engaging the engagement member attached to the movable member, with the engagement section, which is provided on the fixed section corresponding to the length of the media, it is possible to position the front edge of the media in the direction of media delivery at a set point in relation to the main body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a partial cut-away side view showing the conventional automatic paper feed device. Figure 2 is an enlarged view of an embodiment of the media back edge guide assembly. Figure 3 is an external perspective view of the primary engagement member. Figure 4 is a cross section view on line M-N of Figure 2 during media set. Figure 5 is a cross section view on line M-N of figure 2 during media reset. Figure 6A is a front view of the slide block. Figure 6B is a side view of Figure 6A. Figure 7 is an external perspective view of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to another embodiment. Figure 8 is an external perspective view of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. Figure 9 is an external perspective view of the engagement member. Figure 10 is a cross section view on line O-P of Figure 8 during media set. Figure 11 is a cross view on line O-P of Figure 8 during media reset. Figure 12A is a front view of the slide block. Figure 12B is a side view of Figure 12A. Figure 13 is an external perspective view of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. Figure 14 is an external perspective view of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. Figure 15 is an external perspective view of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. Figure 2 through Figure 6 show according to an embodiment the media back edge guide assembly 228 which includes, as a fixed member, guide bracket 241, which is formed so that a cross section of it contains a depression and which is fixed on the back face of media load plate 17 around square hole 34 as shown in Figure 2. On guide bracket 241 are provided guide rail 242 and primary slits 243a and 243b which are in positions corresponding to the lengths of the two types of media. Also provided on guide bracket 241 are secondary slits 244a and 244b, which are in positions corresponding to primary slit 243a, and secondary slits 244c and 244d, which are in positions corresponding to primary slit 243b. Guide rail 242 is a section of bottom 245 of guide bracket 241 which has been cut and turned up so that it is perpendicular to bottom 245 and parallel to the direction of media delivery. Primary slits 243a and 243b are on bottom 245 of guide bracket 241, and their lengths are perpendicular to the direction of media delivery. The slits are connected by groove 246 which has a width narower than that of the slits. Secondary slits 244a, 244b, 244c and 244d also have their lengths perpendicular to the direction of media delivery and are on the sides of guide bracket 241. Slide block 247 is a movable member which slides along guide rail 242 of guide bracket 241 in the directions shown by arrow I-J. Guide plate 229, primary engagement member 248 and secondary engagement members 249 and 250 are installed on slide block 247. As shown in Figure 6A and Figure 6B, on slide block 247 are provided: guide groove 247a, which is engaged with guide rail 242 of guide bracket 241; groove 247b, to which is attached primary engagement member 248; clearance groove 247f for secondary engagement member 249; and clearance groove 247e for secondary engagement member 250. Groove 247b becomes slant as indicated by reference 247d after specified area 247c. Primary engagement member 248 is made from a plate spring and its outline is substantially L-shaped, as shown in Figure 3. On one end of primary engagement member 248 is fixing section 248a, in between side face 247g of slide block 247 and guide plate 229, and fastened to slide block 247 together with guide plate 229 by a screw not shwon. Leg 248f is provided on the other end of primary engagement member 248. In the interior of the substantially right-angle area formed between fixing section 248a and leg 248f is provided hook 248d, which is wide. Bridge 248c is between fixing section 248a and hook 248d, and bridge 248e is between hook 248d and leg 248f. Bent area 248b is provided on bridge 248e. The width of hook 248d is narrower than primary slits 243a and 243b. Bridge 248e and leg 248f are narrower than groove 246 which connects primary slits 243a and 243b. Bent area 248b corresponds to specified area 247c of slide block 247. Secondary engagement members 249 and 250 have convex areas 249a and 250a respectively on one end of L-shaped plate springs. The other ends are fastened to corners 251 and 252 of slide block 247. Figure 4 and Figure 5 will next be added to explain the operation. Figure 4 is an M-N cross section view of Figure 2 during media set. Figure 5 is an M-N cross section view of Figure 2 during media reset. Media 209 in Figure 4 is loaded on media load plate 17 and is in the set state. In this state hook 248d of primary engagement member 248 is engaged with straight area 243b-1 of primary slit 243b on guide bracket 241. When loading media 209, a lever not shown is rotated causing a shaft (not shown) to rotate and the media load plate 17 to be rotated by a reset arm (not shown) with a rotational fulcrum (not shown) as center and lowered. When media load plate 17 is lowered, leg 248f of primary engagement member 248 strikes cassette frame 222, as shown in Figure 5. When media load plate 17 is further lowered, specified area 247c of slide block 247 pushes on bent area 248b of primary engagement member 248, causing bent area 248b to curve to the opposite side after bridge 248c has bent the specified amount. This results in the disengagement of primary slit 243b of guide bracket 241 and hook 248d of primary engagement member 248. Where they are disengaged shaft is set by a means not shown in the drawings, making it possible to pull paper cassette 12 out of a device main body together with a lever not shown. When guide plate 229 is pushed in the direction of arrow J as shown in Figure 2 after paper cassette 12 has been pulled out, slide block 247 moves along guide rail 242 of guide bracket 241 as shown by the phantom lines in Figure 5 and secondary slits 244a and 244b of slide bracket 241 engage with secondary engagement members 249 and 250 of slide bracket 241. Slide block 247 is stopped in this position and because, in this position, primary engagement member 248 is directly below primary slit 243a which corresponds to media 209 which is being loaded, when media 209 is loaded onto media load plate 17 and paper cassette 12 is pushed in the main device and said unshown lever is rotated, the shaft and the reset arm are released and media load plate 17 is pushed up by coil springs (not shown). When media load plate 17 is pushed up, bent area 248b of engagement member 248 returns to its normal state, hook 248d engages with the straight section of primary slit 243a, slide block 247 is unable to move in the direction shown by arrow I in Figure 2 and guide plate 229 is placed in a specified position. Therefore, the front edge of media 209 is placed in a specific position with regards to main body 11. Figure 7 is an external perspective view of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. The fixed members and the movable members have been separated for ease of viewing. The points of difference from the above-described embodiment of Figure 2 through Figure 6 are that guide 253a is provided on the slide face of slide block 253, and that guide groove 254a is provided on the slide face of guide bracket 254. The operation of the this embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment of Figure 2 through Figure 6. In the embodiment of Figure 7, machine finishing is used rather than pressing for cutting and turning, giving it outstanding precision and sufficiently wide primary slits. A further embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to Figure 8 through Figure 12B. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment of Figure 2 through Figure 6. The points of difference from the embodiment of Figure 2 through Figure 6 are that the secondary slits are provided on the slide face of the guide bracket, and that the primary engagement member and the secondary engagement member have been integrated into a single engagement member. It is also possible for the primary slits and the secondary slits to be integrated into one continuous slit. Figure 8 is an external perspective view of media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to this embodiment. Figure 9 is an external perspective view of the engagement member. Figure 10 is a cross section view on line O-P of Figure 8 during media set. Figure 11 is a cross section view on line O-P of Figure 8 during media reset. Figure 12A is a front view of the slide block. Figure 12B is a side view of Figure 12A. In Figure 8 secondary slits 258a and 258b, which correspond to primary slit 243a, are provided on slide face 255a of guide bracket 255, as are secondary slits 258c and 258d, which correspond to primary slit 243b. As shown in Figure 12A and Figure 12B, on slide block 257 are provided: guide groove 257a, which engages with guide rail 255b of guide bracket 255; groove 257b, to thich is attached engagement member 256; and grooves 257e and 257f, which are for decreasing the friction between slide face 255a of guide bracket 255 and the back face of media load plate 17. Groove 257b becomes slant face 257d from specified area 257c. Engagement member 256 is, as shown in Figure 9, substantially E-shaped. Fastening section 256a of engagement member 256 is held between side face 257g of slide block 257 and guide plate 229, and is fastened together with guide plate 229 to slide block 257 by a screw not shown, as in Figure 8. Center arm 256f of engagement member 256 corresponds to engagement member 248 of the first embodiment and on it are provided bent area 256b, hook 256i and leg 256k. On the two arms, 256e and 256g, which surround center arm 256f are provided bent areas 256c and 256d respectively, and on their tips are provided protrusions 256h and 256j respectively. The operation will be explained next. When media load plate 17 is lowered as in the previously-described embodiments, leg 256k of engagement member 256 strikes cassette frame 222, as shown in Figure 11. When media load plate 17 is further lowered, specified area 257c of slide block 257 pushes bent area 256b of central arm 256f, causing bent area 256b of central arm 256f to bend to the opposite side. This results in the disengagement of primary slit 243b of guide bracket 255 and hook 256i of engagement member 256. When they are disengaged, paper cassette 12 is pulled out of body 11 as in the previously-described embodiment and media 209 is loaded onto media load plate 17. When guide plate 229 is pushed in the direction of arrow J as shown in Figure 11, protrusions 256h and 256j of arms 256e and 256g of engagement member 256 come out of secondary slits 258c and 258d respectively. Slide block 257 then moves along guide rail 255b of guide bracket 255 as shown by the phantom lines and secondary slits 258a and 258b engage with protrusions 256h and 256j. Central arm 256f of engagement member 256 is also directly under primary slit 243a in this position. Subsequent operation is the same as for the embodiment of Figure 2 through Figure 6. The above embodiment has the advantages of there being one engagement member, and the primary slits and secondary slits being on the same face, making it easy to process. Figure 13 is an external perspective drawing of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. The fixed members and the movable members have been separated for ease of viewing. The points of difference between this embodiment and the third embodiment are that guide 259a is provided on the slide face of slide block 259, and guide groove 260a is provided on the slide face of guide bracket 260. The operation of this embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment of Figure 8 through Figure 12B. In the above embodiment machine finishing is used rather than pressing for cutting and turning, giving it superier precision and making it possible to bring the slits to the center of the slide face. Figure 14 is an external perspective drawing of a media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to a further embodiment. The point of difference between this embodiment and the embodiment of Figure 8 through Figure 12 is that the primary slits and secondary slits provided on the slide face of the guide bracket have been made into a single unit. In Figure 14, slits 261a and 261b are wider than engagement member 256 and are provided on the slide face of guide bracket 261 in positions corresponding to the sizes of the media. The operation of the above embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment of Figure 8 through Figure 12. In the above embodiment the engagement member and the engagement section are of the same type and therefore easy to process. Figure 15 is an external perspective drawing of media back edge guide assembly for an automatic paper feed device according to the sixth embodiment. The fixed section and the movable section have been separated for ease of viewing. The points of difference between this embodiment and the fifth embodiment are that guide 262a is provided on the slide face of slide block 262, and that guide groove 263a is provided on the slide face of guide bracket 263. The operation of the above embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment of Figure 14. In the above embodiment machine finishing is used rather than pressing for cutting and turning, giving it superior guide precision and allowing the slits to be brought to the center of the slide face. In this embodiment a secondary engagement section, a secondary engagement member, a guide rail and a guide groove have been added, but it is possible to do without them.

Claims: Paper cassette for an automatic paper feed device in which a medium is loaded and stored on a media load plate (17) and pressed by it onto a delivery roller, and which positions the front edge of the medium in regards to the direction of media delivery at a fixed position in relation to a main body, having a media black edge guide assembly comprising: a movable member (247) on which is installed a guide plate (229) which positions the back edge of the medium, a fixed member (241) on which are provided engagement sections (243a, b) which engage with an engagement member (248) at positions which correspond to the lengths of the medium in the direction of media delivery, wherein said media back edge guide assembly being provided on the media load plate (17), and said movable member (247) being able to slide back and forth in the direction of media delivery in regards to the fixed member (241), characterized by a groove (246) which connects the engagement sections (243a, b), said engagement sections are provided on the sliding face perpendicular to the media delivery direction, the engagement member (248) is substantially L-shaped and possesses a mounting section (248a) at one end, a wide section (248d), the mounting section being fixed to the movable member (247), the engagement sections (243a, b) being engaged with the wide section (248d) so that when the media load plate (17) is lowered the engagement sections (243a, b) and the wide section (248d) become disengaged and the movable member (247) is able to slide on the fixed member (241), and when the media load plate (17) is raised the engagement sections (243a, b) and the wide section (248d) engage. Paper cassette according to claim 1, wherein said movable member (247) slides along a guide rail (242) in the media delivery direction. Paper cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said engagement sections (243a, b) are in the form of slits. Paper cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said wide section (248d) is in a substantially right angle area of said engagement member (248). Paper cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said engagement member (248) comprises a bending section (248b, c) between the mounting section (248a) and the wide section (248d). Paper cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said mounting section (248a) is fixed to a sliding face of the movable member (247).

Inventors: MAENO MIKIHIKO OKI ELECTRIC IN, MOMIYAMA YOSHIHARU OKI ELECTRI, OHTA YUKIO OKI ELECTRIC INDUST, ONO HISAO OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTR, MAENO, MIKIHIKO OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., MOMIYAMA, YOSHIHARU OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., OHTA, YUKIO OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., ONO, HISAO OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., OZONO, KAZUYUKI OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., SHIMIZU, MAKOTO OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., TAKAHATA, KATSUMASA OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., YAMAMOTO, MIKIO OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO.,LTD.
Applicants: OKI ELECTRIC IND CO LTD, OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65H1
IPC codes: B41J13, B65H1