Sheet feeder device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167147-B2
Application number	US-201715403475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2017
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A sheet feeder device that stores and sends out a transfer medium includes: a sheet feeder device main unit having an opening formed at an upper portion and including an upstream partial lid located on an upstream side and a downstream partial lid located on a downstream side, the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid covering at least part of the opening; a sheet feed tray provided in the sheet feeder device main unit, the transfer medium being loaded onto the sheet feed tray; an elevating unit configured to lift up and down the sheet feed tray; and a control unit configured to control the lifting up and down of the sheet feed tray, wherein the control unit senses opening and closing of the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid, and controls the lifting up and down being performed by the elevating unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet feeder device that stores and sends out a transfer medium, comprising:
a sheet feeder device main unit having an opening formed at an upper portion, the sheet feeder device main unit including an upstream partial lid located on an upstream side in a conveying direction and a downstream partial lid located on a downstream side in the conveying direction, the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid covering at least part of the opening;
a sheet feed tray provided in the sheet feeder device main unit, the transfer medium being loaded onto the sheet feed tray;
an elevating unit configured to lift up and down the sheet feed tray; and
a control unit configured to control the lifting up and down of the sheet feed tray,
wherein the control unit senses opening and closing of the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid, and controls the lifting up and down being performed by the elevating unit in accordance with a result of the sensing;
wherein the result of the sensing further includes existence/nonexistence of a transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid.

2. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit sets at least one lowering position to which the sheet feed tray can be lowered by the elevating unit in accordance with the result of the sensing.

3. The sheet feeder device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit sets at least an intermediate position and a lowermost position as the at least one lowering position.

4. The sheet feeder device according to claim 3 , wherein the intermediate position is based on a height of a top portion of the transfer medium loaded onto the sheet feed tray.

5. The sheet feeder device according to claim 4 , wherein the intermediate position is at a height at which a long transfer medium is loaded onto the sheet feed tray.

6. The sheet feeder device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit sets a standby position as the at least one lowering position.

7. The sheet feeder device according to claim 3 , wherein
when the downstream partial lid is opened and the upstream partial lid is closed, the control unit sets the lowermost position of the sheet feed tray as the at least one lowering position to which the sheet feed tray can be lowered, and
when the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid are opened, the control unit sets the intermediate position as the at least one lowering position to which the sheet feed tray can be lowered.

8. The sheet feeder device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit sets a height of the intermediate position in accordance with a type of a transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid.

9. The sheet feeder device according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit is configured to set a height of the intermediate position in accordance with a basis weight of a transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid.

10. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , wherein a long transfer medium loaded onto the sheet feed tray can be partially loaded onto the upstream partial lid, the long transfer medium being longer than a storage recess in the sheet feed tray, the long transfer medium being prepared for sheet feeding.

11. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a transfer medium sensing unit configured to sense a transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid.

12. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , wherein the partial lids are formed with double doors or sliding doors.

13. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a tray height sensing unit configured to sense a height of the sheet feed tray.

14. The sheet feeder device according to claim 13 , wherein the tray height sensing unit performs the sensing in accordance with a height of a top portion of the transfer medium loaded onto the sheet feed tray.

15. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , wherein, between the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid, the downstream partial lid is preferentially opened.

16. The sheet feeder device according to claim 1 , wherein the downstream partial lid has a portion overlapping on the upstream partial lid when closed.

17. A sheet feeder device that stores and sends out a transfer medium, comprising:
a sheet feeder device main unit having an opening formed at an upper portion, the sheet feeder device main unit including an upstream partial lid located on an upstream side in a conveying direction and a downstream partial lid located on a downstream side in the conveying direction, the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid covering at least part of the opening;
a sheet feed tray provided in the sheet feeder device main unit, the transfer medium being loaded onto the sheet feed tray;
an elevating unit configured to lift up and down the sheet feed tray; and
a control unit configured to control the lifting up and down of the sheet feed tray,
wherein the control unit senses opening and closing of the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid, and controls the lifting up and down being performed by the elevating unit in accordance with a result of the sensing;
wherein the result of the sensing further includes existence/nonexistence of a transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid; and
wherein when the transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid is sensed, the control unit prohibits lowering of the sheet feed tray.

18. The sheet feeder device according to claim 17 , wherein, when the transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid is sensed, the control unit prohibits a sheet feeding operation while the downstream partial lid is opened.

19. An image forming apparatus comprising
a sheet feeder device configured to store and send out a transfer medium, the sheet feeder device comprising:
a sheet feeder device main unit having an opening formed at an upper portion, the sheet feeder device main unit including an upstream partial lid located on an upstream side in a conveying direction and a downstream partial lid located on a downstream side in the conveying direction, the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid being located in the opening;
a sheet feed tray provided in the sheet feeder device main unit, a transfer medium being loaded onto the sheet feed tray;
an elevating unit configured to lift up and down the sheet feed tray; and
a control unit configured to control the lifting up and down of the sheet feed tray,
wherein the control unit senses opening and closing of the upstream partial lid and the downstream partial lid, and controls the lifting up and down being performed by the elevating unit in accordance with a result of the sensing; and
wherein the result of the sensing further includes existence/nonexistence of a transfer medium loaded onto the upstream partial lid.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Yamauchi Yuki

Classifications

• B65H2701/11312

  large formats, i.e. above A3 · CPC title

• B65H2511/20

  Location in space · CPC title

• B65H2405/353

  vertically · CPC title

• B65H2405/115

  Cover · CPC title

• B65H1/14

  comprising positively-acting mechanical devices {(B65H1/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title