Sheet feeding sub tray, sheet conveying device, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10392209-B2
Application number	US-201815918679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

A sheet feeding sub tray is detachably attachable to a sheet loading stand of a sheet conveying device that includes a setting reference part on one end side of the sheet loading stand in a sheet width direction. The sheet feeding sub tray includes a small-size setting reference part disposed at a position closer to a center of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction than the setting reference part in a state in which the sheet feeding sub tray is installed to the sheet loading stand.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet feeding sub tray detachably attachable to a sheet loading stand of a sheet conveying device, the sheet conveying device including a setting reference part on one end side of the sheet loading stand in a sheet width direction and a side fence on an opposing end of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction that is slidable along a surface of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction, the sheet feeding sub tray comprising:
a bottom plate in planar contact with a surface of the sheet loading stand between the setting reference part of the sheet loading stand and the side fence of the sheet loading stand;
a small-size setting reference part disposed at a position closer to a center of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction than the setting reference part in a state in which the sheet feeding sub tray is installed to the sheet loading stand; and
a small-sized side fence that is slidable in the sheet width direction on the bottom plate and disposed at a position closer to the center of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction than the side fence of the sheet loading stand.

2. The sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a small-size sheet loading stand to load only a small-size sheet.

3. The sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 2 , wherein:
the small-size side fence is slidable in the sheet width direction with respect to the small-size sheet loading stand and positions an end part of the small-size sheet set on the small-size sheet loading stand on a side opposite to a small-size setting reference part-side end part are disposed.

4. The sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a setting detector to detect setting of the small-size sheet in the small-size sheet loading stand.

5. The sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 4 , wherein:
the setting detector detects that the small-size sheet is set on the small-size sheet loading stand when a front end of the small-size sheet is positioned on a further downstream side in a sheet conveying direction than a sheet feeding roller of the sheet conveying device.

6. A sheet conveying device comprising:
a sheet loading stand including a setting reference part on one end side in a sheet width direction,
wherein the sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 1 is attachable to the sheet loading stand.

7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 6 , wherein:
a sheet conveying speed when the sheet feeding sub tray is installed is slower than a sheet conveying speed when the sheet feeding sub tray is not installed.

8. The sheet conveying device according to claim 6 , wherein:
a user is allowed to select to decrease a sheet conveying speed or not when the sheet feeding sub tray is installed.

9. The sheet conveying device according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a skew correcting unit to correct skew of a sheet by abutting a front end of a conveying sheet in a conveying direction, wherein the skew correcting unit corrects the skew when the sheet feeding sub tray is installed.

10. The sheet conveying device according to claim 9 , wherein:
an abutting amount of the skew correcting unit abutting the front end of the sheet when the sheet feeding sub tray is installed is larger than an abutting amount when the sheet feeding sub tray is not installed.

11. An image reading device comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 6 to convey a document sheet having a document image on a front face; and
a conveying document reader to read the document image of the document sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the image reading device according to claim 11 to read a document image; and
an image forming device to form an image based on the document image read by the image reading device.

13. The sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 1 , wherein:
the setting reference part is fixed to the sheet loading stand.

14. The sheet feeding sub tray according to claim 1 , wherein:
the small-sized setting reference part is fixed to the bottom plate.

15. A sheet feeding sub tray detachably attachable to a sheet loading stand of a sheet conveying device, the sheet conveying device including a setting reference part on one end side of the sheet loading stand in a sheet width direction, the sheet feeding sub tray comprising:
a small-size sheet loading stand to load only a small-size sheet; and
a small-size setting reference part disposed at a position closer to a center of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction than the setting reference part in a state in which the sheet feeding sub tray is installed to the sheet loading stand,
wherein the small-size setting reference part is disposed such that, when the small-size sheet is set by causing the small-size sheet to abut the small-size setting reference part, an end part of the small-size sheet that is disposed on a side opposite to the small-size setting reference part is positioned on a further separate side from the small-size setting reference part than an end part of a conveying member having a largest width on a side opposite to the small-size setting reference part among a plurality of conveying members having a largest conveying member among a plurality of conveying members of the sheet conveying device that convey the small-size sheet with being brought into contact with the small-size sheet.

16. A sheet conveying device comprising:
a sheet loading stand including a setting reference part on one end side in a sheet width direction, wherein a sheet feeding sub tray is attachable to the sheet loading stand, wherein a conveying roller arranged on a further downstream side in a sheet conveying direction than a sheet feeding roller is configured such that a small-size sheet set on the sheet feeding sub tray is conveyed by a plurality of conveying rollers on a further downstream side in the sheet conveying direction than the sheet feeding roller, and conveying forces of a plurality of conveying rollers conveying the small-size sheet set on the sheet feeding sub tray are weaker than conveying forces of conveying rollers arranged on a same axis as that of the plurality of conveying rollers,
the sheet feeding sub tray comprising a small-size setting reference part disposed at a position closer to a center of the sheet loading stand in the sheet width direction than the setting reference part in a state in which the sheet feeding sub tray is installed to the sheet loading stand.

Assignees

• Heishi Fumiyuki
• Akiyama Joji
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Heishi Fumiyuki
• Akiyama Joji

Classifications

• G03G15/6508

  Automatic supply devices interacting with the rest of the apparatus, e.g. selection of a specific cassette (matching the image with the size of the copy material G03G15/5095) · CPC title

• G03G15/602

  for transporting · CPC title

• B65H2405/31

  Supports for sheets fully removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette · CPC title

• B65H2405/12

  Parts to be handled by user · CPC title

• B65H1/266 Primary

  Support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer (B65H1/027 takes precedence) · CPC title