Sheet conveying device, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10507995-B2
Application number	US-201816100376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2018
Priority date	Aug 10, 2017
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A sheet conveying device includes a separator to separate a sheet from sheets. The separator includes a separation conveyor; a separation resistance member to press against the separation conveyor via the sheet; a resistance-member holder; a biasing member to contact and bias the resistance-member holder to press the separation resistance member toward the separation conveyor, the resistance-member holder to rotate about a resistance-member rotary shaft to separate from the biasing member in detaching from an apparatus body; and a biasing-member holder configured to rotate about a biasing-member rotary shaft to more incline the biasing member in a state, in which the biasing member is spaced apart from the resistance-member holder, in a moving direction of the resistance-member holder to detach from the apparatus body than the biasing member in a biasing state in which the biasing member biases the resistance-member holder in contact with the resistance-member holder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying device comprising a separator to separate a sheet from a plurality of sheets,
the separator including:
a separation conveyor to convey the sheet;
a separation resistance member to press against the separation conveyor via the sheet;
a resistance-member rotary shaft;
a resistance-member holder, rotatable about the resistance-member rotary shaft with respect to an apparatus body, to hold the separation resistance member;
a biasing member to contact and bias the resistance-member holder to press the separation resistance member toward the separation conveyor, the resistance-member holder configured to rotate about the resistance-member rotary shaft to separate from the biasing member in detaching from the apparatus body;
a biasing-member rotary shaft; and
a biasing-member holder, rotatable about the biasing-member rotary shaft, to hold the biasing member,
the biasing-member holder configured to rotate to more incline the biasing member in a state, in which the biasing member is spaced apart from the resistance-member holder, in a moving direction of the resistance-member holder that moves to detach from the apparatus body than the biasing member in a biasing state in which the biasing member biases the resistance-member holder in contact with the resistance-member holder.

2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a center of gravity of the biasing-member holder holding the biasing member is positioned on a downstream side of the biasing-member rotary shaft in the moving direction of the resistance-member holder that moves to detach from the apparatus body.

3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second biasing member to bias the biasing-member holder in a rotation direction of the biasing member that is inclined in the moving direction of the resistance-member holder that moves to detach from the apparatus body.

4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the biasing-member rotary shaft is positioned on a virtual straight line parallel to a biasing direction of the biasing member at an attachment position of the biasing member in the biasing-member holder.

5. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the resistance-member holder is detachable from the apparatus body by moving the separation conveyor out of a rotation range of the resistance-member holder and rotating the resistance-member holder in a rotation direction along a biasing direction of the biasing member, up to a predetermined rotation position at which a biasing force of the biasing member does not act on the resistance-member holder.

6. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the biasing-member holder rotates along with an attachment or detachment operation of the resistance-member holder with respect to the apparatus body.

7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sheet conveying device has a guiding shape to guide the biasing member contacting the resistance-member holder to a contact position set in the resistance-member holder when the resistance-member holder is assembled to the apparatus body.

8. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the biasing member includes a rotation regulator to regulate a rotation range of the biasing-member holder in a direction to be inclined toward the moving direction of the resistance-member holder that moves to detach from the apparatus body.

9. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sheet container to contain the plurality of sheets; and
a sheet feeder to feed the sheet from the plurality of sheets contained in the sheet container toward the separator.

10. An image reading device comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 1 to convey a sheet; and
an image reader to read an image on a surface of the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the image reading device according to claim 10 ; and
an image formation unit to form an image based on a read image read by the image reading device.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 1 to convey a sheet; and
an image formation unit to form an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

13. A sheet conveying device comprising a separator to separate a sheet from a plurality of sheets,
the separator including:
a separation conveyor to convey the sheet;
a separation resistance member to press against the separation conveyor via the sheet;
a resistance-member holder, rotatable about a resistance-member rotary shaft with respect to an apparatus body, to hold the separation resistance member;
a biasing member to bias the resistance-member holder to press the separation resistance member toward the separation conveyor;
a biasing-member rotary shaft; and
a biasing-member holder, rotatable about the biasing-member rotary shaft with respect to the apparatus body, to hold the biasing member,
the biasing-member rotary shaft positioned on a virtual straight line parallel to a biasing direction of the biasing member at an attachment position of the biasing member in the biasing-member holder.

14. An image reading device comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 13 to convey a sheet; and
an image reader to read an image on a surface of the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

15. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the image reading device according to claim 14 ; and
an image formation unit to form an image based on a read image read by the image reading device.

16. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 13 to convey a sheet; and
an image formation unit to form an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

17. A sheet conveying device comprising a separator to separate a sheet from a plurality of sheets,
the separator including:
a separation conveyor to convey the sheet;
a separation resistance member to press against the separation conveyor via the sheet;
a resistance-member rotary shaft;
a resistance-member holder, rotatable about the resistance-member rotary shaft with respect to an apparatus body, to hold the separation resistance member;
a biasing member to bias the resistance-member holder to press the separation resistance member toward the separation conveyor;
a biasing-member rotary shaft; and
a biasing-member holder, rotatable about the biasing-member rotary shaft with respect to the apparatus body, to hold the biasing member,
wherein, when a rotation position of the biasing-member holder in a state in which the resistance-member holder is detached from the apparatus body is a first rotation position and a rotation position of the biasing-member holder in a state in which the resistance-member holder is assembled to the apparatus body is a second rotation position, the biasing member held by the biasing-member holder at the first rotation position is positioned at a more downstream side in a moving direction of the resistance-member holder that moves to detach from the apparatus body than the biasing member held by the biasing-member holder at the second rotation position.

18. An image reading device comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 17 to convey a sheet; and
an image reader to read an image on a surface of the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

19. A

Assignees

• Hirata Munekazu
• Narai Satoshi
• Youda Yasunobu
• Nagano Tatsuaki
• Andoh Takayuki
• Imaki Daisuke
• Fujii Tomoya
• Horikawa Toshiyuki
• Hatayama Koji
• Tada Kaoru
• Kitamura Naoto
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hirata Munekazu
• Narai Satoshi
• Youda Yasunobu
• Nagano Tatsuaki
• Andoh Takayuki
• Imaki Daisuke
• Fujii Tomoya
• Horikawa Toshiyuki
• Hatayama Koji
• Tada Kaoru
• Kitamura Naoto

Classifications

• B65H2601/324

  Removability or inter-changeability of machine parts, e.g. for maintenance · CPC title

• B65H3/5223 Primary

  Retainers of the pad-type, e.g. friction pads · CPC title

• B65H2402/10

  Modular constructions, e.g. using preformed elements or profiles · CPC title

• B65H2801/39

  Scanning · CPC title

• B65H3/06

  Rollers or like rotary separators {(B65H3/42 takes precedence)} · CPC title