Sheet loading device and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet loading device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066260-B2
Application number	US-201916293810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 16, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A sheet loading device includes a device body to load a sheet, a guide disposed extending in a sheet conveying direction in the device body, a restricting body to move along the guide of the device body and to restrict a position of an end portion of the sheet, and a securing body to attach to the restricting body and the guide and detach from the restricting body and the guide, and having an engaging body. The engaging body of the securing body engages with the guide at an arbitrary position on the guide in the sheet conveying direction. The restricting body is being secured to the device body according to engagement of the engaging body of the securing body with the guide of the device body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet loading device comprising:
a device body to load a sheet;
a guide disposed extending in a sheet conveying direction in the device body;
a restricting body to move along the guide of the device body and to restrict a position of an end portion of the sheet; and
a securing body extending perpendicularly from the restricting body to attach to the restricting body and the guide and detach from the restricting body and the guide, the securing body having an engaging body,
the engaging body of the securing body engaging with the guide at an arbitrary position on the guide in the sheet conveying direction,
the restricting body being secured to the device body according to engagement of the engaging body of the securing body with the guide of the device body, wherein the securing body includes a rotatable switching body to rotate the engaging body relative to the securing body, wherein in a first position the engaging body is in a position parrallel to the sheet conveying direction of the guide and in a second position the engaging body is orthogonal to the guide.

2. The sheet loading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the securing body and the restricting body include at least a set of an engagement pin and an engagement opening corresponding to each other, and
wherein the engagement opening has clearance via which the engagement pin moves in a direction of the guide.

3. The sheet loading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the switching body includes a click mechanism to generate a click feeling when a state of the engaging body is changed from a released state to a secured state and when the state of the engaging body is changed from the secured state to the released state.

4. The sheet loading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the securing body includes a mark to determine whether the engaging body is in one of a secured state and a released state.

5. The sheet loading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the switching body includes at least one of a knurled portion, a crossed groove, and a coin groove.

6. The sheet loading device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a bottom plate to move in a vertical direction and move the sheet in the vertical direction,
wherein an upper surface of the securing body protrudes in the vertical direction from the bottom plate in a range of 0 mm to 2 mm.

7. The sheet loading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the securing body is detachably attached in the sheet loading device.

8. The sheet loading device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the securing body is detachably attached to a side in a direction in which the sheet loading device is pulled.

9. The sheet loading device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
another restricting body movable in a direction perpendicular to the restricting body and in which the sheet loading device is pulled,
wherein the securing body is detachably attachable to said another restricting body.

10. The sheet loading device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the securing body is held at a position where the securing body is visually recognized from a direction in which the sheet loading device is pulled.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising: the sheet loading device according to claim 1 .

12. A sheet loading device comprising:
a device body to load a sheet;
a guide disposed extending in a sheet conveying direction in the device body;
an engagement target body disposed separately from the guide in the device body and extending in parallel with the guide in the sheet conveying direction;
a restricting body to move along the guide of the device body and to restrict a position of an end portion of the sheet; and
a securing body extending perpendicularly from the restricting body to attach to the restricting body and the guide and detach from the restricting body and the guide, the securing body having an engaging body,
the engaging body of the securing body engaging with the engagement target body at an arbitrary position on the engagement target body in the sheet conveying direction,
the restricting body being secured to the device body according to engagement of the engaging body of the securing body with the engagement target body of the device body, wherein the securing body includes a rotatable switching body to rotate the engaging body relative to the securing body, wherein in a first position the engaging body is in a position parallel to the sheet conveying direction of the guide and in a second position the engaging body is orthogonal to the guide.

13. The sheet loading device according to claim 12 ,
wherein the securing body and the restricting body include at least a set of an engagement pin and an engagement opening corresponding to each other, and
wherein the engagement opening has clearance via which the engagement pin moves toward the guide.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet loading device according to claim 12 .

15. A sheet loading device comprising:
a device body to load a sheet;
a guide disposed extending in a sheet conveying direction in the device body;
a restricting body to move along the guide of the device body and to restrict a position of an end portion of the sheet;
a securing body extending perpendicularly from the restricting body to attach to the sheet loading device and detach from the sheet loading device, the securing body having a first engaging body and a second engaging body;
a first engagement target body configured to engage with the first engaging body of the securing body; and
a second engagement target body configured to engage with the second engaging body of the securing body,
the securing body being held by the first engagement target body and the second engagement target body in a first state,
the device body including a third engagement target body to engage with the first engaging body of the securing body,
the restricting body including a fourth engagement target body to engage with the second engaging body of the securing body,
the first engaging body of the securing body engaging with the third engagement target body and the second engaging body of the securing body engaging with the fourth engagement target body in a second state,
the restricting body being secured to the device body at an arbitrary position on the guide according to engagement of the securing body and the device body,
wherein the securing body includes a rotatable switching body to rotate the second engaging body relative to the securing body, wherein in a first position the engaging body is in a position parallel to the sheet conveying direction of the guide and in a second position the engaging body is orthogonal to the guide.

16. The sheet loading device according to claim 15 ,
wherein a position of the second engagement target body relative to the first engagement target body is identical to a position of the fourth engagement target body relative to the third engagement target body, in the sheet loading device.

17. The sheet loading device according to claim 15 , further comprising:
another restricting body to restrict an end position of the sheet in a position different from the restricting body,
wherein said another restricting body includes the first engagement target body and the second engagement target body.

18. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet loading device according to claim 15 .

Assignees

• Zaitsu Daikai
• Sugita Junichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zaitsu Daikai
• Sugita Junichi

Classifications

• G03G15/6502 Primary

  Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor · CPC title

• B41J13/103

  for the sheet feeding section · CPC title

• B41J13/0018

  in the sheet input section of automatic paper handling systems · CPC title

• B65H2405/1144

  extendible · CPC title

• B65H2405/1122

  movable linearly, details therefor · CPC title