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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11339016-B2
Application number	US-202016752842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2020
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A sheet feeding device includes a contact member and a lock member. The contact member is configured to rotate from a retracted position to a contact position while a sliding portion of the lock member is sliding on a sliding target portion of the contact member and to rotate to the contact position to release the sliding portion of the lock member from the sliding target portion of the contact member. The lock member is configured to rotate between a locked position and a lock released position by a lock biasing force when the lock member moves in a lock direction of the lock member from the lock released position toward the locked position. The contact member has the lock target body and the sliding target portion at different positions from each other in a rotation center axial direction of the contact member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet feeding device comprising:
a contact member including
a contact body configured to contact a leading end of a sheet in a sheet conveyance direction; and
a lock target body,

the contact member being configured to rotate between a contact position at which the contact body is in contact with the sheet and a retracted position at which the contact body is spaced apart from the sheet; and
a lock member including
a lock body configured to lock the lock target body of the contact member to restrict rotation of the contact member from the contact position to the retracted position,

the lock member being configured to rotate between a locked position at which the lock body locks the lock target body and a lock released position at which the lock body releases the lock target body,
the lock member configured to receive a lock biasing force applied due to a weight of the lock member or by a biasing member when the lock member moves in a lock direction of the lock member from the lock released position toward the locked position,
the contact member being configured to rotate from the retracted position to the contact position while a sliding portion of the lock member is sliding on a sliding target portion of the contact member,
the contact member being configured to rotate to the contact position to release the sliding portion of the lock member from the sliding target portion of the contact member,
the lock member being configured to rotate to the locked position by the lock biasing force,
the contact member having the lock target body and the sliding target portion at different positions from each other in a rotation center axial direction of the contact member.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the lock target body of the contact member is disposed farther away from a center of rotation of the contact member, than the sliding target portion of the contact member is.

3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact member is configured to receive a contact biasing force applied due to a weight of the contact member or by a biasing member when the contact member moves in a contact direction of the contact member from the retracted position toward the contact position.

4. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the sliding portion of the lock member contacts the sliding target portion of the contact member at a contact portion, the lock member contacts the contact member at the contact portion alone.

5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, while the lock body of the lock member locks the lock target body of the contact member at a locking point, the lock member contacts the contact member at the locking point alone.

6. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , further comprising a position corrector configured to correct a relative positional deviation generated between the contact member and the lock member in the rotation center axial direction of the contact member.

7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the position corrector includes a guide disposed on the contact member at a same position as the lock target body in the rotation center axial direction, and
wherein the guide is configured to cause the sliding portion to slide toward the sliding target portion when the sliding portion of the lock member contacts the guide.

8. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , further comprising a lock member drive unit configured to rotate the lock member against the lock biasing force from the locked position to the lock released position.

9. The sheet feeding device according to claim 8 , further comprising a sheet feed member configured to contact and separate with respect to the sheet loaded on a sheet loader to feed the sheet,
wherein the sheet feed member is configured to contact and separate with respect to the sheet on the sheet loader, along with movement of the lock member drive unit.

10. The sheet feeding device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the lock member drive unit includes a straight core member configured to be driven to perform a linear motion, and
wherein the lock member drive unit rotates the lock member, along with the linear motion of the straight core member, from the locked position to the lock release position.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , configured to feed a sheet; and
an image forming device configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding device.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the sheet feeding device is a bypass sheet feeder including a bypass tray; and
wherein the bypass sheet feeder is configured to feed the sheet loaded on the bypass tray.

Assignees

• Sugita Junichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sugita Junichi

Classifications

• B65H2402/60

  Coupling, adapter or locking means · CPC title

• B65H3/34

  Article-retaining devices controlling the release of the articles to the separators · CPC title

• B65H2407/21

  Manual feeding · CPC title

• B65H3/0684 Primary

  on moving support, e.g. pivoting, for bringing the roller or like rotary separator into contact with the pile · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title