Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016122140-A1
Application number	US-201514921354-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets is provided on a cover openably/closably supported on an apparatus body. The sheet stacking portion is guided between a first position and a second position along the cover by a guide portion. A sheet staked on the sheet stacking portion at the first position is fed via a sheet feeding portion. The sheet stacking portion is moved in conjunction with a cover closing action from the first position to the second position not interfering with the sheet feeding portion via a moving portion. A first end side of the moving portion is turnably supported on the apparatus body and a second end side is connected to the sheet stacking portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
an apparatus body; a cover openably/closably supported on the apparatus body; a sheet stacking portion disposed on an apparatus body-side of the cover and stacking sheets; a guide portion guiding the sheet stacking portion along the cover between a first position and a second position; a sheet feeding portion disposed on the apparatus body and feeding sheets stacked on the sheet stacking portion at the first position; and a moving portion moving the sheet stacking portion, in conjunction with a closing operation of the cover, from the first position to the second position where the sheet stacking portion does not interfere with the sheet feeding portion.

2 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moving portion includes a first end side turnably supported on the apparatus body, and a second end side connected to the sheet stacking portion.

3 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the guide portion is a slide member slidably supporting the sheet stacking portion with respect to the cover, and
the second end side of the moving portion is rotatably supported on the slide member.

4 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a positioning portion disposed on the cover and positioning the sheet stacking portion at the first position by having the slide member abutted against the positioning portion in a case where the cover is opened.

5 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein an upper surface of the slide member is positioned lower than an upper surface of the sheet stacking portion.

6 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the stacking member is turnably supported on the slide member around a turning fulcrum so as to move up and down with respect to the sheet feeding portion.

7 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the turning fulcrum is positioned at a position distant from the sheet feeding portion more than a joint portion where the second end side of the moving portion and the slide member are connected.

8 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an elevation unit moving the sheet stacking portion up and down with respect to the sheet feeding portion; wherein the sheet feeding portion includes a feed roller rotatably supported on a rotation shaft; and the elevation unit includes a cam member fixed to the rotation shaft, a contact portion disposed on the sheet stacking portion and capable of being in contact with the cam member, and a biasing member biasing the sheet stacking portion toward the feed roller.

9 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the guide portion includes a projection formed to either one of the sheet stacking portion or the cover, and an engaged portion formed to the other one of the sheet stacking portion or the cover and engaged with the projection, and
the second end side of the moving portion is turnably connected to the sheet stacking portion.

10 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the engaged portion is a groove section formed along a side surface of the cover, and
the projection is projected from a side surface of the sheet stacking portion to a width direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction.

11 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the sheet stacking portion is turnably supported around the projection so as to move up and down with respect to the sheet feeding portion.

12 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the sheet stacking portion has a pin disposed closer to the sheet feeding portion than the projection, and
the moving portion is engaged with the pin and has an arc-shaped slit centered around the projection.

13 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising an elevation unit moving the sheet stacking portion up and down with respect to the sheet feeding portion,
wherein the sheet feeding portion includes a feed roller rotatably supported on the rotation shaft, the elevation unit includes a cam member fixed to the rotation shaft, a contact portion disposed on the sheet stacking portion and capable of being in contact with the cam member, and a biasing member biasing the sheet stacking portion toward the feed roller, and the sheet stacking portion is moved up and down with respect to the feed roller within a range where the pin and the slit are engaged, by having the contact portion pressed by the cam member.

14 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the moving portion includes a protrusion formed on the second end side, and
the cover includes a groove section slidably supporting the protrusion, and retaining the cover in an opened state by having the protrusion abutted.

15 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a wire having a first end attached to the apparatus body and a second end attached to the cover, and retaining the cover in an opened state.

16 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a regulating portion disposed on the sheet stacking portion in a manner movable in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction and regulating a position of an end portion in the width direction of a sheet stacked in the sheet stacking portion.

17 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the moving portion is a pair of arm members.

18 . The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the cover turns around an turning shaft disposed below the sheet feeding portion, and in a case where the cover is closed to the apparatus body, the cover is overlapped with the sheet feeding portion when viewed from an axial direction of the turning shaft.

19 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1 ; and an image forming portion forming an image on a sheet fed via the sheet feeding apparatus.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Furusawa Motohiro

Classifications

• B65H2801/06

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

• B65H1/04 Primary

  adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile · CPC title

• B65H1/12

  comprising spring {(B65H1/022 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H2403/512

  involving radial plate cam · CPC title

• B65H3/0607

  cooperating with means for automatically separating the pile from roller or rotary separator after a separation step · CPC title