Sheet supporting apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016297631-A1
Application number	US-201615089724-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Apr 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet supporting apparatus includes a body, a supporting portion configured to be held in an elevating manner by the body and to support a sheet, a sheet regulation portion regulating a position of the sheet supported on the supporting portion, a movement portion capable of moving between a first position where the sheet regulation portion regulates the position of the sheet supported on the supporting portion, and a second position where the supporting portion is regulated from elevating with respect to the body, and a movement regulation unit regulating the movement portion from moving to the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sheet supporting apparatus comprising:
a body; a supporting portion configured to be held in an elevating manner by the body and to support a sheet; a sheet regulation portion regulating a position of the sheet supported on the supporting portion; a movement portion capable of moving between a first position and a second position, the sheet regulation portion regulating the position of the sheet supported on the supporting portion in a case where the movement portion is positioned at the first position, the supporting portion being regulated from elevating with respect to the body in a case where the movement portion is positioned at the second position; and a movement regulation unit regulating that the movement portion moves to the second position.

2 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movement regulation unit comprises a movement regulation portion disposed movably between a regulating position where the movement regulation portion engages with the movement portion and regulates the movement portion from moving to the second position, and a permissible position where the movement regulation portion separates from the movement portion and permits the movement portion to move to the second position.

3 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the movement regulation unit comprises a biasing member biasing the movement regulation portion toward the regulating position, and
the movement regulation portion is moved by a biasing force of the biasing member from the permissible position to the regulating position in a case where the movement portion is moved from the second position to the first position.

4 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the movement regulation unit comprises an operating portion moving the movement regulation portion between the regulating position and the permissible position.

5 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet regulation portion regulates a position of a sheet whose size is different from the sheet regulated by the sheet regulation portion being at the first position in a case where the movement portion is positioned at a third position between the first position and the second position, and
the movement regulation unit regulates the movement portion from moving from the third position to the second position.

6 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet regulation portion comprises a first regulating member regulating a position of a first end, in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction, of the sheet, a second regulating member regulating a position of a second end, in the width direction, of the sheet, and an interlocking portion supported on the body and interlocking the first and second regulating members, and
the supporting portion is locked with respect to the interlocking portion in a case where the movement portion is positioned at the second position.

7 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the interlocking portion is arranged below the supporting portion and comprises a projecting portion projecting upward, and
the supporting portion comprises an engagement portion to which the projecting portion engages in a case where the movement portion is positioned at the second position.

8 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first regulating member comprises a first regulation surface regulating the position of the first end of the sheet supported on the supporting portion, and a first cam surface disposed on a side opposite from the first regulation surface,
the second regulating member comprises a second regulation surface regulating the position of the second end of the sheet supported on the supporting portion, and a second cam surface disposed on a side opposite from the second regulation surface, and the interlocking portion comprises a first rotary plate being supported rotatably on the body and pressing the first cam surface of the first regulating member to move the first regulating member, a second rotary plate being supported rotatably on the body and pressing the second cam surface of the second regulating member to move the second regulating member, and an interlock member on which the projecting portion is disposed and interlocks the first and second rotary plates.

9 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an elevation portion elevating the supporting portion; a detection portion detecting a position of the movement portion; and a control unit controlling the elevation portion such that the elevation portion does not elevate the supporting portion in a case where the detection portion detects that the movement portion is positioned at the second position.

10 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a door member openably and closably supported on the body and exposing the supporting portion in an opened state; and a cutoff mechanism cutting off a drive transmission from the elevation portion to the supporting portion in a condition where the door member is in the opened state.

11 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the sheet regulation portion comprises:
a first upstream end regulating member regulating a position of an upstream end, in a sheet feeding direction, of a sheet having a first size supported on the supporting portion at a first regulating position; a second upstream end regulating member disposed at a position different from the first upstream end regulating member in the sheet feeding direction, and regulating a position of an upstream end, in the sheet feeding direction, of a sheet having a second size different from the first size supported on the supporting portion at a second regulating position; and a biasing portion biasing the first upstream end regulating member to the first regulating position, and biasing the second upstream end regulating member to the second regulating position, wherein the first upstream end regulating member is capable of moving in an intersecting direction intersecting the sheet feed direction from the first regulating position against a biasing force of the biasing portion, and the second upstream end regulating member is capable of moving in the intersecting direction from the second regulating position against the biasing force of the biasing portion.

12 . The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the first upstream end regulating member and the second upstream end regulating member are respectively locked in a state being positioned at the first regulating position and the second regulating position in a case where the movement portion is positioned at the second position.

13 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 1 ; and an image forming unit forming an image on a sheet fed from the sheet supporting apparatus.

14 . A sheet supporting apparatus comprising:
a body; a supporting portion configured to be held by the body and to support a sheet; a first regulating member regulating a position on an end, in a first direction, of a first size sheet having a first size supported on the supporting portion at a first regulating position; a second regulating member disposed at a position different from the first regulating member in the first direction, and regulating a position on an end, in the first direction, of a second size sheet having a second size different from the first size s

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Okazaki Shunsuke
• Matsushima Akira

Classifications

• B65H2405/00

  Parts for holding the handled material · CPC title

• B65H2405/113

  Front, i.e. portion adjacent to the feeding / delivering side · CPC title

• G03G15/6502

  Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

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

• B65H2601/26

  Damages to handling machine · CPC title