Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021300700-A1
Application number	US-202016985346-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 5, 2020
Priority date	Mar 24, 2020
Publication date	Sep 30, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet stacking unit, a long sheet stacking unit, a first guide, a first detector, and a closing unit. The sheet stacking unit is movable up and down. Sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit. The long sheet stacking unit is detachably mounted on the sheet stacking unit. Long sheets are stacked on the long sheet stacking unit. The first guide is movable along a feeding direction through a groove. The first guide is deformable into a shape that does not interfere with the long sheet stacking unit. The first guide guides a rear end portion of the sheets in the feeding direction. The first detector is provided in the first guide. The first detector detects the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit. The closing unit is detachably attached to the groove in the sheet stacking unit. The closing unit closes the groove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sheet feeding device comprising:
a sheet stacking unit that is movable up and down, the sheet stacking unit being configured such that sheets to be fed are stacked on the sheet stacking unit; a long sheet stacking unit detachably mounted on the sheet stacking unit, the long sheet stacking unit being configured such that long sheets to be fed are stacked on the long sheet stacking unit; a first guide that is movable along a feeding direction of the sheets through a groove provided in the sheet stacking unit, the first guide being deformable into a shape that does not interfere with the long sheet stacking unit, the first guide being configured to guide a rear end portion of the sheets in the feeding direction of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit; a first detector provided in the first guide, the first detector being configured to detect the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit by contacting an upper end of the sheets; and a closing unit detachably attached to the groove in the sheet stacking unit, the closing unit being configured to close the groove facing the first detector.

2 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the closing unit is detachably attached to the first guide.

3 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 2 , wherein the closing unit has a recess at a position corresponding to the first detector.

4 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the closing unit comprises an indicator indicating a size of the sheets in accordance with a position of the first guide.

5 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the first guide is folded when the long sheets are stacked on the long sheet stacking unit.

6 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 5 , wherein the closing unit is removed when the first guide is folded.

7 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein upon detection of absence of the sheets in a state where the sheet stacking unit is moved up to a position where the sheets can be fed, the first detector detects that a user forgets to mount the closing unit.

8 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second guide configured to guide an end portion of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit in a direction intersecting the feeding direction; and a second detector that is advanceable from and retractable into the second guide, the second detector being configured to detect the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit by contacting the upper end of the sheets.

9 . The sheet feeding device according to claim 8 , wherein the second detector is operated to protrude to a position where the second detector can detect the sheets when the first guide is deformed into the shape that does not interfere with the long sheet stacking unit.

10 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 1 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

11 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 2 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

12 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 3 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

13 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 4 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

14 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 5 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

15 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 6 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

16 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 7 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

17 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 8 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

18 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet feeding device according to claim 9 is used as the sheet feeding unit.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp

Inventors

• Ikeda Masashi
• Maeda Shoichi

Classifications

• B65H2553/61

  Mechanical means, e.g. contact arms · CPC title

• B65H2405/1122

  movable linearly, details therefor · CPC title

• B65H7/04

  responsive to absence of articles, e.g. exhaustion of pile (B65H7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2511/11

  Length · CPC title

• B65H1/14

  comprising positively-acting mechanical devices {(B65H1/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title