Sheet stacking apparatus, sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9260262-B2
Application number	US-201514595339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2015
Priority date	Jan 17, 2014
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

A sheet stacking apparatus has an abutment portion attached to a holding portion movably in first and second directions. The abutment portion is configured such that a movable range of the abutment portion is restricted by a second restricting portion from a first movable range in a state in which the move of the holding portion is restricted by the first restricting portion to a second movable range in a state in which the restriction on of the holding portion is released by the releasing portion. The movable range of the second movable range is narrower than a movable range of the first movable range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet stacking apparatus comprising:
a sheet stacking member on which a sheet is stacked; and
a sheet restricting portion configured to restrict a position of an end of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking member, the sheet restricting portion including:
a holding portion provided in the sheet stacking member, the holding portion being movably with respect to the sheet stacking member in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a first restricting portion configured to determine a position of the holding portion in the first direction by restricting a move of the holding portion;
a releasing portion configured to release the restriction of the holding portion made by the first restricting portion;
an abutment portion attached to the holding portion, the abutment portion being movably with respect to the holding portion in the first and second directions and including an abutting surface abutting against the end of the sheet;
a bias member configured to bias the abutment portion toward the first direction; and
a second restricting portion configured to restrict a movable range of the abutment portion from a first movable range in a state in which the holding portion is restricted by the first restricting portion to a second movable range in a state in which the restriction of the holding portion is released by the releasing portion, the second movable range being narrower than the first movable range.

2. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holding portion includes a counterface surface facing the end of the sheet stacked in the sheet stacking member, and
wherein the second movable range is set such that an end position of the second movable range in the second direction is located forward in the first direction of an end position of the first movable range in the second direction, and at least a part of the abutting surface is located forward in the first direction of the counterface surface of the holding portion at the end position of the second movable range in the second direction.

3. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the holding portion is configured to store the abutment portion inside thereof, and
wherein the abutment portion is movable in the second direction until the abutting surface restricts the end of the sheet together with the counterface surface of the holding portion in the first movable range and the move of the abutment portion in the second direction is restricted by the second restricting member at a position where at least a part of the abutting surface projects out of the counterface surface in the first direction in the second movable range.

4. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first restricting portion includes an engaging portion attached to the holding portion such that the engaging portion is positioned rearward the abutment portion in the first direction to face to the abutment portion and is movable from an engage position where the engaging portion engages to an engaged portion provided in the sheet stacking member to a disengage position where the engagement with the engaged portion is released by a releasing operation of the releasing portion; and
wherein the second restricting portion includes an interference portion provided integrally with the engaging portion and limiting the movable range of the abutment portion to the second movable range by interfering with the abutment portion in a state in which the engaging portion is located at the disengage position.

5. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the abutment portion includes a first projecting portion projecting in the second direction on a back surface of the abutment portion opposite from the abutting surface; and
wherein the interference portion includes a second projecting portion projecting in the first direction at a position facing the first projecting portion in a state in which the engaging portion is located at the disengage position.

6. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the engaging portion includes a concave space in the second direction with respect to the second projecting portion at a position facing the first projecting portion in a state in which the engaging portion is located at the engage position.

7. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the releasing portion includes a lever member attached to the holding portion such that the lever member is positioned rearward, in the first direction, of the abutment portion to face to the abutment portion and is turnable with respect to the holding portion;
wherein the first restricting portion includes an engaging portion being movable from an engage position where the engaging portion engages with an engaged portion provided on the sheet stacking member to a disengage position where the engagement of the engaging portion with the engaged portion is released based on a turning operation of the lever member; and
wherein the second restricting portion includes an interference portion provided integrally with the lever member and limiting a movable range of the abutment portion to the second movable range by moving to an interference position where the interference portion interferes with the abutment portion by the turning operation of the lever member.

8. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the interference portion includes a first lever projection formed projectively in the first direction at an upper part of the lever member more than a center of a turn of the lever member and a second lever projection formed projectively in the first direction at a lower part of the lever member more than the center of a turn of the lever member.

9. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet stacking member includes a sheet stacking portion turning in a vertical direction and stacking the sheet thereon.

10. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the second direction is a horizontal component direction of a direction in which the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion slides along the inclination of the sheet stacking portion when the sheet stacking portion is turned upward and the first direction is a direction opposite from the second direction.

11. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the abutment portion is supported by the holding portion turnably in the first and second directions.

12. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the first restricting portion includes an engaging portion attached to the holding portion movably in the vertical direction rearward, in the first direction, of the abutment portion, and engages to an engaged portion provided in the sheet stacking member, and
wherein the releasing portion includes a lever member provided turnably with respect to the holding portion rearward of the abutment portion in the first direction, and an interlocking portion configured to convert a direction of an action of a turning force of the lever member upward to transmit the turning force to the engaging portion and moving the engaging portion upward from the engage position where the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion to the disengage portion where the engagement of the engaging portion with the engaged portion is released.

13. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
the sheet stacking apparatus as set forth in claim 1 ; and
a sheet feeding portion configured to feed the sheet stacked in the sheet stacking apparatus,
wherein the abutment portion abuts against a r

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Matsumoto Yasuaki
• Iwase Masaki

Classifications

• B65H1/266 Primary

  Support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer (B65H1/027 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H31/34

  Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles · CPC title

• B65H1/04

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

• B65H9/06 Primary

  Movable stops or gauges, e.g. rising and falling front stops {(B65H11/007 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H2402/54

  Springs, e.g. helical or leaf springs · CPC title