Sheet conveying device, and image forming apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9302864-B2
Application number	US-201514692549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2015
Priority date	Apr 24, 2014
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes first and second sheet feed cassettes and the like. When a lift plate and sheets thereon are raised in the first sheet feed cassette, causing a pick-up roller to move upward, an arm member is inclined upward from a holder side toward a lever member side. The lever member is raised by the arm member on a second flat plate portion to be in a horizontal attitude, and a vertical wall faces a vertical wall portion of the first sheet feed cassette across a predetermined gap. As a result, when the first sheet feed cassette is pulled out to a certain extent, the vertical wall of the lever member abuts on the vertical wall portion of the first sheet feed cassette, and a conveyance unit is pulled out together with the first sheet feed cassette.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying device comprising:
a device main body;
a first sheet feed cassette configured to feed a sheet stored therein in a sheet feed direction in which the sheet is fed to the device main body and be inserted to and pulled out from the device main body in an insertion/pulling-out direction which intersects with the sheet feed direction;
a second sheet feed cassette disposed in alignment with the first sheet feed cassette on a downstream side thereof in the sheet feed direction and configured to be inserted into and pulled out independently from the device main body in the insertion/pulling-out direction;
a conveyance unit disposed above the first sheet feed cassette and the second sheet feed cassette in the device main body and configured to be inserted into and pulled out independently of the first sheet feed cassette and the second sheet feed cassette in the insertion/pulling-out direction and convey a topmost sheet of the sheets stored in the first sheet feed cassette toward a sheet conveyance path that is provided more on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction than the second sheet feed cassette;
a feed roller provided in the conveyance unit in such a way as to be displaced above the sheets stored in the first sheet feed cassette and feed the topmost sheet to the conveyance unit;
a lift plate having a sheet stacking surface on which the sheets stored in the first sheet feed cassette are placed, and configured to be raised and lowered between an upper position and a lower position, wherein when the lift plate is at the upper position, the sheets on the lift plate abut on the feed roller and the feed roller is allowed to feed the sheet, and when the lift plate is at the lower position, the sheets on the lift plate are separated from the feed roller;
a lifting portion configured to raise and lower the lift plate between the upper position and the lower position;
an interruption portion projecting from an upper part of the first sheet feed cassette; and
an actuator member provided in the conveyance unit and configured to be displaced between a first position and a second position in conjunction with displacement of the feed roller, wherein the actuator member at the first position is allowed to contact the interruption portion, and the actuator member at the second position is separated from the interruption portion, wherein
the conveyance unit is configured such that when the conveyance unit is pulled out in a state where the actuator member is at the first position, the actuator member and the interruption portion contact each other, and the conveyance unit is pulled out together with the first sheet feed cassette, and
when the conveyance unit is pulled out in a state where the actuator member is at the second position, the actuator member does not contact the interruption portion, and the conveyance unit is pulled out independently of the first sheet feed cassette.

2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein
the actuator member is displaced to the first position in conjunction with displacement of the feed roller that is made by movement of the lift plate to the upper position, and is displaced to the second position in conjunction with displacement of the feed roller that is made by movement of the lift plate to the lower position.

3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein
the actuator member includes an abutting portion configured to abut on the interruption portion, and
the interruption portion includes an engaging portion configured to be engaged with an engaged portion and keep the actuator member at the first position when the first sheet feed cassette is pulled out, the engaged portion being in a shape of a projection and provided on the abutting portion.

4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 3 further comprising
a biasing member configured to bias the actuator member in a direction in which the abutting portion does not contact the interruption portion.

5. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 further comprising:
a holder swayably supported on the conveyance unit and rotatably supporting the feed roller; and
a connection portion connecting the holder with the actuator member so as to sway the the actuator member by swaying of the holder.

6. The sheet conveying device according to claim 5 , wherein
the connection portion is provided in the conveyance unit at a position on a depth side in an insertion direction in which the first sheet feed cassette is inserted into the device main body.

7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein
in a state where the conveyance unit and the first sheet feed cassette are attached in the device main body, the interruption portion and the actuator member are separated from each other by a predetermined distance.

8. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 1 ; and
an image forming portion configured to form an image based on a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device from the first sheet feed cassette or the second sheet feed cassette.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Yoshihiro

Classifications

• B65H2405/331

  Juxtaposed compartments · CPC title

• B65H1/04

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

• B65H2402/441

  movable for facilitating access to area inside the housing, e.g. pivoting or sliding · CPC title

• B65H1/28 Primary

  compartmented to receive piles side-by-side · CPC title

• B65H2405/3311

  for storing articles horizontally or slightly inclined · CPC title