JP2008115002A - Cassette and recording device equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cassette capable of easily housing a medium, and of minimizing influence of an external environment on the medium, and excelling in handleability; and a recording device equipped with it. <P>SOLUTION: In this paper sheet cassette 6 having a cassette body 11 having a storage space S capable of storing paper sheets P in a stacked state, and a lid part 12 covering an opened upper opening 11a of the cassette body 11, the lid part 12 is connected to the cassette body 11 rotatably around an axis line along one-side edge in its upper part, and slidably in a direction orthogonal to the axis line, and can be moved to a closing position covering the upper part of the cassette body 11 and to a storage position along a side surface of the cassette body 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cassette in which sheet-like media such as paper are stacked and accommodated, and a recording apparatus including the cassette.

In a recording apparatus that records characters and images on paper, which is a sheet-like medium, such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile, a cassette that stores paper in a stacked state is used, and this cassette is loaded in the loading port of the recording apparatus Thus, a structure for feeding out the paper in the cassette is provided.
As a cassette for storing this sheet, a cassette is generally covered only with a lid portion except for the peripheral portion of the paper feed port where the paper feed roller of the recording apparatus is arranged. In this cassette, the lid portion is removed. The paper is replenished with the upper part being almost fully open (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-6-64761

However, since the cassette has a structure in which only the portion other than the peripheral portion of the paper feed opening is covered with a lid, an external environment such as outside air temperature or humidity is applied to the paper when it is removed from the recording apparatus and stored. Or foreign matter such as dust may enter inside and cause trouble in the recording process.
Further, when the paper is replenished, the lid portion is temporarily removed, and after the paper is replenished, the lid portion must be attached again, which requires time and labor for attaching and detaching the lid portion. Further, a space for temporarily storing the removed lid portion is necessary, and there is a risk that the removed lid portion may be lost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is capable of easily accommodating a medium, and having a cassette excellent in handleability capable of suppressing the influence of the external environment on the medium as much as possible and the cassette. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, a cassette according to the present invention is a cassette having a cassette body having an accommodation space capable of accommodating sheet-like media in a stacked state, and a lid portion covering the opened upper portion of the cassette body. The lid portion is connected to the cassette body so as to be rotatable about an axis along one edge at an upper portion thereof and to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the axis. It is possible to move to a closed position covering the upper part and a storage position along the side surface of the cassette body.

According to the cassette of this configuration, by placing the lid portion in the closed position, the upper portion of the cassette body can be covered with the lid portion, and the medium storage space can be closed, whereby the medium due to the external environment during storage The influence on the recording medium and the entry of foreign matter such as dust can be suppressed as much as possible, and the recording process can be performed smoothly and satisfactorily by eliminating the quality change of the medium, the conveyance failure and the recording process failure due to the entered foreign matter.
In addition, by sliding and rotating the lid portion and disposing it at the storage position on the side of the cassette body, it is possible to easily replenish the storage space with the medium, and the medium from the storage space in the recording apparatus Can be fed.
In addition, when the medium is replenished, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of temporarily removing the lid and re-attaching the lid after replenishing the medium.Furthermore, a space for temporarily storing the removed lid becomes unnecessary, and the removed lid can be removed. It is possible to eliminate the problem of being lost.

Moreover, it is preferable that it has a handle connected so that rotation is possible at the both ends of the said cassette main body, and the said handle is grasped and it can carry.
According to this configuration, by rotating the handle and disposing it above the cassette body, the handle can be gripped and carried, and the handleability can be improved.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the lid portion is detachably connected to the handle, and the lid portion is moved to the closed position and the storage position in conjunction with the rotation of the handle with respect to the cassette body.
According to this configuration, by rotating the handle, the lid can be easily moved to the closed position and the storage position, and the handleability can be further improved.

The recording apparatus of the present invention includes a loading unit in which the cassette can be loaded, and performs recording on the medium while conveying the medium in the cassette loaded in the loading unit.
According to the recording apparatus of this configuration, since the cassette that is excellent in storage and handling properties and that suppresses the influence of the external environment on the medium can be used, the recording processing work can be performed smoothly, and the recording processing can be performed. High quality can be achieved.

Hereinafter, a cassette and a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a printer such as an ink jet printer that performs print processing is exemplified as the recording apparatus. Examples of the recording apparatus of the present invention include a copying machine or a facsimile in addition to a printer. In this embodiment, a sheet is used as an example of a sheet-like medium on which printing is performed.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the printer with a drawer pulled out.
A printer (recording apparatus) 1 according to the present embodiment is a business-use inkjet printer, and as shown in FIG. 1, a window portion having an open / close door 3 that can be opened and closed on the front side of an apparatus case 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the drawer 5 provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the device case 2 is drawn out with the open / close door 3 opened.
A paper cassette 6 containing paper P in a stacked state can be attached to and removed from the drawer 5, and the paper P in the paper cassette 6 is subjected to a printing process by a recording processing unit inside the apparatus, and the apparatus case. The paper is discharged from the paper discharge port 7 on the side surface of No. 2.

Next, the paper cassette 6 loaded in the printer 1 will be described.
3 is a perspective view of the paper cassette with the lid open, FIG. 4 is a side view of the paper cassette with the lid open, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the paper cassette with the lid closed, FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the paper cassette in a state where the lid portion is closed, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between the cassette body and the lid portion.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the paper cassette 6 includes a cassette body 11 and a lid portion 12 attached to the cassette body 11.
The cassette body 11 is formed in a box shape with an open top, and the inside of the cassette body 11 is a storage space S in which the sheets P are stacked and stored, and the sheet P is placed in the storage portion 23 surrounded by the sheet guides 21 and 22. Can be accommodated. A paper lifting mechanism (not shown) is provided in the storage space S, and the uppermost portion of the paper P stored in a stacked state in the storage portion 23 in the storage space S by the paper lifting mechanism has a predetermined height. It is assumed to be a position.

  The cassette body 11 is formed with a separation wall 24 at the edge of one of the long sides of the opening 11a. The cassette body 11 is fed out of the paper P on the side where the separation wall 24 is formed. It is supposed to be the paper feeding side.

  The separation wall 24 is gradually inclined upward toward the outside, and the width dimension is increased from one end to the other end, and a high friction material is applied or pasted on the surface thereof.

  The accommodating portion 23 accommodates the sheet P such that one long side thereof is along the separation wall 24, and the sheet P is thereby inclined with respect to the accommodating space S in plan view. Stored.

  The cassette body 11 is provided with a lid portion 12 for opening and closing the upper opening portion 11a. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lid 12 has a size that sufficiently covers the opening 11 a of the cassette body 11, and the short sides facing each other have long holes along the short sides. 31 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cassette body 11 is provided with plate-like connecting plates 32 at the upper corners on the opposite side to the paper feeding side from which the paper P is fed. A support pin 33 protruding outward is formed.
These support pins 33 are inserted into a long hole 31 formed on the short side of the lid portion 12, whereby the lid portion 12 is connected to the cassette body 11 by the support pins 33, and the upper portion of the cassette body 11 is Is pivotable about an axis along the edge opposite to the sheet feeding side, that is, a connecting portion with the support pin 33, and is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis.

  The lid 12 is slid from the closed position covering the opening 11a of the cassette body 11 to the support pin 33 side, and further rotated around the connecting portion with the support pin 33, whereby the side surface of the cassette body 11 is (See FIGS. 3 and 4).

  A handle 41 is attached to the cassette body 11. This handle 41 is formed in a U-shape consisting of a grip part 42 and a support part 43 extending in the same direction from both ends of the grip part 42, and the end part of each support part 43 is In the vicinity of the upper portion of both end faces of the cassette body 11, the cassette body 11 is connected so as to be rotatable around a support point 44.

The support portion 43 of the handle 41 is formed with a slide groove 43a along the longitudinal direction on the surface on the cassette body 11 side. The slide groove 43a protrudes in the center on the short side of the lid portion 12. The connected connecting pin 34 is slidably inserted.
In addition, a notch groove 43b in which one side of the support portion 43 is opened is formed at the end of the slide groove 43a on the support point 44 side, and the connecting pin of the lid portion 12 is formed through the notch groove 43b. 34 can be inserted into and removed from the slide groove 43 a, and the lid 12 is detachably connected to the handle 41.

  Further, the cassette body 11 is provided with a plurality of legs 45 at the bottom thereof, and these legs 45 can be fitted into positioning holes (not shown) formed in the drawer 5 of the printer 1. ing.

The paper cassette 6 having the above configuration is installed in the drawer 5 in a state where the opening 11a of the cassette body 11 is opened, and is accommodated in the apparatus case 2 of the printer 1.
When a pickup roller (not shown) constituting the paper feed mechanism is lowered and comes into contact with the uppermost paper P stored in the storage space S, the paper P is sent out toward the transport path by the pickup roller.

  The paper P sent out by the pickup roller is transported along the transport path by another roller or the like of the paper feed mechanism, and is transported to a downstream recording processing unit (not shown).

Next, handling of the paper cassette 6 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the movement of the paper cassette, and FIG. 9 is a side view for explaining the movement of the paper cassette.

(Removal and storage of paper cassette)
When removing the paper cassette 6 from the printer 1, first, the paper cassette 6 is exposed to the outside by opening the opening / closing door 3 of the printer 1 and pulling out the drawer 5.
In this state, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the paper cassette 6 has the lid portion 12 disposed at a storage position along the side surface of the cassette main body 11, and the opening 11 a of the cassette main body 11. Is open. Then, from this state, the handle 41 is pulled upward while gripping the grip portion 42.

In this way, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B, the handle 41 is rotated about the support point 44, and the lid 12 is connected to the connecting pin 33 together with the handle 41. And is pulled up while sliding in a direction perpendicular to the center of rotation.
When the handle 41 is further rotated to be substantially vertical, the lid portion 12 is moved to the closed position at the top of the cassette body 11 and arranged as shown in FIGS. 8 (c) and 9 (c). The opening 11a of the cassette body 11 is closed.
In this state, the user can remove from the drawer 5 of the printer 1 by gripping the grip portion 42 of the handle 41 and lifting the paper cassette 6.

When the paper cassette 6 removed from the printer 1 is stored, the paper cassette 6 is carried to the storage location while gripping the grip portion 42 of the handle 41 and placed on the floor.
Next, the handle 41 of the paper cassette 6 is rotated to the side opposite to the notch groove 43 b formed in the support portion 43. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 8D and 9D, the connecting pin 34 of the lid portion 12 slidably inserted into the slide groove 43a of the support portion 43 is disengaged from the notch groove 43b. Only the handle 41 is rotated, leaving the lid 12 covering the opening 11 a of the cassette body 11, and is disposed on the side of the cassette body 11.
Thereby, the paper cassette 6 can be stored in a state where the storage space S in which the paper P in the cassette body 11 is stored is sealed without the handle 41 being in the way.

(Refilling the paper cassette)
When the paper P is replenished into the storage space S in the paper cassette 6, the lid portion 12 is rotated around the connection portion with the support pin 33 of the lid portion 12, or the lid portion 12 is connected to the support pin 33. The opening portion 11a of the cassette body 11 is opened by sliding in the direction of the connecting portion. Then, the sheet P can be easily replenished into the storage space S by opening the opening 11 a of the cassette body 11 in this way.

(Load paper cassette into printer)
In order to load the paper cassette 6 supplemented with the paper P into the printer 1, first, the handle 41 is rotated to the notch groove 43 b formed in the support portion 43 until it becomes vertical. If it does in this way, the connection pin 34 of the cover part 12 will enter into the slide groove 43a from the notch groove 43b of the support part 43 (refer FIG.8 (c) and FIG.9 (c)).

Next, the grip portion 42 of the handle 41 is gripped to lift the paper cassette 6, and the paper cassette 6 is placed on a predetermined installation location of the drawer 5 pulled out from the printer 1. If it does in this way, the leg part 45 of this paper cassette 6 will install in the positioning hole formed in the drawer 5, and will be installed in the state positioned.
In this state, the handle 41 is further rotated toward the cutout groove 43 b formed in the support portion 43.

In this way, as the handle 41 rotates, the connecting pin 34 of the lid 12 moves while sliding in the slide groove 43 a of the handle 41, so that the lid 12 interlocks with the rotation of the handle 41. Then, it is slid to the connection location with the support pin 33.
Further, when the handle 41 is rotated and the connecting pin 34 of the lid 12 exceeds the corner of the cassette body 11, the lid 12 is connected to the cassette body 11 by the support pin 33 in conjunction with the rotation of the handle 41. It pivots around the location (see FIGS. 8B and 9B) and is arranged along the side surface of the cassette body 11.

Thereafter, when the handle 41 is further rotated, the connecting pin 34 is moved downward along with the rotation of the handle 41, whereby the lid portion 12 is lowered along the side surface of the cassette body 11, and the cassette body 11 (See FIGS. 8 (a) and 9 (a)). As a result, the paper cassette 6 is installed in the drawer 5 of the printer 1, and the opening 11 a of the cassette body 11 is opened so that the paper P in the storage space S can be fed.
Thereafter, the drawer 5 in which the paper cassette 6 is installed is pushed into the apparatus case 2 and the opening / closing lid 3 is closed, whereby the loading of the paper cassette 6 into the printer 1 is completed.

  Thus, according to the paper cassette according to the above embodiment, the lid portion 12 movably connected to the closed position covering the upper opening 11a of the cassette body 11 and the storage position along the side surface of the cassette body 11 is closed. By arranging in the position, the upper opening portion 11a of the cassette body 11 can be covered with the lid portion 12, and the accommodation space S for the paper P can be closed. As a result, the influence of the external environment on the paper P and the entry of foreign matter such as dust can be suppressed as much as possible during storage, eliminating the deterioration of the paper P, the conveyance failure due to the entered foreign matter, and the recording processing failure, and smoothing the recording process. And it can be performed well.

Further, by sliding and rotating the lid portion 12 and arranging it at the side storage position of the cassette body 11, the paper P can be easily replenished into the storage space S, and the storage in the printer 1 is possible. Paper P can be fed from the space S.
Further, when the paper P is replenished, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of temporarily removing the lid 12 and reattaching the lid 12 after replenishing the paper P, and the space for temporarily storing the removed lid 12 becomes unnecessary. Thus, it is possible to eliminate the problem that the removed lid 12 is lost.

Further, by rotating the handle 41 and disposing it above the cassette main body 11, the handle 41 can be gripped and carried, and the handleability can be improved.
In addition, by rotating the handle 41, the lid portion 12 can be easily moved between the closed position and the storage position, and the handleability can be further improved.
Thus, according to the printer 1 that can be loaded with the paper cassette 6 that has excellent storability and handling properties and that can suppress the influence of the external environment on the paper P, the recording processing work can be smoothly performed. In addition, the quality of the recording process can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, an ink jet printer has been described as an example of a recording apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to an ink jet printer, and can be applied to, for example, a dot impact printer. For example, it can be applied to a copying machine or a facsimile.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet-like medium has been described by taking paper as an example. However, the present invention is also applicable to a medium made of a resin film or the like.

1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printer in a state where a drawer is pulled out. It is a perspective view of a paper cassette in a state where a lid is opened. It is a side view of a paper cassette in a state where a lid is opened. It is a perspective view of the paper cassette in a state where the lid is closed. It is a side view of the paper cassette in a state where the lid is closed. It is a perspective view of the connection location of a cassette main body and a cover part. FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the movement of a paper cassette. It is a side view for explaining the movement of the paper cassette.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (recording apparatus), 5 ... Drawer (loading part), 6 ... Paper cassette (cassette), 11 ... Cassette main body, 12 ... Cover part, 41 ... Handle, P ... Paper (medium), S ... Storage space.

Claims (4)

A cassette having a cassette body having an accommodation space capable of accommodating sheet-like media in a stacked state, and a lid portion covering an open upper portion of the cassette body,
The lid portion is connected to the cassette body so as to be rotatable about an axis along one edge at the upper portion thereof and to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and covers the upper portion of the cassette body. A cassette which is movable between a closed position and a storage position along a side surface of the cassette body. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein
A cassette having a handle rotatably connected at both ends of the cassette main body, the handle being gripped and portable. The cassette according to claim 2, wherein
The cassette is characterized in that the lid portion is detachably connected to the handle, and the lid portion is moved to the closed position and the storage position in conjunction with the rotation of the handle with respect to the cassette body.   A loading unit capable of loading the cassette according to claim 1 is provided, and recording is performed on the medium while conveying the medium in the cassette loaded in the loading unit. Recording device.

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