Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorToshiaki Takahashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus including a main body case includes a sheet feeding tray that is rotatably supported by the main body case so as to be placed at at least a closed position where a sheet feeding inlet is closed by the sheet feeding tray and an open position where the sheet feeding inlet is opened for feeding the sheet into the main body case, a sheet feeding member that feeds the sheet on the sheet feeding tray into the main body case, and an arm including a base end part and a tip end part. The tip end part of the arm includes an arm engagement part that is engaged with an engagement part for the open position provided to the main body case so as to place the sheet feeding tray at the open position.
Claims20
A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus comprising:
- a main body case;
- a sheet feeding tray attached to the main body case by a hinge;
- a sheet feeding inlet through which a sheet placed on the sheet feeding tray is fed into the main body case;
- a sheet feeding member configured to feed a sheet on the sheet feeding tray into the main body case;
- and
- an arm including a base end part and a tip end part, wherein:
- the sheet feeding tray is in a closed position when the sheet feeding inlet is closed and the sheet feeding tray is in a first open position when the sheet feeding inlet is open,
- the base end part is attached to the sheet feeding tray at a predetermined distance from the hinge,
- the tip end part is housed in the main body case, and
- the main body case includes a first open position engagement part formed integrally as one piece with the main body case, and the tip end part includes an arm engagement part configured to engage with the first open position engagement part when the sheet feeding tray is in the first open position.
A method of operating a sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus including a main body case, the method comprising:
- rotating a sheet feeding tray to an open position responsive to a sheet feeding inlet being opened;
- engaging an arm engagement part with an open position engagement part;
- feeding a sheet on the sheet feeding tray into the main body case through the sheet feeding inlet;
- rotating the sheet feeding tray to a closed position engagement part responsive to the sheet feeding inlet being closed;
- and
- engaging the arm engagement part with a closed position engagement part,
- wherein the main body case includes the closed position engagement part,
- wherein the sheet feeding inlet is configured to feed a sheet into the main body case, and
- wherein an arm fixed to the sheet feeding tray includes the arm engagement part and the main body case includes the open position engagement part formed integrally as one piece with the main body case.
A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a main body case comprising a sheet feeding inlet;
- a sheet feeding tray coupled to the main body case by a hinge;
- an arm attached to the sheet feeding tray;
- a means for rotating the sheet feeding tray to an open position when the sheet feeding inlet is open;
- a means for rotating the sheet feeding tray to a closed position when the sheet feeding inlet is closed;
- a means for feeding a sheet from the sheet feeding tray into the main body case through the sheet feeding inlet;
- a means for engaging the arm with the main body case when the sheet feeding tray is in the open position;
- and
- a means for engaging the arm with the main body case when the sheet feeding tray is in the closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.