Sheet storage apparatus, image forming system including the sheet storage apparatus, and image forming apparatus

1. A sheet storage apparatus, comprising:

an apparatus body;

a sheet storage section including

a sheet supply port that is formed at a top of the apparatus body, and

a sheet stacking portion that is capable of stacking sheets,

the sheets being capable of being stacked onto the sheet stacking portion through the sheet supply port;

a top cover supported by the apparatus body so as to be pivotable between

an opening position at which the sheet supply port is opened and

a closing position at which the top cover closes the sheet supply port by turning at a predetermined angle from the opening position;

a sheet feeding section

that is provided above the sheet storage section, and

that is configured to feed, at a predetermined feeding position, the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking portion toward a downstream side in a sheet conveying direction by abutting against the sheets;

a restricting cursor

that is arranged, in the sheet storage section, at a predetermined position in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction,

that has an abutment surface which abuts against side edges of the sheets, and

that is configured to restrict movements in the sheet width direction of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking portion;

a blowing device including

a fan

that is provided in the restricting cursor, and

that is configured to generate airflow, and

a vent

that is formed through the abutment surface, and

that is configured to exhaust the airflow, the blowing device being configured to blow the airflow to be exhausted through the vent to one of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking portion, the one of the sheets having come near the predetermined feeding position, to thereby float the one of the sheets;

a sheet holding-down member

that is supported to be pivotable by the restricting cursor, and

that includes a restricting piece which is configured to restrict a floating height of the one of the sheets by coming into contact with a top surface of the one of the sheets by protruding from the abutment surface of the restricting cursor to an inner side in the sheet width direction; and

a moving mechanism

that is coupled to the sheet holding-down member,

that is configured to move the sheet holding-down member to a restricting position by coming into contact with the top cover under a state in which the top cover in the closing position, the restricting position being a position of the sheet holding-down member that has protruded from the abutment surface, and

that is configured to move the sheet holding-down member from the abutment surface to a retracted position by separating from the top cover a state which the top cover is in the opening position, the retracted position being on an outer side in the sheet width direction and being a position of the sheet holding-down member that has retracted.

2. The sheet storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the restricting piece includes a protruding portion

that is arranged on each side in the sheet conveying direction of the vent, and

that is configured to protrude from the abutment surface of the restricting cursor under a state in which the sheet holding-down member is in the restricting position, to abut against the top surface of the one of the sheets.

3. The sheet storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the moving mechanism includes

an operating portion that is provided to be movable up and down between

a first position of the operating portion that has protruded from a top surface of the restricting cursor, and

a second position of the operating portion that has retracted from the top surface,

a link mechanism

that is coupled to the operating portion and the sheet holding-down member,

that is configured to move the sheet holding-down member to the restricting position when the operating portion is lowered, and

that is configured to move the sheet holding-down member to the retracted position when the operating portion is rised, and

a first biasing member that is configured to bias the operating portion to the first position,

wherein, when the top cover is moved from the opening position to the closing position, the moving mechanism comes into contact with the operating portion at the first position, and pushes the operating portion against biasing force of the first biasing member, to thereby cause, at the closing position, the sheet holding-down member to be arranged at the restricting position.

4. The sheet storage apparatus according to claim 3 ,

wherein the sheet holding-down member pivots between

the restricting position and

the retracted position about a pivot shaft that extends in the sheet conveying direction,

wherein the link mechanism includes

a shaft insertion hole that is formed through the sheet holding-down member,

a coupling shaft portion that is provided through the operating portion,

that extends in the sheet conveying direction,

that is inserted in the shaft insertion hole, and

that moves in the shaft insertion hole, and

a second biasing member

that is configured to bias the sheet holding-down member to the restricting position in a pivoting direction about the pivot shaft, and

that has biasing force smaller than the biasing force of the first biasing member,

wherein, in the link mechanism,

under a state in which the operating portion has been pushed, the coupling shaft portion separates from an inner peripheral surface of the shaft insertion hole, to thereby cause the sheet holding-down member to be moved to the restricting position by the biasing force of the second biasing member, and

under a state in which the operating portion has avoided being pushed, the coupling shaft portion is moved up by the biasing force of the first biasing member, and slides along the inner peripheral surface of the shaft insertion hole, to thereby cause the sheet holding-down member to be moved to the retracted position against the biasing force of the second biasing member.

5. The sheet storage apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the shaft insertion hole is formed through the restricting piece,

wherein the restricting piece of the sheet holding-down member includes a plurality of restricting pieces that are arrayed along the sheet conveying direction,

wherein the vent includes a plurality of vents that are arranged along the sheet conveying direction, and

wherein, in the link mechanism, the coupling shaft portion is inserted in the shaft insertion holes of the plurality of restricting pieces, to thereby cause the sheet holding-down member to move in conjunction with the pushing of the operating portion.

6. The sheet storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the vent is formed through the abutment surface of the restricting cursor on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction near the predetermined feeding position, and

wherein the blowing device includes a duct that is connected to the fan and that communicates to the vent through an inside of the restricting cursor.

7. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

the sheet storage apparatus according to claim 1 ;

an image forming section that is configured to form images onto the sheets; and

a sheet conveying path that is configured to convey the sheets to the image forming section,

the sheet feeding section feeding the sheets to the sheet conveying path.

8. An image forming system, comprising:

the sheet storage apparatus according to claim 1 ; and

an image forming apparatus including an image forming section that is configured to form images onto the sheets,

the sheet storage apparatus

being connected to the image forming apparatus, and

feeding the sheets to the image forming section.