Image forming apparatus

Abstract

This prevents deformation or damage caused by unintended actions such as reaching into a specific area to lift the product. [Solution] The image forming apparatus 1 includes a top plate portion 50 that covers at least a part of the discharge tray. The top plate portion 50 is open on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction and has a gripping obstruction portion 52 on the lower surface 502 side facing the discharge tray. The gripping obstruction portion 52 is provided with a grid-like arrangement of a plurality of first ribs 531 that extend downward and are arranged along the discharge direction, and a plurality of second ribs 532 that are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus having a sheet discharge unit.

Background Art

[0002] In image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers, various configurations for lifting the apparatus main body have been proposed. For example, there are configurations including a hole for a handle provided in an opening / closing part provided on the side surface, and a configuration including a long handle that can be accommodated in the apparatus main body. Further, since there is concern that the appearance quality may deteriorate if the configuration for lifting the apparatus main body is too conspicuous, a method for suppressing this has also been proposed.

[0003] For example, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an image forming unit, an image reading unit installed above the image forming unit for reading an image of a document, a frame for accommodating the image forming unit, and a side cover covering at least a part of the frame, and the upper edge part of the opening provided in the side cover is configured to be usable as a handle when lifting the apparatus main body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the conventional configuration as described above, since a part of the side cover is interrupted by the opening, a local load is likely to be applied to the upper edge part of the opening, which may cause deformation or breakage. Further, even if a handle is provided, there is a possibility that a hand may be inserted into other recesses that are not used for lifting the apparatus main body, such as the edge of the top plate covering the discharge tray or the recess for opening and closing the manual feed tray, which may cause deformation or breakage.

[0006] The object of this disclosure is to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent deformation or damage from occurring due to unintended handling or lifting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the solution of the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet discharge unit for discharging sheets toward an discharge tray, wherein a top plate is provided above the sheet discharge unit, covering at least a portion of the discharge tray, the top plate is open on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction, a gripping obstruction is provided on the lower surface side of the top plate facing the discharge tray, the gripping obstruction has ribs extending downward, and the ribs are arranged in a grid pattern with a plurality of first ribs arranged along the discharge direction and a plurality of second ribs arranged along a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction.

[0008] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus, it is preferable that the gripping obstruction portion is provided in a region that includes the open edge portion of the top plate.

[0009] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus, it is preferable that the first rib extends further downward than the second rib.

[0010] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus, it is preferable that the first rib extends further downward than the open edge of the top plate.

[0011] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus, the gripping obstruction portion may be configured to include a projection that protrudes downward at the intersection of the first rib and the second rib.

[0012] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus, the apparatus body, which is provided with the sheet discharge section, is equipped with an opening / closing door located below the top plate and upstream in the discharge direction, a handle for opening and closing the opening / closing door is provided on the opening / closing door, and a gripping part for lifting the apparatus body is provided below the opening / closing door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to this disclosure, it is possible to prevent deformation or damage caused by unintended actions such as reaching into a part of the object and lifting it. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the upper surface of the top plate portion provided on the main body of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the underside of the top plate portion of the main body of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing an enlarged view of section A in Figure 5. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view showing another example of the underside of the top panel. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing an enlarged portion of the top plate of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] An image forming apparatus according to the embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Components common to both Embodiments 1 and 2 are indicated by common reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are external perspective views of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0017] The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a printer having an image forming unit in a device main body 10. As the image forming unit, a fixing device, a photosensitive drum 2, a charger 3, a developing device 4, a drum cleaning device 5, an intermediate transfer belt device 7, a secondary transfer roller 11, an optical scanning device 12, etc. are provided.

[0018] In the image forming apparatus 1, image data corresponding to a color image using each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), or a monochrome image using a single color (for example, black) is handled. Therefore, four photosensitive drums 2, chargers 3, developing devices 4, and drum cleaning devices 5 for forming four types of toner images are provided, each of which is associated with black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and four image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are configured.

[0019] The optical scanning device 12 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing device 4 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to form a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. The drum cleaning device5 removes and recovers the residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. The charger 3 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to a predetermined potential. By the above-described series of operations, toner images of each color are formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 2.

[0020] The intermediate transfer belt device 7 includes an intermediate transfer roller 6, an endless intermediate transfer belt 71, an intermediate transfer driving roller 72, an intermediate transfer driven roller 73, and a cleaning device 9. Four intermediate transfer rollers 6 are provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 71 so as to form four types of toner images corresponding to each color. The intermediate transfer roller 6 transfers the toner images of each color formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to the circulating intermediate transfer belt 71.

[0021] The intermediate transfer belt 71 is stretched over the intermediate transfer drive roller 72 and the intermediate transfer driven roller 73. In the image forming apparatus 1, the toner images of each color formed on the surface of each photoreceptor drum 2 are sequentially transferred and superimposed to form a color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71. The cleaning apparatus 9 removes and collects waste toner that remains on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 without being transferred to the sheet.

[0022] The secondary transfer roller 11 grips the sheet that has been transported through the sheet transport path 21 in the transfer nip between it and the intermediate transfer belt 71 and transports it. As the sheet passes through the transfer nip, the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 is transferred to the sheet and it is then transported to the fixing device.

[0023] The fixing device includes a fixing roller 31 and a pressure roller 32 that rotate around an axis. The fixing device inserts a sheet on which the toner image has been transferred into the nip between the fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32, heats and pressurizes it, and fixes the toner image to the sheet.

[0024] The paper feeding unit 18 is equipped with a paper feeding cassette for loading sheets, which are recording media used for image formation, and is located below the optical scanning device 12. The sheets are pulled out of the paper feeding unit 18 by the pickup roller 16 and transported to the sheet transport path 21. The sheets transported to the sheet transport path 21 are guided to the sheet discharge unit 20 via the secondary transfer roller 11 and the fixing device. In the sheet discharge unit 20, the sheets are discharged from the discharge tray 19 by the discharge roller 17.

[0025] The sheet transport path 21 includes a register roller 14 and an ejection roller 17. The register roller 14 transports the sheet at a speed equal to the process speed at which image formation is performed. The register roller 14 is located between the paper feed section 18 and the secondary transfer roller 11 and adjusts the timing of sheet transport so that the toner image is transferred to the sheet by the secondary transfer roller 11. For example, the register roller 14 holds the transported sheet and waits, then starts transporting the sheet at a constant speed in synchronization with the secondary transfer roller 11.

[0026] When image formation is to be performed on both the front and back surfaces of the sheet, the sheet's transport direction is changed by the discharge roller 17, and the sheet is transported to the inversion transport path 22. In the inversion transport path 22, the sheet is guided to the register roller 14 with its front and back surfaces reversed by the inversion transport roller 15. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on the back surface of the sheet guided to the register roller 14 in the same way as the front surface, and then discharges it into the discharge tray 19 of the sheet discharge section 20.

[0027] Furthermore, a manual feed tray 150 is attached to the main body of the device 10 so as to be openable and closable. Sheets loaded onto the open manual feed tray 150 are supplied to the manual feed transport path 23. The manual feed transport path 23 merges with the sheet transport path 21 just before the registration roller 14. The sheets are transported to the registration roller 14 by the transport rollers 13 located in the manual feed transport path 23, and images are formed in the same manner as described above.

[0028] In Figure 2, sheets are discharged into the discharge tray 19 with the direction indicated by arrow P in the figure as the discharge direction. If the downstream side of the discharge direction P is the front surface 101 of the device body 10 and the upstream side is the rear surface 102 of the device body 10, a manual feed tray 150 is provided on the front surface 101 of the device body 10. Also, as shown in Figure 3, an open / close door 160 is attached to the rear surface 102 of the device body 10, which is located on the upstream side of the discharge direction P, so that it can be opened and closed. The open / close door 160 is provided with a handle portion 161, and when a hand is inserted into the handle portion 161 and the open / close door 160 is opened, the reversal conveying path 22 is exposed, and jammed sheets can be collected.

[0029] The main body of the device 10 is provided with a display unit 140 having a liquid crystal display or the like. The display unit 140 displays various information related to the image forming apparatus 1 and accepts input from the user. Preferably, the display unit 140 is provided in a position that is easily visible, such as on the top plate 50 or on the front 101 side of the main body of the device 10. Note that the front-to-back direction of the main body of the device 10 is for the convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit the installation or usage configuration of the main body of the device 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the top plate portion 50 is positioned above the sheet discharge portion 20 and is provided to cover at least a portion of the discharge tray 19. The discharge tray 19 is formed such that, in the sheet discharge direction P, the downstream side of the surface on which the sheets are placed is higher than the upstream side.

[0031] The top plate portion 50 is positioned above the discharge tray 19, facing the discharge tray 19. The top plate portion 50 has a recess 51 on the downstream side in the discharge direction P, corresponding to the high-shaped discharge tray 19. In the exemplary embodiment, the recess 51 is formed in a roughly U-shape that opens towards the front surface 101, thereby leaving the top plate portion 50 open on the front surface 101 side. The sheet on the discharge tray 19 can be easily seen through the recess 51 and removed by hand inserted below the top plate portion 50.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, gripping portions 105 for lifting the device body 10 are provided on the left and right sides 103 and 104, which are continuous with the front 101 and rear 102, respectively. In the exemplary embodiment, the gripping portions 105 are located below the opening and closing door 160 and are provided near the bottom of the sides 103 and 104, forming recesses into which a hand can be inserted. This allows the image forming apparatus 1 to be lifted by holding the gripping portions 105 on the sides 103 and 104. Similar gripping portions may also be provided on the paper feeding section 18.

[0033] Figures 4 and 5 show the top plate portion 50 provided on the main body 10 of the device. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the top plate portion 50, and Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the top plate portion 50.

[0034] The top plate portion 50 has a flat upper surface 501, from which a frame 503 for housing the display unit 140 is provided. The outer periphery of the top plate portion 50 is provided with a downwardly projecting edge portion 511. In the main body of the device 10, the upper surface 501 of the top plate portion 50 is positioned facing upward, and the lower surface 502 is positioned facing the discharge tray 19.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, the top plate portion 50 is provided with a gripping obstruction portion 52 on its lower surface 502. The gripping obstruction portion 52 is provided in the front region of the top plate portion 50, including at least the peripheral portion 511 that constitutes the outer periphery of the recess 51. As shown in the figure, the gripping obstruction portion 52 has a plurality of ribs 53 that extend downward.

[0036] Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged view of part A in Figure 5. The ribs 53 of the gripping obstruction part 52 are arranged in a grid pattern as a whole, comprising a plurality of first ribs 531 arranged along the discharge direction P and a plurality of second ribs 532 arranged along a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction P.

[0037] The first rib 531, which is provided along the discharge direction P, extends further downward than the second rib 532, which is perpendicular to it. As shown in Figure 5, when the lower surface 502 is positioned facing upward, the first rib 531 of the top plate portion 50 is erected higher than the second rib 532.

[0038] The second rib 532 extends shorter downward than the first rib 531 from the lower surface 502 of the top plate portion 50, making it less likely for the second rib 532 to interfere with the sheet being discharged along the discharge direction P. Furthermore, even if the sheet comes into contact with the first rib 531, since the first rib 531 is positioned along the discharge direction P, the sheet will be discharged smoothly along the first rib 531.

[0039] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the main body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 has a recess 51 in the top plate portion 50 on the front 101 side and a handle portion 161 of the opening / closing door 160 on the rear 102 side. As mentioned above, gripping portions 105 are provided on both the left and right sides for lifting the main body 10, but there is a risk that people may try to lift it by using the recess 51 in the top plate portion 50 and the handle portion 161. If people try to lift the main body 10 by putting their hands in unintended places in this way, there is a risk that the top plate portion 50 may become distorted, deformed, or damaged.

[0040] In contrast, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, a gripping obstruction portion 52 is provided on the lower surface 502 of the top plate portion 50. Therefore, when attempting to hold the top plate portion 50 by inserting a hand into the recess 51 of the top plate portion 50, the fingertips will come into contact with the gripping obstruction portion 52. The gripping obstruction portion 52 has ribs 53 of different heights, including a first rib 531 and a second rib 532. As a result, it is difficult to hold by hand, and it is recognized that this is an unsuitable part for gripping the top plate portion 50 and lifting the apparatus body 10. This prevents gripping and lifting in an unintended area, and makes it possible to prevent deformation or damage to the top plate portion 50.

[0041] In the gripping obstruction portion 52, the spacing D1 between the first ribs 531 is preferably 5 mm to 20 mm. More preferably, the spacing D1 between the first ribs 531 is 5 mm to 15 mm. Furthermore, for the second rib 532, which is provided closest to the edge portion 511, the spacing D2 between it and the edge portion 511 is preferably 5 mm to 20 mm, and more preferably 5 mm to 15 mm.

[0042] With the spacing D1 and D2 provided in this way, when attempting to grasp the top plate 50, the fingertips inevitably come into contact with the ribs 53 of the gripping obstruction portion 52, making it clear that this is a difficult area to lift, and attempting to lift it will cause pain in the fingers. This prevents attempting to lift the top plate 50 by inserting one's hand into the recess 51, thereby preventing deformation and damage.

[0043] Figure 7 shows a modified example of the gripping obstruction portion 52 and is an enlarged perspective view corresponding to portion A in Figure 5. In the gripping obstruction portion 52, the multiple first ribs 531 provided along the discharge direction P may be provided to protrude even further downward than the downwardly protruding edge portion 511 that constitutes the outer periphery of the top plate portion 50. In this case, the first ribs 531 are provided in the most protruding state. The amount of downward protrusion from the lower surface 502 of the top plate portion 50 increases in the order of the second rib 532, the edge portion 511, and the first rib 531. The amount of protrusion between the second rib 532 and the edge portion 511 may be the same.

[0044] This makes it easier for fingers to touch the ribs 53 of the gripping obstruction portion 52, making it more difficult to lift. Furthermore, the presence of the ribs 53 on the lower surface 502 of the top plate portion 50 becomes more visible externally, preventing the user from attempting to grab the top plate portion 50.

[0045] Furthermore, the gripping obstruction portion 52 is not limited to being provided in a portion of the lower surface 502 of the top plate portion 50, but may be provided in a wider area as long as it includes the edge portion 511 of the recess 51, for example, it may be provided in the entire area of ​​the lower surface 502.

[0046] (Embodiment 2) Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the gripping obstruction section 52 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 2.

[0047] The gripping obstruction portion 52 may include a projection 54 that protrudes downward at the intersection of the first rib 531 and the second rib 532. The projection 54 can be, for example, a semicircular projection with the same thickness as the first rib 531 and positioned along the first rib 531. The projection 54 is not limited to the semicircular projection as exemplified, and may also be a triangular projection with a pointed tip, etc.

[0048] The projection 54 is positioned along the first rib 531, making it easier to stimulate the fingers without affecting the sheet's discharge. The provision of such projection 54 also prevents users from inserting their hands into the recess 51 of the top plate 50 and attempting to lift it, thereby preventing deformation and damage.

[0049] As described above, by providing a gripping obstruction part 52 on the top plate portion 50 above the sheet discharge portion 20 in the image forming apparatus 1, attempts to grip and lift the top plate portion 50, which is an unintended part, are avoided, thereby preventing deformation or damage to the top plate portion 50, and ultimately damage to the apparatus body 10.

[0050] The image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to the example configuration, and may also be a configuration in which an upper housing and a lower housing are stacked and combined. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 1 may have multiple housings stacked on top of each other, as long as two housings arranged adjacent to each other vertically correspond to the upper housing and the lower housing. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to a printer, and may be a multifunction device equipped with, for example, a copy function, a scanner function, a facsimile function and a printer function, capable of forming multicolor or monochrome images in response to image data transmitted from an external source or image data read from a document by a scanner.

[0051] This disclosure is not limited to the configurations shown in the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the technical essence thereof. All technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are subject to this disclosure. The embodiments described above are preferred examples, but various modifications can be realized from the disclosed content, and such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1. Image forming apparatus 10 Main unit of the device 101 Front 102 Rear 103, 104 Side view 105 Gripping part 160 Opening and closing doors 161 Handle section 19. Output tray 20 Sheet discharge section 50 Top plate section 501 Top surface 502 Bottom surface 51 Recess 511 Peripheral area 52 Grasping obstruction part 53 Ribs 531 First Rib 532 Second Rib 54 Protrusion

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet discharge unit that discharges sheets toward an discharge tray, An upper part of the sheet discharge section is provided, which covers at least a portion of the discharge tray. The top plate portion is open on the downstream side in the direction of sheet discharge, and a gripping obstruction portion is provided on the lower surface side of the top plate portion facing the discharge tray. The gripping obstruction portion has ribs extending downward, The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the ribs are arranged in a grid pattern, with a plurality of first ribs arranged along the discharge direction and a plurality of second ribs arranged along a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction.

2. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the gripping obstruction portion is provided in a region including the open edge portion of the top plate portion.

3. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, An image forming apparatus characterized in that the first rib extends further downward than the second rib.

4. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the first rib extends further downward than the open edge of the top plate.

5. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, The gripping obstruction portion is characterized by having a projection that protrudes downward at the intersection of the first rib and the second rib.

6. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The device body, which is provided with the sheet discharge section, is equipped with an opening / closing door located below the top plate and on the upstream side in the discharge direction, and a handle for opening and closing the opening / closing door is provided on the opening / closing door. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a gripping portion for lifting the main body of the apparatus is provided below the opening and closing door.

Images