Housing and recording device

Abstract

To provide a technology that enables improvement of operability of opening operation of a cover.SOLUTION: A housing has: a recessed part which is provided on a side surface so as to be recessed in a horizontal direction; and an opening provided at the back of the recessed part. The housing includes: a cover which may be rotated into a closed state in which the cover closes the opening and an open state in which the cover opens the opening; cover shaft parts which are provided at the lower side of the opening and set to a rotation center of the cover; and a lock part which is provided at the upper side of the opening to hold the cover in the closed state. The cover has a lever which may rotate around lever shaft parts to an engagement position in which the lever is engaged with the lock part in the closed state and a non-engagement position in which the lever is not engaged. The lever has an operation part located at the outer side relative to a virtual line passing through the cover shaft parts and the lever shaft parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing provided with a cover opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a cover that covers a recording head, and to a recording apparatus provided with the housing. [Background technology]

[0002] In inkjet and other recording devices, the inside and outside of the recording device are separated by a wall from the viewpoints of safety and preventing ink stains. By configuring this wall as an openable cover, it becomes easier for users to access the inside of the recording device when performing maintenance such as replacing the print head or clearing paper jams. In such a configuration, a locking mechanism is provided between the cover and the recording device, and the cover is configured to be kept closed during normal use (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-203524 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As shown in FIG. 12, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 is such that an image reading unit is provided at the top of the device, and therefore a cover is provided to open the periphery of the recording material discharge port provided at the back of the housing. In such a configuration, a part of the housing (the reading unit) protrudes above the operation unit of the cover, so that the user inserts his hand to grasp the operation unit of the cover and operates to open and close the cover. A lock unit that engages with the cover is attached to the housing, and a hook unit for engaging with the lock unit is attached to the inside of the cover. When opening the cover, it is necessary to apply an operating force to the cover in the direction of arrow 27 in order to release the holding force of the cover, but since the cover rotation shaft is attached under the housing and the position of the cover operation unit is above the rotation shaft, the direction in which the cover opens is the direction of arrow 26. As a result, the load direction of the operating force that releases the holding force of the cover is different from that of arrow 26, so that the operating force is unlikely to exceed the cover holding force in a single operation, and the cover is unlikely to open.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving the operability of the cover opening operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The housing of the present invention is A housing having a recess provided on a side surface so as to be recessed in a horizontal direction and an opening provided at the back of the recess, a cover that is rotatable between a closed state that closes the opening and an open state that opens the opening; a cover shaft portion provided below the opening and serving as a rotation center of the cover; a lock portion provided above the opening for holding the cover in the closed state; Equipped with the cover has a lever that is rotatable about a lever shaft between a locking position where the cover is locked by the locking portion in the closed state and a non-locking position where the cover is not locked, The lever has an operating portion located outside an imaginary line passing through the cover shaft portion and the lever shaft portion. death, The opening direction of the cover when the cover is opened from the closed state and the releasing direction of the operation part when the lever is released from the locking position include components rotating in the same direction. It is characterized by the following. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a technique capable of improving the operability of the cover opening operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A is a front view of the cover opening and closing when dealing with a jam or maintenance in the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a cover in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a lever in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a locking member in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating an unlocking operation in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a cover opening operation after unlocking in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a lever in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams illustrating an unlocking operation in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing storage in the discharge tray section in the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the discharge tray section according to the third embodiment when stored. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a recording apparatus showing a configuration of a prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. As shown in Fig. 1, the scanning direction of the recording unit 4 is defined as the X direction. The direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the conveying direction (Y direction) is defined as the Z direction. In the recording device 1, the side on which the recording unit 4 is located across the cover 20 is defined as the inside (inside the machine), and the opposite side is defined as the outside (outside the machine). Note that in each drawing, parts having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted.

[0010] <First embodiment> 1(a) and 1(b) are cross-sectional views of an inkjet recording device 1 (hereinafter also referred to as a "recording device"). The recording device 1 includes a paper feed section 2, a recording section 4, a discharge section, and a discharge tray section 80. The upper part of the recording device 1 is provided with a reading section 3 for reading an image from a document or the like and storing the image in an externally connected device such as a personal computer. In the paper feed section 2, a sheet loaded on a paper feed tray 9 is conveyed by a conveying roller 5 and sent to the lower part of the recording section 4. After an image is recorded on the sheet sent to the lower part of the recording section 4 while the sheet is held on a platen 7, the sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray section 80 by a discharge roller 6 and a spur mechanism 11. A recess 16 is formed on the side of the front side of the recording device 1, which is recessed in the horizontal direction (Y direction) to form an open space 12 in an area located below the reading section 3 in the Z direction (-Z direction) and above the first tray 81a. The cover 20 acts as a wall separating the inside of the machine from the outside at the opening 17 provided at the back of the recess 16, and is necessary mainly for the user to access the inside during maintenance. Specifically, this includes the installation and removal of the print head from the carriage, cleaning of the transport unit, recording unit 4, and discharge port 13, and removing sheet jams near the discharge port. The lever 30 is provided in a position that is away from the maintenance work area.

[0011] FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the recording device 1 when the cover 20 is in the closed position. The recess 16 is located approximately in the center of the recording device 1 in the X direction, and is recessed in the Y direction from the side surface of the lower housing 10 that serves as the housing of the recording device 1, with an exhaust port 13 provided at the rear side. The recess 16 opens laterally on the side surface of the lower housing 10, and serves as an area for carrying out maintenance work inside the housing. The exhaust port 13 opens below the side surface at the rear of the recess 16, and is covered all around with an openable cover 20. The cover 20 is of a size and shape that covers the entire rear side of the recess 16 when viewed from the front (when viewed in the X direction), and a recessed position in the recess 16 (a position inside the side surface of the housing) prevents the inside of the machine from being exposed to air. The lower housing 10 of the recording device 1 has a locking portion 40 for locking the shielding portion 15 to keep the cover 20 in the closed state, and the cover 20 has a lever 30 at its tip that is locked by the locking portion 40.

[0012] The lever 30 is located at the approximate center of the cover 20 in the X direction, and is located at the top of the cover 20 to engage with the locking unit 40 attached to the reading unit 3. The locking unit 40 may be attached to the lower housing 10. For this reason, it is desirable to place the lever 30 at the approximate center of the cover 20 in the X direction so that a holding force can be applied to the approximate center of the cover 20. FIG. 2(b) is a front view of the recording device 1 when the cover 20 is in the open position, and is an example showing the arrangement of the recording unit 4 during maintenance of the print head, etc. During maintenance, the user opens the cover 20 and accesses the inside of the device from the outside through the opening space 12 and the opening 17. The cartridge 18 of the recording unit 4 is configured to move to a home position shown in FIG. 2(b) as a predetermined position when the recording device is turned off or when the operation is stopped for maintenance and the cover 20 is opened. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the locking unit 40 is arranged to avoid the mounting and demounting space 19 required for mounting and demounting the cartridge 18 with respect to the cartridge 18 located at the home position. This makes it possible to realize a configuration in which the locking portion 40 does not get in the way when attaching or detaching the cartridge 18, and in which the locking portion 40 does not get in the way of maintenance operations including replacement of the cartridge 18.

[0013] 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c) are perspective and side views showing the openable cover 20. The cover 20 is rotatably supported by the lower housing 10 at cover shafts 20a and 20b provided below the opening 17. The cover 20 is rotatable about the cover shafts 20a and 20b, and can be selected between a cover closed position that restricts access to the inside of the recording device 1 from the outside and a cover open position that allows access to the inside of the recording device 1 from the outside. The cover 20 is provided at the Y-direction back side of the recess 16 so as to open and close the periphery of the discharge port 13, and is provided rotatably about a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction (X-direction) at the Z-direction lower end side at the Y-direction back side as one end side of the opening 17. The cover 20 has a plate-shaped shielding portion 15 extending from the cover shafts 20a and 20b. When the cover 20 is in an upright position (angle) in which the shielding portion 15 extends substantially upward from the cover shaft portions 20a, 20b toward the upper surface side as the other end side of the opening 17, the cover 20 is in a closed state in which the opening 17 is blocked except for the exhaust port 13. In addition, the cover 20 is in an open state in which the opening 17 is open to the outside of the housing by rotating the cover 20 from the angle in which the shielding portion 15 is in the closed state to a state (angle) in which the tip side opposite the cover shaft portions 20a, 20b is tilted toward the outside of the housing (extending substantially horizontally).

[0014] The space between the spur mechanism 11 and the discharge roller 6 through the cover 20 is the sheet discharge area 24. The cover 20 allows the sheet to be discharged even when it is in the closed position, and the sheet conveyed from the recording unit 4 passes through the gap of the discharge area 24 shown by the dotted line and is discharged outside the machine. The cover 20 is provided with lever bearing parts 21a and 21b that hold the operation part 30 described in FIG. 4. Also, the cover 20 is provided with a spring holding part 22 that is shaped to hold an elastic member (spring) for the purpose of automatically returning when the lever 30 is operated. As the elastic member, a spring 36 is used in this embodiment. The position where the spring 36 is provided is such that one end of the spring 36 is inserted and fixed into the spring holding part 34 using the shaft 30a as a guide, as shown in FIG. 4. Then, the other end is inserted and fixed into the spring holding part 22 of the cover. The cover 20 and the lever 30 are subjected to a biasing force by the spring 36. A holding mechanism is disposed in the cover 20 in an area 25 shown by a dotted line as a shape for holding the spur mechanism 11. A cover knob 23 is provided on the outermost surface (side surface facing the outside of the housing) 20c of the cover 20, protruding from the outermost surface 20c to the outside of the cover 20 (towards the outside of the housing) in a convex shape.

[0015] Next, the lock mechanism A of the cover 20 is shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. It is composed of a lever 30 which is an operating part provided on the bar 20 and a lock part 40 which is provided on the reading part 3 above the opening 17 .

[0016] 4(a), 4(b), and 4(c) are perspective and side views showing the lever 30 provided on the cover 20. The lever 30 has lever shafts 30a and 30b supported by cover bearings 21a and 21b in parallel with the cover shafts 20a and 20b. The lever 30 includes, as components necessary for the lock mechanism A, a hook portion 31 that serves as an engagement portion with the lock portion 40, and a lever operation portion 33 on the back side of the hook portion 31 for operating the engagement and disengagement between the hook portion 31 and the lock portion 40. The hook portion 31 has a shape that extends toward the inside of the housing beyond the lock portion 40 at the position where the lever 30 is locked by the lock portion 40, and can wrap around the inside of the housing of the lock portion 40 in a hook-like shape, and includes a hook portion cam surface 31a that acts when the cover is moved from open to closed, and a hook portion cam surface 31b that acts when the cover is moved from closed to open (details will be described in FIG. 6).

[0017] The lever operating part 33 has a shape that extends from the lever shaft parts 30a, 30b toward the outside of the housing when the lever 30 is locked by the lock part 40, and its upper surface is a pressure-receiving surface that is pressed by the user when unlocking. When the pressure-receiving surface is pressed, the tip side of the lever operating part 33, which is the opposite side to the side where the lever shaft parts 30a, 30b are provided, rotates so as to be displaced in the direction toward the cover shaft parts 20a, 20b. By operating the lever operating part 33, it rotates around the lever shaft parts 30a, 30b as a rotation center, thereby unlocking the lock.

[0018] Furthermore, the lever 30 is provided with a spring holding portion 34 shaped to hold the spring 36 of the elastic member described in FIG. 3. By operating the lever operating portion 33, the lever 30 can be rotated around the lever shafts 30a and 30b to a locked position where the hook portion 31 and the locking mechanism 41 are engaged, and an unlocked position where the hook portion 31 and the locking mechanism 41 are separated. That is, in the locked position as the locking position, the hook portion 31 is locked to the locking mechanism 41, and in the unlocked position as the non-locking position, the hook portion 31 is not locked to the locking mechanism 41 (unlocked). In addition, the spring 36 as the biasing means keeps the lever 30 in the locked position unless a special external force is applied.

[0019] 5(a) and 5(b) are perspective and cross-sectional views showing the locking unit 40 attached to the lower housing 10 or the reading unit 3. The locking unit 40 has a locking cam surface 41a that acts when the cover is closed and a locking cam surface 41b that acts when the cover is opened (details will be explained in FIG. 6). The locking unit 40 is fastened to the lower housing 10 or the reading unit 3 by a screw 43 via a screw fastening portion 42.

[0020] 6(a) and 6(b) are cross-sectional views showing the unlocking mechanism, in which the longitudinal direction of the lever 30, the cover 20, and the locking part 40 extends horizontally. When the user applies a force in the Z direction downward to the lever operating part 33 when closing the cover, the lever 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow 37 around the lever shafts 30a and 30b, and the hook part cam surface 31b located inside the recording device rotates while contacting the locking part cam surface 41b. When the lever 30 is released from the locking part 40, the lever shafts 30a and 30b serve as the fulcrum, the lever operating part 33 serves as the force point, and the hook part cam surface 31b serves as the point of action. That is, the hook part cam surface 31b, which is caught facing the locking part cam surface 41b from the inside of the housing toward the outside of the housing, slides against the locking part cam surface 41b, thereby releasing the engagement state with the locking part cam surface 41b.

[0021] In the state where the lever 30 is locked by the locking portion 40, the hook cam surface 31b is positioned upward in the Z direction relative to the locking portion cam surface 41b in FIG. 6(a). In the Y direction, the contact point between the hook cam surface 31b and the locking portion cam surface 41b is located at the cover shaft portion 20a, The lever operating portion 33 is located on the rear side of the main body (in the -Y direction) of an imaginary line 50 that passes through the cover shaft portions 20a, 20b and the lever shaft portions 30a, 30b. In addition, the lever operating portion 33 is located on the front side of the main body (in the +Y direction) of an imaginary line 50 that passes through the cover shaft portions 20a, 20b and the lever shaft portions 30a, 30b.

[0022] In the state where the lever 30 is released from the locking part 40, in FIG. 6(b), the front end of the lever operating part 33 is located lower than the lever shaft parts 30a and 30b in the Z direction, and the hook part cam surface 31b is located closer to the front in the Y direction than the locking part cam surface 41b. The area surrounded by the lever operating part 33 and the cover knob part 23 is the lever operating space 35. By making the lever operating space 35 wider, the rotation angle of the lever operation is secured. The lock can be released by operating the lever operating part 33, but the lock can also be released not only by operating the operating part with the second finger to the fifth finger of the right hand, but also by holding the lever operating part 33 with the first finger while supporting the cover knob part 23 with fingers other than the first finger with the opposite hand, thereby pinching the cover knob part 23 and the lever operating part 33. The lever operating part 33 is configured to extend horizontally regardless of the inclination of the cover so that the user can easily place his / her hand on it. As long as cover knob portion 23 has a portion adjacent to lever operating portion 33 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of lever operating portion 33 when lever 30 is released from the engagement, other shape configurations are arbitrary.

[0023] Figures 7(a), 7(b), and 7(c) are schematic cross-sectional views showing the relationship between the cover opening operation and the forces acting thereon. Figure 7(a) shows the state in which the lever 30 and the locking section 40 are engaged with each other to hold the cover 20 in the closed position. Figure 7(b) shows the state in which the user operates the lever operating section 33 to release the locking mechanism A (Figure 6) between the lever 30 and the locking section 40. Figure 7(c) shows the state in which the cover has rotated in the direction of the arrow 26 to the open position as a result of the locking mechanism A being released.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the user unlocks the lever 20 to open the cover 20, the force of the arrow 51 is applied to the lever operating unit 33. At this time, the surface of the lever operating unit 33 to which the force is applied (pressed surface) is located on the outer side of the housing than an imaginary line 50 passing through the cover shafts 20a, 20b and the lever shafts 30a, 30b. When the pressed surface is pressed, the tip side of the lever operating unit 33 is configured to rotate so as to be displaced in a direction toward the cover shafts 20a, 20b. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the force received by the pressed surface includes a component force 52 acting in a direction toward the cover shafts 20a, 20b and a component force 53 in the rotation direction of the cover 2 from the closed state to the open state. In this way, by configuring the lever operating portion 33 on the side of the cover rotation direction 26 of the imaginary line 50 passing through the cover shaft portions 20a, 20b and the lever shaft portions 30a, 30b, the lever release direction 37 and the cover opening direction 26 become rotational moments in the same direction. This enables the user to separate the lever 30 and open the cover with a single action.

[0025] <Second embodiment> As the second embodiment, the configuration shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is given. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a rib-shaped protrusion 39 on the opposing surface 38 of the hook portion 31 of the lever 30. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the contact points and the direction of force of the opening / closing mechanism in the second embodiment. The cover opening / closing mechanism shown in the first embodiment is as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. However, when the lever operating portion 33 is pressed to perform an opening operation, the cover member 20 may be deformed toward the back side of the housing (-Y direction) with the contact surface 60a of the hook portion cam surface 31b and the lock portion cam surface 41b as a fulcrum. In the opening operation, if the deformation of the cover 20 occurs before the opening operation of the lever 30, the hook portion 31 will bite into the lock portion 40 in the Z direction. As a result, the opening operation force of the cover 20 may become heavy.

[0026] As a measure to improve this phenomenon, the lever 30 is provided with a rib-like protrusion 39 having a rib height B so as to eliminate the gap between the lock portion 40 and the hook portion 31. When the operating portion 33 is pressed, the rib-shaped projection 39 comes into contact with the end face of the locking portion cam surface 41a at a point 60b. The lever 30 rotates while in contact, and the hook portion 31 rotates in the direction of the arrow 37 with the point 60b as the rotation fulcrum. That is, the rib-shaped projection 39 abuts against the back side of the locking portion cam surface 41b in the locking portion 40 as an abutting portion, so as to become the fulcrum of the relative movement between the lever 30 and the locking portion 40 where slippage occurs between the locking cam surface 41b and the hooking portion cam surface 31b. The rib-shaped projection 39 changes the rotation fulcrum of the lever 30 from the shafts 30a, 30b to the point 60b, suppressing deformation of the cover 20 and smoothing the unlocking rotation operation because it moves first. Therefore, the opening operation can be performed with a smaller operating force.

[0027] <Third embodiment> 10(a), 10(b), and 10(c) are explanatory diagrams from a cross section showing the configuration and extension operation of the discharge tray section 80. The discharge tray section 80 extends from the discharge port 13 toward the outside of the housing, and is composed of a first discharge tray 81a, a second discharge tray 81b, and a discharge tray guide 81c as a tray combination that holds the recording medium discharged from the discharge port 13. FIG. 10(a) shows a state in which the discharge tray section 80 is completely closed, which is defined as a first position. FIG. 10(b) shows a state in which the discharge tray section 80 is completely extended, which is defined as a second position. FIG. 10(c) shows a transition from FIG. 10(b) to FIG. 10(a) with a part of the discharge tray section 80 closed, which is defined as a third position.

[0028] On both sides of the first discharge tray 81a in the X direction, left and right rotating shafts (not shown) located on the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction are provided, and these rotating shafts are rotatably attached to left and right holes provided in the discharge tray guide 81c. The second discharge tray 81b is guided by the discharge tray guide 81c so that it can be pulled out and pushed in along the sheet discharge direction. As shown in FIG. 10(b), the second discharge tray 81b is held so that the end on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction (near the handle 83 of the second discharge tray 81b) is raised during the process of being pulled out. The second discharge tray 81b has a handle 83 for operation, and a recessed area 84 is formed adjacent to the handle 83 on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the handle 83. When ink runs out during recording, the cover 20 may be opened for maintenance when the discharge tray section 80 is extended (second position). In this state, the cover 20 is placed on the second discharge tray 81b, and the opening space 12 becomes narrower when performing maintenance due to the opening of the cover 20. To ensure a sufficient opening space 12, it is necessary to store the discharge tray portion 80.

[0029] When storing the second discharge tray 81b in the first position, simply pressing the downstream end of the second discharge tray 81b causes the cover knob portion 23 and the inclined surface 86 to slide, causing the cover knob portion 23 and the lever operating portion 33 to enter the handle recessed area 84 and move to the first position.

[0030] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the open state of the cover 20 when the discharge tray section 80 is stored. In the open state, the cover 20 covers the second discharge tray 81b. Since the recessed area 84 has a sufficient width in the XYZ directions for the operation part of the cover 20, the operation part (lever operation part 33 and cover knob part 23) of the cover 20 is stored in the recessed area 84 of the second discharge tray.

[0031] When the cover 20 is open and the discharge tray section 80 is stored (the tray connecting body is completely retracted), a space 85, indicated by a dotted line, formed by the handle 83 of the second discharge tray 81b and the lever 30 is formed as a gap for enabling the discharge tray section 80 to be operated. The space 85 is a sufficient clearance for the fingertips to enter, so that the handle 83 can be accessed without being obstructed by the cover 20. For this reason, the handle 83 can be operated from the space 85. This allows the second discharge tray 81b to be completely stored or pulled out. That is, according to this embodiment, the discharge tray section 80 can be configured to be expandable and retractable even when the cover 20 is in the open state.

[0032] The above-described embodiments can be configured by combining the respective configurations with each other as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0033] In addition, although an image forming apparatus using an inkjet system has been described as an example, the same applies to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system. The configuration described above is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is determined by the claims, and is not limited to the individual forms of the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1: recording device, 8: discharge section, 9: paper feed tray, 10: lower housing, 20: cover, 23: cover knob section, 26: cover opening / closing operation, 30: lever, 31: hook section, 33: lever operation section, 35: lever operation space, 40: locking member, 41a: locking section cam surface, 41b: locking section cam surface

Claims

1. A housing having a recess provided on a side surface so as to be recessed in a horizontal direction and an opening provided at the back of the recess, a cover that is rotatable between a closed state that closes the opening and an open state that opens the opening; a cover shaft portion provided below the opening and serving as a rotation center of the cover; a lock portion provided above the opening for holding the cover in the closed state; Equipped with the cover has a lever that is rotatable about a lever shaft between a locking position where the cover is locked by the locking portion in the closed state and a non-locking position where the cover is not locked, the lever has an operating portion located outside an imaginary line passing through the cover shaft portion and the lever shaft portion, A housing characterized in that the opening direction of the cover when the cover is opened from the closed state and the release direction of the operating part when the lever is released from the engagement position include components that rotate in the same direction.

2. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the force that the operation portion receives from the user when releasing the lock of the lever includes a component force in a direction toward the cover shaft portion.

3. 3. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the force applied to the operation portion by the user when the lever is released includes a component force in a rotation direction of the cover from the closed state to the open state.

4. The housing described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when pressed by a user, the operating portion rotates so that the tip side of the lever, which is opposite the side on which the lever shaft portion is provided, is displaced in a direction toward the cover shaft portion.

5. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the operating portion has a shape that extends from the lever shaft portion toward the outside of the housing when the lever is engaged with the locking portion.

6. the locking portion has a locking portion cam surface facing the inside of the housing, The housing described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lever has a hook portion that extends toward the inside further than the locking portion at a position where it is engaged with the locking portion and wraps around the inside of the locking portion in a hook-like shape, and a hook portion cam surface that is a surface of the hook portion that faces the locking portion cam surface from the inside toward the outside of the housing, and is configured so that the hook portion cam surface gets caught on the locking portion cam surface, thereby becoming engaged with the locking portion.

7. The housing according to claim 6, characterized in that the lever has an abutment portion that abuts against a back side portion of the locking portion cam surface of the locking portion, so as to serve as a fulcrum for relative movement between the lever and the locking portion when slippage occurs between the locking portion cam surface and the hook portion cam surface when the lever is released from its locked state.

8. 8. The housing according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing means for biasing the lever so as to maintain the lever in the locking position.

9. 9. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a knob portion that protrudes outward from a side surface of the cover facing an exterior of the housing.

10. The housing according to claim 9 , wherein the knob portion has a portion adjacent to the operation portion on a downstream side in a rotation direction of the operation portion when the lever is released from the locked state.

11. The opening is an opening that opens laterally from the back of the recess, The cover shaft portion is provided to extend horizontally at a lower end side of the opening, The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that in the closed state, the cover is angled to extend approximately upward from the cover shaft portion, and in the open state, the cover is angled to extend approximately horizontally from the cover shaft portion toward the outside of the housing.

12. A recording device comprising the housing according to any one of claims 1 to 11, a recording unit provided inside the housing and configured to record an image on a recording medium; an outlet provided in the housing for discharging a recording medium on which an image is recorded; Equipped with The outlet is provided on the back side of the recess, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover is provided at the back side of the recess so as to open and close the periphery of the discharge port.

13. The apparatus further includes a reading unit that is provided on an upper portion of the housing and that reads an image from a document, 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the opening is open on a side surface of the housing below the reading unit.

14. a retractable tray extending from the discharge port toward an exterior side of the housing and holding the recording medium discharged from the discharge port; 14. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the tray is configured to be extendable and retractable even when the cover is in an open state.

15. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the lever has a gap between the lever and the tray for enabling operation of the tray when the cover is in an open state and the tray is in a retracted state.

16. the recording unit includes a removable cartridge; The cartridge is configured to be located at a predetermined position when the cover is opened and closed, 16. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the locking portion is disposed at a position that avoids a space required for mounting and demounting the cartridge that is located at the predetermined position.

Images