Image Forming Apparatus Document Placement Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing image forming apparatuses are not user-friendly for placing documents on the receiving surface from the front of the upper surface, as the inclined surface only extends from one end to the other end of the front portion, making it difficult for users to position documents correctly.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus includes a projecting portion on the front portion of the apparatus body, which projects forward and upward relative to the inclined surface, providing a more accessible area for document placement and improving user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the inclined surface extends from one end to the other end of the front portion, then the document placement area is maximized, but the user-friendliness for placing documents from the front deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The front portion of the upper surface is segmented into two distinct functional zones: an inclined surface extending from the rear end to the front end, and a projecting portion that protrudes forward from the inclined surface. This segmentation allows the inclined surface to provide extensive document placement area while the projecting portion creates an accessible front edge for easy document insertion from the front.
Solution Approach 2:
The projecting portion extends in the front-rear dimension beyond the inclined surface, creating a multi-level structure. This dimensional addition provides a forward-protruding platform that serves as an accessible entry point for document placement, while the inclined surface maintains its extensive area for document positioning.
2Productivity
If the inclined surface is continuously inclined downward from the front end of the rear portion to the front end, then the document transport to the reading unit is facilitated, but the accessibility for user operation from the front deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The front portion is segmented into the inclined surface for document transport and the projecting portion for user access. The inclined surface maintains continuous downward inclination for efficient document movement to the reading unit, while the projecting portion provides a forward extension that improves user accessibility without disrupting the transport function.
Solution Approach 2:
The projecting portion acts as an intermediary structure between the user and the inclined surface. It provides an accessible front platform for document placement while the inclined surface below continues to facilitate document transport to the reading unit, mediating between user interaction and automated transport.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes: an apparatus body having a receiving surface on which a document is placed and that is provided on a rear portion of an upper surface, the rear portion being positioned behind a front end of the upper surface; a reading unit provided on the rear portion such that the reading unit is openable and closable, the reading unit reading an image on the document while transporting the document; an inclined surface on which no operation unit is disposed, the inclined surface being continuously inclined downward from a front end of the rear portion to the front end of the upper surface; and a projecting portion provided on a front portion of the apparatus body at a position on a first side of the inclined surface in a left-right direction, the projecting portion projecting forward and upward with respect to the inclined surface.