JP2000284559A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the depth of a device main body and to improve operability in scanning inclusive image reading, by providing a first operation panel on the upper face of a document cover and providing a second operation panel in a part adjacent to a document reading part covered with the document cover when the document cover is in a closed position. SOLUTION: A first operation panel on the external face of a document cover 22 is provided so that, with the document cover 22 covering a document table 21 from above by being situated in a closed position, an operator can operate each key on the first operation panel 31 by using a left hand. In the document reading part 12 of a device main body 11, a part 12a adjacent to the left side of the document table 21 is used as a second operation panel 41, on which a small number of limited keys of the kinds that are in common with the keys of the first operation panel and have high use frequency are provided. The second operation panel 41, that is, the part 12a adjacent to the document table 21 is covered with the document cover 22 when the document cover 22 is in the closed position, and it is, therefore, situated blow the first operation panel 31.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a flat platen on which a document is placed stationary and having a document reading section for reading information described on the placed document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus and a printer having a structure shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional image forming apparatus, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are side views showing the image forming apparatus. That is, a document reading section 2 having a flat document table 3 made of glass, a closed position A covering the document table 3 and an open position B separated above the document table 3 are provided in the apparatus main body 1.
And a document cover 4 supported by the apparatus main body 1 so as to rotate between the original and the original. This document reading unit 2
A document (not shown) is placed stationary on the document table 3, the document cover 4 is turned to the closing position, and the document is pressed from above,
The information provided on the document is read by a sensor provided below the document table 2.

In general, an image forming apparatus is provided with an operation panel provided with keys and a display unit necessary for performing image recording operations such as image reading. In the above-described image forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG.
Is provided on the front upper portion of the apparatus main body 1 in front of the document table 3.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional image forming apparatus, since the operation panel 5 is disposed on the front side of the document table 3 and provided on the document reading section 2, the operation panel 5 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body 1 is provided. The dimensions, that is, the depth dimensions, have increased, and the apparatus main body 1 has correspondingly increased in size.

When reading a large-sized document covering the entire document table 3 and its surroundings, for example, an A2 size drawing, a part of the document protruding from the document table 3 is provided on the front side of the document table 3. The keys provided on the operation panel 5 may be invisible when the panel 5 is covered from above. In this case, it is necessary to lift the document covering the operation panel 5 by hand and operate the keys, which is very troublesome.

[0006] Therefore, there has conventionally been a demand for an image forming apparatus to reduce the depth dimension of the apparatus main body and to improve the operability related to image formation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an image forming apparatus in which the depth of the apparatus main body is reduced and the operability of operations including image reading is improved. .

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus, comprising: a document reading unit having a flat document table on which a document is placed stationary and reading information written on the placed document; And a closing position covering the document table and having a size covering the document table and a portion adjacent to the document table in the document reading section, and an open position separated above the document table. A document cover supported by the apparatus main body so as to rotate therebetween, a first operation panel provided on an upper surface portion of the document cover and provided with keys necessary for operations including a start key, and a closed position. A second operation panel provided with a key common to the first operation panel including at least a start key and provided at a location adjacent to the document reading unit covered by the document cover.

According to the configuration of the present invention, since the first operation panel is provided on the upper surface of the document cover, the depth dimension of the apparatus main body is reduced as compared with the case where the operation panel is provided on the front part of the apparatus main body. In addition, even when reading an image of a document of a large size covering the document table and its periphery, the image can be read using the keys of the first operation panel provided on the document cover. In addition to providing the first operation panel on the upper surface of the document cover, a key common to the first operation panel is placed at a position adjacent to the document reading unit 12 covered by the document cover when the document cover is in the closed position. When the original is read with the original cover closed, the operation is performed using the keys of the first operation panel provided on the original cover, and the original cover is opened. When the original is read, the keys of the second operation panel provided in the original reading section are exposed to the outside from the original cover, so that the operation can be performed using the keys of the second operation panel. It is very convenient because it can be easily operated regardless of the open / close position. Although the second operation panel is inconspicuous with a small number of keys, the second operation panel provided in the document reading section is covered with the document cover when the document is read with the document cover closed. Therefore, the operator does not carelessly touch the keys of the second operation panel or place an object on the keys without being unaware of the presence of the keys of the second operation panel, thereby performing an erroneous operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the first operation panel is provided on one of left and right side edges of the document cover, and the second operation panel is provided on the document cover. Is provided at a position overlapping with the first operation panel when in the closed position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, the document cover is configured to rotate up and down around a rear edge portion as a fulcrum.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the original cover can be easily opened and closed by using the first operation panel provided on the original cover, and the opening and closing operation of the original cover and the operation of each operation panel can be performed. Operation with one hand 1 (one)
Can be operated with actions.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

This embodiment is directed to a copying machine having an original reading section in the upper section, a recording sheet discharge section in the middle section, and an image recording mechanism in the lower section as an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a copying machine showing a state in which a document cover is closed, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the same, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the document cover is opened, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing the same. .

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a main body of the apparatus. The upper part is a document reading part 12, the middle part is a recording paper discharge space part 13, and the lower part is an image recording part 14.
An image recording mechanism (an image recording mechanism) for recording an image on a recording paper P (shown in FIG. 1) based on information of the original D (shown in FIG. 3) read by the original reading unit by an electrophotographic method is provided inside the image recording unit 14. (Not shown). Recording paper discharge space 1
Reference numeral 3 has a discharge port 13a for discharging the recording paper P on which an image is recorded.

The document reading section 12 will be described. The document reading unit 12 has a platen 21 made of a flat transparent glass plate provided horizontally on the upper surface thereof. The platen 21 is a square set in consideration of the size of the document 7 to be placed. is there. In addition. A sensor (not shown) is movably provided below the document table 21. The upper surface of the document reading unit 12 has a space for providing a second operation panel 41 to be described later on one of the left and right sides as viewed from the front side of the document table 21, for example, at a location 12 a adjacent to the left side in the drawing. Is secured. The portion 12 a extends along the front-back direction of the document table 21 and has an area necessary for providing the second operation panel 41.

The document reading section 12 is provided with a document cover 22. The document cover 22 has a square shape having an area covering the document table 21 and a portion 12 a adjacent to the document table 21. The document cover 22 is rotatably supported at its rear edge by a horizontal pivot (not shown) at the rear edge of the document reading unit 12, and is positioned horizontally so as to be adjacent to the document table 21. A position between a closed position A that covers the portion 12a from above and an open position B that is separated upward from the document table 21 to open it can be rotated in the vertical direction with the rear edge as a fulcrum.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface of the document cover 22 which is the upper surface when it is at the closing position A has one of a left edge 22b and a right edge 22c sandwiching the front edge 22a, for example, a left edge. A first operation panel 31 is provided on 22b. The first operation panel 31 is connected to the document cover 22.
Has a predetermined width dimension along the left-right direction, a length dimension over the entire front-rear direction of the document cover 22, and a predetermined height dimension rising from the upper surface of the document cover 22. The first operation panel 31 is provided with keys and a display panel required for image forming operations including document reading. That is, 32
Is a start key for starting a series of operations from image reading to recording of an image on the recording paper P and discharging, 33 is a ten-key for setting the number of copies, 34 is a magnification setting, an image density setting and a recording paper size. The start key 32 and the numeric keypad 33 are used to perform various settings such as setting. The first operation panel 23 is used as a type that is used most frequently in operation.
Is provided on the front side of the vehicle. Reference numeral 35 denotes a display panel formed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, which displays various information such as the number of images set by the ten keys 33, the image density set by the other keys 34, and the recording paper size.

The first operation panel 23 provided on the outer surface of the document cover 22 as described above, when the document cover 22 covers the document table 21 from the upper side at the closed position, causes the apparatus main body 11 to be closed.
The operator standing in front of the first operation panel 3
1 is provided to operate each of the keys 32 to 34 provided. The front end surface of the first operation panel 31 has a concave portion 3 for hooking a finger so that the finger can be lifted.
1a is formed. The first operation panel 31 also has a role of reinforcing the portion of the document cover 31 provided with the first operation panel 31.

A portion 12a adjacent to the left side of the document table 21 in the document reading section 12 of the apparatus main body 11 is set to be used as a second operation panel 41, and the second operation panel 42 includes a first operation panel. Key 3 provided on 23
There are a limited number of keys of a type that is common to 2 to 34 and frequently used. Specifically, at least a start key 42 is provided.
3 are provided.

The second operation panel 41, that is, the portion 12a adjacent to the document table 21 is covered by the document cover 22 when the document cover 22 is at the closing position A. The first operation panel provided on the document cover 22 31 is located below.

A description will be given of a case where the copying machine constructed as described above is operated. First, the case where the document D is copied (image recorded) with the document cover 22 positioned at the closing position A as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. In this case, the operation is performed in a state where the original D made of a normal sheet is placed on the original platen 21 and covered from above by the original cover 22 located at the horizontal closing position A. That is, the operator stands on the front side of the apparatus main body 11 and hooks the left hand finger on the concave portion 31 a of the first operation panel 31 so that the first operation panel 31
Lift. Then, the document cover 22 rotates upward with the rear edge as a fulcrum. The document cover 22 is rotated upward to the open position to open the document table 21, and the document D on the document table 21 is placed stationary. Thereafter, the document cover 22 is rotated downward from the open position B to the closed position A while holding the concave portion 31 a of the first operation panel 31 with the left hand, and is placed on the upper surface of the document table 21 of the document reading section 12. As a result, the original cover 22 covers the original plate 21 and presses the original D placed stationary on the original plate 21 from above, and the left portion of the original cover 22 is adjacent to the left side of the original plate 21, that is, the second portion 12a.
The operation panel 41 is covered and hidden from above. At this time, the first operation panel 31 provided on the left side of the document cover 22 covers the second operation panel 41 of the document reading unit 12 from above. In this case, the original cover 22 is opened and closed by using the first operation panel 31 of the original cover 22 so that the original cover 2 is opened.
First operation panel 31 using the hand for opening and closing 2 as it is
By operating these keys, the operation of opening and closing the document cover 22 and the operation of the first operation panel 31 can be operated with one hand in one (one) action, and the operation of the first operation panel 31 is easy. The document cover 22 is opened and closed by rotating the front edge vertically with the rear edge as a fulcrum, so that the operator opens and closes the document cover 22 in a reasonable direction when opening and closing the document cover 22. Operation can be further utilized.

When reading a large-sized document covering the entire document table 3 and its periphery, for example, an A2-size drawing, even if a part of the document D protrudes from the document table 3, the first operation panel 31 Since it is provided on the upper surface of the document cover 22, it is not covered with the document D and does not interfere with the document reading operation.

When reading a document with the document cover 22 in the closed position A, the second operation panel 41 provided on the document reading section 12 is covered with the document cover 22. The keys provided on the second operation panel 41 of the document reading section 12 are small in number and frequently used, and the installation area is small and inconspicuous. Erroneous operation, such as touching the key or placing an object on the keys 42, 43 and erroneously pressing the keys 42, 43 to perform an unnecessary number setting or start operation. Therefore, when reading a document with the document cover 22 in the closed position A, the second operation panel 41 provided on the document reading section 12 is covered with the document cover 22 so that the operator can Key 4 on operation panel 41
An erroneous operation of touching the keys 2 and 43 or placing an object on the keys 42 and 43 and erroneously pressing the keys 42 and 43 to perform an unnecessary number setting or start operation can be suppressed.

Thereafter, the operator operates the ten-key pad 3 provided on the first operation panel 31 provided on the left side of the document cover 31 with the left hand.
The number of copies is set with 3, and the start key 32 is pressed to start the copying operation. If necessary, the other keys 34
Use to set the image density and recording paper size. Document reading section 1
In 2, the sensor moves to read information written on the document D placed on the document table 21. In the image recording section 14, the image recording mechanism records an image on the recording paper P based on the read image information. The recording paper P on which the image has been recorded is discharged to the recording paper discharge unit 13 from the discharge port 13a.

Next, a description will be given of a case where the document cover 22 is positioned at the open position B as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, that is, a case where copying is performed with the document cover 22 upright. In this case, when a normal sheet is copied on the document table 21 (for example, when copying is performed in a hurry).
Or, the original is not a paper sheet but a thick one such as a book such as a dictionary or a dictionary. In the latter case, since the upper surface of a thick document such as a dictionary or a dictionary is located at a position much higher than the upper surface of the document table 21 and separated upward, when the document cover 22 abuts on the upper surface of the document, the upper surface of the document table 21 It stops in a state of being inclined from the front side edge toward the rear side edge at a large separated high position, and it becomes difficult to operate the first operation panel 31 provided on the upper surface of the document cover 22. For this reason, the operation is performed in a state where the document cover 22 is set in the open position B.

That is, in a state where the document cover 23 is set up at the open position B away from the document table 21, the document table 21 and the second operation panel 41 cannot be covered from above, and the document table 2
The second operation panel 41 provided adjacent to 1 is exposed and opened. Therefore, the operator operates the second operation panel 4
The number of copies is set using the numeric keypad 43 provided for the user 1 and the copy operation is started by pressing the start key 42. When the original is to be copied with the original cover 22 upright, such as when the original is thick such as a dictionary or a dictionary, the keys 42 and 42 of the second operation panel 41 provided on the original reading unit 12 are used. 43, the original cover 22 cannot hold the original at the normal closing position A due to the thickness of the original.
Even when it is difficult to perform an operation using the operation panel 31, the copying operation can be easily performed.

In this case, since the first operation panel 31 of the document cover 22 and the second operation panel 41 of the document reading section 12 are provided in a vertically overlapping position, the opening and closing of the document cover 22 is performed in the same manner as described above. 1 By using the operation panel 31 to operate the keys of the second operation panel 41 using the hand for opening and closing the document cover 22 as it is, the operation of opening and closing the document cover 22 and the operation of the second operation panel 41 are performed. The operation can be performed with one hand in one (one) action, and the operation of the second operation panel 41 is easy.

In this copying machine, the first operation panel 3
1 is provided on the document cover 22, the depth of the apparatus main body is reduced as compared with the case where the first operation panel 31 is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 11.

When an operator located on the front side of the apparatus main body 11 performs an operation on the front side of the front part of the apparatus main body 11, such as when taking out the recording paper P discharged to the recording paper discharge section 13, an operation panel is provided. The operation can be performed without being hindered by the operation. That is, when the operation panel 5 is provided so as to protrude to the front outside of the apparatus main body 1 as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG.
When taking out the recording paper P discharged to the recording paper discharge section 6 located below the operation panel 5, the operation panel 5 provided on the upper front surface of the apparatus main body 1 and protruding toward the front and outside obstructs the recording paper discharge section 6. It is very difficult to take out the recording paper P from the printer. This embodiment solves this problem.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented in various modifications. For example, although the panels 31 and 41 are provided on the left side of the document table 21 in the embodiment, the invention is not limited thereto, and the panels 31 and 41 may be provided on the right side of the document table 21. In the embodiment, a copier is used as an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a single-function machine such as a printer or a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine combining the functions of these single-function machines. In short, it is only necessary that the apparatus main body has a document table on which a document is placed and at least a document reading unit for reading information on the document.

[0033]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the first operation panel is provided on the upper surface of the document cover, the operation panel is provided as compared with the case where the operation panel is provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body. The depth dimension of the apparatus main body is reduced, and even when reading an image of a document of a large size that covers the document table and its periphery, the image can be read using the keys of the first operation panel provided on the document cover. . In addition to providing the first operation panel on the upper surface of the document cover, a key common to the first operation panel is placed at a position adjacent to the document reading unit 12 covered by the document cover when the document cover is in the closed position. When reading a document with the document cover closed, the operation is performed using the keys of the first operation panel provided on the document cover, and the document cover is set to the open position. When the original is read, the keys of the second operation panel provided in the original reading section are exposed to the outside from the original cover, so that the operation can be performed using the keys of the second operation panel. It is very convenient because it can be easily operated regardless of the open / close position. In particular, when the original placed on the platen is a thick book such as a dictionary or a dictionary and the original cover cannot be located at the closing position, the original reading operation is performed using the second operation panel without hindrance. be able to. Although the second operation panel is inconspicuous with a small number of keys, the second operation panel provided on the original reading section is covered with the original cover when the original is read with the original cover closed. In addition, the operator does not carelessly touch the keys of the second operation panel or place an object on the keys without being aware of the presence of the keys of the second operation panel, thereby performing an erroneous operation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the original cover can be easily opened and closed by using the first operation panel provided on the original cover, and the opening and closing operation of the original cover and the operation of each operation panel can be performed with one hand. 1) Can be operated by action.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the effect of the second aspect of the invention can be further exploited by opening and closing the document cover in a reasonable direction when the operator opens and closes the document cover.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a document cover of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is closed.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a document cover closed state of the facsimile apparatus in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary perspective view showing the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment in a state where a document cover is opened;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment in a state where a document cover is opened;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional facsimile machine.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a conventional facsimile apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a conventional facsimile machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Main body, 12 ... Original reading part, 14 ... Image recording part, 21 ... Original platen, 22 ... Original cover, 31 ... 1st operation panel, 32 ... Start key, 33 ... Numeric keypad, 34 ... Other keys, 35 ... display unit, 41 ... second operation panel, 42 ... start key, 43 ... numeric keypad.

Claims (3)

[Claims] An apparatus body having at least a document reading unit for reading information written on a placed document, and a document table in the document reading unit; And a document having a size to cover a portion adjacent to the document table and supported by the apparatus main body so as to rotate between a closed position covering the document table and an open position separated above the document table. A cover, a first operation panel provided on an upper surface portion of the document cover and provided with keys necessary for an operation including a start key, and a portion adjacent to the document reading portion covered by the document cover in a closed position. An image forming apparatus, comprising: the first operation panel including a start key and a second operation panel including a common key. 2. The first operation panel is provided at one of left and right side edges of the document cover, and the second operation panel is below the first operation panel when the document cover is in a closed position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided at a position. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the document cover rotates up and down around a rear edge.