JP2002084385A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the operability of an image formation device both in image reading and in image forming and reduce the footprint thereof. SOLUTION: The image formation device 10 is provided with an image forming means 1 for forming an image on a sheet, an image read means 2 for scanning a document, and a frame body 20 housing the image forming means 1 and the image read means, and the frame body is so constituted that the image read means is positioned under the image forming means and the image read means and the frame body can slide each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction machine including a reading device and a recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a scanner (reading apparatus) for reading a document and a sheet (hereinafter referred to as a "recording sheet") based on image information from the scanner or image information from the outside.
There is a copying machine (image forming apparatus) in which a printer (recording apparatus) for recording an image is integrated. The copying machine is connected to an external device such as a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a "PC"), and can be used as a printer or a scanner. Such a copying machine is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-183223 and 8-183224.

An example of this type of copying machine will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of a conventional copying machine.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of the copying machine shown in FIG.

A conventional copying machine 110 has a two-layer structure in which a printer 104 and a scanner 107 are integrated and a scanner 107 is disposed above the printer 104.

[0005] At the rear of the housing 100, a board 118 on which an image processing section, a control circuit section, and the like are mounted is provided upright as shown in the figure.

The printer 104 includes a guide shaft 14
This is a so-called serial printer that drives a carriage 145 that can reciprocate on the carriages 3 and 144 by a motor (not shown). On the carriage 145, a cartridge 146 containing black ink, a cartridge 147 containing cyan ink, and a cartridge 148 containing magenta ink
And a cartridge 149 containing yellow ink are provided to be exchangeable. The ink in these cartridges is supplied to the inkjet head 133.

[0007] An operation panel 105 is provided integrally with the lid 101. When the user opens the lid 101 when the carriage 145 moves to the standby position (side) of the scanner 107, the user can arbitrarily change the ink cartridges 146 to 149 on the carriage 145 by the user. It can be replaced.

A pressure plate 171 having a handle 171k is provided above the scanner 107 by a hinge 171a so as to open in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

In the recording sheet path in the printer 104, the recording sheet P is loaded from the front (from left to right in FIG. 6) and discharged forward (from right to left in FIG. 6) as shown by the broken line in FIG. It is a U-turn pass. Then, the sheet supply unit of the recording sheet path is steplessly moved in the front and back directions of the sheet surface to adjust the position of the edge of the recording sheet P in the width direction, and the position of the solid line shown in FIG. And an adjustment plate 122 that is moved steplessly between the position and the position indicated by the broken line to adjust the end.

When a plurality of recording sheets are stacked and loaded in the sheet supply section, excessive stacking is prevented between the regulating member 124 and the pressing plate 123, the leading end of the recording sheet enters, and the pressing plate 123 is driven by a drive (not shown). The mechanism rotates from the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 6 to the position shown by the solid line. Push plate 123
Indicates that the first recording sheet P is transferred to the platen roller 12
5 and is fed between the platen roller 125 and the separation roller 126 by rotation of the plantain roller 125.

The recording sheet P further includes a guide roller 1
27, guide plate 128 and guide pressing roller 129
Thus, the inkjet head 13 of the carriage 145 is
3 is guided below. The ink jet head 1 moves while the carriage 145 reciprocates on the guide shafts 143 and 144 in the direction orthogonal to the recording sheet path.
An image is recorded on the recording sheet by 33 (an image is formed). The recording sheet P on which the predetermined color recording operation has been performed is discharged to the discharge tray 1 by a discharge roller 130 and a spur roller 131 which does not affect the ink surface.
32.

Examples of the sheet include plain paper, a thin sheet which is a substitute for plain paper, cardboard, a postcard, and a letter.

[0013]

However, since the conventional copying machine 110 is equipped with the printer 104 on a U-turn recording sheet path, the height of the entire apparatus is high. For this reason, there is a problem that the position of the scanner 107 disposed above the printer 104 is also high, and it is difficult to set a document on the scanner. In particular, the copying machine 11
When the user places the document on the desk and tries to set the document while the user is sitting on the chair, there is an inconvenience in use that the set document is difficult to see.

Further, the conventional copier 110 has a printer 1
A scanner 107 is provided above the printer 04, and a space for installing a discharge tray 132 on which an image-formed recording sheet discharged from the printer is stacked is required between the printer 140 and the scanner 107. There is a problem that it is difficult to take out a recording sheet on which an image has been formed. In particular, when the copier 110 is connected to a personal computer, the number of printer operations becomes larger than the number of copy operations and scanner operations.
Frequently, a recording sheet on which an image has been formed is frequently taken out, and the problem that it is difficult to take out a recording sheet on which an image has been formed has been prominent.

Further, when the copier 110 is installed beside the personal computer and connected to the personal computer to be used as the printer 104 or the scanner 107, the lid 1 is opened and closed on the right side of the scanner 107 when the ink cartridge 133 is replaced.
Since the operation panel 105 also serves as the computer 01, it is preferable to use the copier on the left side of the personal computer. However, when the copier is used on the right side of the personal computer, the operation panel 105 is connected to the scanner 107. This makes it difficult to see, and the operation of the copier becomes difficult, and the replacement of the ink cartridge 133 becomes difficult. Alternatively, even if the operation panel 105 also serving as the lid 101 is provided on the left side of the scanner 107, it is difficult to operate the apparatus by installing the apparatus on the left side of the personal computer. The user's freedom of choice.

According to the present invention, the operability at the time of setting a sheet is improved without impairing the sheet transportability, the visibility and operability of an operation panel, and the operability at the time of replacing an ink cartridge are improved. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can improve the operability of both the image reading operation and the image forming operation and can reduce the installation area.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; an image reading means for reading an image on a document; A frame having the image reading means, wherein the frame is positioned below the image forming means so that the image reading means and the frame can slide with each other. It is configured.

The image reading means of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured to be slidable between a position for reading an image and a position stored in the frame.

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the image reading unit is housed in the main body, the front surface of the image reading unit and the front surface of the image forming unit are aligned.

The image reading means of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a document placing portion on which the document is placed; and a document moving by moving in a longitudinal direction of the document placed on the document placing portion. And an image forming unit that moves in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the image reading unit to form an image on a sheet.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the upper part of the image reading means when the image reading means is pulled out from the main body is discharged to a position where a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming means is discharged and stacked. It is a sheet stacking means.

The upper part of the image reading means of the image forming apparatus of the present invention has an auxiliary discharge sheet stacking means which can be extended in the drawing direction of the image reading means.

The upper part of the image reading means of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is a plate-like pressing member for pressing the original.

[0024] The image forming means of the image forming apparatus of the present invention has a sheet path for guiding and conveying from one side of the image forming means to the other side, and the image reading section is provided with respect to the sheet path. In the direction of intersection.

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the image reading means is housed in the frame, both ends of the image reading means on the front side in the pulling-out direction are exposed from the main body to serve as a pulled-out pinched portion.

An operation panel for operating the image reading means and the image forming means of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided on the frame above the image forming means.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.

(First Embodiment) First, an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. FIG.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a copying machine (image forming apparatus). FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the copier when the scanner is housed in the main body of the copier. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of a side surface of the copying machine.

The copying machine 10 comprises a printer 1 as an image forming means for recording (forming) an image on a recording sheet, and a scanner 2 as an image reading means for reading an image of a document. A scanner 2 is provided at a lower portion of a main body 20 as a frame of the copier 10, and a printer 1 is provided at an upper portion.
Are arranged. An operation panel 3 for performing various operations such as a copying operation is disposed above the printer 1.

An interface cable (not shown) of the Picentro standard, which is connected to a personal computer serving as a host computer, is drawn out from the rear of the main body 20 to the outside. A power supply (not shown) is provided next to a connector (not shown) provided in the main body of the Vicentro cable so that predetermined power can be supplied to each component.

When reading an image, the scanner 2
It is used by being pulled out from the main body 20 toward the state shown in FIG. 1 from the state shown in FIG. The scanner 2 is a flat bed type scanner capable of reading an image of a book type original such as a book. The scanner 2 reads a document placed on a document glass 22 (see FIG. 3) above the scanner 2, which is exposed by opening the pressure plate 21 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

In FIG. 3, a scanner 2 is a contact sensor (C) which is a reading unit which is guided by a guide shaft (not shown) and reciprocates in the direction of arrow N in FIG.
In step S) 23, the image of the original placed on the original glass 22 is read.

Transmission of communication information between the scanner 2 and the main body 20 uses a flexible cable, and power supply and the like use a bundled cable. These cables are configured to be connected between the back side of the scanner 2 and the back side of the apparatus main body 20. Scanner 2 is body 2
In a state in which the scanner 2 is stored in the storage device 0, the cable may be pulled out from the winding device in response to an operation of pulling out the scanner 2 by winding the cable by a winding device (not shown).

The lengths of these cables are set to allow a margin more than the moving distance of the scanner 2. In the present embodiment, the electrical and communication connection between the scanner 2 and the main body 20 is performed by the above configuration, but the present invention is not limited to these configurations and members.

The printer 1 is a so-called serial printer of an ink jet recording system that discharges ink from a recording head and records an ink image on a recording sheet. The printer 1 separates and conveys a plurality of recording sheets set on the automatic sheet feeding unit 11 one by one, and forms an image on the recording sheets. Auxiliary tray 14
Is drawn out in the direction of arrow J in FIG. 3 according to the size of the recording sheet in the transport direction and used.

The side guide 13 is provided for the automatic sheet feeding unit 1.
In order to prevent the recording sheet set on the top 1 from skewing, the recording sheet is opposed to the end in the width direction of the recording sheet so that the recording sheet can be slid by the user in accordance with the size of the recording sheet in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the conveying direction). Automatic paper feed unit 11
Built in.

The recording sheets set in the automatic paper feed unit 11 are supplied into the printer 1 which is separated one by one, and the heads 46a of the ink cartridges 46, 47 are used.
The sheet is ejected from the sheet ejection port 12 through 47a.

When the paper discharge tray 15 is not used,
When the scanner 2 is used, it can be used by pulling out the scanner 2 and then rotating the discharge tray 15 in the direction of arrow K in FIG. The recording sheet discharged from the discharge port 12 is
2 and stacked on the paper discharge tray 15. Although the discharge tray 15 is used by rotating it in the direction of arrow K, it can be moved in the left-right direction in FIG.
It may be made possible to use it by pulling it out to the left in FIG. Alternatively, the pull-out end may be made to be able to be pulled out while rotating around one end of the drawer side end.

When the scanner 2 is not performing the reading operation of the original, and when it is not necessary to place the recording sheet on the discharge tray 15, the scanner 2 15 is stored in the pressure plate 21, and then slid under the printer 1 so that the storage portion 20 a
It can be stored inside. The rail 63 provided on the side surface of the scanner 2 is guided by a ridge 62 projecting inward from the storage portion 20 a of the main body 20 of the copying machine 10, so that the scanner 2 can slide on the main body 20. I support it. The rail 63 and the ridge 62 are provided as a pair on the left and right as viewed from the left side in FIG.

An operation panel 3 provided on the upper part of the printer 1 has a power indicator 3a for indicating a power-on state and an operation state of the copying machine 10, and a display window 3 for displaying various states.
b and various switches 3c for performing various settings. The type of the switch 3c includes a power switch for turning on / off the power, a copy switch for performing copying, a stop switch for stopping various operations, a changeover switch for switching operation modes of a scanner, a printer, a copy, and other various settings. There are switches to perform. The operation panel 3 has a function for using the copying machine as a stand-alone copying machine.

Next, a layout relating to the orientation of the scanner 2 will be described.

The printer 1 has at least the heads 46a and 46a of the ink cartridges 46 and 47 mounted on the carriage 45 in order to enable printing over the entire recording sheet width.
47a is moved more than the width of the recording sheet.

Further, in order to perform beautiful printing without unevenness on the image sheet, it is necessary for the ink cartridges 46 and 47 mounted on the carriage 45 to discharge ink onto the recording sheet while moving at a constant speed. . Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently accelerate the ink cartridges 46 and 47 mounted on the carriage 45 outside the width of the recording sheet, and the space required for the acceleration is required on both sides of the area where the recording sheet passes.

Furthermore, when printing is not performed, a drying prevention device (not shown) for preventing the heads 46a and 47a from drying, and a drying prevention device (not shown) for keeping the heads 46a and 47a always clean. A cleaning device is provided outside the recording sheet passage area. For this reason, the width of the printer 1 is wider than the width of the maximum size recording sheet on which an image can be formed by the printer 1.

For example, in the case of an apparatus which is set as the maximum size of a printable sheet, which conveys an A4 size recording sheet in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sheet and performs printing, the above-described various apparatuses and arrangements At present, the width of the printer 1 is required to be longer than the length in the A4 longitudinal direction due to the restrictions described above. That is, when the moving direction of the carriage is the width direction of the printer 1, the length is at least longer than the length (297 mm) of the A4 size sheet in the longitudinal direction.

Therefore, the scanner 2 for reading A4 size
Are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the A4 size document as the read document is parallel to the moving direction of the carriage, so that the width direction length of the scanner 2 (the length in the longitudinal direction of the A4 document) and the width of the printer 1 It is possible to make the length in the direction substantially the same. As a result, even when the scanner 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the pull-out amount can be about the length (210 mm) of the A4 size document set in the scanner 2 in the width direction. That is, compared to the case of drawing out in the longitudinal direction, the length of drawing out is smaller, and the usability is good.

The printer 1 disposed above the scanner 2 has a recording sheet path for loading recording sheets from the direction of arrow P or Q in FIG. 2 and discharging the recording sheet in the direction of arrow R. The carriage 45 is guided by the carriage shaft 43 and reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction with respect to the recording sheet path. On the carriage 45, a cartridge 46 containing black ink and a cartridge 47 containing cyan, magenta and yellow inks are detachably mounted.

Further, the recording sheet path of this embodiment is viewed from the front of the copying machine 10 and is located at the rear of the copying machine (right rear in FIG.
The recording sheet inserted from the right side is inserted into the front of the copier (Fig. 1).
(Left front, left side in FIG. 3).
The recording sheet path is a path for loading the recording sheet,
3, a recording sheet path 64 in the direction of arrow P and a recording sheet path 65 in the direction of arrow Q are provided.

First, the recording sheet path 64 will be described. A plurality of recording sheets can be set in the automatic sheet feeding unit 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary tray 14 can be pulled out in a direction indicated by an arrow J from a state of being stored in the tray main body 18.
Therefore, the auxiliary tray 14 can be supported so that when a large-sized recording sheet is set in the automatic supply unit 11, the recording sheet is not pulled out from the tray main body 18 by the user and falls down. I have.

The side guide 13 is provided on the push plate 17 so as to be movable on the push plate 17 in a direction crossing the recording sheet. The side guide 13 is slid in accordance with the size of the recording sheet in the width direction to align the edges of the recording sheet set in the automatic sheet feeding unit 11 and prevent the recording sheet from skewing. I have. The uppermost recording sheet of the plurality of recording sheets set in the automatic sheet feeding unit 11 is picked up by the push plate 17 being rotated in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 31 is pressed. Then, the pickup roller 31 rotates, separates the uppermost recording sheet from other recording sheets by a separation mechanism (not shown), and conveys the recording sheet in the direction of arrow P in FIG.

The recording sheet is further transported by the transport rollers 3
3 and the pinch roller 32, the ink cartridge 4
The image is fed below the heads 46a and 47a of the heads 6 and 47, and an image is formed. Then, the recording sheet on which the image is recorded is discharged onto the pressure plate 21 and the discharge tray 15 by the discharge roller 34 and the spur roller 35 which does not affect the ink surface.

As described above, the pressure plate 21 and the paper discharge tray 15 are usually provided below the printer 1 as shown in FIG.
It is stored together with the scanner 2. However, when the paper discharge tray 15 is rotated in the direction of arrow K after the scanner 2 is pulled out, the recording sheets are stacked.

Next, the recording sheet path 65 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording sheet path 65 is formed substantially straight from the insertion port 16 at the lower part of the automatic paper feed unit 11 to the paper discharge port 12. Recording sheet path 65
Is used, for example, when an image is formed on a recording sheet or the like that is difficult to bend and hard to supply from the automatic paper feeding unit 11. When a recording sheet is inserted into the insertion slot 16, the recording sheets are manually inserted one by one. The recording sheet inserted from the insertion opening 16 is pushed until it hits a nip position between the transport roller 33 and the pinch roller 32.

Then, a sensor (not shown) upstream of the pinch roller 32 on the recording sheet path detects the recording sheet. Based on the detection signal of this sensor, the pickup roller 31 and the drive mechanism (not shown) of the automatic paper feed unit 11 are not driven, and the transport roller 33 and the pinch roller 32 are not driven.
(Not shown) is driven. Thereby, the insertion slot 1
The recording sheet inserted from 6 is transported by the conveying roller 33 and the pinch roller 32 to the ink cartridges 46 and 47.
Are sent under each of the heads 46a, 47a. Subsequent operations are performed in the same manner as in the case of the recording sheet path 64 on the arrow P side described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

According to the above configuration, the recording sheet path is not a U-turn path unlike the related art, so that it does not overlap vertically and the height of the printer 1 can be reduced. Can be reduced, and the transportability of the recording sheet and the operability when setting the recording sheet are not impaired.

The operation for opening the pressure plate 21 and the operation for setting an original on the original glass 22 can be easily performed even when the user is sitting, for example, because the scanner 2 is laid out at a low position. Can be done.

Further, a recording sheet path 64 indicated by an arrow P
Is used mainly for a recording sheet path 65 on the arrow Q side where only one sheet can be set. However, the recording sheet path 64 has a J-shape as shown in FIG. 3 and has a large radius of curvature. Most types of recording sheets, including recording sheets, can be guided.

A recording sheet that cannot be used even in the recording sheet path 64 on the arrow P side (for example, a recording sheet that is stiff enough to be hardly bent) can be used by using the recording sheet path 65 on the arrow Q side. The ink cartridges 46 and 47 can be guided under the respective heads 46a and 47a.

In the printer 1, the printer chassis 41 is bent at right angles on both sides, and the carriage shaft 4 supported at both ends by the printer chassis 41 bent at right angles.
3 is a so-called serial printer in which a carriage 45 driven by a motor (not shown) is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the drawing of FIG. And printer 1
The head unit 4 is configured such that a cartridge 46 containing black ink and a cartridge 47 containing inks of cyan, magenta and yellow are freely exchangeable on a carriage 45.
Ink of each color is supplied to 6a and 47a. A scanner 2 is provided below the printer 1, and an operation panel 3 is provided above the printer 1.

On the other hand, as described above, the scanner 2 scans the original placed on the transparent original glass 22 by the reading unit 23 guided by a guide shaft (not shown) in the direction of arrow N in FIG. The original is read by being reciprocated by being driven by a motor (not shown) in the direction (1).

As described above, the printer 1 and the scanner 2 are disposed one above the other with the direction of the arrow N as the reading direction of the scanner 2 and the reciprocating direction of the carriage 45 of the printer 1 aligned. Is slidably disposed below the main body 20 of the copier, so that the scanner 2 can be stored under the printer 1 when the scanner 2 is not used, so that the space utilization efficiency of the copier is improved. Thus, the actual occupied area can be reduced. When the scanner 2 is used, it can be pulled out from the lower part of the printer 1, so that the operability is not impaired.

Next, a method of replacing the ink cartridges 46 and 47 will be described. The printer cover 42 is shown in FIG.
It can be rotated and opened in the direction of the middle arrow S. When the printer cover 42 is opened, the ink cartridges 46 and 47 mounted on the carriage 45 can be attached and detached.

The ink cartridges 46 and 47 are fixed by a lever 44 provided on a carriage 45. By rotating the lever 44 clockwise in FIG. 3 by about 90 °, the lock is released, and the ink cartridges 46 and 4 are unlocked.
7 is removed from the carriage 45 and the printer cover 4 is removed.
2 can be taken out. When attaching the ink cartridges 46 and 47 to the carriage 45, the lever 44 is locked by rotating the lever 44 counterclockwise by about 90 ° (FIG. 3). By doing so, the operation of removing the ink cartridges 46 and 47 can be performed on the front surface of the printer 1 (the left side in FIG. 3), so that the attachment and detachment of the ink cartridges 46 and 47 become easy.

With the above configuration, the copying machine 10 according to the present embodiment can be used not only as a stand-alone copying machine but also as a scanner / printer as a peripheral device of a personal computer, for example. . At this time, the copier 10 may be installed near the personal computer, but the operation panel 3 is arranged on the upper surface of the printer 1 regardless of whether the copier 10 is installed on the right side or the left side of the personal computer. The visibility and operability of the operation panel 3 are improved.

Further, since the ink cartridges 46 and 47 can be replaced from the front of the printer 1, the ink cartridge 4 can be mounted on either side of the personal computer.
The replacement work of 6, 47 can be easily performed.

Further, since the scanner 2 is disposed below the main body 20, the original can be easily placed on the original glass 22, and the efficiency of reading the original can be improved.

(Second Embodiment) In the image forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, the rear surface of the scanner 2 is
As shown in FIG. 2, even when the scanner 2 is stored in the main body 20, the front surface is It protruded slightly from the front of the printer 1.

However, in the above-described embodiment, since the automatic sheet feeding unit 11 projects backward from the rear surface of the printer 1, the area occupied by the apparatus includes the projected area of the projecting sheet feeding unit 11. Become. Therefore,
By effectively utilizing this portion, the installation area can be further reduced.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 70 of the second embodiment
When the scanner 60 is stored in the lower part of the printer 1, the front surface 60 a of the scanner 60 is aligned with the front surface 1 a of the printer 1 (to be flush with the printer 1). In the image forming apparatus 70, the same parts as those of the image forming apparatus 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the parts will be omitted.

The image forming apparatus 70 according to the second embodiment has a cutout 7 on a part of the side of the image forming apparatus main body 71 so that the user can easily pull out the scanner 60.
2 and a part 61 of both ends at the front of the scanner 60
Is received by the notch portion 72 and is exposed, and a portion 61 is easily held by the user with both hands from both sides to serve as a held portion for pulling out the scanner 60.

As described above, by arranging the scanner 2 so as to protrude downward in the vertical direction of the sheet feeding unit 11, the front surface of the scanner 2 can be aligned with the front surface of the printer 1. Thereby, the actual use area of the device can be further reduced.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment,
Although a copying machine has been exemplified as an image forming apparatus, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a scanner, a printer, another image processing apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus, or a multifunction apparatus having a copy function, a facsimile function, and the like. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to other image forming apparatuses.

In the above embodiment, the scanner 60
Can be pulled out from the main body 20, but the main body 20 may be slidable with respect to the scanner 60.

As described above, the copiers 10 and 70, which are the image forming apparatuses of the present embodiment, have the printer (image forming means) 1 for forming an image on a recording sheet (sheet) and the scanner (image forming means) for reading an image of a document. Image reading means) 2, 60
And main bodies (frames) 20 and 71 having the printer 1 and the scanners 2 and 60. The main bodies 20 and 71 position the scanners 2 and 60 below the printer 1 and
The main body 60 and the main bodies 20 and 71 are configured to be slidable with each other.

According to the copying machines 10 and 70, the scanners 2 and 60 which are not frequently used are stored under the printer 1 in a normal state. On the other hand, the installation height of the printer 1 does not increase so much. Therefore, the usability of the printer 1 is not sacrificed. When the scanners 2 and 60 are used, the scanners 2 and 60 are located at the bottom of the copying machine.
It is possible to maintain the same usability as that of the 60 unit.
Further, it is possible to reduce the installation area as the copying machines 10 and 70 having the reading unit and the recording unit including the copy function.

When the scanner 60 is housed in the main body 71, the copier 70 has a front face 60a of the scanner 60,
The front surface 1a of the printer 1 is aligned.

The copier 70 having such a configuration can reduce the occupied area when the scanner 60 is housed.

Further, the scanners 2 of the copying machines 10 and 70
Reference numeral 60 denotes a document glass (document placing portion) 2 on which a document is placed.
2 and a contact sensor (document reading unit) that reads the document while moving in the longitudinal direction of the document placed on the document glass
The printer 1 has an image forming unit including a carriage 45 that moves in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the contact sensor 23 to form an image on a sheet, ink cartridges 46 and 47, and the like.

In the copying machines 10 and 70 having such a configuration, even when the scanners 2 and 60 are pulled out from the main bodies 20 and 71, the depth of the copying machines 10 and 70 can be reduced.

The copiers 10 and 70 are provided with scanners 2 and
The pressure plate (upper part) 21 of the scanner 2 or 60 when the 60 is pulled out from the main body 20 or 71 serves as a discharge sheet stacking unit on which a sheet on which an image is formed by the printer 1 is discharged and stacked.

In the copying machines 10 and 70, the space between the printer 1 and the scanners 2 and 60 can be effectively used as discharge sheet stacking means.

Further, the scanners 2 of the copying machines 10 and 70
The upper portion of the scanner 60 has a discharge tray (auxiliary discharge sheet stacking means) 15 that can be extended in the direction in which the scanners 2 and 60 are pulled out.

In the copying machines 10 and 70, the space between the printer 1 and the scanners 2 and 60 can be effectively used as discharge sheet stacking means.

The scanners 2 and 6 of the copying machines 10 and 70
The upper part of 0 is a pressure plate (plate-shaped pressing member) that holds the original.
21.

In the copying machines 10 and 70, the space between the printer 1 and the scanners 2 and 60 can be effectively used as a discharge sheet stacking unit.

Further, the printer 1 of the copying machines 10 and 70
Has sheet paths 64, 65 for guiding and conveying from one side of the printer 1 to the other side, and the contact sensor 23 is movable in a direction intersecting the sheet paths 64, 65. .

The copying machines 10 and 70 convey sheets from one side of the printer 1 to the other side along the sheet paths 64 and 65, and Since the image is formed on the sheet by the contact sensor 23 which is movable in the crossing direction, the sheet path is not a U-turn path unlike the related art, so that the height of the copying machine itself can be reduced. . Further, since the sheet paths 64 and 65 can easily and smoothly convey the sheet, even a somewhat hard sheet can be smoothly conveyed to form an image accurately and reliably.

Further, in the copying machine 70, when the scanner 60 is housed in the main body 71, both ends on the front side in the pulling-out direction of the scanner 60 are exposed from the main body 71 to form a pulled-out pinched portion 61.

In such a copying machine 10, 70, even when the scanner 60 is housed in the main body 71, the scanner 60 can be easily pulled out by holding the held portion 61 with both hands.

Further, in the copying machines 10 and 70, an operation panel 3 for operating the scanners 2 and 60 and the printer 1 is provided in a frame above the printer 1.

In the copying machines 10 and 70, the visibility and operability of the operation panel 3 can be improved.

[0092]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the operability of both the image reading operation and the image forming operation can be improved, and the installation area can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a copying machine which is an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in a state where a scanner is pulled out from a main body.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the scanner is pushed into a main body in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along a sheet conveying direction in the copying machine of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of a copying machine according to a second embodiment, in which a scanner is pushed into a main body.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of a copying machine which is a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along a sheet conveying direction in the copying machine of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printer (image forming means) 1a front face of printer 2 scanner (image reading means) 3 operation panel 10 copying machine (image forming apparatus) 15 paper discharge tray (auxiliary discharge sheet stacking means) 20 main body of copying machine (image forming apparatus) (Frame) 21 Pressure plate (upper part of scanner, discharge sheet stacking means, pressing member) 22 Original glass (original placing part) 23 Contact sensor (original reading part) 45 Carriage (image forming part) 46, 47 Ink cartridge (image) Forming part) 46a, 47a Head part (image forming part) 60 Scanner (image reading means) 60a Front surface of scanner (image reading means) 61 Nipped part 62 Protrusion part 63 Rail 64 Recording sheet path 65 Recording sheet path 70 Copy machine (Image Forming Apparatus) 71 Main Body of Copying Machine (Image Forming Apparatus)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takafumi Katayama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yasunori Hashimoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Nakamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaaki Inde3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Ryoji Kanoya 3-3-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Shinichiro Gun 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tatsuo Kimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Canon Inc. (reference) 2C059 AA05 AA22 AA26 AA29 AB01 2H071 AA35 BA14 DA00 EA04 3F054 AA01 AC02 AC03 AC05 BA02 BC04 5C062 AA05 AB17 AB22 AC04 AD03

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An image forming means for forming an image on a sheet, an image reading means for reading an image of a document, and a frame having the image forming means and the image reading means, wherein the frame comprises: An image forming apparatus, wherein the image reading unit is located below the image forming unit, and the image reading unit and the frame are configured to be slidable with each other. 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the image reading means is slidable between a position for reading an image and a position stored in the frame.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the image reading unit is housed in the main body, a front surface of the image reading unit and a front surface of the image forming unit are aligned. Image forming device. 4. An image reading unit, comprising: a document placement unit on which the document is placed; and a document reading unit that moves in a longitudinal direction of the document placed on the document placement unit and reads the document. And an image forming unit that moves in a direction parallel to a moving direction of the image reading unit to form an image on a sheet. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 5. An upper portion of said image reading means when said image reading means is pulled out from said main body is a discharge sheet stacking means for discharging and stacking a sheet on which an image is formed by said image forming means. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an upper portion of said image reading means has an auxiliary discharge sheet stacking means which can be extended in a drawing direction of said image reading means. apparatus. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an upper portion of the image reading unit is a plate-shaped pressing member that presses the document. 8. The image forming unit has a sheet path for guiding and conveying from one side of the image forming unit to the other side, and the image reading unit intersects the sheet path. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the image forming apparatus is movable. 9. When the image reading unit is housed in the frame, both end portions of the image reading unit in the drawing direction front side are exposed from the main body to serve as a drawer holding portion. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 8. 10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation panel for operating said image reading means and said image forming means is provided on said frame above said image forming means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.