JP2003054814A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily take out, in an image forming device of this invention, a paper discharge tray for receiving discharged transfer paper stored. SOLUTION: A paper discharge tray 2 is arranged adjacently to a paper discharge port, to make a type of box shape provided with a frame in four sides of a flat plate of almost quadrangular shape, a columnar strut 3 pierces in the vertical direction of the flat plate in its left interior angular part shown in Fig. The paper discharge tray 2 is fixedly supported on the strut 3 by this pierced part, by rotating the strut 3, rotational movement can be made in the horizontal direction with the strut 3 serving as the axis. Of the frames provided in the four sides in the flat plate of the paper discharge tray 2, the frame in one side coming into contact with a device main unit is provided with a pawl 2a, by inserting it into a lock port 2b provided on the side of the device main unit, the paper discharge tray 2 can be fixed.

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, and more particularly, to a paper discharge tray for receiving discharged transfer paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus for transferring an image of a document onto a transfer sheet, a sheet discharge tray for receiving the transfer sheet discharged after the transfer is provided below a document table on which the document is placed. There is. When the discharged transfer paper is taken out after the transfer, the hand is put in the paper discharge tray to take out the transfer paper. Also, when confirming whether or not the transfer paper has been discharged, visually check the paper discharge tray arranged at the bottom of the document table, or insert a hand into the paper discharge tray to check the presence or absence of the transfer paper. There is.

[0003]

However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the document table, which is frequently used, is often arranged at a height which is most convenient for the operator, and therefore, it is arranged below the document table. If you need to visually check the output tray that is being used, or if you have to insert your hand behind the output tray depending on the orientation of the transfer paper and the size of the paper, you must change your posture by bending the upper body of the operator. Instead, it imposes a physical burden on the user and reduces workability.

Further, when the operator does not visually recognize the paper discharge tray and confirms the presence or absence of the transfer paper and takes it out, he or she has to insert his / her hand into the paper discharge tray to search.
Not only may the transfer paper be damaged, but the workability will be reduced.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily pull out a discharge tray for receiving discharged transfer paper.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A document table on which a document to be transferred is placed, an image reading unit that reads image information of the document, an image forming unit that forms an image on a transfer sheet based on the read image information, and an image forming unit that forms a transfer sheet. Paper feeding means for feeding to
In an image forming apparatus having a paper feed storage means for storing the transfer paper to be fed from the paper feed means, and a space for receiving and stacking the discharged transfer paper on which an image has been formed under the document table, It is characterized in that a movable discharge tray is mounted in the space.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the paper ejection tray includes a rotatable support member that supports the paper ejection tray. The feature is that it can move horizontally.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the paper discharge tray is mounted in a detachable form from the image forming apparatus.

According to the invention described in claims 1, 2, and 3,
The paper ejection tray can be easily pulled out, and the transfer paper loaded on the paper ejection tray can be easily taken out.
Workability can be improved. Further, the transfer tray can be prevented from being damaged because it can be easily pulled out and visually recognized without groping for the discharge tray. Furthermore, since the paper discharge tray can be attached and detached according to the application, convenience can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the paper discharge tray is provided with fixing means fixed to the image forming apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the position detecting means for detecting the position of the paper discharge tray and the position detecting means detects the paper discharge tray. The determination means for determining whether or not the position is a position where the discharged paper can be received, and the image forming when the position of the discharge tray is determined not to be the position where the discharged paper can be received by the determination means. And a control means for stopping the image forming operation by the means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third or fifth aspect, the determining means determines whether or not the paper discharge tray is mounted on the image forming apparatus. However, the control means does not execute the image forming stop operation by the position detection when it is determined by the determining means that the discharge tray is not mounted in the image forming apparatus.

According to the invention described in claims 4, 5, and 6,
Since the paper ejection tray can be fixed to the main body of the device at a position where the transfer paper can be reliably received, it is possible to prevent accidental dropping of the transfer paper or damage to the transfer paper. Can be improved.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a discharge tray according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. Figure 1
In the image forming apparatus 100, the paper ejection tray 2 having the position detection unit 13, the support column 3, the paper ejection tray fixing release button 4, the document tray 5, the ADF unit 6, the image reading unit 7, the display unit 8, and the input unit 9 are provided. , A cover 10, and a document table 1 including a position detector 13 and the like, an image forming unit 11, and a main body 20 including a paper feeder 12 and the like.

The paper discharge tray 2 is arranged adjacent to a paper discharge port (not shown) and, as shown in FIG. 2, has a box-like shape in which a frame is provided on four sides of a substantially rectangular flat plate. A column-shaped support column 3 penetrates the left back corner of the flat plate in the direction perpendicular to the flat plate. The paper discharge tray 2 is fixed to and supported by the support column 3 at this penetrating portion, and can rotate and move in the horizontal direction about the support column 3 as the support column 3 rotates. Also,
Of the frames provided on the four sides of the flat plate of the paper discharge tray 2, one side frame contacting the apparatus main body is provided with the tabs 2a.
The paper ejection tray 2 can be fixed by inserting a into the locking port 2b provided in the main body 20 shown in FIG.

The locking port 2b for fixing the claw 2a is
As shown in the enlarged view of the locking port 2b in FIG. 4, in the normal state, the door is closed and the tab 2a is fixed as shown in the left diagram of FIG. In the pressed state, the door opens to both ends as shown on the right side of FIG. 4, and the fixing of the claw 2a is released. The fixing means for fixing the discharge tray 2 to the main body of the apparatus is not limited to the claw 2a, and other fixing means may be used as long as it can be fixed.

Further, in order to surely receive the discharged transfer paper on the paper discharge tray 2, a position detecting unit 13 for detecting the position of the paper discharge tray 2 may be provided on the paper discharge tray 2 and the apparatus main body. Good. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the position detection unit 13 is provided in the discharge tray 2 and the lower part of the document table unit 1 of the apparatus main body to send and receive signals, thereby the discharge tray 2
May detect whether or not the transfer paper is in a position capable of receiving the transfer paper.

Further, the paper discharge tray 2 may be mounted in a detachable form from the apparatus main body. In this case, the paper ejection tray 2 is attached and detached together with the support column 3, and the image forming apparatus 100 is further provided with a discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the paper ejection tray 2 is attached to the apparatus main body.

The support column 3 penetrates one corner of the flat plate of the paper ejection tray 2 to support the paper ejection tray 2, and both ends thereof are connected to a rotating mechanism provided inside the apparatus main body under the document tray 5. ing. When the paper discharge tray is detachable from the main body of the apparatus, the support column 3 is easily detachable from the main body of the apparatus.

The paper discharge tray fixing release button 4 is provided at a position where the operator can easily operate it, such as in the vicinity of the document tray 5, and when the button is pressed, the paper discharge tray 2 fixed to the apparatus main body is released. Release the fixed state.
That is, the fixing of the claw 2a which is fixed by being inserted into the locking opening 2b on the apparatus body side is released.

The document tray 5 is provided on the upper surface of the cover 10 at the document insertion port of the ADF portion 6 integrally provided on the left end portion of the cover 10 in the drawing so that the set document faces the document insertion port. It is annexed to. Also, the document tray 5
Can set a plurality of originals.

The ADF (Auto Document Feeder) unit 6 is
The originals are provided integrally with the original tray 5 on the left end portion of the cover 10 in the figure, and the originals set on the original tray 5 by a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) are individually transferred to the original reading surface of the contact glass (not shown) under the cover 10. Sequentially convey.

The image reading unit 7 is provided with a document reading surface of a contact glass (not shown) below the cover 10 and a scanner below the contact glass, and reads image data of the document conveyed by the ADF unit 6. The scanner consists of a light source, lens, CCD (Charge Coupled Devic
e) etc., the reflected light of the light scanned from the light source to the document is imaged and photoelectrically converted to read the document image, and the read image data is read by the image forming unit 11
Output to. Here, the image data is not limited to image data such as graphics and photographs, but also includes text data such as characters and symbols.

The display unit 8 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).
play), EL (Electro Luminescence), and the like, and displays an input instruction status from the input unit 9, an image formation status, an error display for notifying an error, and the like on the screen. In addition, the display unit 8 is configured to include a pressure-sensitive (resistive film type) touch panel in which transparent electrodes are arranged in a grid pattern, and the XY coordinates of a force point pressed by a finger or a dedicated touch pen is detected by a voltage value. However, an operation input unit of a pointing device that uses the detected position signal as an operation instruction may be provided.

The input section 9 is provided with numeric keys and function keys for switching various settings when forming an image.

The cover 10 includes the document tray 5 and the ADF section 6.
And integrally protects the entire image reading surface composed of the lower contact glass and protects the contact glass from the outside.

The image forming section 11 comprises a photosensitive drum, toner, etc., and enlarges / reduces, rotates, and positions the image data output from the image reading section 7 in accordance with an input instruction from the input section 9. Image processing such as change is performed, and the transfer sheet of the size and direction designated by the sheet feeding unit 12 is conveyed,
After the electrostatic latent image of the image-processed image data is transferred and fixed on the transfer paper which is exposed by the photosensitive drum,
Printout is performed from a paper ejection port (not shown), and the paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 2.

The paper feeding unit 12 is constructed so that the transfer paper fed to the image forming unit 11 can be stored according to its size and orientation.

Next, referring to FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 100
The functional configuration of will be described. FIG. 5 illustrates the image forming apparatus 100.
6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 21, an image reading unit 7, a RAM 22, a display unit 8, an input unit 9, a storage unit 23, and an image forming unit. 11, a position detection unit 13, and each unit is connected by a bus 24. The following is a detailed description of each part. However, each part having the same function as the structure in FIG. 1 described above is denoted by the same reference numeral, and the description of the structure is omitted.

The control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processi).
ng Unit) and the like, and stores the program stored in the storage unit 23 into the RAM 22 and centrally controls each unit according to the program. That is, the control unit 21
Various processes such as an image forming process are executed according to the program read to the AM 22, and the processing result is stored in the RAM 22 and displayed on the display unit 8. Then, the processing result stored in the RAM 22 is saved in a predetermined area inside the storage unit 23.

Further, the control unit 21 receives the position detection signal from the position detection unit 13 and determines whether or not the discharge tray 2 is at a position where the discharge tray 2 can receive the discharged sheets. When the discharged sheet cannot be received, the operation control for stopping the image forming operation is performed, and the display unit 8 displays an error screen notifying that an error has occurred. At that time, if the operator sets the discharge tray 2 to a position where it can be received, the stopped image forming operation may be restarted.

Further, when the paper discharge tray 2 is attachable / detachable to / from the main body of the apparatus, the controller 21 detects that the paper discharge tray 2 of FIG.
It is determined whether or not the device is attached to the apparatus main body, and when it is determined that the device is not attached, the operator can select by not inputting the error display by inputting an instruction from the input unit 9. May be. At that time, operation control is performed so as not to stop the image forming operation by position detection.

A RAM (Random Access Memory) 22 is
In various processes controlled by the control unit 21, a temporary storage area for all or part of the program read from the storage unit 6 is formed.

The storage unit 23 is an EEPROM (Electrical
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a ly erasable programmable read-only memory).
The setting contents and the like according to various programs and functions that can be executed by the.

The position detector 13 has a sensor for transmitting and receiving signals, and outputs the position detection signal detected by the sensor to the controller 2.

Next, the image forming apparatus 1 having the above configuration
A method of using the paper discharge tray using 00 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. First, when the transfer paper on which the image of the original is transferred is received by the paper output tray 2, the paper output tray 2 is moved to the apparatus main body until the tab 2a is inserted into the locking opening 2b of the apparatus main body and fixed. Push.

Next, when the transfer paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 2 is taken out, the operator presses the paper discharge tray fixing release button 4. If the discharge tray fixing release button 4 is pressed during the image forming operation, the image forming operation is stopped and an error screen is displayed on the display unit 8 to inform the user of an error. When the discharge tray fixing release button 4 is pressed, the claw 2a is disengaged from the locking opening 2b of the apparatus main body, and the fixing of the discharge tray 2 is released. When the operator pulls the released paper discharge tray 2 toward the operator side, the paper discharge tray 2 is pivoted around the column 3 as shown in FIG.
It can be pulled out to the front side of the device by rotating and moving in the horizontal direction as indicated by the arrow.

As described above, since the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with the rotatable movable discharge tray 2, the operator simply presses the discharge tray fixing release button 4 when taking out the discharged transfer paper. The transfer paper can be easily taken out from the paper discharge tray 2, and the workability can be improved. Further, the transfer tray can be prevented from being damaged because it can be easily pulled out and visually recognized without groping for the discharge tray.

Further, since the paper discharge tray 2 is provided with a position detecting portion for detecting whether or not the paper discharge tray 2 is at a predetermined position, the paper discharge tray is not in an appropriate position for receiving the discharged transfer paper, or the apparatus When it is not fixed to the main body, the image forming operation is stopped, so that it is possible to avoid the problem that the transfer paper is accidentally dropped to the lower part of the apparatus, and the reliability of the image forming apparatus 100 can be improved.

Further, since the paper discharge tray 2 is housed in the main body of the apparatus and is drawn out toward the front, it does not project to the side surface or the back surface of the main body of the apparatus, and the installation space of the main body of the apparatus is minimized. You can

[0041]

According to the invention described in claims 1, 2, and 3, it is possible to easily pull out the paper discharge tray, and it is possible to easily take out the transfer papers stacked on the paper discharge tray. It is possible to improve the sex. Further, the transfer tray can be prevented from being damaged because it can be easily pulled out and visually recognized without groping for the discharge tray. Furthermore, since the paper discharge tray can be attached and detached according to the application, convenience can be improved.

According to the invention described in claims 4, 5, and 6,
Since the paper discharge tray can be fixed to the apparatus main body at a position where the transfer sheet can be reliably received, it is possible to prevent the transfer sheet from being accidentally dropped or the transfer sheet being damaged, and the reliability of the image forming apparatus 100 can be improved. You can improve the property.

[0043]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a paper discharge tray 2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a locking port 2b for fixing a claw 2a of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of a locking port 2b of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Platen section 2 Paper ejection tray 2a claw 2b Locking port 3 props 4 Output tray fixing release button 5 Document tray 6 ADF section 7 Image reading section 8 Display 9 Input section 10 covers 11 Image forming section 12 Paper feeder 20 body 21 Control unit 22 RAM 23 Memory 100 image forming apparatus

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G03G 21/18 G03G 15/00 556 F term (reference) 2H027 DA21 DA27 DC11 DE07 DE10 ED19 EK03 EK10 GA05 HA01 HB16 2H071 BA03 BA17 BA27 BA29 CA09 DA24 DA31 DA32 EA16 2H072 AA07 AA17 AB19 FB01 3F048 AA02 AB01 BB02 CB02 DA09 DC00 EA02 EB40 3F054 AA01 AB01 AC02 BA02 BC14 BD04 CA15 CA21 CA32 DA16

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A document table on which a document to be transferred is placed, image reading means for reading image information of the document, image forming means for forming an image on a transfer sheet based on the read image information, and transfer. Paper feeding means for feeding paper to the image forming means, paper feeding and storing means for storing the transfer paper to be fed from the paper feeding means, and transfer for ejecting an image formed on the lower part of the document table. An image forming apparatus having a space for receiving and stacking paper, wherein a movable paper discharge tray is mounted in the space. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper discharge tray includes a rotatable support member that supports the paper discharge tray, and is movable in the horizontal direction by the rotation of the support member. apparatus. 3. The paper discharge tray is mounted in a form detachable from the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus described. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper discharge tray includes a fixing unit fixed to the image forming apparatus. 5. A position detecting means for detecting the position of the discharge tray, a judging means for judging whether the position of the discharge tray is in a position capable of receiving the discharged paper by the position detecting means, and The control means for stopping the image forming operation by the image forming means when it is determined by the determining means that the position of the discharge tray is not a position capable of receiving the discharged paper, further comprising: The image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4. 6. The discriminating means discriminates whether or not the paper discharge tray is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and the control means causes the paper eject tray to be mounted on the image forming apparatus by the judging means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming stop operation based on the position detection is not executed when it is determined that the image forming apparatus does not exist.