JP2003345220A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device capable of surely preventing spill of toner or the like and a stain caused by the spill in attaching and detaching a photoreceptor drum unit, a development unit or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming device is provided with the development unit 2, a toner supply unit, the photoreceptor drum unit or the like inside a device housing 1, and a front cover 3 is openable and closable with a support 3a as a turning center for the attachment/detachment and maintenance of each of the units. An inner surface (surface to be an upper side when the front cover is opened) of the front cover 3 is located furthermore lower than the surface of a lower base 10 of the device housing 1 with respective units housed therein. When the front cover 3 is opened, a gap between the lower base 10 and the front cover 3 is located lower than the lower base 10. Even though the toner, etc., spills when the maintenance of the development unit 2 or the like is performed, the spilled toner stays at the upper surface of the lower base 10 or the upper surface of the front cover 3 to prevent the toner from staining a paper feeding tray in a paper feeder 5 located under the device housing 1 and housed transfer paper, etc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

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 such as a copying machine or a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile, a toner supply unit, a photosensitive drum unit, a developing unit and the like are detachably provided inside the apparatus housing and outside the apparatus housing. A front cover or a front door (which will be referred to as a front cover in this specification) that can be opened / closed is provided so that the front cover or the front door can be opened and closed, the pulled-out product can be stored again, and maintenance of the inside of the apparatus housing can be performed. There are many things.

In many of such image forming apparatuses, at the time of its operation, toner is supplied from the toner supply unit inside the apparatus casing to the developing unit through the toner path in the photosensitive drum unit and onto the photosensitive drum. Although an image is formed, when a service technician performs maintenance on the photoconductor drum unit, the photoconductor drum unit and the developing unit are detached and the toner and the like between the units are spilled, and the paper feed tray or the paper feed tray below The transfer paper inside may get dirty.

For example, as in the conventional image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front cover 3 is opened to pull out the developing unit 2 built in the apparatus housing 1, and the developing unit 2 is pulled out (drawing direction is shown in FIG. (Indicated by arrow X), the developing unit 2 hits the reinforcing ribs 4 and the like formed on the front cover 3 and cannot be pulled out smoothly, and further, the shock of hitting the reinforcing ribs 4 causes toner and toner from the inside of the developing unit 2. As the developer spills, as described above, the paper feed tray in the paper feed device 5 below the device housing 1, the transfer paper stored in the paper feed tray, and the like, as well as various parts of the machine, are contaminated. The outside of the machine may be spilled from the gap between the device housing 1 and the front cover 3 and may be contaminated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and it is possible to reliably prevent spillage of toner and the like and dirt resulting from the spillage when the photosensitive drum unit and the developing unit are detached. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of smoothly attaching and detaching a unit such as a photosensitive drum unit and eliminating the risk of hitting the unit and breaking or spilling contents. .

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention can be opened / closed for the purpose of attaching / detaching a unit to / from the inside of the apparatus casing or for maintenance inside the apparatus casing. In an image forming apparatus including a front cover, an inner side surface of the front cover, which is an upper surface when the front cover is opened, is located below a lower surface of a lower base of the apparatus housing in which the unit is mounted. It is characterized by

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the lower base has a bag shape or a groove shape at a portion between the lower base and the front cover. It is characterized by having a concave portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus provided with a front cover that can be opened and closed for attaching / detaching a unit to / from an inside of an apparatus casing or for maintenance inside the apparatus casing, Reinforcing ribs that are located along the unit withdrawing direction and serve also as a withdrawing guide of the unit are provided on the inner surface of the front cover that is the upper surface when the front cover is opened.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, in the following, the same parts as those in the prior art will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged cross-sectional views of the relevant part. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a developing unit 2, a toner supply unit, a photosensitive drum unit, and the like inside the apparatus housing 1, and the front cover 3 is pivoted about a fulcrum 3a for attachment and detachment and maintenance of each unit. It is openable and closable, and the inner surface of the front cover 3, that is, the surface that is on the upper side when opened is located below the surface of the lower base 10 of the device housing 1 in which each unit is stored. It is configured to do.

Therefore, when the front cover 3 is opened as shown in FIG. 4B from the closed state of the front cover 3 shown in FIG. 4A, a gap between the lower base 10 and the front cover 3 is formed. Is located below the lower base 10. Therefore, when a service technician opens the front cover 3 and maintains the developing unit 2 and the like, even if the developing unit 2 and the like are detached and the toner or the like is spilled, the spilled toner is on the upper surface of the lower base 10 or the front side. It is possible to reliably prevent stains on various parts of the machine, such as the paper feed tray in the paper feed device 5 below the device housing 1 and the transfer paper stored in the paper feed tray 5, which remains on the upper surface of the cover 3.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are enlarged cross-sectional views of the essential parts of the second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a bag-shaped or groove-shaped concave portion 11 is formed at the tip of the lower base 10 of the apparatus housing 1. As a result, when the service engineer opens the front cover 3 and maintains the developing unit 2 and the like, even if the developing unit 2 and the like are detached and the toner or the like is spilled, most of the spilled toner is in the concave portion 11. Even a small amount of toner that has entered and remains does not stay on the upper surface of the lower base 10 or the upper surface of the front cover 3. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from being contaminated, and it becomes easy to clean and remove the spilled toner.

FIG. 6 shows a modified example in which the spilled toner can be easily and surely cleaned by forming the inner side edge portion and the corner portion of the concave portion 11 described above in a curved shape.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an essential part of a third embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has the same height as the reinforcing rib 4 extending in the direction orthogonal to the unit drawing direction (arrow X in the drawing) of the developing unit 2 and the like on the inner surface of the front cover 3 and the unit drawing direction X. A guide rib 4a oriented in the same direction as is formed. With this guide rib 4a, the developing unit 2 and the like can be pulled out and inserted smoothly, and toner spilling due to shock or the like can be avoided.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an essential part of a fourth embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, in addition to the guide rib 4a of the third embodiment, a pair of lateral deviation prevention ribs 4b is provided at a position corresponding to the left and right width w of the developing unit 2 so that the space W is slightly left and right. Width w
Provided so as to be wider, pulling out the developing unit 2,
The developing unit 2 is used as a guide for insertion so that the developing unit 2 can be inserted and removed almost straightly.
It eliminates the risk of breaking the side insertion slot.

[0016]

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with the front cover that can be opened / closed for attaching / detaching the unit to / from the inside of the apparatus casing or for maintenance inside the apparatus casing. Since the inner surface of the front cover, which becomes the upper surface when the cover is opened, is located below the lower surface of the lower base of the device housing in which the unit is mounted, a service technician or the like may install the developing unit or the photosensitive drum unit. Even if toner is spilled by detaching these units during maintenance, it is possible to prevent the toner from scattering inside and outside the device and the resulting contamination, and it is often located below the device housing. There is an effect that the transfer paper in the tray and the paper feed tray can be surely prevented from becoming dirty.

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention has the bag-shaped or groove-shaped concave portion at the portion between the lower base of the apparatus casing and the front cover. In addition to the effects common to 1), even if toner or the like is spilled during maintenance of the photoconductor drum unit or the developing unit, it can be accumulated in the concave portion, so that the inside and outside of the machine can be more securely polluted. The effect is that it can be prevented.

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect is provided with a front cover that can be opened and closed for attaching and detaching the unit to the inside of the apparatus housing and for maintenance inside the apparatus housing. When it is opened, it is equipped with reinforcing ribs located on the inner surface of the front cover that is located along the unit withdrawal direction and that also serves as a unit withdrawal guide, so that the unit can be smoothly taken in and out without increasing the cost. The effect is that you can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where a front cover of a conventional image forming apparatus is opened.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pulled-out state of the developing unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of a modified example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of essential parts of a third embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of main parts of a fourth embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 device housing 2 Development unit 3 front cover 4 Reinforcing rib 4a Guide rib 4b Horizontal displacement prevention rib 5 Paper feeder 10 Lower base 11 concave part w Left and right width of developing unit W Distance between ribs to prevent horizontal misalignment X Development unit pull-out direction

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Katsunori Shoji             1-3-3 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stocks             Company Ricoh (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Uchida             1-3-3 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stocks             Company Ricoh (72) Inventor Osamu Takashima             1-3-3 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stocks             Company Ricoh F-term (reference) 2H171 FA01 FA03 FA28 GA11 GA29                       HA23 KA02 KA26 WA01 WA17                 4E360 AB55 BA03 BA04 BB02 BB14                       BB16 BD05 EB02 EC14 FA02                       GA22 GA47 GA60 GB24 GB48

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having a front cover that can be opened and closed for mounting / removing a unit in / from the apparatus housing or for maintenance inside the apparatus housing, wherein the front cover is an upper surface when the front cover is opened. An image forming apparatus, wherein a side surface is arranged below a lower surface of a lower base of the apparatus housing in which the unit is mounted. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower base has a bag-shaped or groove-shaped concave portion at a portion between the lower base and the front cover. 3. An image forming apparatus having a front cover that can be opened / closed for attaching / detaching a unit to / from the inside of the apparatus housing or for maintenance inside the apparatus housing, wherein the inside of the front cover becomes an upper surface when the front cover is opened. An image forming apparatus comprising a reinforcing rib located on a side surface along the unit withdrawing direction and also serving as a withdrawing guide of the unit.