JP2006030875A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to effectively use waiting time given when copying processing for so many sheets is performed in a copying machine or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The copying machine 1 is equipped with a device main body part 100 for performing image forming operation, a caster base 300 as a heightening member which heightens and supports the device main body part 100, and a roll mechanism part 400 equipped with a roll brush for shoeshine 40 as a functional roll provided to project in space H between the lower side surface B of the device main body part 100 heightened and supported and the installing surface S of the copying machine 1. The roll brush 40 is driven and rotated by a driving motor 46 provided in the device main body part 100, and the user enjoys a shoeshine function by making his shoes Z abut on the roll brush 40 at the waiting time in the case of the copying processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which a function roll capable of performing a shoe polishing operation or the like is added in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a digital multifunction peripheral.

  Recent copiers have increased in capacity and functionality, and a large amount of copy processing can be executed at once, and functional processing such as punch processing, stapling processing, and half-fold processing for copied paper can also be performed. It has become. By the way, when a large amount of copy processing is executed, an appropriate waiting time occurs in any high-speed processor. In addition, when the above-described function processing is executed, since the processing generally requires more time than the normal copy processing, a corresponding waiting time is generated. In many cases, the user of the copier has no choice but to watch the copy processing operation of the copier during the waiting time.

  By the way, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, the apparatus main body is usually raised and supported by a caster base or the like, or a level bolt for fixing the apparatus to the floor surface, in order to facilitate carrying work and sliding movement. Yes. For this reason, a certain gap exists between the lower surface (bottom surface) of the apparatus main body and the installation surface. This gap is generally enough to allow a foot tip (shoe tip) to enter. Conventionally, such a space created on the lower surface of the apparatus main body has not been particularly utilized, and is a dead space in which dust is accumulated.

On the other hand, as an automatic shoe polisher, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an automatic shoe polisher provided with a plurality of roll brushes and a drive mechanism for driving these roll brushes in a main body case. It has been known.
JP-A-6-1057923

  The present invention provides a function that allows the user to effectively use the waiting time that occurs when a large amount of copy processing (image formation processing) or the like is executed in a copying machine or the like. This is an invention made in view of the effective use of the lower side space of the main body of the apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including an apparatus main body portion that is raised and supported by a raising member, and a lower surface of the raised apparatus main body portion and an installation surface of the image forming apparatus. A functional roll is provided that protrudes in the space and is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism provided in the apparatus main body. According to this configuration, for example, by the rotation operation of the functional roll, the function of cleaning dust accumulated in the space between the lower surface of the apparatus main body and the installation surface of the image forming apparatus, and the small article (coin that has entered the space) Etc.) or the like (or taking out small articles) can be ensured with a sweeping function for the lower space of the apparatus main body, or a polishing function for user's belongings and the like.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the functional roll is a roll brush for polishing shoes. According to this configuration, the user brings the toe of his / her shoes into contact with a roll brush (functional roll) protruding in a space between the lower surface of the apparatus main body and the installation surface of the image forming apparatus. You can polish your shoes and clean your shoes.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the roll brush is disposed on the front panel side of the image forming apparatus. According to this configuration, for example, the user sets the number of copies and the function processing on the front panel of the copying machine or the like, and inserts the toe into the lower side space of the copying machine while the copying machine is executing the copying process. You will be able to enjoy the shoe-shining function.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the roll brush is provided with a posture changing unit, and the posture changing unit is arranged close to the installation surface of the image forming device. The posture is controlled to a first posture and a second posture that is separated from the installation surface by a predetermined distance to be in a retracted state. According to this configuration, for example, the roll brush is usually protected as the second position in the retracted state, and the roll brush is close to the installation surface only when the user wants to use the shoe polishing function. It is possible to operate in such a manner that the posture, that is, the toe of the shoe is in a posture that easily comes into contact with the roll brush.

  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 drive mechanism that rotationally drives the functional roll is operable by a drive mechanism that is driven during an image forming operation in the apparatus main body. It is characterized by. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to separately prepare a drive mechanism for driving the functional roll, and the functional roll can be operated using the operating power when the image forming apparatus is operating.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, since the functional roll protrudes in the space between the lower surface of the raised apparatus main body and the installation surface of the image forming apparatus, the function of sweeping out the lower space of the apparatus main body In addition, it is possible to secure a polishing function for the user's belongings and the like. As a result, the user can enjoy various additional functions by operating the above-mentioned function role in the waiting time that occurs when a large amount of copy processing is executed, etc., for users who tend to be bored. As a result, it is possible to provide an option that surpasses boredom and to improve the convenience of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect, since the functional roll is a roll brush for shoe polishing, the user can use his copy processing waiting time to clean his shoes. Become. In other words, the time margin of the copy processing waiting time and the convenience of simply bringing the shoes into contact with the roll brush stimulates the user's willingness to use, and even if they are normally aware, it is quite positive In this case, it is possible to provide a user with an opportunity to clean shoes to a user who does not intend to polish the dirt on the shoes.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, for example, while the copying machine is executing a copying process, it is possible to enjoy the shoe polishing function by simply inserting the toes into the lower side space of the copying machine, which is convenient for the user. Can be further improved.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect, only when the user desires to use the shoe polishing function, the posture is such that the roll brush is easily brought into contact with the toe of the shoe (first posture). By adopting the second posture, the roll brush can be protected from dirt and damage.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect, when the image forming apparatus is operating, the functional roll can be operated by utilizing the operating power. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately prepare a drive mechanism such as a motor for driving the functional roll, and the cost increase due to the addition of the functional roll can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine 1 which is an example of an image forming apparatus. FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front view, a side view, and a diagram schematically showing an external structure. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the copying machine 1 from the front direction, and FIG.

  In these drawings, the copying machine 1 includes an apparatus main body 100 that performs an image forming operation, an original transport unit 200 that supplies an original to be copied to the apparatus main body 100, and an apparatus main body 100 that is raised and supported. A caster base 300 as a raising member to be raised, and a function roll as a functional roll protruding from a space H between the lower surface B of the apparatus main body 100 supported by the caster base 300 and the installation surface S of the copying machine 1 And a roll mechanism 400 having a shoe brush 40 for polishing shoes.

  The apparatus main body 100 covers a front panel 101 as an operation unit which is disposed on an upper surface portion in front of the front and has an operation numeric keypad, a display panel, and the like, as viewed from the outside (see FIG. 1). A front door 102, drawer trays 103, 104, and 105, and a paper discharge tray 180 are provided. The roll brush 40 is disposed on the front side of the space H in a side view, that is, at a position directly below the front panel 101 as an operation unit, as shown in FIG. Further, the roll brush 40 is provided at the middle part of the caster bases 300, 300 respectively attached to the central part of the space H, that is, the corner part of the apparatus main body part 100, as shown in FIG. Has been placed.

  An outline of the internal mechanism of the apparatus main body 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The apparatus main body 100 includes an image forming unit 120 including a sheet storing unit 110 including sheet feeding cassettes 111 and 112 that store copy sheets, and a developing unit 130 and a fixing unit 140 that form document images on the stored sheets. A document reading unit 150 that reads a document image, a sheet conveyance path 160 for conveying a sheet from the sheet storage unit 110 to the sheet discharge tray 180, and a reversing unit 170 that is used for duplex copying. ing. The developing unit 130 includes a photosensitive drum 131, a charging unit 132, a developing unit 133, and a cleaning unit 134. The fixing unit 140 includes a heat roller 141 and a pressure roller 142.

  In such a configuration, when a copy operation is instructed by the user on the front panel 101 and the original is conveyed from the original conveying unit 200 to the original reading unit 150 and the original image is read, the pickup rollers 113 of the paper feed cassettes 111 and 112, Any one of 114 is driven according to the document size, and the sheet is guided to the image forming unit 120 via the sheet conveyance path 160. At the same time, the photosensitive drum 131 that rotates in the direction A in the drawing is uniformly charged by the charging unit 132 of the developing unit 130, and from the laser scanning unit (not shown) based on the original image read by the original reading unit 150. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 131 by the laser beam, and toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing unit 133 to form a toner image.

  The sheet is fed toward the photosensitive drum 131 on which the toner image is formed in this way, and the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 131 is transferred to the sheet. Subsequently, the sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 131 and conveyed between the heat roller 121 and the pressure roller 122 of the fixing unit 140 to fix the toner image. After the transfer, residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 131 is removed by the cleaning unit 134.

  The sheet that has passed through the nip portion of the heat roller 121 and the pressure roller 122 is directly discharged to the sheet discharge tray 180 by the discharge roller pair 163, or the sheet is discharged by the branch member 162 provided at the branch point of the sheet transport path 161. After the transport direction is switched and transported to the reversing unit 170 and the paper is reversed, the toner image is transferred to the back side again at the transfer position of the photosensitive drum 131, and double-sided copied and discharged to the paper discharge tray 180. .

  The pickup rollers 113 and 114 provided in the paper feed cassettes 111 and 112 of the paper storage unit 110 are brought into contact with the uppermost paper of the paper bundle stored in the paper feed cassettes 111 and 112 and rotate to convey the paper. The paper is sequentially supplied to the path 160. The drive source of the pickup rollers 113 and 114 is a drive motor 46 (see FIG. 3) disposed at the lower portion of the rear end side of the paper feed cassettes 111 and 112 (that is, the rear end side of the apparatus main body 100). In the present embodiment, the drive motor 46 is configured to be used as a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the roll brush 40. Hereinafter, the roll mechanism part 400 including the roll brush 40 will be described in detail.

  The roll mechanism section 400 includes a roll brush 40, a roll brush drive shaft 41, an intermediate drive shaft 42, a power connection belt 43, a power transmission belt 44, and a drive motor 46 as generally shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. ing. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing in detail the main part of such a roll mechanism 400. FIG. 4A shows a front view thereof, and FIG. 4B shows a side view thereof. Hereinafter, the roll mechanism 400 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  The roll brush 40 is composed of a roll base 40R and a large number of brush hairs 40B planted on the peripheral surface of the roll base 40R. As shown in FIG. 3, the brush bristles 40 </ b> B come into contact with the shoes Z worn by the user of the copying machine 1, and perform a polishing operation on the shoes Z by the rotation of the roll brush 40. Accordingly, the lower surface B of the apparatus main body 100 and the installation surface S of the copying machine 1 are arranged so that the user can easily abut the shoe Z worn by the user while operating the copying machine 1 against the roll brush 40 (brush hair 40B). The roll brush 40 protrudes in the space H, and is disposed at a position directly below the front panel 101 as an operation unit. Further, between the roll brush 40 and the installation surface S, there is a gap g (see FIG. 3) to the extent that the toe (shoe tip) of the shoe Z abuts with a corresponding pressure contact force of the brush bristle 40B. Is set. With such an arrangement relationship of the roll brush 40, the user faces the copying machine 1 and performs the copying operation while moving the toe of his / her shoes Z along the installation surface S. The shoe brushing operation by the roll brush 40 can be enjoyed simply by sliding it into the lower side.

  The roll brush drive shaft 41 is integrated with the roll base 40 </ b> R, and rotates the roll brush 40 by being given a rotational driving force by the power connection belt 43. As shown in FIG. 4A, bearings 413 and 414 are attached to both ends 411 and 412 of the roll brush drive shaft 41, respectively, so that the roll brush drive shaft 41 can freely rotate with respect to the bearings 413 and 414. It has become. The bearings 413 and 414 are supported by holding frames 401 and 402, respectively, and the base portions 401B and 402B of the holding frames 401 and 402 are respectively attached to the outer frame frame member 100F of the apparatus main body 100 by fixing screws 403 and 404, respectively. It is fixed with.

  An intermediate drive shaft 42 is disposed above the roll brush 40. Similarly, bearings 423 and 424 are respectively attached to both ends 421 and 422 of the intermediate drive shaft 42, and the intermediate drive shaft 42 can freely rotate with respect to the bearings 423 and 424. The bearings 423 and 424 are also supported by the holding frames 401 and 402.

  A power connection belt 43 is stretched between the intermediate drive shaft 42 and the roll brush drive shaft 41. The power connection belt 43 includes a first belt 431 and a second belt 432 arranged symmetrically with the first belt 431 with the roll brush 40 interposed therebetween. The rotation driving force applied to the intermediate drive shaft 42 is transmitted to the roll brush drive shaft 41 by the bridge of the power connection belt 43.

  Further, a power transmission belt 44 is stretched over the intermediate drive shaft 42 at an intermediate position thereof. The other end side of the power transmission belt 44 is stretched over the output shaft 461 of the drive motor 46 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the rotational driving force generated by the drive motor 46 disposed at the lower end on the rear side of the apparatus main body 100 is transmitted to the intermediate drive shaft 42 by the power transmission belt 44, and is further rolled by the power connection belt 43. This is transmitted to the drive shaft 41, and as a result, the roll brush 40 is rotationally driven.

  The drive motor 46 (drive mechanism) is a drive source for the pickup rollers 113 and 114 as described above, and is operated when the copying machine 1 is performing a copy operation (image forming operation). Accordingly, the roll brush 40 can be operated only when the copy operation is being executed. Although not shown, a clutch mechanism is provided between the output shaft 461 on which the power transmission belt 44 is stretched and the direct output shaft of the drive motor 46, and the user can operate the key operation of the front panel 101. When the “shoe polishing mode” is selected, the roll brush 40 is rotated by the drive motor 46 by connecting the clutch mechanism.

  According to the copying machine 1 including such a shoe brush roll 40 for shoe polishing, when the user waits for a long time when the copying machine 1 performs a large amount of copy processing, the user likes By selecting the “shoe polishing mode” as a key, the roll brush 40 is driven to rotate, and the toe of the shoe Z is pushed between the roll brush 40 and the installation surface S, so that the shoe polishing operation can be benefited. Therefore, the functionality can be improved as compared with a general copying machine which has no choice but to wait for the end of the copy processing operation.

  FIG. 5 is a front view showing a roll mechanism 400A according to another embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a side view thereof. 4 denote the same parts as those of the roll mechanism 400 shown in FIG. 4, and the description of the same parts is omitted. This roll mechanism section 400A is different from the previous roll mechanism section 400 in that a solenoid 45 as an attitude changing means for the roll brush 40 is attached. The solenoid 45 sets the roll brush 40 in a retracted state by separating it from the first posture (see FIG. 6A) close to the installation surface S of the copying machine 1 by a predetermined distance from the installation surface S. It plays the role of posture control to two postures (see FIG. 6B). Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail.

  The bearings 413 and 414 of the roll brush drive shaft 41 and the bearings 423 and 424 of the intermediate drive shaft 42 are supported by common holding frames 405 and 406. However, the holding frames 405 and 406 are not directly fixed to the outer frame frame member 100F of the apparatus main body 100, and are attached via the second holding frames 407 and 408, respectively. The base portions 407B and 408B of the second holding frames 407 and 408 are fixed to the outer frame frame member 100F with fixing screws 403 and 404, respectively.

  The second holding frames 407 and 408 are provided with through holes into which the bearings 423 and 424 of the intermediate drive shaft 42 are loosely fitted. Cylindrical bearings 423 and 424 are inserted into the through holes, and further outside thereof. The holding frames 405 and 406 are closely fitted to the bearings 423 and 424. As a result, the movable unit composed of the roll brush drive shaft 41, the intermediate drive shaft 42, and the holding frames 405 and 406 has the outer periphery of the bearings 423 and 424 of the intermediate drive shaft 42 as a rotation point (the second holding frames 407 and 408 It can be swung (using the through hole as a pivot support point).

  The second holding frames 407 and 408 are provided with contact plates 407A and 408A made of bent portions so as to wrap around the side edges of the holding frames 405 and 406. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, the positional relationship is such that the upper edge 405E of the holding frame 405 interferes with the contact plate 407A, and the swinging of the holding frame 405 is restricted (FIG. 6). 6, it swings in the left direction of the drawing but cannot swing in the right direction of the drawing). The contact plates 407 </ b> A and 408 </ b> A are arranged on the front side of the apparatus main body 100, so that the roll brush 40 cannot swing on the front side of the apparatus main body 100.

  A solenoid 45 as a posture changing means is disposed at the upper rear portion of the roll brush 40. The solenoid 45 includes an output shaft 451, and is a drive source in which the output shaft 451 can freely move in and out by electromagnetic action. The output shaft 451 is provided with a hook portion 452, and an engaging portion 405 </ b> F is provided near the side edge of the holding frame 405. End portions of the coil springs 453 are locked to the hook portions 452 and the engaging portions 405F. As a result, the output shaft 451 of the solenoid 45 and the holding frame 405 are connected via the coil springs 453. It has a configuration.

  According to the roll mechanism 400A having such a configuration, when the output shaft 451 of the solenoid 45 protrudes, the roll brush 40 is pressed by the output shaft 451 as shown in FIG. Is a first posture close to the installation surface S of the copying machine 1. At this time, the roll brush 40 does not swing forward of the apparatus main body 100 due to the presence of the contact plates 407A and 408A as described above. On the other hand, since a coil spring 453 is interposed on the rear side of the apparatus main body 100, a certain degree of swinging is allowed. Therefore, when the user brings the toe of the shoe Z into contact, the roll brush 40 can perform a slight escape operation in accordance with the size of the shoe Z or the like.

  On the other hand, in the state where the output shaft 451 of the solenoid 45 is depressed, as shown in FIG. 6B, the holding frame 405 is pulled by the output shaft 451 and rotates, so that the roll brush 40 is mounted on the installation surface. The second posture is set in a retracted state separated from S by a predetermined distance.

  According to such a roll mechanism section 400A, for example, the roll brush 40 is normally protected in the second position in the retracted state (that is, the output shaft 451 of the solenoid 45 is always in the depressed state), and the user polishes the shoes. Only when the mode is selected by, for example, a key operation, the output shaft 451 of the solenoid 45 is protruded to bring the roll brush 40 into the first position close to the installation surface S, that is, the toe of the shoe Z is applied to the roll brush 40. Operation such as making the posture easy to touch is possible.

As mentioned above, although embodiment was described about this invention, it is not limited to this, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible. For example, the following aspects (a) to (g) can be adopted.
(A) In the said embodiment, although the roll brush for shoe polishing was illustrated as a functional roll, the functional roll which fulfill | performs a function other than this may be sufficient. For example, whether there is a roll brush for cleaning dust staying on the installation surface S located on the lower surface B of the apparatus main body 100 or small articles (coins, etc.) that have entered the installation surface S (or small articles) Examples thereof include a functional roll for sweeping out (e.g. taking out) and a functional roll having a polishing function for personal belongings other than the user's shoes. In addition, the arrangement position of the functional roll is determined according to the target function. For example, in the case of a cleaning roll brush, it is desirable to arrange it on the rear side of the apparatus main body 100 so that dust can be effectively swept away, and the surface of the functional roll is in contact with the installation surface S. Is desirable.

  (B) In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the roll brush 40, the brush bristles 40B are implanted on the peripheral surface of the roll base 40R. However, instead of the brush bristles 40B, a porous plate member such as felt is used. May be wound around the peripheral surface of the roll base 40R. In other words, the surface member of the functional roll may be appropriately selected according to the intended function.

  (C) In the above embodiment, an example in which the drive motor 46 of the pickup rollers 113 and 114 included in the paper feed cassettes 111 and 112 is used as the drive source of the roll brush 40 has been described. The provided drive source can also be used. For example, various drive motors of the image forming unit 120 may be used. However, since the drive motor 46 for the sheet cassettes 111 and 112 is generally disposed near the bottom of the apparatus main body 100, the drive motor 46 is used as a drive source from the viewpoint of ease of power transmission. It is desirable.

  (D) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the roll brush 40 is fixedly arranged (or fixedly arranged in a rotatable state) on the front side of the apparatus main body 100 has been described. However, the roll brush 40 is on the installation surface S. The space H may be moved. In this case, for example, guide rails are provided on both sides of the frame members 401 and 402 shown in FIG. 4 so that the roll brush 40 can move along the guide rails, and a moving pulley and a wire are used instead of the power transmission belt 44. The power transmission mechanism that has been used may be used.

  (E) Although an example in which the caster base 300 is used as the raising member has been shown, the apparatus main body 100 may be raised and supported using, for example, a level bolt or various adjusters.

  (F) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which one roll brush 40 is provided in the front center portion of the apparatus main body 100 has been shown. However, two or more roll brushes 40 may be provided, for example, shoes on both feet simultaneously. It can also be polished.

  (G) Instead of the spring 453 shown in FIG. 6, for example, a torsion coil spring may be installed on the intermediate drive shaft 42 so that the holding frame 405 is always urged toward the contact plate 405A.

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of a copying machine 1 that is an example of an image forming apparatus, in which FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a copying machine 1 according to an embodiment from a front direction. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing only a main part broken away from the side surface direction of the copying machine. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the roll mechanism part 400 in detail, Comprising: (a) has shown the front view, (b) has shown the side view, respectively. It is a front view which shows 400 A of roll mechanism parts concerning other embodiment. The side view of the said roll mechanism part 400A is shown, (a) has shown the state by which the roll brush 40 is made into the 1st attitude | position, (b) has each made the roll brush 40 the 2nd attitude | position.

Explanation of symbols

1 Copying machine (image forming device)
100 apparatus main body 101 front panel 300 caster base (lifting member)
400, 400A Roll mechanism 40 Roll brush (functional roll)
41 Brush drive shaft 42 Intermediate drive shaft 43 Power connection belt 44 Power transmission belt 45 Solenoid (attitude change means)
46 Drive motor (drive mechanism provided in the apparatus main body)
B Lower side of device body S Mounting surface H Space

Claims (5)

In the image forming apparatus including the apparatus main body supported by the raising member,
A functional roll that protrudes in a space between the lower side of the raised apparatus main body and the installation surface of the image forming apparatus and that is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism included in the apparatus main body is provided. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the functional roll is a roll brush for shoe polishing.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the roll brush is disposed on a front panel side of the image forming apparatus. The roll brush is equipped with posture change means,
The posture changing means controls the posture of the roll brush to at least a first posture that is close to the mounting surface of the image forming apparatus and a second posture that is separated from the mounting surface by a predetermined distance and is in a retracted state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a drive mechanism that rotates the functional roll is operable by a drive mechanism that is driven during an image forming operation in the apparatus main body. apparatus.

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