JP2006047515A - Guide structure for image forming apparatus and extension device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a guide structure for an image forming apparatus and an extension device that solve problem points (for example, deformation of an electric connection part such as a drawer connector, deformation of a housing such that a pin sticks in an image forming apparatus main body, etc.) arising when the image forming apparatus main body and extension device are joined and installed. <P>SOLUTION: The guide structure for the image forming apparatus and extension device is characterized in that when a device 2 with an extension function is fitted to a lower part of a machine, a fitting auxiliary member 4 in detachable structure is provided at an exterior part of the device 2 with the extension function and has a guide function for coupling with the image forming apparatus main body 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a guide structure between an image forming apparatus having a PPC, a facsimile, a printer, or the like (color / monochrome) and a composite function thereof, and an extension device using an electrophotographic image forming method.

An apparatus having an expansion function, for example, an expansion paper feeding unit may be applied to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. Examples of the apparatus having the expansion function include, in addition to the paper feeding function, a double-sided unit having an automatic double-side reversal function, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a main body installation table (dedicated cabinet for storing toner etc.), and the like. can do.
When installing a device with the above expansion function (hereinafter referred to as an expansion device), many conventional models have a form in which the main body of the image forming apparatus is stacked on the top surface of the expansion device. This is to prevent the occupied floor area of the main body of the image forming apparatus from increasing even when an apparatus is added, and it is a useful function for the user.
In general, the electrical connection (including power supply and control signal transmission) between the expansion device and the main body of the image forming device is generally structured so that it can be easily connected with a drawer connector. As a whole, the installation work can be completed simply by placing the image forming apparatus while keeping the state without electric wires, so there is no risk of malfunction due to the harness not being connected.
Further, many expansion apparatuses have a roller-shaped wheel (caster) at the bottom, and the entire system apparatus including the image forming apparatus after installation is easily moved.
In order to obtain the above effects, it is necessary to install a drawer connector connection type expansion device (in this embodiment, this method is used, but of course other connection methods may be used), but there is a problem in the installation work. May occur.

That is, a positioning pin (at least one, generally a plurality) used for positioning with the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body is fitted into a mounting hole formed in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body base. However, since the pin and hole fitting accuracy is high (to ensure alignment dimensions), there is a possibility that the fitting cannot be performed if the component accuracy is poor or the installation positioning is poor even slightly.
The problem as described above is that the installation worker holds the heavy image forming apparatus main body, and the operation of fitting the positioning pin fitting position at a position lower than the operator's line of sight into the mounting hole is the outer shape of the image forming apparatus main body. This is likely to occur when only the intuition is performed.
In addition, when the shape of the lower part of the main body of the image forming apparatus is complicated due to the design, positioning is particularly difficult. Furthermore, when the automatic double-side mechanism is installed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body, the operation becomes even more difficult.
In the case of the drawer connector connection method, etc., the positioning pin with the above-mentioned high positional accuracy may be installed near the connector, and if the measurement is misunderstood (for reasons such as increasing the connector fitting accuracy) A situation occurs in which the positioning pin is stuck in the connector part or partly deforms.
In this case, troubles such as connector replacement occur, which not only gives a great disadvantage to the user of the image forming apparatus, but also may give a disadvantage to the installation operator.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems (deformation of an electrical connection part such as a drawer-connector and It is an object of the present invention to provide a guide structure of an image forming apparatus and an expansion apparatus that eliminates deformation of a casing such as a pin stuck in a main body using a guide member.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with the expansion function when a device having an expansion function is attached to the lower part of the machine in the guide structure of the image forming apparatus and the expansion apparatus. The apparatus has a housing structure in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having an attachment auxiliary member having a detachable structure in the exterior portion of the apparatus and having a guide function when the auxiliary member is joined to the image forming apparatus main body.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the apparatus having the expansion function and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body are fastened, at least one expansion apparatus is assisted with a foldable structure having a gap function. 2. A housing structure in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a member is provided.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, an adhesive tape is used as means for attaching the auxiliary member having the guide function, and is used in advance for fixing the image forming apparatus main body or the apparatus having the additional function. The housing structure of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the adhesive tape can be reused.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a protective member attached for the purpose of protecting the exterior portion of the image forming apparatus or the exterior portion of the apparatus having the additional function has a function as an auxiliary member having the guide function. The housing structure of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, which can also be used.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing structure in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein a description content for use as the guide member is printed on a surface of the auxiliary member. .

  According to the present invention, a flexible material is used as a guide member, and a corrugated cardboard material is used as a low-cost material, so that the guide is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus main body regardless of the positioning pin position or the like. By having the function, low-cost and part treatment after use (can be easily treated as a combustible material when discarded) as a problem-solving means is simple.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a product showing a guide structure between an image forming apparatus and an expansion apparatus according to the present invention in a state after the expansion sheet feeding unit is installed.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a housing structure before the image forming apparatus main body and a device having an expansion function are attached to the lower part of the machine.
As shown in FIG. 2, the expansion device 2 is installed in the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and placed on the expansion device main body 1.
Three positioning pins 3 are fixed on the upper surface of the extension device 2 so as to protrude upward. As the positioning pin 3, a metal rod pin with a sharp tip is used (of course, it may be made of resin). The positioning pin 3 is generally installed on the side of the extension device, and there are many cases where the drawer connector C for electrical connection is installed in the vicinity thereof. In this example, two positioning pins 3 are disposed on both sides of the drawer connector C, and another positioning pin 3 is projected from a side opposite to the side where the drawer connector C is disposed.
When the positional relationship between the base portion of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and the extension device 2 is shifted during the connection work and the fastening work in FIG. 2, the structural parts (electrical fastening parts / mechanical structures) are formed by the positioning pins 3. Problems such as deformation of the body).

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment in which the guide member of the present invention is attached to two places (left and right corners) on the front surface of the machine, using only the extension device. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment in which the guide member of the present invention is attached to two positions (left and right corners) on the front surface of the machine together with the image forming apparatus main body and the extension device.
A cardboard guide member 4 bent in an L shape at two locations on the left and right sides of the machine is attached as shown in the figure. Since the guide member 4 is very light, it can be fixed to the device side with an adhesive tape 5. The possible guide member 4 is bundled with the machine main body or the expansion device main body.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, two cardboard guide members 4 are used. Demonstrate the function when folded during use.
In the case structure of the image forming apparatus, when the expansion device 2 is attached to the lower part of the machine of the image forming apparatus main body 1, the external structure of the expansion device 2 has a mounting auxiliary member 4 having a removable structure. 4 exhibits a guide function when joined to the image forming apparatus main body 1.
As described above, according to the present invention, when the expansion device 2 and the image forming apparatus main body 1 are fastened, the foldable auxiliary member 4 having the id function is provided in at least one additional device section.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, when the guide member 4 of the present invention is attached to the side corner of the extension device, the image forming apparatus main body 1 or the cover of the extension device 2 is attached so as not to be deformed during transportation. The guide member 4 is fixed using the adhesive tape 5 (multiple places installation).
The actual implementation method is that the adhesive tape 5 that holds the cassettes of each stage of the expansion device (expansion paper supply bank) 2 is once peeled off, and the previously discarded material is used to attach the guide member 4 of the present invention to the expansion device. Attach to 2.
As described above, the adhesive tape 5 is used as means for attaching the auxiliary member 4 having the guide function, and the adhesive tape 5 previously used for fixing the image forming apparatus main body 1 or the apparatus 2 having the expansion function is re-used. It has a configuration that can be used. Of course, a fixing member such as a dedicated adhesive tape for stopping the guide member 4 of the present invention may be bundled, but waste can be reduced by secondary use of the parts.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a protective member for preventing deformation of a product corner portion installed for product protection (which may be either an image forming apparatus main body or an expansion device). FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration in which the upper end of the protective member in FIG. 5 is made higher than the positioning pin.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the protective member provided as a protective member for preventing deformation of the corner portion of the product, which is installed for protecting the product (which may be either the image forming apparatus main body or the extension device) is used in the present invention. It is installed so that it can be used as the guide member 4.
In other words, the guide member 4 is not bundled with the product, but the functions of the product protection member and the guide member 4 that are previously attached to the exterior portion of the product are realized.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the method of using the protective member as the guide member 3 of the present invention is to peel off the fixing tape 5 of the protective member, move it upward and then fix the tape again. To use.
It is used differently from the parts used as bundled items, and functions by protruding from the upper surface of the expansion device so as to be away from the floor surface during installation. In the case of the bundling method, tape is fixed by abutting the floor.
The above-described guide member installation method (including precautions for handling method, etc.) described above may be included in the machine and set as a separate printed matter, but for the purpose of omitting the printed matter, Print out the contents of the instruction explaining the installation method directly.
By printing directly, it is easier to understand the contents of the installation work than to perform the installation work while looking at the installation manual (it is possible to respond by looking at the actual object rather than looking at the picture).

  FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view for explaining that the contents of the handling explanation explaining the installation method are printed directly on the surface of the guide member of the present invention. The explanation of the illustration is explained. When the guide member 3 is installed, the explanation is described with a spread on the crease side of the fold, and a mark (dashed line etc.) is further added to make the tape position target at the time of installation easier. It will be certain.

FIG. 3 is a product external view showing a guide structure between the image forming apparatus and the extension device according to the present invention after the extension sheet feeding unit is installed. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a guide structure between the image forming apparatus and the extension device in a state before the apparatus having the extension function is attached to the image forming apparatus main body and the lower part of the machine. It is a schematic perspective view which shows embodiment which attaches the guide member of this invention to two places (left-right corner | angular part) of a machine front only with an expansion apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view which shows embodiment which attaches the guide member of this invention to two places (left-right corner | angular part) of a machine front surface with an image forming apparatus main body and an extension apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the protection member which prevents the deformation | transformation of the product corner part installed for protection of a product. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure which made the upper end of the protection member of FIG. 5 higher than the positioning pin. It is a schematic perspective view explaining printing of the handling content which explained the installation method directly on the guide member surface of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus main body 2 Expansion apparatus 3 Positioning pin 4 Guide member (Protective member for preventing product corner deformation)
5 Adhesive tape (product fixing tape)

Claims (5)

  When an expansion device is attached to the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body, an auxiliary member is detachably disposed on the exterior of the expansion apparatus, and this auxiliary member exhibits a guide function when the image forming apparatus main body and the expansion device are joined. A guide structure of an image forming apparatus and an additional apparatus characterized by the above.   2. The image forming apparatus and expansion according to claim 1, wherein when the expansion apparatus and the image forming apparatus main body are fastened, an auxiliary member having a foldable structure is provided in at least one expansion apparatus. Guide structure with the device.   An adhesive tape is used as means for attaching the auxiliary member, and the adhesive tape that is used in advance for fixing the image forming apparatus main body or the extension device can be reused. Item 3. A guide structure between the image forming apparatus according to Item 1 or 2 and an extension device.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a protective member attached for the purpose of protecting an exterior part of the image forming apparatus or the exterior part of the extension device also serves as the auxiliary member. Guide structure with expansion equipment.   5. The guide structure of an image forming apparatus and an extension apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a description content for use as the guide member is printed on a surface of the auxiliary member.

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