JP2006202797A - Outer cover securing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outer cover securing structure requiring no tightening component such as a screw in which safety is enhanced because a dedicated tool is required for removing operation of the outer cover. <P>SOLUTION: A body through hole 11 having a pair of body protrusions 12, 12 is formed in the outer surface 2 of the apparatus body. The outer cover 3 is provided with a lock member 6 comprising a leaf spring and having a pair of latching parts 13, 13, and a cover through hole 14. At the time of removing the outer cover 3, a rod-like dedicated tool 7A is inserted into the cover through hole 14 and the body through hole 11 to enlarge the latching parts 13, 13 while resisting against resiliency and these latching parts are separated from the body protrusions 12, 12 (the lock member 6 is unlocked). Under that state, the rod-like dedicated tool 7A and the outer cover 3 are removed integrally from the outer surface 2 of the apparatus body. Fixing operation of the outer cover 3 is performed according to reverse procedure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an exterior cover fixing structure for detachably attaching an exterior cover to an apparatus main body of an electronic apparatus or the like (for example, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus).

  In recent years, recycling technology has attracted attention from the viewpoint of resource saving. Electronic devices such as copiers and facsimiles are also being recycled, and resin exterior covers attached to electronic devices are also subject to recycling. When recycling the exterior cover, the exterior cover is removed from the collected electronic device, and the exterior cover is crushed and reshaped, or the exterior cover removed from the electronic device is cleaned and reused as it is. Such an exterior cover is usually attached to the electronic device body with screws.

  However, at the time of recycling, when removing the outer cover from the electronic device main body, it is necessary to remove the screws one by one, and there is a problem that it takes time to remove the outer cover from the electronic device main body. Similarly, when reusing the exterior cover, it is necessary to tighten the screws one by one when attaching the exterior cover removed from the electronic device to the electronic device body, so it is troublesome to attach the exterior cover to the electronic device. There was a problem that it took.

  As a device for solving this problem, there is one described in Patent Document 1 below. In this device, the number of screws is reduced by integrating a plurality of exterior covers. However, even in this case, since it is necessary to perform an operation of tightening the screws one by one, it takes time to attach and remove the outer cover.

  In order to solve this problem, the following Patent Document 2 proposes an invention that aims to provide an exterior cover that can be easily attached and detached. Moreover, there exists what was described in the following patent document 3 as invention concerning an exterior cover.

  The invention described in Patent Document 2 below provides an exterior cover (exterior cover fixing structure) of an electronic device that can be easily attached and detached, and the configuration thereof is as shown in the perspective view of FIG.

  That is, the exterior cover 73 according to the present invention is attached to the structure 75 to cover the copying machine, and is integrally provided with a snap-fit claw 79 fixed to the structure 75, and the snap-fit claw 79 is in a position facing each other. Also, an upper locking piece 83 and a lower locking piece 85 projecting toward the structural body 75 are provided, and a claw protruding toward the outside of the opposing locking piece is provided at the tip of each locking piece 83, 85. The portions 83 a and 85 a are formed, and the locking pieces 83 and 85 can be elastically deformed in the opposite directions, and the locking pieces 83 and 85 are inserted into the square holes 75 a formed in the structure 75. Then, the locking pieces 83 and 85 are elastically restored, and the projections 83a and 85a of the locking pieces 83 and 85 are locked to the edge of the square hole 75a. The other symbols shown in FIG. 8 will be described. S and T are spaces, 75b is a boss hole (engaged portion), 77 is a recessed portion, 81 is a positioning boss (engagement portion), and 83b 85b are tapered surfaces, 87 is a knob, and 89 is a support.

The invention described in Patent Document 3 below relates to an exterior cover fixed to the frame portion of the apparatus for partitioning the inside of the apparatus from the outside, and more particularly to an exterior cover of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exterior cover for an image forming apparatus or the like that has a relatively simple configuration and can be easily attached and detached without depending on a main body frame structure.
The exterior cover according to the invention of Patent Document 3 has a configuration in which a columnar member is erected on the apparatus main body side, and has a locking means formed with a notch that can be engaged with the columnar member. Further, the cutout portion is provided on the convex surface from the half-moon shaped step portion inside the exterior cover, and the columnar member engaged with the cutout portion is partially hidden in the exterior cover. It is like that.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-160060 JP 2001-203479 A JP 2000-71558 A

  The conventional exterior cover fixing structure has a configuration using stepped screws or snap fits. However, in the exterior cover fixing structure using the stepped screw, the effect of reducing the fastening parts by using the stepped screw cannot be obtained. Moreover, in the exterior cover fixing structure using the conventional snap-fit, the exterior cover can be easily removed even by a user without using a tool, so that it is difficult to ensure safety. There was a problem.

  In addition, in the conventional exterior cover fixing structure using a stepped screw or snap fit, the exterior cover can be removed with an easily available general-purpose screwdriver. In the conventional exterior cover fixing structure using a snap fit, the bare cover can be removed with bare hands. The exterior cover could be removed, which had the opposite effect.

  Furthermore, in the conventional exterior cover fixing structure using stepped screws and snap fits, the number of fixing members for attaching the exterior cover to the electronic device body must be removed, and a plurality of exterior covers must be attached. In the case of simultaneous removal, there has been a problem that it takes a considerable amount of time to remove the fixing member.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and its basic object is to provide an effective lock / unlock mechanism for detachably attaching an exterior cover to the outer surface of the apparatus main body. is there.
That is, the first object is to provide a exterior cover fixing structure that requires a tool for detachment and ensures safety while realizing cost reduction, that is, the reliability of the exterior cover fixed state is improved. That is.

  The second object of the present invention is to provide an exterior cover fixing structure with a simple structure, which requires no fastening parts such as screws and requires a special tool for the exterior cover removal operation. In other words, by providing a dedicated removal tool that is not a general-purpose tool, an exterior cover fixing structure is provided that limits the number of people who can remove the exterior cover.

  The third object of the present invention is to detachably attach the first and second exterior covers to the first outer surface portion and the second outer surface portion, which form the outer surface of the apparatus main body and are orthogonal to each other. Working time when removing a plurality of exterior covers by configuring the exterior cover fixing structure so that the lock members provided on the first and second exterior covers can be simultaneously unlocked (unlocked). Is to shorten.

  The invention according to claim 1 is the exterior cover fixing structure for detachably attaching the exterior cover to the outer surface of the apparatus main body, wherein a first through hole is formed in the outer surface of the apparatus main body, 2 through holes and an elastically deformable lock member, and the lock member can be locked to an edge of the first through hole by an elastic force, and the operation member is locked in the locked state. The locking member is engaged with the edge of the first through hole by being inserted into the second through hole, abutting the locking member, and expanding the locking member against an elastic force. This is an exterior cover fixing structure characterized in that is released.

The invention according to claim 2 is an exterior cover fixing structure for detachably attaching the exterior cover to the outer surface of the apparatus main body, as shown in FIGS.
A main body through hole 11 is formed on the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body 1, and a main body protruding piece 12 is provided in the main body through hole 11 so as to protrude toward the center of the through hole.
The exterior cover 3 is provided with an elastically deformable lock member 6 having a pair of locking pieces 13 and 13 and a cover through hole 14 formed between the pair of locking pieces 13 and 13.
The locking member 6 can be engaged with the main body protruding piece 12 by the elastic force, and the lock member 6 is inserted into the cover through hole 14 and the main body through hole 11 to insert the rod-like operation member into the lock member 6. The pair of locking pieces 13 and 13 are expanded against the elastic force to release the locking of the locking pieces to the main body protruding piece 12. It is the exterior cover fixing structure.

  In the invention according to claim 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the rod-like operation member is a rod-like exclusive tool 7A having a non-circular cross section (non-circular cross-section) excluding a general-purpose tool, and the cover through hole 14 is a key hole. The rod-shaped dedicated tool 7A corresponds to a key, and even when a general-purpose tool can insert the cover through-hole 14 and the main body through-hole 11, the general-purpose tool does not interfere with the lock member 6. 3. The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 2, wherein the shape and dimensions of the cover through-hole are set so that the engaging piece cannot be expanded due to the joint.

In the invention according to claim 4, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the exterior cover is detachably attached to the first outer surface portion and the second outer surface portion that form the outer surface of the apparatus main body and are orthogonal to each other. An exterior cover fixing structure for attachment, wherein the exterior cover is detachably attached to the first outer surface portion 21 and the second outer surface portion 22 which can be detachably attached to the first outer surface portion 21. The first main body through hole 26 is formed in the first outer surface portion 21 of the apparatus main body 1, and the second main body through hole 27 is formed in the second outer surface portion 22. In addition, the first and second main body through holes 26 and 27 are respectively provided with a first main body protruding piece 28 and a second main body protruding piece 29 protruding toward the central portion of the through hole, The first cover body 23 has a bullet having a pair of locking pieces 30a and 30b. A deformable first lock member 30 and a cover through-hole 31 formed between the pair of locking pieces 30a, 30b are provided, and the second cover body 24 has a pair of locking pieces 32a, An elastically deformable second lock member 32 having 32b is provided, and the first and second lock members 30 and 32 are respectively locked to the first and second main body projecting pieces 28 and 29 by elastic force. Is possible,
The first and second lock members 30 and 32 are inserted into the cover through-hole 31 and the first main body through-hole 26 so that the rod-like operation members are inserted into the first and second lock members 30 and 32. And by expanding the two pairs of locking pieces (30a, 30b and 32a, 32b) against the elastic force, the first main body protrusion piece 28 and the second main body protrusion piece 29 are The two pairs of locking pieces are unlocked simultaneously (the locking pieces 30a and 30b are detached from the main body protruding piece 28 and the engaging pieces 32a and 32b are simultaneously released from the main body protruding piece 29). It is the exterior cover fixing structure characterized by these.

  In the invention according to claim 5, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation member is a rod-shaped exclusive tool 7 </ b> A having an atypical cross section (non-circular cross section) excluding a general-purpose tool, and the cover through hole 31 is a key hole, The rod-shaped dedicated tool 7A corresponds to a key, and even when a general-purpose tool can be inserted through the cover through-hole 31 and the first main body through-hole 26, the general-purpose tool is the first and 5. The exterior cover fixing according to claim 4, wherein the shape and dimensions of the cover through-hole 31 are set so that the locking piece cannot be expanded by abutting against the second lock members 30 and 32. Structure.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the lock member 6 is made of a leaf spring.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first and second lock members 30, 32 are made of leaf springs.

  In the invention according to claim 8, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the two engaging pieces 13, 13 constituting the pair constituting the lock member 6 are connected to the first end portion of the lock member 6 at the first position. A claw 13a and a second claw 13b that can be freely engaged with and disengaged from the main body protruding piece 12 are provided in parallel, and the two first claws 13a and 13a are close to each other by elastic force (for example, When the cross-section is “eight-shaped”, the two second claws 13b and 13b are locked to the main body projecting piece 12. In the approaching state, the rod-shaped dedicated tool 7A is moved to the two first By simultaneously abutting on the claws 13a and 13a, the first claws are expanded and separated from each other, and at the same time, the locking of the two second claws 13b and 13b with respect to the main body protruding piece 12 is released. 7. According to claim 3 or 6, As an exterior cover fixing structure of the mounting.

  In the invention according to claim 9, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the two locking pieces 30 a and 30 b constituting the first lock member 30 are the first lock member. A first claw 30-1 and a second claw 30-2 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the first main body protruding piece 28 are provided in parallel at the distal end of the member 30, and the second locking member The two locking pieces 32 a and 32 b constituting the pair 32 are connected to the distal end portion of the second lock member 32 with respect to the third claw 32-3 and the second main body protruding piece 29. And a fourth claw 32-4 that can be engaged and disengaged in parallel, and the two first claws 30-1 and the two third claws 32-3 are close to each other by elastic force. (For example, when the cross section is “eight-shaped” in general), the second claw 30-2 is connected to the first main body protruding piece 28 and the fourth claw 32- Are respectively engaged with the second main body protruding pieces 29, and in the approaching state, the rod-shaped dedicated tool 7A is simultaneously impacted by the two first claws 30-1 and the two third claws 32-3. By combining, the first claws and the third claws expand and separate from each other, and at the same time, the second claws 30-32 with respect to the first main body projecting piece 28 and the second main body projecting piece 29 are provided. The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the locking of the fourth claw 32-4 is released.

  An invention according to claim 10 is an image forming apparatus comprising the exterior cover fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

  According to the present invention, in the fixing structure of the exterior cover that is attached to and covers the apparatus main body (electronic device main body, etc.), (1) the outer cover can be fixed to the outer surface of the apparatus main body without using fastening parts such as screws. , A fixing structure in which the exterior cover can be easily removed from the outer surface of the apparatus main body by using a tool, (2) a fixing structure in which the tool that can be used at the time of detachment is limited to a dedicated tool, and (3) adjacent to the apparatus main body The fixing structure which can remove the exterior cover with which the outer surface was mounted | worn simultaneously can be provided inexpensively. The effects according to the claims are as follows.

In the exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 1 and claim 2 (see FIG. 3), the operating member (7) is connected to the first outer surface 2 of the apparatus body via the second through hole (cover through hole 14). If the operating member is inserted into the through hole (main body through hole 11) and brought into contact with the lock member 6, the lock member 6 is detached from the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body. In this state, the exterior cover 3 can be removed from the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body by pulling the exterior cover 3 and the operation member (7) together. Further, when the operating member is inserted into the second through hole and the operating member is inserted into the first through hole and only the operating member is pulled out in this state, the lock member is mounted on the outer surface of the apparatus main body.
Thus, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the exterior cover can be attached to and detached from the outer surface of the apparatus body simply by inserting the operation member and without using a fastening member such as a screw.

  In the exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 3 (see FIG. 4), the rod-shaped exclusive tool 7A having a different cross section excluding the general-purpose tool is used as the operation member. Therefore, it is possible to provide an exterior cover fixing mechanism that secures safety while realizing cost reduction.

In the exterior cover fixing structure according to claims 4 and 5 (see FIGS. 5 to 9), the rod-like operation member is inserted into the cover through-hole 31 and the first main body through-hole 26 so that the first and second If the rod-like operation member and the first and second cover bodies 23 and 24 are integrally pulled to the near side in this state, the outer cover can be removed from the outer surface of the apparatus main body. it can.
Further, if the rod-like operation member is inserted into the cover through-hole 31 and the first main body through-hole 26 and brought into contact with the first and second lock members 30 and 32, and only the rod-like operation member is pulled out in this state, Is attached to the outer surface of the apparatus main body.
As described above, according to the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, the outer cover can be attached to and detached from the outer surface of the apparatus main body simply by inserting the operation member and without using a fastening member such as a screw. In particular, in the invention of claim 5, since a bar-shaped special tool having an irregular cross section excluding a general-purpose tool is used as the operation member, an exterior cover fixing structure ensuring safety can be provided.

  In the exterior cover fixing structure according to claims 6 and 7, since the lock member made of a leaf spring is provided, the structure is simplified.

  In the exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 8 and claim 9, the first claw and the second claw that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the main body protruding piece are provided in parallel at the distal end portion of the lock member. The second claws are locked to the outer surface of the apparatus main body by the close proximity of the claws, the exterior cover is attached to the outer surface of the apparatus main body, and the second claws are opened by expanding the first claws by inserting the operation member. Since the outer cover is detached from the outer surface of the apparatus main body by being detached from the outer surface of the apparatus main body, it is possible to provide an outer cover fixing structure with a simple structure and high safety.

  In the exterior cover fixing structure according to the second to ninth aspects, each locking member is provided with a pair of locking pieces (two locking pieces are provided), so that the locking function of the locking member is further enhanced. The fixing state of the exterior cover to the outer surface of the apparatus main body can be made more reliable.

  Since the image forming apparatus according to the tenth aspect includes the exterior cover fixing structure according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the above-described effects due to these fixing structures can be obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an exterior cover fixing structure, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the exterior cover is fixed to the outer surface of the apparatus main body. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the exterior cover is removed from the outer surface of the apparatus main body.

By forming an H-shaped main body through hole 11 on the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body 1, a pair of main body projecting pieces 12 and 12 projecting toward the center of the main body through hole are provided. The exterior cover 3 is provided with a lock member 6 in which plate springs having a front half portion as a locking piece 13 are opposed to each other, and a cover through hole 14 between the pair of plate springs. The shape and dimensions of the cover through-hole 14 are set so that a general-purpose tool 7 (driver or the like) as a rod-like operation member can be inserted. Each of the pair of locking pieces 13 and 13 is configured by arranging a first claw 13a and a second claw 13b (locking claw) in parallel. In this case, the first claw 13a is provided on both sides of the second claw 13b. If this is demonstrated in FIG. 2, the 1st nail | claw 13a will be arranged in the front side and back side of the 2nd nail | claw 13b.
As shown in FIG. 2, the two first claws 13 a and 13 a are formed so as to be in a state of approaching an approximately eight-shaped cross section in a free state (a state in which no force acts on this). The two second claws 13b and 13b are formed by extending the base end portion of the lock member 6 as it is.

  (A) In the exterior cover fixing structure of the present embodiment, the two second claws 13b and 13 are locked to the projecting pieces in such a manner that the main body projecting pieces 12 are sandwiched from both sides. Can be attached to the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body. (B) Further, by increasing the width of the lock member 6 (dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) or increasing the number of the lock members 6 to be installed, the outer cover is firmly attached to the outer surface of the apparatus main body. Can be further increased. The above (a) and (b) are also applicable to the following second to fourth embodiments (see FIG. 6).

(1) Removal operation of outer cover 3 In the state of FIG. 2 where the outer cover 3 is fixed to the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body, the general-purpose tool 7 is inserted into the main body through hole 11 via the cover through hole 14 and approaches each other. When the first claws 13a and 13a are brought into contact with each other in the free state, the second claws 13b and 13b are integrally expanded with the first claws 13a and 13a as shown in FIG. The claw 13b, 13b is unlocked from the pair of main body protrusions 12, 12, and the lock member 6 is unlocked from the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body. In this state (without moving the general-purpose tool 7 with respect to the cover through-hole 14), the outer cover 3 can be removed from the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body by pulling the outer cover 3 and the general-purpose tool 7 together. . In this case, the first and second claws 13 a and 13 b pass through the cover through hole 14.

(2) Mounting operation of exterior cover 3 The general-purpose tool 7 is inserted into the cover through-hole 14, and is engaged with the first claws 13a and 13a in a free state, so that the locking piece 13 is expanded. In this case, the first and second claws 13a and 13b are integrally expanded. The expansion positions of these claws are determined so that the first and second claws can pass through the body through hole 11. It is important (Figure 3). Next, if only the general-purpose tool 7 is pulled out in this state, the first claw 13a tries to return to the free state by the elastic force. As a result, the second claw 13b is locked to the main body protruding piece 12, and the exterior cover 3 is It is mounted on the outer surface 2 of the apparatus main body via the lock member 6 (FIG. 2).

  In this exterior cover fixing structure, as is apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3 and the above description, it is important to design the diameter of the general-purpose tool 7 to an appropriate value. It is difficult to smoothly perform the insertion / removal operation and the engagement / disengagement operation of the second claw 13b with respect to the main body protruding piece 12.

  In this embodiment, the rod-like operation member is inserted into the cover through-hole 14 and the body through-hole 11 so as to perform the expanding operation of the lock member 6. It is also possible to configure so that the above-described expansion operation can be performed by inserting only through.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an exterior cover fixing structure. In this embodiment, a bar-shaped exclusive tool 7A having a different cross section excluding a general-purpose tool is used as the bar-shaped operation member. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. With this exterior cover fixing structure, the exterior cover cannot be attached or removed with a general-purpose tool such as a driver. The reason is that a general-purpose tool that can be inserted into the cover through-hole 14 has a diameter that is too small to perform the operation of expanding the locking piece 13.

  In FIG. 4, the shape of the cover through-hole 14 and the cross-sectional shape of the rod-shaped dedicated tool 7 </ b> A are substantially S-shaped. Is possible. Further, four main body protrusions 12 can be provided radially in the main body through hole 11. In this case, for example, in FIG. 4, in addition to the two left and right projecting pieces 12 and 12, two upper and lower projecting pieces may be provided, and in this way, the outer cover fixing state by the lock member becomes more rigid.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an exterior cover fixing structure. In this embodiment, first and second cover bodies 23 and 24 are detachably attached to a first outer surface portion 21 and a second outer surface portion 22 that form an outer surface of the apparatus body 1 and are orthogonal to each other. This is an exterior cover fixing structure for this purpose, and a rod-shaped exclusive tool 7A having an irregular cross section excluding a general-purpose tool is used as a rod-shaped operation member. Since other configurations are the same as those of the fourth embodiment described below, the detailed description will be replaced with the description according to the fourth embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The overall structure of the exterior cover fixing structure according to this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 5, and is different from the third embodiment in that a general-purpose tool 7 is used as a rod-like operation member. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the exterior cover fixing structure, and is a first cross-sectional view showing a state when the exterior cover is fixed to the outer surface of the apparatus main body. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the exterior cover fixing structure, and is a second sectional view showing a state when the exterior cover is fixed to the outer surface of the apparatus main body. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the exterior cover fixing structure, and is a first cross-sectional view showing a state when the exterior cover is removed from the outer surface of the apparatus main body. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the exterior cover fixing structure, and is a second sectional view showing a state when the exterior cover is removed from the outer surface of the apparatus main body. Here, the first sectional view is a sectional view when the first outer surface portion 21 is seen as a sectional view, and the second sectional view is a case when the second outer surface portion 22 is seen as a sectional view. It is sectional drawing.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, an exterior cover is detachably attached to a first outer surface portion 21 and a second outer surface portion 22 that form an outer surface of the apparatus main body 1 and are orthogonal to each other. It is the exterior cover fixing structure for attaching. The exterior cover includes a first cover body 23 that can be detachably attached to the first outer surface portion 21, and a second cover body 24 that can be detachably attached to the second outer surface portion 22.

  A first main body through hole 26 is formed in the first outer surface portion 21 of the apparatus main body 1, and a second main body through hole 27 is formed in the second outer surface portion 22. The shape of these main body through-holes is H-shaped like the main body through-hole 11 shown in FIG. A first main body protrusion 28 and a second main body protrusion 29 are provided. The first cover body 23 has a pair of locking pieces 30a and 30b in the front part, and is formed between the first lock member 30 made of a leaf spring and the pair of locking pieces 30a and 30b. A cover through hole 31 is provided. The second cover body 24 has a pair of locking pieces 32a and 32b at the front portion, and is provided with a second lock member 32 made of a leaf spring, and the first and second lock members 30 and 32 are The first and second main body projecting pieces 28 and 29 can be locked by the elastic force.

  The first and second lock members 30, 32 are inserted into the cover through-hole 31 and the first main body through-hole 26 by inserting the general-purpose tool 7 (the rod-shaped dedicated tool 7A in FIG. 5) as a rod-shaped operation member. The first main body projecting piece and the second main body projecting piece are formed by abutting the first and second lock members 30 and 32 and expanding the two pairs of locking pieces against the elastic force. 28 and 29 are simultaneously released (the locking pieces 30a and 30b are detached from the main body protruding piece 28 and the engaging pieces 32a and 32b are simultaneously released from the main body protruding piece 29). To do.

  Further, the two locking pieces 30a and 30b in the pair include a first claw 30-1 and a second claw 30-2 that can be freely engaged with and disengaged from the first main body protruding piece 28. Configure in parallel. The two locking pieces 32 a and 32 b that form the pair constituting the second locking member 32 are a fourth that is detachable with respect to the third claw 32-3 and the second main body protruding piece 29. The claws 32-4 are arranged in parallel.

  When the two first claws 30-1 and the two third claws 32-3 are close to each other (as shown in FIG. The second claw 30-2 is engaged with the first main body protruding piece 28 and the fourth claw 32-4 is engaged with the second main body protruding piece 29, respectively. When the dedicated tool 7A) is simultaneously brought into contact with the two first claws 30-1 and the two third claws 32-3, the first claws and the third claws are expanded and separated. At the same time, the second claw 30-32 and the fourth claw 32-4 are unlocked from the first main body protrusion piece 28 and the second main body protrusion piece 29.

(1) Removal operation of first cover body 23 and second cover body 24 In the state of FIGS. 6 and 7 in which the exterior cover is fixed to the outer surface of the apparatus body, the general-purpose tool 7 is inserted through the cover through hole 31. The first claw 30-1 is inserted into the first main body through-hole 26 and is in a free state in which the first main body through-holes 26 are close to each other. The third locking member 32 makes contact with the third claw 32-3. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the locking pieces 30a and 30b and the locking pieces 32a and 32b expand against the elastic force, and the second claw 30-2 is the first main body protruding piece. The fourth claw 32-4 is detached from the second main body protruding piece 29. That is, the first and second lock members 30 and 32 are unlocked (unlocked) with respect to the first and second outer surface portions 21 and 22.

  While maintaining this state, pulling the first cover body 23 and the general-purpose tool 7 integrally toward the front side and simultaneously pulling the second cover body 24 toward the front side allows these exterior covers to be attached to the apparatus main body 1. It can remove from the 1st, 2nd outer surface parts 21 and 22 (FIG. 8, FIG. 9).

(2) Mounting operation of first cover body 23 and second cover body 24 First, the unlocked state is reproduced. The procedure may be the reverse of the procedure for removing the exterior cover. Specifically, the procedure for mounting the exterior cover 3 in the first embodiment, the first cover body 23, and the second procedure are described. It is clear from the description of the procedure for removing the cover body 24. Next, if only the general-purpose tool 7 is pulled out in this state, the first and second lock members 30 and 32 attempt to return to the free state by the elastic force. The fourth claw 32-4 is locked to the second main body protruding piece 29 on the piece 28, the first cover body 23 is on the first outer surface portion 21, and the second cover body 24 is on the second outer surface. It is attached to each part 22 (FIGS. 6 and 7).

  In the fixing structure of FIG. 5, an exterior cover is individually attached to adjacent outer surfaces (first and second outer surface portions 21 and 22) of the apparatus main body (first and second cover bodies 23 and 24). However, it is also possible to attach a cover body in which these first and second cover bodies are joined together.

It is a perspective view which shows the exterior cover fixing structure which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the exterior cover is fixed to the outer surface of the apparatus main body in the exterior cover fixing structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the exterior cover is removed from the outer surface of the apparatus main body in the exterior cover fixing structure of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the exterior cover fixing structure which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the exterior cover fixing structure which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the exterior cover fixing structure which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is 1st sectional drawing which shows a state when the exterior cover is being fixed to the apparatus main body outer surface. It is sectional drawing of the exterior cover fixing structure of FIG. 6, Comprising: It is 2nd sectional drawing which shows a state when an exterior cover is being fixed to the apparatus main body outer surface. It is sectional drawing of the exterior cover fixing structure of FIG. 6, Comprising: It is 1st sectional drawing which shows a state when removing an exterior cover from an apparatus main body outer surface. It is sectional drawing of the exterior cover fixing structure of FIG. 6, Comprising: It is 2nd sectional drawing which shows a state when removing an exterior cover from an apparatus main body outer surface. It is a perspective view which shows the prior art example (refer patent document 2) of an exterior cover fixing structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body 2 Apparatus main body outer surface 3 Exterior cover 6 Lock member 7 General-purpose tool 7A Bar-shaped exclusive tool 11 Main body through-hole 12 Main body protrusion 13 Locking piece 13a 1st nail | claw 13b 2nd nail | claw (locking claw)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Cover through-hole 21 1st outer surface part 22 2nd outer surface part 23 1st cover body 24 2nd cover body 26 1st main body through-hole 27 2nd main body through-hole 28 1st main body protrusion piece 29 Second main body protruding piece 30 First lock member 30a Locking piece 30b Locking piece 30-1 First claw 30-2 Second claw 31 Cover through hole 32 Second lock member 32a Locking piece 32b Stop piece 32-3 Third claw 32-4 Fourth claw

Claims (10)

In the exterior cover fixing structure for detachably attaching the exterior cover to the outer surface of the apparatus body,
Forming a first through hole on the outer surface of the apparatus body;
The exterior cover is provided with a second through hole and an elastically deformable lock member,
The lock member can be locked to the edge of the first through hole by an elastic force,
In the locked state, the operating member is inserted into the second through hole, abutted against the locking member, and the locking member is expanded against an elastic force, whereby the first member of the locking member is expanded. Unlocking the edge of the through hole,
An exterior cover fixing structure characterized by the above. In the exterior cover fixing structure for detachably attaching the exterior cover to the outer surface of the apparatus body,
A main body through hole is formed on the outer surface of the apparatus main body, and a main body protruding piece that protrudes toward the center of the through hole is provided in the main body through hole,
The exterior cover is provided with an elastically deformable lock member having a pair of locking pieces, and a cover through hole formed between the pair of locking pieces,
The locking member is one in which the locking piece can be locked to the main body protruding piece by an elastic force, and the rod-like operation member is inserted into the cover through hole and the main body through hole to abut against the lock member, By expanding the pair of locking pieces against the elastic force, the locking of the locking pieces to the main body protruding piece is released.
An exterior cover fixing structure characterized by the above. The rod-shaped operating member is a rod-shaped dedicated tool having an irregular cross section excluding a general-purpose tool,
The cover through-hole corresponds to a key hole, and the rod-shaped dedicated tool corresponds to a combined key, respectively.
Even when a general-purpose tool can be inserted into the cover through-hole and the main body through-hole, the general-purpose tool does not allow the locking piece to be expanded by abutment with the lock member. The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 2, wherein the shape and dimensions of the holes are set. An exterior cover fixing structure for detachably attaching an exterior cover to a first outer surface portion and a second outer surface portion that form an outer surface of the apparatus main body and are orthogonal to each other,
The exterior cover includes a first cover body that can be detachably attached to the first outer surface portion, and a second cover body that can be detachably attached to the second outer surface portion,
A first main body through hole is formed in the first outer surface portion of the apparatus main body, and a second main body through hole is formed in the second outer surface portion, respectively. Providing a first main body protruding piece and a second main body protruding piece that protrude toward the center of the through hole,
The first cover body is provided with an elastically deformable first lock member having a pair of locking pieces, and a cover through hole formed between the pair of locking pieces,
The second cover body is provided with an elastically deformable second lock member having a pair of locking pieces,
The first and second lock members can be respectively engaged with the first and second main body projecting pieces by elastic force, and the first and second lock members are rod-like operation members. By passing through the cover through hole and the first main body through hole to abut against the first and second lock members, and expanding the two pairs of locking pieces against the elastic force, Simultaneously releasing the locking of the locking piece with respect to the first main body protruding piece and the second main body protruding piece;
An exterior cover fixing structure characterized by the above. The operation member is a rod-shaped exclusive tool with a different cross section excluding general-purpose tools,
The cover through hole corresponds to a key hole, and the bar-shaped dedicated tool corresponds to a combined key.
Even when a general-purpose tool can be inserted into the cover through-hole and the first main body through-hole, the general-purpose tool cannot perform the expanding operation by abutting against the first and second lock members. The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 4, wherein the shape and dimensions of the cover through hole are set.   The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 2, wherein the lock member is made of a leaf spring.   6. The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 4, wherein the first and second lock members are made of leaf springs. Each of the two engaging pieces that form the lock member in the pair includes a first claw at the tip of the lock member, and a second claw that is detachable with respect to the main body protruding piece. In parallel,
When the two first claws are close to each other by elastic force, the two second claws are locked to the main body projecting piece,
In the approaching state, when the bar-shaped dedicated tool abuts against the two first claws at the same time, the first claws are expanded and separated from each other, and at the same time, the two second claws with respect to the main body projecting piece. Is unlocked,
The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 3 or 6, wherein the exterior cover fixing structure is configured as described above. The two locking pieces that form the pair of the first locking member are both a first claw at the tip of the first locking member and the first main body protruding piece. In parallel with the second claw that can be freely engaged and disengaged,
Each of the two engaging pieces in the pair constituting the second locking member is a third claw at the tip of the second locking member and the second main body protruding piece. In parallel with the fourth claw that can be freely engaged and disengaged,
When the two first claws and the two third claws are close to each other by elastic force, the second claws are the first main body projecting piece, and the fourth claws are the first. 2 are respectively locked to the main body protruding pieces, and
When the first claw and the third claw are in the approaching state at the same time, the rod-shaped exclusive tool simultaneously abuts the two first claw and the two third claw, At the same time that the first claws and the third claws are expanded and separated, the locking of the second claws and the fourth claws to the first main body projecting piece and the second main body projecting piece is released. The
The exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that it is configured as described above. An image forming apparatus comprising the exterior cover fixing structure according to claim 1.

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