JP2008058750A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means aligning and supporting a paper supplying cassette on the paper supplying cassette on a lowest level without causing distortion or deformation to an apparatus main body or the paper supplying cassette in an image forming apparatus with the paper supplying units provided with the paper supplying cassettes for storing recording paper stacked for a specified number of levels below the apparatus main body in which an image forming part is stored. <P>SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 is provided with the apparatus main body 3 storing the image forming part forming an image on recording paper and the paper supplying units 5 with the paper supplying cassettes 4 for storing the recording paper which can be stacked up for the specified number of levels below the apparatus main body. A foot 13 for supporting the apparatus main body 3 and the paper supplying units 5 by being abutted to an installed surface S is projected on a bottom surface of the apparatus main body 3 and the paper supplying units 5 and the paper supplying units 5 or the apparatus main body 3 are aligned and supported on the lowest level of the paper supplying units 5 by the foot 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which sheet feeding units each having a sheet feeding cassette for storing recording sheets are stacked below an apparatus main body in which an image forming unit that forms an image on recording sheets is accommodated. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a foot that contacts the installation surface and supports the entire apparatus is provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body and the paper feeding unit.

  Copiers, facsimiles, scanners, and the like are equipped with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on recording paper based on image data read from a document or image data received by facsimile. FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus 70 according to a conventional example. The image forming apparatus 70 includes an apparatus main body 72 in which a main body cassette 71 for storing recording paper is provided so that it can be pulled out, and a paper feed cassette 73 is provided in such a manner that it can be pulled out, and is stacked below the apparatus main body 72 by a predetermined number of stages. The sheet feeding unit 74 is provided. An image forming unit (not shown) for forming an image on recording paper is accommodated inside the apparatus main body 72, and the recording paper fed from the main body cassette 71 is supplied to the image forming unit. Further, the paper feed cassette 73 provided in the paper feed unit 74 can store, for example, recording paper having a different paper size as compared with the main body cassette 71, and is arbitrarily added according to the use of the image forming apparatus 70. By removing or removing, a plurality of types of recording paper having different paper sizes can be supplied to the image forming unit.

  In such an image forming apparatus 70, as shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of feet 75 for contacting the installation surface and supporting the weight of the entire apparatus project on the bottom surfaces of the apparatus main body 72 and each paper feed unit 74. Established. On the other hand, a foot insertion hole (not shown) shaped to fit to the position of each foot 75 is formed through the upper surface of each paper feeding unit 74, and each upper paper feeding unit 74 or A plurality of positioning pins 76 for positioning with respect to the apparatus main body 72 are projected (see Patent Document 1). Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the foot 75 that supports the weight of the entire apparatus is a portion having a particularly high rigidity on the bottom surface thereof, that is, a resin, a sheet metal, or the like so that the apparatus main body 72 and the paper feed unit 74 are not deformed. And projecting directly below a frame body (not shown). On the other hand, the positioning pin 76 protrudes from a portion having a relatively low rigidity on the upper surface of the paper feed unit 74, that is, a position closer to the center of the apparatus than the foot insertion hole in which no frame is provided.

  According to such a configuration, in a configuration in which the paper feeding unit 74 is not added at all, details are not shown in the figure, but the foot 75 of the apparatus main body 72 abuts on the installation surface to reduce the weight of the apparatus main body 72. In the case where the sheet feeding unit 74 is added by a predetermined number of stages, the foot 75 of the lowermost sheet feeding unit 74 is in contact with the installation surface S as shown in FIG. Support weight. Further, when the sheet feeding unit 74 is added by a predetermined number of stages, the foot insertion holes of the sheet feeding unit 74 whose bottom surface 75 is the bottom of the sheet feeding unit 74 and the apparatus main body 72 other than the lowermost stage. The positioning pins 76 of the immediately lower sheet feeding unit 74 abut on the bottom surface of the sheet feeding unit 74 so as to be positioned at a predetermined height position on the sheet feeding unit 74 and the upper all sheet feeding units 74. The weight of the apparatus main body 72 is supported by the positioning pins 76. A positioning pin 76 protrudes from the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 72 and each paper feed unit 74 and is brought into contact with the upper surface of the lower paper feed unit 74 so that the apparatus main body 72 and the paper feed unit 74 are directly connected. It is also possible to position and support on the lower sheet feeding unit 74.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-56510

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus 70, the foot 75 for supporting the weight of the entire apparatus in contact with the installation surface S and the positioning pin 76 for positioning and supporting the sheet feeding unit 74 at the lower stage. Are separately provided, leading to an increase in cost due to an increase in the number of parts and a complicated part management.

  Further, since the foot 75 and the positioning pin 76 are provided separately, they are easily affected by dimensional errors and assembly errors of these members. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, when an error occurs in the distance L between the foot 75 and the positioning pin 76 and becomes L ′, positional deviation occurs in the upper and lower sheet feeding units 74 and the aesthetic appearance is impaired. In addition, forcibly inserting the foot 75 into the foot insertion hole causes distortion in the entire apparatus, resulting in a problem in the supply of the recording paper.

  As described above, since the positioning pin 76 protrudes from the relatively low rigidity portion of the paper feeding unit 74 and the apparatus main body 72, the total weight of the upper paper feeding unit 74 and the apparatus main body 72 is determined by this positioning. When supported by the pins 76, the paper feed unit 74 and the apparatus main body 72 may be distorted or deformed. In this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to pull out the paper feed cassette 73 of the paper feed unit 74 and the main body cassette 71 of the apparatus main body 72, and it is difficult to return the pulled-out paper feed cassette 73 and main body cassette 71.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. A sheet feeding unit including a sheet feeding cassette for storing recording sheets is provided at a predetermined number of stages below an apparatus main body in which an image forming unit is accommodated. In the image forming apparatus that is stacked only, a means for positioning and supporting the apparatus main body and the sheet feeding cassette on the lower sheet feeding cassette without causing distortion or deformation is provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an apparatus main body in which an image forming unit for forming an image on recording paper is housed; and a paper feed cassette for storing the recording paper. An image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of sheet feeding units stacked below a predetermined number of stages, wherein the apparatus body and the sheet feeding unit are in contact with the installation surface on the bottom surfaces of the apparatus body and the sheet feeding unit. A foot for supporting is protruded, and the paper feed unit or the apparatus main body is positioned and supported on the paper feed unit in the immediately lower stage by the foot.

  According to another aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the foot projects from a position directly below the frame that forms the apparatus main body and the paper feeding unit.

  The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the foot gradually decreases in diameter from a cylindrical portion having substantially the same diameter as the foot insertion hole formed in the sheet feeding unit in the immediately lower stage, and the tip of the cylindrical portion. And a tapered portion formed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the tapered portion is made of an elastically deformable rubber member, and an end of the cylindrical portion is formed to have a larger diameter than the foot insertion hole.

  The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the foot is formed by elastically deforming a thin plate-like locking blade protruding in a radial direction.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the foot for contacting the grounding surface and supporting the entire apparatus has a role of positioning and supporting the apparatus main body and the sheet feeding unit on the immediately lower sheet feeding unit. Therefore, compared with the case where the positioning pin member is provided separately from the foot, the cost can be reduced and the management can be facilitated by reducing the number of parts.

  In addition, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, a member for contacting the grounding surface to support the entire apparatus and a member for positioning and supporting on the lower sheet feeding unit are shared. Therefore, it is not easily affected by the dimensional error or assembly error of the members, and the upper and lower sheet feeding units may be misaligned to impair the aesthetic appearance, or the entire apparatus may be distorted, resulting in a problem in the supply of recording paper. Can be prevented.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the foot protrudes from a position directly below the frame constituting the apparatus main body or the paper feed unit, that is, at a particularly rigid portion on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body or the paper feed unit. The Therefore, even if the weight of the upper sheet feed unit or the apparatus main body is applied to the lower sheet feed unit via the foot, the lower sheet feed unit is unlikely to be distorted or deformed. Accordingly, it is not difficult to pull out the main body cassette of the apparatus main body or the paper feeding cassette of the paper feeding unit, or to return the pulled out main body cassette or paper feeding cassette to the original state.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the foot is easy to be inserted into the foot insertion hole because the tip side has a small diameter. In addition, when the foot is inserted into the foot insertion hole formed in the immediately lower sheet feeding unit, the cylindrical portion comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the foot insertion hole, so that the foot is displaced in the horizontal direction inside the foot insertion hole. Hard to do.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the foot is inserted into the foot insertion hole formed in the immediately lower sheet feeding unit, the foot insertion hole is formed by the elastic deformation of the tapered portion made of the rubber member. The root portion of the tapered portion that has passed and returned to its original shape after passing is locked to the periphery of the foot insertion hole. Thereby, the foot is fixed so that it cannot be pulled out upward. In this way, the foot also serves to fix the apparatus main body and the paper feed unit to the immediate lower stage of the paper feed unit so as not to move, so the number of parts is smaller than when the fixing member is provided separately from the foot. The cost can be reduced and the management can be facilitated by reducing the cost.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, when the foot is inserted into the foot insertion hole formed in the immediately lower sheet feeding unit, the locking blade elastically deforms and passes through the foot insertion hole. The locking blade that has returned to its original shape after passing is locked to the periphery of the foot insertion hole. Thereby, the foot is fixed so that it cannot be pulled out upward. In this way, the foot also serves to fix the apparatus main body and the paper feed unit to the immediate lower stage of the paper feed unit so as not to move, so the number of parts is smaller than when the fixing member is provided separately from the foot. The cost can be reduced and the management can be facilitated by reducing the cost.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral having a facsimile communication function and an Internet facsimile communication function in addition to a document copying function. Of course, the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral, and may be configured as a copy-only machine having only a copy function or a facsimile-only machine having only a facsimile communication function.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has an apparatus main body 3 in which a main body cassette 2 for storing recording paper can be inserted and removed, and a paper feed cassette 4 for storing recording paper can be inserted and extracted. A sheet feeding unit 5 stacked in a predetermined number of stages below the apparatus main body 3, a document placing table 6 provided on the upper part of the apparatus body 3 for placing a document to be read, and a document placing table 6. On the other hand, a document pressing plate 7 which is provided so as to be openable and closable for pressing a document against the document placing table 6, a document tray 8 which is provided on the document pressing plate 7 for setting a document to be read, and a document placing table 6. And an automatic document transport mechanism 9 for sequentially feeding and transporting documents on the document tray 8 and an operation panel 10 for inputting various operation instructions provided on the front side of the document placing table 6. And comprising . In this image forming apparatus 1, an image reading unit for reading image data of a document is constituted by a document placing table 6, a document pressing plate 7, a document tray 8, and an automatic document transport mechanism 9. Although not shown, an image forming unit for forming an image on recording paper based on image data read from a document or image data received by facsimile is provided inside the apparatus main body 3. The main body cassette 2 has an arbitrary configuration, and the recording paper can be supplied to the image forming unit only by the paper feeding unit 5.

  The paper feeding unit 5 can store recording paper having a paper size different from that of the main body cassette 2 in the paper feeding cassette 4, and is optionally added or removed depending on the use of the image forming apparatus 1. is there. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the configuration of a certain sheet feeding unit 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view seen from above, and FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view seen from below. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed unit 5 includes a frame body 11 in which members made of metal, resin, or the like are assembled in a frame shape, and a paper feed cassette 4 supported by the frame body 11 so as to be insertable / removable. A top plate 12 disposed so as to cover the upper part of the frame body 11 and two pairs of left and right feet 13 protruding from the bottom surface of the frame body 11 are provided. In addition, the attachment position of the foot 13 is not limited to the present embodiment, and can be an arbitrary position on the bottom surface of the frame body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the top plate 12 is formed with a foot insertion hole 14 through which the top plate 12 is inserted into positions corresponding to the two pairs of left and right feet 13. Here, one of the front and rear foot insertion holes 14a and 14b formed on one end side in the apparatus width direction is a circle having the same diameter as the foot 13 in plan view, and the other is approximately the same size as the foot 13 in the apparatus width direction. Moreover, it is formed longer than the foot 13 in the apparatus depth direction. On the other hand, the front and rear two foot insertion holes 14c and 14d formed on the other end side in the apparatus width direction are both formed in a circular shape having a larger diameter than the foot 13 in plan view. In this embodiment, the foot insertion holes 14b, 14c, and 14d are formed larger than the foot 13 so as to absorb the dimensional error and assembly error of the foot 13 and insert the foot 13 with certainty. The shape of the insertion hole 14 is not limited to this, and for example, all the foot insertion holes 14 can be formed in a circle having the same diameter as the foot 13 in plan view.

  The foot 13 protrudes from the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus 1 and comes into contact with the installation surface S, so that even if the installation surface S is uneven, the image forming apparatus 1 is slightly lifted from the installation surface S to enable stable installation. It is what. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the configuration of the foot 13 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view seen from above, and FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view seen from below. The foot 13 includes an attachment member 15 for attachment to the apparatus main body 3 and the paper feed unit 5 and a grounding member 16 that contacts the installation surface S. The mounting member 15 is a flat plate member made of resin or the like, and as shown in FIG. 4 (a), both longitudinal ends thereof are formed in an arc shape in plan view, as shown in FIG. 4 (b). As described above, a screw insertion hole 17 is formed through the center in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of positioning projections 18 project from the bottom surface of the screw insertion hole 17 at opposite positions across the screw insertion hole 17. . On the other hand, the grounding member 16 is a substantially cylindrical member made of hard rubber, resin, or the like, and protrudes at a position directly above the screw insertion hole 17 in the mounting member 15 as shown in FIG. The guide surface 19 is formed by cutting off the peripheral edge of the tip at an angle.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing attachment of the foot 13 to the frame body 11. A screw hole 20 is formed on the bottom surface of the frame body 11, and a protrusion fitting hole for fitting the pair of positioning protrusions 18 of the foot 13 at positions facing each other with the screw hole 20 therebetween. 21 is formed. When attaching the foot 13 to the frame 11, first, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5, the screw insertion hole 17 of the attachment member 15 is aligned with the position of the screw hole 20 of the frame 11. The positioning projections 18 are respectively fitted in the projection fitting holes 21. Then, the fixing screw 22 is screwed into the screw hole 20 of the frame body 11 through the screw insertion hole 17 of the mounting member 15. As a result, the foot 13 is fixed to the frame body 11 with the fixing screw 22 and each positioning projection 18 is fitted into each projection fitting hole 21, so that the position of the fixing screw 22 is centered. Rotation is prevented.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the relationship between the upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which the foot 13 is attached and the sheet feeding unit 5 directly below the upper sheet feeding unit 5. When the upper sheet feeding unit 5 is placed on the lower sheet feeding unit 5, first, the foot insertion hole 14 formed in the lower sheet feeding unit 5 has substantially the same diameter as the foot 13 shown in FIG. 2. The foot 13 attached to the corresponding position of the upper sheet feeding unit 5 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14a formed in a circular shape. At this time, since the guide surface 19 is formed at the tip of the foot 13 as described above, even if the center of the foot 13 slightly deviates from the center of the foot insertion hole 14 as shown in FIG. The foot 13 is guided by the guide surface 19 in a direction in which the center coincides with the center of the foot insertion hole 14. As shown in FIG. 6B, the grounding member 16 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14 until the mounting member 15 contacts the upper surface of the lower sheet feeding unit 5. Thereby, a gap C corresponding to the thickness of the mounting member 15 is secured between the upper sheet feeding unit 5 and the lower sheet feeding unit 5.

  Next, of the foot insertion holes 14 formed in the lower sheet feeding unit 5, the foot insertion holes 14b formed in the elongated hole shape shown in FIG. 2 are attached to the corresponding positions of the upper sheet feeding unit 5. The inserted foot 13 is inserted. Here, since the foot insertion hole 14b is formed longer than the foot 13 in the apparatus depth direction, the foot 13 and the foot insertion hole 14 can be reliably absorbed by absorbing dimensional errors and assembly errors. It can be inserted. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, since the foot insertion hole 14b is formed to have substantially the same size as the foot 13 in the apparatus width direction, the foot 13 is displaced in the apparatus width direction in the foot insertion hole 14b. There is no. Thus, the upper sheet feeding unit 5 is positioned so as not to rotate with respect to the lower sheet feeding unit 5 around the foot 13 inserted through the foot insertion hole 14a. The foot 13 is the same as the foot insertion hole 14a in that the grounding member 16 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14b until the mounting member 15 contacts the upper surface of the lower sheet feeding unit 5. is there.

  Thereafter, among the foot insertion holes 14 formed in the lower sheet feeding unit 5, the upper sheet feeding is performed with respect to the two foot insertion holes 14c and 14d formed in a circular shape having a larger diameter than the foot 13 shown in FIG. The foot 13 attached to the corresponding position of the unit 5 is inserted. Here, since each foot insertion hole 14c, 14d is formed in diameter larger than the foot 13, the dimension error of the foot 13 and the foot insertion hole 14, an assembly error, etc. are absorbed, and the foot 13 is made into the foot insertion hole 14c, 14d can be easily inserted. Each foot 13 is inserted into the foot insertion holes 14c and 14d until the mounting member 15 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower sheet feeding unit 5. The foot insertion holes 14a It is the same.

  As described above, the upper sheet feeding unit 5 is supported on the lower sheet feeding unit 5 by the foot 13 projecting from the bottom surface thereof, and extends in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the lower sheet feeding unit 5. Positioning has been performed. The order in which the foot 13 of the upper sheet feeding unit 5 is inserted into the foot insertion holes 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d of the lower sheet feeding unit 5 is not limited to this embodiment, and the order can be changed as appropriate. It is. Further, the case where the upper sheet feeding unit 5 is placed on the lower sheet feeding unit 5 has been described as an example, but the case where the upper apparatus body 3 is placed on the lower sheet feeding unit 5 is also described. It is the same.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the foot 23 according to the second embodiment. Similarly to the foot 13 according to the first embodiment, the foot 23 according to the present embodiment includes an attachment member 24 made of resin or the like and a grounding member 25 made of hard rubber, resin, or the like. Here, since the structure of the mounting member 24 is the same as the foot 13 according to the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the grounding member 25 is a hollow, substantially tapered hollow surface 26 having a tapered surface 26 formed by gradually reducing the diameter from the proximal end side fixed to the mounting member 24 toward the distal end side. It has a truncated cone shape. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, when the foot 23 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14 of the immediately lower sheet feeding unit 5, the tip side of the grounding member 25 has a small diameter, so that the foot 23 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14. In addition, even if the center of the foot 23 is slightly shifted from the center of the foot insertion hole 14, the foot 23 is guided by the taper surface 26 in a direction in which the center coincides with the center of the foot insertion hole 14. . The procedure for attaching the foot 23 to the frame 11 and the procedure for placing the upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which the foot 23 is attached on the lower sheet feeding unit 5 are the foot 13 according to the first embodiment. The description is omitted here because it is the same as.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the foot 27 according to the third embodiment. Similarly to the foot 13 according to the first embodiment, the foot 27 according to the present embodiment is composed of a mounting member 28 made of resin or the like and a grounding member 29 made of hard rubber or resin. Here, since the structure of the mounting member 28 is the same as the foot 13 according to the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the grounding member 29 is formed with a cylindrical portion 30 on the proximal end side fixed to the mounting member 28, and gradually decreases in diameter toward the distal end side, so that a tapered portion is formed. 31 is formed. As a result, in addition to the effect of the foot 23 according to the second embodiment, when the foot 23 is inserted through the foot insertion hole 14 of the immediately lower feed unit 5 as shown in FIG. Since the cylindrical portion 30 contacts the peripheral surface of the foot insertion hole 14, the foot 27 is less likely to be displaced in the horizontal direction inside the foot insertion hole 14. The procedure for attaching the foot 27 to the frame 11 and the procedure for placing the upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which the foot 27 is attached on the lower sheet feeding unit 5 are the foot 13 according to the first embodiment. The description is omitted here because it is the same as.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the relationship between the upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which the foot 32 according to the fourth embodiment is attached and the lower sheet feeding unit 5. The foot 32 according to the present embodiment is composed of a mounting member 33 made of resin or the like and a grounding member 34 made of an elastically deformable rubber member. Here, since the structure of the attachment member 33 is the same as the foot 13 according to the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the grounding member 34 has a cylindrical portion 35 formed on the proximal end side, and a tapered portion 36 is formed by gradually reducing the diameter from the cylindrical portion 35 toward the distal end side. Although common to the foot 27 according to the third embodiment, the diameter D1 of the base portion of the tapered portion 36 is formed larger than the diameter D2 of the foot insertion hole 14. According to such a configuration, when the foot 32 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14 of the lower sheet feeding unit 5, the grounding member 34 made of a rubber member applies a pressing force by contact with the foot insertion hole 14. The received taper portion 36 is elastically deformed to pass through the foot insertion hole 14 and returns to its original shape when released from the pressing force through the foot insertion hole 14 as shown in FIG. Thus, the foot 32 is fixed so that the base portion of the tapered portion 36 of the grounding member 34 is locked to the periphery of the foot insertion hole 14 so that the foot 32 cannot be pulled upward, and the cylindrical portion 35 of the grounding member 34 is fixed. This portion is in contact with the peripheral surface of the foot insertion hole 14 so that it is difficult to shift the position in the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the relationship between the upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which the foot 37 according to the fifth embodiment is attached and the lower sheet feeding unit 5. The foot 13 according to the present embodiment is composed of a mounting member 38 made of resin or the like and a grounding member 39 made of resin or the like. Here, the configuration of the mounting member 38 is the same as that of the foot 13 according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the grounding member 39 is provided with a thin plate-like locking blade 40 extending in the radial direction from the tip thereof. According to such a configuration, when the foot 37 is inserted into the foot insertion hole 14 of the lower-stage sheet feeding unit 5, the grounding member 39 receives the pressing force due to contact with the foot insertion hole 14. When the blades 40 are elastically deformed so as to be closed inward, they pass through the foot insertion holes 14 and are released from the pressing force through the foot insertion holes 14 as shown in FIG. It will return to its original shape by expanding to. At this time, since the outer diameter D3 of the locking blade 40 is larger than the diameter D2 of the foot insertion hole 14, when the locking blade 40 is locked to the periphery of the foot insertion hole 14, the foot 37 is pulled upward. It is fixed to impossible.

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which sheet feeding units having sheet feeding cassettes for storing recording sheets are stacked below an apparatus main body in which an image forming unit that forms an image on recording sheets is accommodated. Applicable.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a certain sheet feeding unit 5 as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a certain sheet feeding unit 5 as viewed from below. It is a figure which shows the structure of the foot 13 which concerns on 1st Example, FIG. 4 (a) is a schematic perspective view seen from upper direction, FIG.4 (b) is a schematic perspective view seen from the downward direction. The disassembled perspective view which shows the attachment to the frame 11 of the foot 13. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a relationship between an upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which a foot 13 is attached and a lower sheet feeding unit 5. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the foot 23 which concerns on 2nd Example. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a relationship between an upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which a foot 23 is attached and a lower sheet feeding unit 5. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the foot 27 which concerns on 3rd Example. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a relationship between an upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which a foot 27 is attached and a lower sheet feeding unit 5. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the relationship between the upper stage paper feed unit 5 to which the foot 32 which concerns on 4th Example was attached, and the paper feed unit 5 of the direct lower stage. FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the relationship between an upper sheet feeding unit 5 to which a foot 37 according to a fifth embodiment is attached and a lower sheet feeding unit 5. FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to a conventional example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 3 Apparatus main body 4 Paper feed cassette 5 Paper feed unit 11 Frame 13, 23, 27, 32, 37 Foot S Installation surface

Claims (5)

An apparatus main body in which an image forming unit for forming an image on recording paper is housed; and a paper feeding unit that includes a paper feeding cassette for storing recording paper and is stacked a predetermined number of stages below the apparatus main body. In the image forming apparatus,
A foot for supporting the apparatus main body and the paper feed unit is provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body and the paper feed unit so as to contact the installation surface, and the foot can directly connect the paper feed unit or the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus which is positioned and supported on the lower sheet feeding unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foot is provided at a position directly below a frame constituting the apparatus main body and the paper feeding unit.   The foot includes a cylindrical portion having substantially the same diameter as the foot insertion hole formed in the sheet feeding unit in the immediately lower stage, and a tapered portion formed so as to gradually reduce the diameter from the tip of the cylindrical portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.   4. The image according to claim 3, wherein the tapered portion is made of an elastically deformable rubber member, and an end portion on the cylindrical portion side is formed to have a larger diameter than the foot insertion hole. Forming equipment.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foot has a thin plate-like locking blade that is elastically deformable and protrudes in a radial direction. 4.

Images