JP2009098387A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of separately accommodating clips and staples in a small accessory tray without scattering them on the apparatus and capable of easily disposing only the staples. <P>SOLUTION: The small accessory tray 20 freely attachable to a main body 2 includes: a first accommodating part 21 and a second accommodating part 22, each of which are in the form of a recess; and a magnet 24 disposed at the bottom of the first accommodating part 21. The main body 2 has a loud speaker 30 disposed near the bottom of the second accommodating section 22 of the small accessory tray 20 and having a magnet 31. Thus, when the small accessory tray 20 is attached to the main body 2, the first and second accommodating sections 21 and 22 are both affected by magnetic force and, when the small accessory tray 20 is detached, the first accommodating section 21 remains affected by the magnetic force whereas the second accommodating section 22 is no longer affected by it. Accordingly, metal clips or the like in the first accommodating section 21 are always less likely to fall. Staples and so on in the second accommodating section 22 are less likely to fall on the apparatus. However, when the small accessory tray 20 is detached, they can be easily disposed of. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer.

  Some image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and facsimiles include a document conveying device that automatically sends a plurality of documents to a document reading unit. The document conveying device separates and conveys one sheet at a time from the uppermost layer of the bundle of documents stacked on the document placing tray. The original is read by the original reading unit, and then discharged onto a document discharge tray provided on the most downstream side of the original conveyance path. As a result, when the bound document bundle is copied, the clips and staples binding the document bundle need to be removed from the document bundle in advance.

  On the other hand, when the image data is read by placing the documents directly on the contact glass surface of the document reading unit, it is necessary to remove the clips and staples from the document bundle in advance as described above. is there.

  If the metal clip or staple that has been removed from the document bundle falls into the main body of the image forming apparatus, there is a possibility of causing an electrical failure or mechanical damage of the apparatus. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, some image forming apparatuses have a small tray disposed around the operation unit in order to secure a place for the clip or staple staple removed from the original bundle. Examples of such an image forming apparatus can be found in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

The image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 includes a dust bin that accommodates dust such as a staple, and the dust bin is detachable from the apparatus main body and includes a magnet at the bottom. The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes an accessory case that can be detachably attached to the apparatus main body and that accommodates clips and staples. The accessory case separates the clips from the staples in two accommodating portions. can do.
JP 2002-169349 A (2nd page, FIG. 2) JP 2005-43333 A (page 4, FIG. 3)

  Since the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a magnet at the bottom of a trash bin that houses staples and the like, it is possible to prevent the staples from scattering. However, in this configuration, the clip that can be reused after being removed from the document stack and the staples that must be discarded are mixed in the waste bin, so it takes time to separate and collect these. It takes.

  The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 can store clips and staples separately in advance in the two storage portions of the accessory case, so that it is possible to save the trouble of separating the mixed ones. Is possible. However, in this configuration, the action of holding the clip and the staples on the accessory case does not work, so that they may be scattered.

  Therefore, it is necessary to propose a configuration in which the clip and the staple can be accommodated separately and held on the accessory case so as not to scatter. Furthermore, it is necessary to obtain a configuration in which the staples that are no longer necessary on the accessory case can be discarded after being removed from the original bundle at as low a cost as possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. In an image forming apparatus having a small tray that can accommodate a clip or a staple that has been removed from a bundle of documents and is detachable from the apparatus main body, Thus, there is provided an image forming apparatus which can be separated and accommodated in a small article tray without scattering the clip and the staples and can be easily discarded, and which can be easily discarded. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus including a small tray that is detachable from the apparatus main body, wherein the small tray includes a first storage section and a second storage section that are formed in a concave shape. And a magnet provided at the bottom of the first storage portion, and the main body includes a functional member having a magnet disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the second storage portion of the accessory tray.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus having the above configuration, the functional member is a speaker.

  In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the functional member is a blower fan.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus including the accessory tray that is detachable from the apparatus main body, the accessory tray includes the first storage portion and the second storage portion that are formed in a concave shape, and the first storage portion. And a magnet provided at the bottom of the second portion, and the main body includes a functional member having a magnet disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the second storage portion of the small tray. When mounted, both the first storage portion and the second storage portion are affected by magnetic force. When the small tray is removed from the apparatus main body, the first storage portion remains affected by the magnetic force, and the second storage portion is magnetically affected. Is no longer affected. This makes it difficult for metal clips, etc., placed in the first housing part to always fall, and staples, etc., placed in the second housing part, do not fall easily on the apparatus, and are easy to dispose when the small tray is removed from the apparatus. Become. Further, the magnet disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the second housing part that brings about such an action is not provided for influencing the magnetic force of the second housing part, but originally provided for other purposes. Since the magnet is provided on the functional member, it is not necessary to prepare another magnet separately. In this way, the clip and the staple can be separated and accommodated in the accessory tray without being scattered on the apparatus, and only the staple can be easily discarded, and the cost can be reduced. An image forming apparatus can be provided.

  In addition, since the functional member is a speaker, the speaker originally provided to emit the operation sound of the apparatus can be used to make it difficult for the staples of the small tray to be scattered. Thereby, without preparing a magnet separately, when the small tray is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, it is possible to act such that the second accommodating portion is affected or not affected by the magnetic force.

  Further, since the functional member is a blower fan, the blower fan originally provided for cooling the inside of the apparatus can be used to make it difficult for the staples and the like of the accessory tray to be scattered. Thereby, without preparing a magnet separately, when the small tray is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, it is possible to act such that the second accommodating portion is affected or not affected by the magnetic force.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the image output operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described while explaining the outline of the structure with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus. In FIG. 1, a solid line arrow indicates a sheet conveyance path and a conveyance direction, and a one-dot chain line arrow indicates a laser beam L. In FIG. 2, the drawing of the document feeding unit above the image forming apparatus main body is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 3, which is a paper feed unit, is disposed below the inside of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper feed cassette 3 stores and accommodates paper P such as cut paper before printing. The sheets P are separated and sent one by one toward the upper left of the sheet cassette 3 in FIG. The paper feed cassette 3 can be pulled out horizontally from the front side of the main body 2.

  A first paper transport unit 4 is provided inside the main body 2 and to the left of the paper feed cassette 3. The first paper transport unit 4 is formed substantially vertically along the left side surface of the main body 2. The first paper transport unit 4 receives the paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 3 and transports the paper P vertically upward along the left side surface of the main body 2 to the transfer unit 12.

  A manual paper feed unit 5 is provided above the paper feed cassette 3 at a location on the right side which is the side opposite to the left side of the main body 2 where the first paper transport unit 4 is formed. Yes. In the manual sheet feeder 5, paper P of a size that is not contained in the paper cassette 3, thick paper, and OHP sheets that are to be fed one by one are placed.

  A second paper transport unit 6 is provided on the left side of the manual paper feed unit 5. The second paper transport unit 6 is located immediately above the paper feed cassette 3, extends substantially horizontally from the manual paper feed unit 5 to the first paper transport unit 4, and joins the first paper transport unit 4. Then, the second paper transport unit 6 receives the paper P or the like sent from the manual paper feed unit 5 and transports it to the first paper transport unit 4 substantially horizontally.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a document feeding unit 7 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1, and a document image reading unit 8 is provided below the document feeding unit 7. When the user copies an original, an original on which images such as characters, graphics, and patterns are drawn is loaded on the original feeding unit 7. The document feeding unit 7 separates the documents one by one and sends the document, and the document image reading unit 8 reads the image data.

  The reading of the document image, that is, the start of printing is executed using the operation panel 9 (see FIG. 2) provided on the front side of the document image reading unit 8 at the upper part of the main body 2. The user can input and set printing conditions such as the paper size to be used, enlargement / reduction, and presence / absence of double-sided printing from the operation panel 9.

  Information on the image data of the document is sent to the exposure device 10 (see FIG. 1) disposed above the second paper transport unit 6 and in the center of the main body 2. The exposure apparatus 10 emits laser light L controlled based on the image data toward the image forming unit 11.

  An image forming unit 11 and a transfer unit 12 are provided above the first paper transport unit 4 and to the left of the exposure apparatus 10. In the image forming unit 11, an electrostatic latent image of a document image is formed by the laser light L irradiated by the exposure device 10, and a toner image is developed from this electrostatic latent image. The toner is supplied to the image forming unit 11 from a toner container 13 provided above the exposure apparatus 10. The toner image formed by the image forming unit 11 is transferred by the transfer unit 12 to the pre-printing paper P sent in synchronization by the first paper transport unit 4.

  A fixing device 14 is provided above the transfer unit 12. The sheet P carrying the unfixed toner image in the transfer unit 12 is sent to the fixing device 14 where the toner image is heated and pressed by a heat roller and a pressure roller to be fixed.

  A branch portion 15 is provided above the fixing device 14. The paper P discharged from the fixing device 14 is discharged from the branching portion 15 to the in-body paper discharge portion 16 (see FIG. 2) provided in the cylinder of the image forming apparatus 1 when double-sided printing is not performed.

  The discharge port portion from which the paper P is discharged from the branch portion 15 toward the in-body paper discharge portion 16 serves as a switchback portion 17. When duplex printing is performed, the switchback unit 17 switches the transport direction of the paper P discharged from the fixing device 14. Then, the paper P passes through the branching portion 15 and is sent downward through a double-sided printing paper conveyance path 18 provided on the left side of the fixing device 14 and on the left side of the transfer unit 12, and again the first paper conveyance unit 4 is sent to the transfer section 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an accessory tray 20 is provided on the upper part of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 on the left side of the operation panel 9 in the front portion. The accessory tray 20 is provided detachably with respect to the main body 2.

  Next, a detailed configuration around the accessory tray 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 in addition to FIG. 3 is an external perspective view around the small tray, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the small tray and the structure inside the small tray, viewed from the same direction (above) as FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is the small tray and the inside thereof. It is the perspective view which shows this structure, and was seen from the downward | lower direction. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the drawing of the exterior members around the accessory tray is omitted so that the positional relationship between the accessory tray and the internal structure can be easily grasped.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the accessory tray 20 is provided on the left side of the operation panel 9 and on the upper surface of the portion protruding to the front side of the document image reading unit 8. A concave portion (not shown) recessed downward is formed in this portion of the main body 2, and the accessory tray 20 can be attached to the concave portion and can be attached to and detached from the main body 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the small tray 20 mounting portion of the main body 2 is inclined, and the small tray 20 is also configured so that the back side is taller than the front side, and the front side is inclined according to its shape. It has become.

  The accessory tray 20 includes a first accommodation portion 21 and a second accommodation portion 22 that can accommodate clips, staples, and the like, a partition plate 23, and a magnet 24.

  The first accommodating portion 21 is provided on the left side of the accessory tray 20 when viewed from the front. The 1st accommodating part 21 is formed in the concave shape dented below, and the front side edge part of the inner bottom face has corresponded in the location of the front side slope of the accessory tray 20 without a level | step difference. Thereby, the user can take out the to-be-contained object of the 1st accommodating part 21 easily using a finger | toe.

  The second accommodating portion 22 is provided on the right side of the accessory tray 20 when viewed from the front. The second storage portion 22 is formed in a concave shape that is recessed downward like the first storage portion 21, but the inner bottom portion is a recess provided with a step with respect to the front side slope of the accessory tray 20. It consists of Thereby, the to-be-contained object of the 2nd accommodating part 22 is prevented from scattering unintentionally.

  The partition plate 23 is provided between the first housing portion 21 and the second housing portion 22. The partition plate 23 stands upright substantially vertically, and projects upward from the front side slope of the accessory tray 20. Accordingly, the user can attach and detach the accessory tray 20 to the main body 2 by pinching the upper part of the partition plate 23 with a finger.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet 24 is attached to the outer bottom surface of the first housing portion 21. Thereby, the magnetic force of the magnet 24 always acts on the first accommodating portion 21. Therefore, the first accommodating part 21 can easily hold the metal object by the magnetic force of the magnet 24, although the object is easily dropped when the small tray 20 is inclined in the first place.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a speaker 30 is disposed in the main body 2 at a location corresponding to the vicinity of the bottom surface of the second storage portion 22 of the small tray 20. The speaker 30 is a functional member having a magnet 31. Thereby, the magnetic force of the magnet 31 acts on the second accommodating portion 22 only while the accessory tray 20 is mounted on the main body 2.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 including the accessory tray 20 that is detachable from the main body 2, the accessory tray 20 includes the first storage portion 21 and the second storage portion 22 that are formed in a concave shape, and the first storage portion 21. The main body 2 includes a functional member (speaker 30) having a magnet 31 disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the second storage portion 22 of the accessory tray 20. Therefore, when the small tray 20 is attached to the main body 2, both the first storage portion 21 and the second storage portion 22 are affected by the magnetic force, and when the small tray 20 is removed from the main body 2, the first storage portion 21 is magnetic. The second housing portion 22 is no longer affected by the magnetic force. Thereby, a metal clip or the like placed in the first housing portion 21 is always difficult to drop, a staple in the second housing portion 22 is difficult to fall on the apparatus, and the small tray 20 is removed from the apparatus. It becomes easy to discard. Furthermore, the magnet 31 disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the second housing portion 22 that brings about such an action is not provided for influencing the magnetic force on the second housing portion 22, but originally for other purposes. Since the magnet 31 is provided on the functional member (speaker 30) provided, it is not necessary to prepare another magnet. In this way, the clip and the staples can be separated and accommodated in the accessory tray 20 without being scattered on the apparatus, and only the staples can be easily discarded. An image forming apparatus 1 can be provided.

  In addition, since the functional member is the speaker 30, the speaker 30 originally provided to emit the operation sound of the apparatus can be used to make it difficult for the staples and the like of the accessory tray 20 to be scattered. Thereby, without preparing a magnet separately, when the small tray 20 is attached to or detached from the main body 2, it is possible to act such that the second accommodating portion 22 is affected or not affected by the magnetic force.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the vicinity of the small tray, and FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional partial enlarged left side view showing the small tray periphery. The basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, and therefore, the configuration common to the first embodiment is described in the drawings, and The description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment includes a blower fan 40 in the main body 2 at a location corresponding to the vicinity of the bottom surface of the second storage portion 22 of the accessory tray 20. ing. The blower fan 40 is a functional member having a magnet (not shown), like the speaker 30 of the first embodiment. Behind the blower fan 40, the blower duct 41 extends to the position of the fixing device 14, and the fixing device 14 and its surroundings can be cooled.

  As described above, the functional member having a magnet disposed in the vicinity of the bottom portion of the second storage portion 22 of the accessory tray 20 of the main body 2 is the blower fan 40, and thus is originally provided for cooling the inside of the apparatus. The blower fan 40 can be used to make it difficult for the staples of the accessory tray 20 to scatter. As a result, as in the first embodiment, the second accommodating portion 22 may or may not be affected by the magnetic force when the accessory tray 20 is attached to or detached from the main body 2 without separately preparing a magnet. It is possible to work.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, the functional member having a magnet disposed in the main body 2 at a location corresponding to the vicinity of the bottom of the second storage portion 22 of the accessory tray 20 may be the speaker 30 or the air blower described in the first and second embodiments. In addition to the fan 40, a motor or other functional member may be adopted.

  The present invention can be used in general image forming apparatuses.

1 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is an external appearance perspective view of the accessory tray periphery of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the accessory tray of FIG. 2 and the structure inside thereof, as viewed from the same direction (upper direction) as FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the accessory tray of FIG. 2 and a structure inside the accessory tray, viewed from below. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the vicinity of a small tray of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a model vertical cross-section part expansion left view which shows the accessory tray periphery of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main body 9 Operation panel 14 Fixing device 20 Small article tray 21 1st accommodating part 22 2nd accommodating part 24 Magnet 30 Speaker (functional member)
31 Magnet 40 Blower fan (functional member)

Claims (3)

In the image forming apparatus provided with a small tray that is detachable from the apparatus main body,
The accessory tray includes a first accommodating portion and a second accommodating portion formed in a concave shape, and a magnet provided at a bottom portion of the first accommodating portion, and the main body is a bottom portion of the second accommodating portion of the accessory tray. An image forming apparatus comprising a functional member having a magnet disposed in the vicinity.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the functional member is a speaker.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the functional member is a blower fan.

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