JP2012013857A - Packaging cover and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packaging cover capable of achieving improvement of operability, etc. in connection of overlapped covers and to provide an image forming apparatus including the packaging cover.SOLUTION: The packaging cover includes: an approximately-planar first cover (41) covering a first face (21) of an apparatus body; an approximately L-shaped second cover (52) rotatably supported on the apparatus body and covering the first face (21) and a second face (22) connected to the first face (21) in an approximately orthogonal direction; and a third cover (63) arranged adjacently to a bend position of the second cover (52) and capable of regulating movement along the rotational axis of the second cover (52). The first cover (41) includes a first face packaging part (42) for packaging the first face (21) and a cover locking part (44) for locking the second cover (52) so that the surface of the cover locking part (44) is superposed to the rear of a part (54) of the second cover (52). The first cover (41) is rotatably supported on the third cover (63), and when the locking between the surface and the rear is unlocked, the first cover (41) is rotated in a direction for unlocking the locking between the surface and the rear.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exterior cover that covers an apparatus body and an image forming apparatus including the exterior cover.

  Various devices are mounted inside this type of apparatus main body, and the apparatus main body is covered with an exterior cover in order to protect these devices. On the other hand, it is necessary to open the inside of the apparatus main body to the outside for maintenance and replacement of the equipment. Therefore, a technique of an exterior cover that can open the apparatus main body has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-47772 JP 2009-198708 A

  However, the above-described conventional technique has a problem that the manufacturing cost increases. Specifically, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the apparatus main body and the exterior cover are adsorbed using a magnet or the like, and in the technique of Patent Document 2, the latch that engages the hook is configured to be movable by a spring, This is because the number of parts required for the apparatus main body and the exterior cover increases.

  There is a structure in which the exterior cover is divided. Specifically, the exterior cover is divided into a plate-like first cover, a rotating substantially L-shaped second cover, and a third cover fixed adjacent to the bent position of the second cover, The cover covers the first surface, the second cover covers a part of the first surface and the second surface substantially orthogonal to the first surface, and the third cover covers both the first surface and the second surface. There is a structure that covers the apparatus main body by partially overlapping the cover and the second cover. In the case of this structure, it is not preferable to use a magnet or a spring from the viewpoint of the manufacturing cost of the exterior cover.

  For this reason, when connecting these covers, it is possible to connect using a hook or a rib. More specifically, for example, the first cover is provided with a cover locking portion that overlaps a part of the back surface of the second cover, in addition to the first surface exterior portion that covers the first surface, and is provided on the surface of the cover locking portion. Then, a hook or a rib for locking the second cover is installed.

Here, when the inside of the apparatus main body is covered with the first cover and the second cover, the second cover can be easily opened inside the apparatus main body if the second cover is to be securely held by the hooks or ribs of the cover locking portion. A new problem of disappearing arises.
More specifically, the first cover securely holds the second cover with hooks and ribs when the second cover is closed, but when the second cover is opened, these hooks and ribs hold the second cover from the first cover. Because it makes it difficult to leave.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an exterior cover and an image forming apparatus provided with the exterior cover that can solve the above-described problems and can achieve improved operability and the like in the connection of overlapping covers.

  In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is a substantially flat first cover that covers the first surface of the apparatus main body, and is supported rotatably with respect to the apparatus main body. A substantially L-shaped second cover that covers a second surface that is substantially orthogonal to the first surface, and a second cover that is disposed adjacent to the bent position of the second cover and moves along the rotation axis of the second cover The present invention is applied to an exterior cover provided with a third cover that can regulate the above.

  The first cover includes a first surface exterior portion that sheathes the first surface, and a cover latching portion that has its surface overlapped with the back surface of a part of the second cover and latches the second cover, The first cover is rotatably supported with respect to the third cover. When the engagement between the front surface and the back surface is released, the first cover rotates in a direction to release the engagement between the front surface and the back surface. Move.

According to the first invention, the inside of the apparatus main body is covered with the exterior cover, and the exterior cover includes the substantially flat plate-like first cover and the substantially L-shaped second cover. The second cover can be rotated about the rotation axis to open the inside of the apparatus main body, but movement along the rotation axis is restricted by the third cover.
Here, according to the present invention, when the engagement between the front surface and the back surface of the second cover is released, the first cover rotates in the direction in which the engagement between the front surface and the back surface is released. can do.

Thus, the first cover securely holds the second cover by the cover locking portion when the second cover is closed, and locks the cover locking portion and the second cover when the second cover is opened. It becomes possible to cancel immediately. Therefore, the operability of the exterior cover can be improved.
According to a second aspect, in the configuration of the first aspect, an elastic member that presses and urges the cover locking portion toward a part of the second cover is arranged.

According to the second invention, in addition to the action of the first invention, if the elastic member presses and urges the cover locking part toward a part of the second cover, the surface of the cover locking part and the first 2 The fitting property with the back surface of the cover is further improved.
Moreover, the force required for holding and releasing the second cover by the first cover can be easily changed by adjusting the elastic member.

According to a third invention, in the configuration of the first or second invention, a hook that engages with the back surface is formed on one end side along the rotation axis of the surface, and the back surface is engaged with the other end side. A curved rib is formed.
According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the first and second inventions, a hook or a curved rib is formed on the surface of the cover locking portion of the first cover. Specifically, the hook is disposed on one end side along the rotation axis, and the rib is disposed on the other end side along the rotation axis so as to be spaced apart from each other, and overlaps the back surface of the second cover to lock the second cover. be able to. As a result, parts such as magnets and springs are not used for fixing the second cover as in the prior art, and only a small number of parts are required, so that the manufacturing cost of the exterior cover can be reduced.

Further, since the cover latching portion and the second cover are engaged by contact with a rib in addition to the hook to fix the second cover, the fitting property between the surface of the cover latching portion and the back surface of the second cover is improved. Become good.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first to third aspects, the second cover includes a second surface exterior portion that exteriorizes the second surface, and a back surface that extends in a substantially orthogonal direction from the second surface exterior portion. Each of which has a second surface connecting portion that is locked on the surface of the cover engaging portion. The surface of the second surface connecting portion is substantially the same as the surface of the first surface exterior portion. It is characterized by being configured in one.

According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of the first to third inventions, the surface of the second surface connecting portion of the second cover is substantially flush with the surface of the first surface exterior portion of the first cover. The surface on which the first cover is located can be configured with a small space without protrusions, and the apparatus main body can be easily installed.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including first to fourth exterior covers.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, it is possible to provide a user-friendly image forming apparatus with this exterior cover.

  According to the present invention, the first cover itself is also configured to be rotatable, and it is possible to provide an exterior cover that can achieve an improvement in its operability and an image forming apparatus including the exterior cover.

1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the multifunction machine of FIG. 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the multifunction machine of FIG. 1 including a controller. It is a perspective view of the front cover and left cover of FIG. It is a perspective view of the front cover of FIG. It is a perspective view of the left cover of FIG. 3A and 3B are perspective views of the left cover and the fixed cover of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 3A is a perspective view as viewed from the outside of the apparatus main body, and FIG. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of FIG. 7B, where FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the upper protrusion, FIG. 7B is a compressed coil spring vicinity, and FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the left cover of FIG. 7, and FIG. 8A is a perspective view as viewed from the outside of the apparatus main body, and FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the upper direction of the front cover and left cover of FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the upper direction of the front cover and left cover of FIG. It is a perspective view of the front cover and the left cover in the state of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a multifunction device 1 that is an example of an image forming apparatus from the upper left front. A front surface (second surface) 22 of the multifunction device 1 facing the user and a left side surface (first surface) of the multifunction device 1 are shown. 1 side) 21 is seen. The multifunction machine 1 includes an in-body discharge-type apparatus main body 2, and a discharge tray 18 is formed at a central portion of the apparatus main body 2.

  A document presser 8 is mounted on the upper side of the apparatus main body 2. The image surface of the document pressed by the document presser 8 is optically read by an optical scanner unit 9 (FIG. 2). A document feeder can be mounted instead of the document presser 8. When the multifunction machine 1 is used as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a network scanner, the document is transported from the document feeder and its image surface is a scanner. Read by part 9.

An operation panel 25 is installed on the front side of the paper discharge tray 18. The operation panel 25 is provided with an operation screen 26 on which a plurality of operation keys and switches for various user operations are arranged and various information is displayed. This operation content is notified to the controller 16 of FIG.
On the other hand, a front loading type paper supply device 3 is disposed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 2 (FIG. 1).

  Specifically, two upper and lower sheet feed cassettes 4 are provided along the height direction of the apparatus main body 2, and as shown in FIG. It can be pulled out toward the side. Various types of paper before image formation are stored in the paper feed cassette 4 in a stacked state, and the paper is sent from the paper feed cassette 4 in the direction of the left side surface 21 and conveyed upward along the left side surface 21. The left side surface 21 is also provided with a manual feed tray 5 that opens and closes.

As shown in FIG. 3, the registration roller 7, the image forming unit 10, and the transfer unit 11 are arranged in this order in the multifunction machine 1 as viewed in the sheet conveyance direction. Laser light is irradiated from the exposure unit 14 toward the photosensitive drum 15 of the image forming unit 10.
Similarly, a fixing unit 12 having a pair of rollers and a discharge roller 13 are arranged in this order on the downstream side of the transfer unit 11 when viewed in the paper conveyance direction, and the paper delivered from the fixing unit 12 is discharged using the discharge roller 13. It is discharged to the paper tray 18.

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, a gate-type left center cover 31 is installed on the left side surface 21 of the apparatus main body 2. The left center cover 31 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 2 with the lower end as a fulcrum, and covers the sheet conveyance path from the registration roller 7 to the fixing unit 12 described above. When a paper jam or the like occurs in the paper transport path, the left center cover 31 is rotated to open the paper transport path (FIG. 2), and jam processing is performed.

  Further, the sheet conveyance path extending upward along the left side surface 21 is also covered with a fixed cover (third cover) 63 from the front surface 22 of the apparatus main body 2. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lower fixed cover 63 d is provided on the left side of the paper feed cassette 4 in the paper conveyance path, and an upper fixed cover 63 u is provided in the vicinity of the fixing unit 12.

  The upper fixed cover 63u is formed in a dish shape having a wide surface extending from the operation panel 25 to the lower side of the scanner unit 9, and has a predetermined depth toward the left side surface 21. Further, the lower fixed cover 63d is configured by a cap type having a surface corresponding to the height of the paper feed cassette 4, and similarly has a predetermined depth toward the left side surface 21.

The upper and lower fixed covers 63u, 63d are supported by a left cover (first cover) 41 disposed in the vicinity of the left front corner as viewed in FIGS. The main body 2 is fixed to, for example, a sheet metal 64 shown in FIG.
Further, a front cover (second cover) 52 is also provided on the front face 22 and can be rotated with respect to the apparatus main body 2 using the rotation shaft portion 58 as a fulcrum (FIG. 2). Restricts the movement of the front cover 52 along the rotation axis (FIGS. 1 and 4).

  More specifically, when viewed from the rotation axis of the front cover 52, the upper fixed cover 63u is disposed above the front cover 52, the lower fixed cover 63d is disposed below the front cover 52, and the lower end of the upper fixed cover 63u. A space having a size substantially equal to the height of the front cover 52 is formed between the upper fixed cover 63d and the upper end of the lower fixed cover 63d (FIGS. 2 and 7 (a)). That is, even if a force that lifts upward, for example, acts on the front cover 52, the front cover 52 contacts the lower end of the upper fixed cover 63u, and thus cannot move upward along the rotation axis.

Here, when the front cover 52 rotates with respect to the apparatus main body 2 to change from the posture of FIG. 1 to the posture of FIG. 2 to open the apparatus main body 2, the toner container 6 that supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 15. Etc. will be accessible.
On the other hand, when the front cover 52 is closed from the posture of FIG. 2 to the posture of FIG. 1, the front cover 52 can cover a part of the left side surface 21 in addition to the front surface 22.

Specifically, the front cover 52 is formed in a substantially L shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the front exterior portion (second surface exterior portion) 53 in addition to the rotating shaft portion 58 described above. , And a left side connecting part (second side connecting part) 54. The front exterior portion 53 is formed in a flat plate shape that exteriorizes the front surface 22 with the front cover 52 closed in FIGS.
The left surface connecting portion 54 intersects with the left end of the front exterior portion 53 in a substantially orthogonal direction, and is also a flat plate shape that extends toward the back side of the multifunction machine 1 and covers the left side surface 21 in the closed position of the front cover 52. It is possible to cover both the front 22 side and the left side 21 side of the left front corner as seen in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5 when the front cover 52 is viewed from the inside of the apparatus main body 2, an upper latch 55 and a lower latch 56 are formed at the end of the rear surface of the left surface connecting portion 54. Each of the latches 55 and 56 bulges toward the right end of the front exterior portion 53 (located in the left direction as viewed in FIG. 5 and connected to the rotating shaft portion 58). A handle 57 that can be touched by the user's fingertip is formed at the front end of the lower latch 56 as viewed in FIG.

  Here, the front cover 52 is rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 2, but the left cover 41 is fixed to the apparatus main body 2 when the front cover 52 is closed. The left cover 41 of this embodiment is formed in a substantially flat plate shape that covers a part of the left side surface 21, specifically, the left side surface 21 covering the vicinity of the back side of the multifunction machine 1 from the left front corner of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, a left side exterior part (first side exterior part) 42 and a cover locking part 44 are provided.

The left-side exterior portion 42 has a vertically long surface along the rotation axis of the front cover 52, and a recessed portion 43 that is recessed toward the inside of the apparatus main body 2 is formed at a slightly lower center in the longitudinal direction.
The cover locking portion 44 is connected to the right end (corresponding to the front side of the multifunction machine 1) of the left side exterior portion 42, and is formed by stepping down from the right end of the left side exterior portion 42 into the apparatus main body 2. In other words, the surface of the cover engaging portion 44 and the surface of the left exterior portion 42 are not flush with each other, and the surface of the cover engaging portion 44 is located on the inner side of the apparatus body 2 relative to the surface of the left exterior portion 42. .

An upper hook 45, a lower hook (hook) 46, and a guide rib (rib) 47 are erected on the surface of the cover locking portion 44 (FIGS. 6 and 7 (a)).
The upper hook 45 is disposed diagonally to the right of the concave portion 43, and is formed in a rectangular shape in front view extending in the longitudinal direction of the left exterior portion 42 (same as the rotational axis direction of the front cover 52). It bulges from the surface of 44 toward the outside of the apparatus main body 2.

The lower hook 46 is disposed on the right side of the recess 43 and is located below the upper hook 45. Similarly to the upper hook 45, the left-side exterior portion 42 is formed in a rectangular shape in front view extending in the longitudinal direction, and bulges from the surface of the cover locking portion 44 toward the outside of the apparatus body 2. .
Further, the upper hook 45 and the lower hook 46 are arranged on substantially the same straight line, and the lower hook 46 of this embodiment is lower (one end side) along the rotation axis of the front cover 52 than the guide rib 47. Is formed.

On the other hand, the guide rib 47 is located on the opposite side of the lower hook 46 across the upper hook 45, that is, on the upper side (the other end side) along the rotation axis of the front cover 52 with respect to the lower hook 46.
The guide rib 47 of this embodiment is located on substantially the same straight line connecting the upper hook 45 and the lower hook 46 (FIGS. 6 and 7 (a)), and is provided near the left exterior portion 42. It is formed in an arc shape curved so as to protrude upward, and bulges from the surface of the cover locking portion 44 toward the outside of the apparatus main body 2.

The left surface connecting portion 54 of the front cover 52 and the cover locking portion 44 of the left cover 41 are overlapped and engaged.
Specifically, in the closed position of the front cover 52 shown in FIG. 4, the left surface connecting portion 54 is accommodated between the upper fixed cover 63u and the lower fixed cover 63d, and the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 is the cover. It rides on the surface of the locking portion 44.

In this state, the upper latch 55 and the upper hook 45 are in contact with each other, and the lower latch 56 and the lower hook 46 are in contact with each other, and at the same time, the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 and the tip of the guide rib 47 are in contact. As a result, the front cover 52 is firmly locked to the left cover 41.
Further, in this state, the surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 of the front cover 52 and the surface of the left surface exterior portion 42 of the left cover 41 are flush with each other (FIG. 10).

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the front cover 52 opens the inside of the apparatus main body 2, the left cover 41 also rotates with respect to the apparatus main body 2.
Specifically, an upper protrusion 48u is formed at the upper end of the cover locking portion 44 (FIGS. 6, 7 (b) and 9), and the upper protrusion 48u is inserted into the hole of the upper fixed cover 63u from below. (FIG. 8 (a)).

A lower projection 48d is also formed at the lower end of the cover locking portion 44 (FIGS. 6, 7 (b) and 9), and the lower projection 48d is inserted into the hole of the lower fixed cover 63d from above ( FIG. 8 (c)).
As described above, the left cover 41 of the present embodiment is supported rotatably with respect to the fixed cover 63 with the upper protrusion 48u and the lower protrusion 48d positioned on the front side of the multifunction machine 1 serving as fulcrums.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a compression coil spring (elastic member) 70 is installed between the back surface of the cover locking portion 44 and the upper fixed cover 63u.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a boss 49 is erected on the back surface of the cover locking portion 44, protrudes toward the inside of the apparatus main body 2, and faces the boss 49 to the upper fixed cover 63u. A boss 65 is erected and protrudes toward the outside of the apparatus main body 2.

  The ends of the compression coil spring 70 are supported by the bosses 49 and 65, and the surface of the cover locking portion 44 is pressed and urged toward the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 (FIGS. 7 and 8 (b)). This is because the upper fixed cover 63u is strongly supported from the inside of the apparatus main body 2 by the above-described sheet metal 64, as can be understood more easily when FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 are combined.

Thereby, in a state where the front cover 52 is closed, the latch 55 and the like of the left surface connecting portion 54 are firmly locked to the hook 45 and the like of the cover locking portion 44 by the urging force of the compression coil spring 70, and the left surface connecting portion 54 And the surface of the left exterior portion 42 are flush with each other (FIG. 10).
On the other hand, when the user touches the handle 57 to open the front cover 52 and applies a force in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11, the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 resists the urging force of the compression coil spring 70 against the surface of the cover locking portion 44. Then, it is pressed toward the inside of the apparatus main body 2.

As a result, the left cover 41 rotates in the direction in which the engagement between the front surface of the cover engaging portion 44 and the rear surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 is released with the upper protrusion 48u and the lower protrusion 48d as fulcrums.
That is, the left cover 41 rotates so that the cover locking portion 44 is directed toward the inside of the apparatus main body 2 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. Since 42 rotates toward the outside of the apparatus main body 2, the engagement between the front surface of the cover engagement portion 44 and the rear surface of the left surface connection portion 54 is quickly released.

In the above-described multifunction machine 1, the sheets are separated and sent one by one from the paper feed cassette 4 and the manual feed tray 5, and the sheets reach the registration rollers 7. The registration roller 7 sends the paper to the transfer unit 11 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper and timing the toner image formed by the image forming unit 10.
On the other hand, the input port 17 in FIG. 3 is configured to be able to receive image data to be printed from the outside. This image data is data in which various images such as characters, codes, figures, symbols, diagrams, and patterns are converted into data. Based on this data, the controller 16 controls the irradiation of laser light and the like.

As a result, an electrostatic latent image of the original image is formed on the photosensitive drum 15 of the image forming unit 10, and then a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 15 from the latent image and transferred to a sheet.
Thereafter, the sheet is fed toward the fixing unit 12 with an unfixed toner image carried thereon, and the toner image is fixed. Next, the sheet sent from the fixing unit 12 is discharged to a discharge tray 18 by a discharge roller 13.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the inside of the apparatus main body 2 of the multifunction machine 1 is covered with the exterior cover, and the exterior cover includes the substantially flat plate-like left cover 41 and the substantially L-shaped front cover 52. It has. The front cover 52 can be rotated about its rotation axis to open the inside of the apparatus body 2, but movement along the rotation axis is restricted by the fixed cover 63.

Here, when the left cover 41 is unlocked between the front surface of the cover locking portion 44 and the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54, the direction in which the front surface and the back surface are unlocked, specifically, Can rotate toward the inside of the apparatus main body 2.
Thus, the left cover 41 securely holds the left surface connecting portion 54 with the cover engaging portion 44 when the front cover 52 is closed, and the cover engaging portion 44 and the left surface connecting portion 54 when the front cover 52 is opened. Can be quickly released. Therefore, the operability of the exterior cover can be improved.

Further, when the compression coil spring 70 presses and urges the cover engaging portion 44 of the left cover 41 toward the left surface connecting portion 54 of the front cover 52, the fitting between the front surface of the cover engaging portion 44 and the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 is performed. Compatibility is further improved.
Moreover, the force required to hold and release the front cover 52 by the left cover 41 can be easily changed by adjusting the compression coil spring 70.

  Further, a lower hook 46 and a curved guide rib 47 are formed on the surface of the cover locking portion 44 of the left cover 41. Specifically, the lower hook 46 and the guide rib 47 are spaced apart from each other in the rotation axis direction, and can overlap the back surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 of the front cover 52 to lock the front cover 52. As a result, parts such as magnets and springs are not used for fixing the front cover 52 as in the prior art, and only a small number of parts are required. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the exterior cover can be reduced.

In addition, since the cover locking portion 44 and the left surface connecting portion 54 are engaged by contact with the guide rib 47 in addition to the lower hook 46 to fix the front cover 52, the surface of the cover locking portion 44 and the left surface connecting portion 54 are fixed. The fitting property with the back surface of is improved.
Furthermore, the surface of the left surface connecting portion 54 and the surface of the left surface exterior portion 42 are configured to be substantially flush with each other, and the left side surface 21 where the left cover 41 is located can be configured with a small space having no protrusions. The main body 2 can be easily installed.

Further, the configuration of the left cover 41 and the front cover 52 can provide the user with the multifunction device 1 that is easy to use.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.
Although the said Example demonstrated the exterior cover which covers the left side 21 and the front surface 22 of the apparatus main body 2, it is not necessarily limited to this form. In other words, as long as the periphery of the corner of the apparatus main body 2 can be covered with the overlapping cover, the present invention can be applied in various ways such as the front surface 22 and the right side surface of the apparatus main body 2 or the left side surface 21 and the rear surface of the apparatus main body 2. It can also be applied to other aspects.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus is embodied in a multifunction machine is shown. However, the present invention is naturally applicable to a copying machine, a printer, and the like.
Further, the exterior cover of the above-described embodiment is described as a configuration that covers the inside of the apparatus main body 2 of the multifunction machine 1. However, the exterior cover of the present invention is, for example, a post-processing device that performs post-processing such as stapling on the paper after image formation in the device main body of a paper supply device that stores sheets of paper in a stacked state, or the like The inside of the apparatus main body may be covered.

  In any of these cases, similarly to the above, there is an effect that improvement in operability and the like can be achieved in the connection of overlapping covers.

1 MFP (image forming device)
2 Device body 21 Left side (first side)
22 Front (2nd side)
41 Left cover (first cover, exterior cover)
42 Left side exterior part (first side exterior part)
44 Cover locking part 46 Lower hook (hook)
47 Guide rib (rib)
48u Upper projection 48d Lower projection 52 Front cover (second cover, exterior cover)
53 Front exterior part (second exterior part)
54 Left side connecting part (second side connecting part)
63 Fixed cover (third cover, exterior cover)
70 Compression coil spring (elastic member)

Claims (5)

A substantially flat first cover that covers the first surface of the apparatus main body, and is supported rotatably with respect to the apparatus main body, and is connected in a substantially orthogonal direction to the first surface and the first surface. A substantially L-shaped second cover that covers the second surface, and a third cover that is disposed adjacent to the bent position of the second cover and that can restrict movement of the second cover along the rotation axis, respectively. An exterior cover,
The first cover includes a first surface exterior portion that sheathes the first surface, and a cover latching portion whose surface overlaps the back surface of a part of the second cover and latches the second cover. ,
The first cover is rotatably supported with respect to the third cover, and when the engagement between the front surface and the back surface is released, a direction in which the engagement between the front surface and the back surface is released. An exterior cover characterized in that it rotates toward the head. The exterior cover according to claim 1,
An exterior cover, wherein an elastic member that presses and urges the cover locking portion toward a part of the second cover is disposed. The exterior cover according to claim 1 or 2,
A hook that engages with the back surface is formed on one end side along the rotational axis of the surface, and a curved rib that engages with the back surface is formed on the other end side. Exterior cover to be used. The exterior cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The second cover has a second surface exterior portion that sheathes the second surface, and the back surface extending in a substantially orthogonal direction from the second surface exterior portion, and the back surface is the surface of the cover locking portion. Each having a second surface connecting portion that rides on and is locked.
The exterior cover according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the second surface connecting portion is substantially flush with the surface of the first surface exterior portion.   An image forming apparatus comprising the exterior cover according to claim 1.

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