JP2019098725A - Rack and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a rack and an image forming apparatus capable of opening the door of the take-out port for a server device and preventing a theft of the server device even if unlocking means is lost.SOLUTION: A rack 100 for housing a server device comprises: a door 101 which is openably/closably installed to a take-out port for the server device and to which a dial lock 102 is attached; and a top plate 202 to which a door lock member 200 is secured. When the dial lock 102 is locked with the door 101 closed, the dial lock 102 engages the door lock member 200 to disable the opening of the door. The door lock member 200 allows the opening of the door with the dial lock 102 remaining locked when the secured state between the door lock member and the top plate 202 is canceled and the door lock member is moved to a position in which the engagement with the dial lock 102 is released. An image forming apparatus is mounted and secured on the top of the rack 100, and the secured state of the door lock member 200 cannot be released unless a portion of the image forming apparatus is dismounted, thus preventing a theft of the server device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a rack and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a technology for preventing theft of a server apparatus housed in a rack provided below an image forming unit.

  Conventionally, as a space saving measure when installing a server apparatus such as a print server, a mail server, a Web server, etc., an image formation provided with a rack capable of removably storing the server apparatus below the image forming unit Devices are of interest. If the server apparatus is stored in such a rack, the installation area of office equipment can be reduced and space saving can be achieved as compared with the case where the installation place of the server apparatus is provided separately from the image forming apparatus.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-124760

  Since a server device needs to provide various information processing services, high-performance computers are used, and such computers are often expensive. For this reason, when the server apparatus is installed in a dedicated computer room, the computer room is locked, and theft measures such as prohibiting entry into the room other than the administrator are taken.

  However, when the server apparatus is stored in the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is installed in an office so as to be easily accessible to a large number of users, and entry into the office can not be limited to only the server apparatus administrator. Because of this, it is impossible to take measures against entry theft.

  To cope with such a problem, for example, it is conceivable to provide a door at the outlet of the server apparatus and lock it. In this case, the door can not be opened without the unlocking means, and the server apparatus can not be taken out and carried away from the rack.

  On the other hand, there are cases where it is necessary to open the door due to the need for maintenance of the server device, etc. However, if the server device administrator or user loses the unlocking means, maintenance work can not be performed. For this reason, it is desirable that the selling company of the image forming apparatus provided with the rack for storing the server apparatus also manage the key.

  However, if different types of keys are set in individual racks, the sales company of the image forming apparatus must keep spare keys for all keys in preparation for the loss of keys, and the management cost of the keys becomes huge. Not

  On the other hand, if the sales company creates a master key that can unlock all the rack doors to facilitate key management, when the master key is copied, the doors will unlock for all the racks. It is possible that the server device may be stolen. Also, in order to be unable to unlock by copying the master key, it is necessary to change the lock of all the racks, and the labor and cost are enormous.

  Furthermore, in the case of adopting the key of the code number system, the key can not be unlocked if the password is forgotten, and the provision of the master key makes it impossible to prevent the occurrence of the security problem as described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and it is possible to open the outlet of the server apparatus even if the unlocking means is lost, and to prevent the server apparatus from being stolen. And providing an image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the rack according to the present invention is a rack that can fix the image forming unit with the image forming unit mounted on the top and can accommodate a computer inside. A door for opening and closing the storage port of the computer in a state in which the image forming unit is placed; a lock for locking in a closed state; a lock member for engaging with the lock at the time of locking; And the lock member is disposed at a position to be concealed by the placed image forming unit, and the condition for releasing the concealment is set regardless of the presence or absence of the placed image forming unit. The lock member is characterized in that the lock can be opened by releasing the engagement with the lock while keeping the lock in the locked state.

  In this way, even when the unlocking means such as the key for unlocking the lock and the code number are lost, the door can be opened by releasing the engagement between the lock member and the lock. .

  Further, since the lock member is disposed at a position where it is concealed by mounting the image forming unit, the lock member can not be accessed immediately when the image forming unit is mounted on the upper portion of the rack. Therefore, the door is opened while the lock is locked, and the operation time required to take out the computer stored in the rack is extended, which is effective as a computer theft countermeasure.

  In this case, the locking member may be fixed at a position engaged with the lock by using a fixing screw which does not fit to either the minus or plus driver bit.

  Further, the lock member may be able to transition from a state engaged with the lock to a state not engaged with the lock when the fixing screw is loosened.

  The image forming unit further includes a fixing member for fixing the image forming unit to the rack main body, and the fixing member is disposed at a position where the fixing of the image forming unit can not be released unless the door is opened. May be

  Further, the fixing member has an operation piece at a position where it can be accessed from the outside only when the door is opened, and the image forming portion is fixed and fixed by operating the operation piece. A rack according to claim 4, characterized in that the release is performed.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the rack according to the present invention, and an image forming unit fixed to the rack in a state of being mounted on the upper part of the rack.

  In this case, the release of the concealment may be performed by removing or moving a part of the image forming unit. By releasing the concealment, a space for reaching the fixing screw from the outside is secured in order to loosen the fixing screw for fixing the lock member.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a main configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a connection structure of the rack 100 and the image forming unit 110. (A) is an external appearance perspective view which looked at the top plate 202 of the rack 100 from the downward direction, (b) is an external appearance perspective view which shows the connection structure of the rack 100 and the image formation part 110. FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the door 101 viewed from the right side toward the front of the image forming apparatus 1; (A) is an external appearance perspective view which shows locking structure, (b) is an external appearance perspective view which shows the engagement state of the dial lock 102 and the door locking member 200 at the time of locking. (A) is an external appearance perspective view showing the opening 601 periphery, and (b) is an enlarged view of the opening 601 periphery. (A) to (h) are figures which illustrate the shape of the hole 701 and protrusion 702 which were formed in the head of a special screw.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1] Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a rack 100 and an image forming unit 110 disposed on the top of the rack 110. The rack 100 has doors 101 on both sides. The door 101 has a rocking shaft (opening and closing fulcrum) at the lower side, and is opened and closed by rocking in the arrow A direction about the rocking shaft.

  With the door 101 open, the server apparatus can be taken in and out of the rack 100. The mounting width of the server apparatus in the rack 100 is 19 inches (482.6 mm) in this embodiment, but is not limited to this size. Above the door 101, a dial lock 102 that can be locked and unlocked by a personal identification number is attached.

  The image forming unit 110 is a so-called color multifunction peripheral (MFP: Multi-Function Peripheral), and has functions such as a color print function, a copy function, and a facsimile communication function.

  The rack 100 is fixed at the upper portion to the lower portion of the image forming unit 110. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a top plate 202 is attached to the top of the rack 100. The shaft portions of screws 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d are screwed from the lower side to the upper side at the four corners of the top plate 202, and the screw tips project toward the image forming portion 110 side.

  The heads of the screws 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d are located below the top plate 202 of the rack 100, and are cylindrical knob portions in which many non-slip grooves are cut on the side surfaces so that they can be pinched and turned by fingers. It has become. When the door 101 of the rack 100 is closed, the heads of the screws 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d can not be touched from the outside of the rack 100. However, when the door 101 is opened, the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the side. The heads of the screws 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d can be pinched and turned.

  Connecting members 211a, 211b, 211c and 211d are attached to the lower part of the image forming unit 110, and screws 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d are screwed into the connecting members 211a, 211b, 211c and 211d, respectively. The rack 100 is fixed to the image forming unit 110.

  The image forming unit 110 has a structural member 301, and the connecting member 211 b is fixed to the structural member 301 by three screws 302. Similarly to the connecting member 211 b, the connecting member 211 c is also fixed to the structural member 301. The connection members 211a and 211d are fixed to another structural member of the image forming unit 110 in the same manner as the fixing member 211b and the fixing member 211c.

  The image forming unit 110 is heavy, and moving the image forming unit 110 requires a great deal of effort. Therefore, if the server apparatus is to be removed while the rack 100 is fixed to the image forming unit 110, the server apparatus must be moved together with the image forming apparatus 1, which makes it difficult to remove the server apparatus.

A door lock member 200 is fixed to the top plate 202 using a screw 203. When the dial lock 102 is locked, the door lock member 200 engages with the dial lock 102 to inhibit the door 101 from being opened. A support member 220 for supporting the image forming unit 110 is disposed above the door lock member 200, and the screw 203 can be tightened or loosened through a through hole provided in the support member 220.
[2] Locking Structure of the Door 101 of the Rack 100 Next, the locking structure of the door 101 of the rack 100 will be described.

  In the following, a locking structure for locking the door 101 on the right side as viewed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described, but the door 101 on the left side also has the same locking structure. The description of the locking structure of the door 101 is replaced with the description of the locking structure of the door 101 on the left side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a dial lock 102 is provided at the top of the door 101. As described later, the dial lock 102 locks the door 101 by engaging with the door lock member 200.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the door lock member 200 is a sheet metal member, and has a flat main body portion 501 and a flat engagement portion 502 bent from the main body portion 501. Two screw holes are provided in the main body portion 501, and the door lock member 200 is fixed to the top plate 220 using two screws 203.

  The door lock member 200 can slide in the arrow B direction with the screw 203 loosened. When the door lock member 200 is slid to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, the engagement portion 502 is engaged with the cam plate 513 of the dial lock 102 and can be locked (FIG. 5B). . The cam plate 513 is fixed to the swing shaft 514. When the knob 512 fixed to the rocking shaft 514 is turned, the cam plate 513 can rock in the arrow C direction with the rocking shaft 514 as the rocking center and move to the locking position and the unlocking position.

  When the door lock member 200 is slid to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1, the engaging portion 502 is also slid to the back side to retract out of the swing range of the cam plate 513 of the dial lock 102. Therefore, even if the rotary shaft 514 is rotated by turning the knob 512 and the cam plate 513 is swung, the cam plate 513 can not engage with the engagement portion 502 of the door lock member 200.

  As described above, by loosening the screw 203 and sliding the door lock member 200 to the back side, the door 101 can be opened even in the state where the dial lock 102 is locked. In addition, since the screw 203 has a specially shaped head, it can not be removed without using a tool having a special bit adapted to the head of the screw 203.

In the dial lock 102, for example, the knob 512 is turned to lower the cam plate 513, and in the unlocked state, the 4-digit dial value is appropriately set, and the knob 512 is turned again to engage the cam plate 513 with the door lock member 200. When the mating portion 502 is engaged, the dial value in that state is set as the password. Thereafter, when the dial value is changed, the dial 512 can not be unlocked by turning the knob 512 unless the dial value matches the password.
[3] Access to the Screw 203 If the password of the dial lock 102 is forgotten, the dial lock 102 can not be unlocked. In such a case, if the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 is loosened, the door 101 can be opened without unlocking the dial lock 102.

  In addition, as shown to Fig.5 (a), the screw 203 fixes in the state which mounted the door lock member 200 on the upper surface of the top plate 202 of the rack 100. As shown in FIG. Therefore, in order to access the screw 203, it is necessary to remove an exterior member such as a decorative plate of the image forming apparatus 1. The screw for fixing the exterior member has a head compatible with a common tool and can be removed using the common tool.

Therefore, access to the screw 203 is secured without lowering the work efficiency relating to the manufacture and maintenance of the image forming unit 110 in the sense that no special tool is required in the manufacture and maintenance of the image forming unit 110. As well as making access to the screw 203 difficult.
[4] Effects of the Present Embodiment In the present embodiment, the screws 201a, 201b, 201c and 201d for fixing the rack 100 accommodating the server apparatus to the image forming unit 110 open the door 101 of the rack 100. Although the door 101 can not be accessed unless it is locked, it is difficult to open the door 101 without knowing the password of the dial lock 102 because the door lock can be locked using the dial lock 102.

  On the other hand, since the image forming unit 110 is heavy, the image forming apparatus 1 in which the image forming unit 110 is fixed to the rack 100 is also heavy and is not easy to move. If the server apparatus is housed in such a rack 100, it will be difficult to carry out the server apparatus while housed in the rack 100. Therefore, theft of the server device can be prevented.

  As a matter of course, since it is not possible to unlock the dial lock 102 without knowing the password, it is also difficult to open the door 101 and bring out the server device.

  Further, even when the code number of the dial lock 102 is forgotten, the exterior member of the image forming apparatus 1 is removed so that the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 can be accessed, and the screw 203 is loosened to make the door lock member Since the door lock member 200 can be slid to a position where the engaging portion 502 of 200 can not engage with the cam plate 513 of the dial lock 102, the door 101 can be opened without unlocking the dial lock 102. it can.

  Therefore, even if the personal identification number is forgotten, the server apparatus can be removed from the rack 100 and the rack 100 can be removed from the image forming unit 110, so that the convenience of the user can be enhanced.

  It should be noted that the image forming portion 110 is provided so as not to open to the public generally which external member will allow access to the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 if the external member is removed, and the screw 203 can not be accessed if a plurality of members are not removed. Is configured. In addition, only by increasing the number of parts such as screws for fixing the exterior member, the working time for removing the exterior member can be extended.

For this reason, it takes a long time to access the screw 203, and a special tool is required to remove the screw 203. Therefore, the screw 203 is accessed and removed, and the door lock member 200 is It is difficult to move and open the door 101 and to bring out the server apparatus accommodated in the rack 100.
[5] Modifications Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the following modifications can be implemented. .
(5-1) In the above embodiment, the case where the exterior member of the image forming unit 110 is removed to access the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, the following may be used instead.

  For example, the image forming apparatus 1 may be provided with an opening for accessing the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, an opening 601 is provided below the outer wall 600 of the image forming apparatus 1 on the right side. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), a stepped portion 611 recessed from the other portion of the outer wall portion 600 is formed around the opening 601, and screw holes 612 a, 612 b, 612 c and the stepped portion 611 are formed. 612 d is provided.

  The lid member 602 is attached to the outer wall 600 so as to cover the opening 601 and the step 611. The lid member 602 has screw holes 613a, 613b, 613c and 613d at positions corresponding to the screw holes 612a, 612b, 612c and 612d of the step portion 611, and the steps are carried out using the screws 603a, 603b, 603c and 603d. It is fixed to the part 611. The screws 603a, 603b, 603c and 603d have heads that fit into common tools.

  When the lid member 602 is removed from the outer wall 600, the screw 203 can be accessed from the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 via the opening 601.

  Although it is necessary to open the door 101, if you forget the code number of the dial lock 102, the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 can be quickly accessed to open the door, which is convenient for the user. And improve the work efficiency of maintenance workers.

In order to make it difficult to access the screws 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 and to prevent the server apparatus from being stolen more reliably, the number of screws for fixing the lid member 602 to the step portion 611 is increased. Is desirable.
(5-2) Although not described in detail in the above embodiment, for example, the following can be adopted as the head of the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200. If the screw head is worn (Fig. 7 (a)), a cross hole (Fig. 7 (b)), or a plus or minus hole (Fig. 7 (c)), use a common flathead screwdriver or Phillips screwdriver. A screw having a head other than such a head is desirable as it can be used and turned.

  As a head of such a screw, for example, one having only one hole 701 such as a hexagonal hole (FIG. 7 (d)) or a square hole (FIG. 7 (e)), or as shown in FIG. And those having a plurality of holes 701. In addition, although it is not as low as a minus driver or a plus driver, it is desirable that the screw 203 has a head which is not compatible with a hex driver as well as a minus driver and a plus driver because a hex driver is becoming popular in recent years.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7 (g), it is more preferable to have a projection 702 for preventing insertion of a general driver in the hole.
(5-3) In the above embodiment, the case where the door 101 is locked using the dial lock 102 has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this. The lock may be used. Even a lock other than the dial lock 102 can be engaged with the door lock member 200 to lock the door 101, whereby the effect of the present invention can be obtained.
(5-4) In the above embodiment, the case where the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 can be accessed by removing the exterior member of the image forming unit 110 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Needless to say, the access to the screw 203 may be secured by moving without removing the exterior member, or removing or moving a part of the interior member in addition to the exterior member.

For example, access to the screw 203 may be secured by sliding the sheet cassette directly above the top plate 202 of the rack with the exterior member directly above the door 101 open. Regardless of how the access to the screw 203 is secured, the effect of preventing removal of the server apparatus can be enhanced as the working time and the work skill are required to secure the access to the screw 203.
(5-5) In the above embodiment, although the case where the door 101 is provided on both sides of the image forming apparatus 1 has been described as an example, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this. The door 101 may be provided only in Further, the door 101 may be provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the effects of the present invention can be obtained regardless of the number and arrangement of the door 101.
(5-6) In the above embodiment, although the case where the door lock member 200 is fixed to the top plate 202 of the rack 100 using the screw 203 has been described as an example, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the door lock member 200 may be fixed to the bottom of the image forming unit 110 and the engagement of the dial lock 102 with the cam plate 513 may be released in the state where the fixation is released. It is also good.

  In this way, due to the configuration of the image forming unit 110, the bottom of the image forming unit 110 is difficult even if it is difficult to secure access to the screw 203 for fixing the door lock member 200 to the top plate 202 of the rack 100. The present invention is effective in enabling the present invention to be implemented if it is possible to secure access to the screws for fixing the door lock member 200.

Also in this case, a screw used to fix the door lock member 200 to the bottom of the image forming unit 110 is suitable for preventing the server apparatus from being stolen if the head has a special shape.
(5-7) In the above embodiment, although the case where the image forming unit 110 is not provided with an automatic document feeder (ADF: Automatic Document Feeder) has been described as an example, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the image forming unit 110 may include an automatic document feeder. In FIG. 1, the automatic document feeder can be mounted on an upper portion of the image forming unit 110 and used.
(5-8) In the above embodiment, the case where the image forming unit 110 is a color multifunction machine has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a monochrome multifunction machine . The image forming unit 110 may be a single-function device such as a printer having only a print function, a copier having a scanner, and a facsimile having a facsimile communication function.

  Further, for example, the weight of the image forming unit 110 can be increased by adding a post-processing device having a staple function or a punch function or increasing the number of paper feed cassettes, thereby preventing the server apparatus from being stolen. Is effective.

  The rack and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention are useful as an apparatus capable of preventing the server apparatus stored in the rack provided below the image forming unit from being stolen.

1 ... ... image forming apparatus 100 ... rack 101 ... door 102 ... dial lock 110 ... image forming unit 200 ... door lock member 203 ... special screw

Claims (8)

A rack in which the image forming unit can be fixed in a state where the image forming unit is placed on the top, and a computer can be accommodated inside the rack;
A door for opening and closing a storage port of the computer in a state where the image forming unit is placed;
A lock that locks while the door is closed,
And a lock member which engages with the lock when locking and prohibits the door from being opened.
The lock member is disposed at a position to be concealed by the image forming unit placed thereon, and
Regardless of the presence or absence of the placement of the image forming unit, on the condition that the concealment is released, the lock member releases the engagement with the lock while the lock is kept in the locked state, and is opened. A rack characterized in that the door can be operated. The rack according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is fixed at a position engaged with the lock by using a fixing screw which is not compatible with any of the negative and positive driver bits. The rack according to claim 2, wherein the lock member can transition from a state engaged with the lock to a state not engaged with the lock when the fixing screw is loosened. A fixing member for fixing the image forming unit to the rack body;
The rack according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is disposed at a position where the fixing of the image forming unit can not be released unless the door is opened. The fixing member has an operation piece at a position where it can be accessed from the outside only when the door is opened,
5. The rack according to claim 4, wherein the image forming unit is fixed and released by operating the operation piece. A rack according to any of claims 1 to 5;
An image forming unit fixed to the rack in a state of being mounted on the upper part of the rack; The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the concealment is released by removing or moving a part of the image forming unit. A rack according to claim 2 or 3;
An image forming unit fixed to the rack in a state of being mounted on the top of the rack;
The release of the concealment is performed by removing or moving a part of the image forming unit, and
An image forming apparatus characterized in that a space for reaching the fixing screw from outside is secured by loosening the concealment to loosen the fixing screw for fixing the lock member.

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