JP2021084775A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress erroneous operation by a user of a stack lever and improve a jam handling property of an ejected sheet.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 includes: an apparatus main body 2; ejecting roller pair 72 that ejects sheet S from the apparatus main body 2; an ejecting tray 73 that supports the sheet S ejected from the ejecting roller pair 72; a rotatable stack lever 75 that presses the sheet S ejected from the ejecting roller pair 72 toward the ejecting tray 73; and an upper end cover 25 that constitutes an upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 and covers the stack lever 75 from above, and whose downstream end is located downstream of the stack lever 75 in an ejecting direction of the sheet S, in which the upper end cover 25 is detachably provided with respect to the apparatus main body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a discharge roller pair for discharging a sheet from a device main body, a discharge tray for supporting a sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair, and a discharge tray for discharging a sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair. An image forming apparatus is known that includes a rotatable stack lever that presses toward.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-35994

However, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the stack lever is exposed to the outside and can be easily touched by the user, there is a risk of erroneous operation by the user. If the stack lever is erroneously operated, an excessive load may be applied and the stack lever may be damaged.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a cover having a downstream end located downstream of the stack lever in the sheet discharging direction and covering the stack lever from above is provided on the main body of the apparatus. On the other hand, by providing the stack lever in a detachable manner, it is possible to prevent the stack lever from being erroneously operated by the user and to improve the jam handling property of the discharged sheet.

An image forming apparatus that solves the above problems has the following features.

That is, the image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a discharge roller pair for discharging a sheet from the device main body, a discharge tray for supporting the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair, and a sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair. A rotatable stack lever that presses toward the discharge tray and a cover that constitutes the upper surface of the apparatus main body and covers the stack lever from above, and the downstream end is from the stack lever in the sheet discharge direction. A cover located downstream of the device is provided, and the cover is detachably provided with respect to the main body of the device.

As a result, the stack lever is covered with a cover and is difficult for the user to see, so that it is possible to prevent the stack lever from being erroneously operated by the user. Further, since the cover is removable from the main body of the device, it is possible to improve the jam handling property of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller pair.

Further, the downstream end portion of the cover in the discharge direction has an extension portion extending downward toward the discharge tray.

As a result, the stack lever is less visible to the user due to the extension portion at the downstream end of the cover, so that it is possible to further suppress the erroneous operation of the stack lever by the user.

Further, the cover has a first recess at the downstream end in the discharge direction and a second recess at the upstream end in the discharge direction.

As a result, when the cover is removed from the main body of the device, it can be removed from both sides in the discharge direction, so that the work of removing the cover can be facilitated.

Further, the side surface of the discharge tray facing the width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction is flush with the side surface of the first recess facing the width direction.

As a result, the side surface of the first recess facing in the width direction can be used as a guide surface for the sheet discharged to the discharge tray. In addition, the design of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

Further, the upstream end of the device main body in the discharge direction is provided with a rotatable rotating cover having a side surface of the device main body, and the rotating cover can be gripped when opening and closing the rotating cover. The second recess is located adjacent to the third recess.

As a result, the second recess and the third recess can be shared, and the space occupied by the second recess and the third recess can be reduced.

Further, the cover has an engaging portion that engages with the device main body when attached to the device main body, and the engaging portion has a protrusion that protrudes in the discharge direction.

In this way, since the protrusion of the engaging portion that engages with the device body protrudes in the discharge direction, the cover attached to the device body grips the first recess at the downstream end or the second recess at the upstream end. When the device is lifted, the engagement state between the engaging portion and the device main body can be released without applying an excessive force to the protruding portion.

According to the present invention, since the stack lever is covered with a cover and is difficult for the user to see, it is possible to prevent the stack lever from being erroneously operated by the user. Further, since the cover is removable from the main body of the device, it is possible to improve the jam handling property of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller pair.

It is a schematic side sectional view which shows the image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the image forming apparatus. It is a front view which shows the image forming apparatus. It is a rear view which shows the image forming apparatus. It is a side sectional view which shows the vicinity of the discharge part of an image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the lower surface side of the upper end cover. It is a perspective view which shows the image forming apparatus in the state which the upper end cover was removed from the apparatus main body. It is a side sectional view which shows the mounting part of the upper end cover in the image forming apparatus in the state which removed the upper end cover from the apparatus main body. It is a side sectional view which shows the attachment part of the upper end cover in the image forming apparatus with the upper end cover attached to the apparatus main body.

Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Overall configuration of image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and is an apparatus main body 2, a paper feeding unit 3, an image forming unit 5, a discharging unit 7, and a retransmitting unit 8. And a motor 9.

In the following description, the right side in FIG. 1 is defined as the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, the left side in FIG. 1 is defined as the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 1 is the left side of the image forming apparatus 1, in FIG. The back side of the paper surface is defined as the right side of the image forming apparatus 1. Further, the upper side and the lower side in FIG. 1 are defined as the upper side and the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively.

The apparatus main body 2 houses a paper feeding unit 3, an image forming unit 5, a discharging unit 7, a reconveying unit 8, a motor 9, and the like. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the apparatus main body 2 has a front cover 20, a rear cover 21, a left side cover 22, a right side cover 23, an upper surface cover 24, and an upper end cover 25. The upper surface cover 24 and the upper end cover 25 are located at the upper end portion of the device main body 2, and form the upper surface of the device main body 2. The upper end cover 25 is arranged behind the upper surface cover 24.

The front surface of the apparatus main body 2 has an opening 2a, and the front cover 20 is configured so that the opening 2a can be opened and closed. The front cover 20 is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis 20a at the lower end, and is a closed position that closes the opening 2a by rotating around the rotation axis 20a (the solid line in FIG. 1). It is movable between the indicated position) and the open position (the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 1) for opening the opening 2a.

The rear surface of the apparatus main body 2 has an opening 2b, and the rear surface cover 21 is configured to be able to open and close the opening 2b. The rear cover 21 is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis 21a at the lower end, and is a closed position that closes the opening 2b by rotating around the rotation axis 21a (the solid line in FIG. 1). It is movable between the indicated position) and the open position (the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 1) for opening the opening 2b.

In the image forming apparatus 1, by moving the rear cover 21 to the open position, the retransport path L2 described later is exposed to the outside through the opening 2b, and the jam of the sheet S generated in the retransport path L2 is processed. Is easy. That is, the rear cover 21 is a cover for jam processing that opens the opening 2b when jam processing is performed. The rear cover 21 is an example of a rotatable rotating cover having a side surface of the apparatus main body. The rotatable rotating cover having the side surface of the apparatus main body may be a rotatable paper feed tray such as a back tray.

The paper feeding unit 3 is arranged at the lower part of the apparatus main body 2, and can convey the sheet S supported by the sheet cassette 30 to the image forming unit 5. The image forming unit 5 is arranged downstream of the paper feeding unit 3 in the conveying direction of the sheet S, and can form an image on the sheet S conveyed from the paper feeding unit 3. The discharge unit 7 is arranged downstream of the image forming unit 5 in the transport direction of the sheet S, and the sheet S on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 5 can be discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1.

The image forming apparatus 1 has a conveying path L1 of the sheet S from the paper feeding unit 3 to the discharging unit 7 via the image forming unit 5. The paper feed unit 3 includes a sheet cassette 30 that supports the sheet S, a paper feed mechanism 32, a transport roller pair 33, and a resist roller pair 34.

The paper feed mechanism 32 includes a paper feed roller 32a and a separation roller 32b. The paper feed roller 32a is a roller for feeding the sheet S supported by the sheet cassette 30 toward the separation roller 32b. The separation roller 32b is arranged downstream of the paper feed roller 32a in the transport direction of the sheet S.

The sheets S sent out toward the separation roller 32b by the paper feed roller 32a are separated one by one between the separation roller 32b and the separation pad (not shown). The sheets S separated one by one are conveyed toward the transfer roller pair 33 along the transfer path L1.

The transport roller pair 33 is a roller that applies a transport force to the sheet S, and is arranged downstream of the paper feed mechanism 32 in the transport direction of the sheet S. The sheet S conveyed from the paper feeding mechanism 32 toward the transfer roller pair 33 is conveyed by the transfer roller pair 33 toward the resist roller pair 34 along the transfer path L1.

The resist roller pair 34 is arranged downstream of the transport roller pair 33 in the transport direction of the sheet S. The resist roller pair 34 corrects the posture of the sheet S by temporarily stopping the movement of the tip of the sheet S to be conveyed. After that, the resist roller pair 34 conveys the sheet S toward the transfer position of the image forming unit 5 at a predetermined timing.

The image forming unit 5 is arranged above the sheet cassette 30, and has a process cartridge 50 for transferring an image to the surface of the sheet S conveyed from the paper feeding unit 3 and a surface of the photoconductor drum 54 of the process cartridge 50. The exposure unit 56 for exposure and the fixing unit 60 for fixing the image transferred to the sheet S by the process cartridge 50 are provided.

The process cartridge 50 includes a developer accommodating chamber 51, a supply roller 52, a developing roller 53, a photoconductor drum 54, a transfer roller 55, and the like. The exposure unit 56 includes a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a lens, a reflector, and the like, and by irradiating the photoconductor drum 54 with a laser beam based on the image data input to the image forming apparatus 1, the exposure unit 56 is provided. The surface of the photoconductor drum 54 is exposed.

Toner serving as a developer is stored in the developer storage chamber 51. The toner stored in the developer storage chamber 51 is sent to the supply roller 52 while being stirred by a stirring member (not shown). The supply roller 52 further supplies the toner sent from the developer accommodating chamber 51 to the developing roller 53.

The developing roller 53 is arranged in close contact with the supply roller 52, and carries toner supplied from the supply roller 52 and charged by a sliding contact member (not shown). Further, a development bias is applied to the developing roller 53 by a bias applying means (not shown).

The photoconductor drum 54 is arranged adjacent to the developing roller 53. The surface of the photoconductor drum 54 is uniformly positively charged by a charger (not shown) and then exposed by the exposure unit 56. The exposed portion of the photoconductor drum 54 has a lower potential than the other parts, and an electrostatic latent image based on the image data is formed on the photoconductor drum 54. Then, a positively charged toner is supplied from the developing roller 53 to the surface of the photoconductor drum 54 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, so that the electrostatic latent image is visualized and becomes a developer image. ..

The transfer roller 55 is arranged to face the photoconductor drum 54, and a negative transfer bias is applied by a bias applying means (not shown). By transporting the sheet S between the photoconductor drum 54 on which the developer image is formed and the transfer roller 55 (transfer position) while the transfer bias is applied to the surface of the transfer roller 55 without sandwiching the sheet S. The developer image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 54 is transferred to the surface of the sheet S.

The fixing portion 60 includes a heating roller 61 and a pressure roller 62. The heating roller 61 is rotationally driven by a driving force from the motor 9, and is heated by supplying electric power from a power source (not shown). The pressurizing roller 62 is arranged to face the heating roller 61, and is brought into close contact with the heating roller 61 to rotate in a driven manner. When the sheet S on which the developer image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing portion 60, the sheet S is conveyed while being sandwiched between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62, and the developer image is fixed on the sheet S. ..

The discharge unit 7 has a first intermediate discharge roller pair 70, a second intermediate discharge roller pair 71, a discharge roller pair 72, and a discharge tray 73. The first intermediate discharge roller pair 70 and the second intermediate discharge roller pair 71 are arranged downstream of the image forming unit 5 in the transport direction of the sheet S. The first intermediate discharge roller pair 70 and the second intermediate discharge roller pair 71 further convey the sheet S conveyed from the fixing portion 60 toward the discharge roller pair 72.

The discharge roller pair 72 is configured so that the sheet S conveyed by the first intermediate discharge roller pair 70 and the second intermediate discharge roller pair 71 can be further conveyed and discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 2. The discharge tray 73 is formed on the upper surface cover 24, and the sheet S discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 2 by the discharge roller pair 72 is supported by the discharge tray 73.

The sheet S discharged from the discharge roller pair 72 to the outside of the apparatus main body 2 branches from the transport path L1 at the branch portion 10 located between the first intermediate discharge roller pair 70 and the second intermediate discharge roller pair 71. It is conveyed along the path L11. The discharge path L11 is a path through which the sheet S discharged to the discharge tray 73 passes. The rear end portion of the device main body 2 provided with the rear surface cover 21 is an example of an upstream end portion of the device main body in the discharge direction, which is provided with a rotatable rotating cover having a side surface of the device main body.

The image forming apparatus 1 has a stack lever 75 that comes into contact with the sheet S discharged from the discharge roller pair 72 to the outside of the device main body 2 and presses the sheet S toward the discharge tray 73. A plurality of stack levers 75 are provided along the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the stack levers 75 are provided at three locations, the left and right ends and the left and right center of the discharge tray 73.

[Retransport route]
The image forming apparatus 1 has a re-transporting path L2 for conveying the sheet S conveyed downstream from the image forming unit 5 toward the image forming unit 5 again. In the image forming apparatus 1, for example, when double-sided printing is performed on the sheet S, the sheet S conveyed downstream from the image forming unit 5 in the conveying direction is conveyed again toward the image forming unit 5 along the re-conveying path L2. Will be done. The re-transport path L2 has a first path L21 and a second path L22.

The first path L21 is located behind the image forming unit 5, and when performing double-sided printing on the sheet S, the sheet S conveyed from the image forming unit 5 is switched back and the front and back of the sheet S are exchanged. It is a route for. A part of the first path L21 is composed of the upper end cover 25 of the apparatus main body 2.

The first path L21 is branched from the transport path L1 at the branch portion 10 between the first intermediate discharge roller pair 70 and the second intermediate discharge roller pair 71. The first path L21 extends upward from the branch portion 10 and then bends forward. The end of the first path L21 opposite to the branch portion 10 side is an open opening 13. When the sheet S introduced into the first path L21 is conveyed from the branch portion 10 side toward the opening 13 side, a portion that does not fit in the first path L21 is moved from the opening 13 to the outside of the apparatus main body 2. It is configured to extend.

The second path L22 branches from the transport path L1 at the branch portion 10 and merges with the transport path L1 at the confluence 11 between the transport roller pair 33 and the resist roller pair 34 in the transport path L1. The second path L22 extends downward from the branch portion 10, then bends forward, and further bends upward to reach the merging portion 11. The second path L22 is connected to the first path L21 at the branch portion 10, and the sheet S switched back in the first path L21 can be introduced into the second path L22.

The first path L21 is provided with a switchback roller pair 74. The switchback roller pair 74 is configured so that the rotation direction can be switched, and the rotation direction (normal rotation direction) when the seat S is introduced into the first path L21 and the sheet S from the first path L21 to the second path L22. It is configured so that it can be driven in the direction of rotation (reverse direction) when it is conveyed to. The sheet S conveyed to the second path L22 is conveyed toward the image forming portion 5 side by the second re-transfer roller pair 36 and the first re-transfer roller pair 35 provided on the second path L22.

In the image forming apparatus 1, the sheet S having an image formed on one surface by the image forming unit 5 arranged in the middle of the conveying path L1 is image-formed through the first path L21 and the second path L22 of the retransmitting path L2. It is possible to carry the image back to the section 5 to form an image on the other side of the sheet S, that is, to perform double-sided printing.

[Switchback mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has a flapper 12 arranged at the branch portion 10. The flapper 12 is a member that switches the transport direction of the sheet S transported from the transport path L1 between the discharge path L11 and the re-transport path L2 at the branch portion 10, and is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the apparatus main body 2. There is.

When guiding the sheet S transported from the fixing portion 60 to the discharge tray 73 along the discharge path L11, the flapper 12 closes the opening 10a leading to the re-transport path L2 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 1). Position). Further, when guiding the sheet S conveyed from the fixing portion 60 to the re-transport path L2, the flapper 12 swings to a re-conveyed position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) ahead of the discharge position. Then, the opening 10a is opened and the discharge path L11 leading to the discharge tray 73 is closed.

When the flapper 12 is in the re-conveying position, the sheet S fed from the transport path L1 to the opening 10a is transported diagonally upward rearward and introduced into the first path L21 of the re-conveyance path L2. The sheet S introduced in the first path L21 is inherited by the switchback roller pair 74 and is conveyed to the first path L21 side until the entire length of the sheet S along the conveying direction passes through the opening 10a. ..

Then, after the entire length of the sheet S has passed through the opening 10a, the rotation direction of the switchback roller pair 74 is reversed, and the sheet S is conveyed from the first path L21 to the second path L22. At this time, the flapper 12 is swung from the retransport position to the discharge position to close the opening 10a. Next, the sheet S is inherited from the switchback roller pair 74 to the second retransport roller pair 36 and the first retransport roller pair 35, is conveyed along the second path L22, and is conveyed from the confluence portion 11. It will be introduced again in L1.

[Stack lever]
As shown in FIG. 5, the stack lever 75 is configured to be rotatable up and down about the rotation shaft portion 75a at the rear end, and when the sheet S is not discharged to the discharge tray 73, the stack lever 75 depends on its own weight. It is located at the lower second position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 5). In this state, the tip end portion 75b of the stack lever 75 is not in contact with the discharge tray 73 and is separated upward from the discharge tray 73. The tip end portion 75b of the stack lever 75 is a downstream end portion in the discharge direction of the stack lever 75, and is located downstream of the rotation shaft portion 75a in the discharge direction.

Further, when the seat S is discharged to the discharge tray 73 and the seat S is loaded on the discharge tray 73, the upper surface of the loaded seat S comes into contact with the tip end portion 75b of the stack lever 75. The tip end portion 75b of the stack lever 75 is pushed up by abutting against the upper surface of the seat S, and the stack lever 75 moves upward from the second position. Then, when the sheet S loaded on the discharge tray 73 is full, the stack lever 75 is in the first position where the tip portion 75b is located higher than when it is in the second position (the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5). Move to.

The first position of the stack lever 75 is the upper end position of the moving range of the stack lever 75 in the vertical direction, and the second position of the stack lever 75 is the lower end position of the moving range of the stack lever 75 in the vertical direction. That is, the stack lever 75 is configured to be movable between the first position and the second position in the vertical direction.

When the upper surface of the sheet S loaded on the discharge tray 73 is in contact with the tip end portion 75b of the stack lever 75 and the stack lever 75 is moved above the second position, the sheet S on the discharge tray 73 is stacked. It is pressed toward the discharge tray 73 by the weight of the lever 75.

[Top cover]
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the upper end cover 25 is attached to the upper end portion of the apparatus main body 2. The upper end cover 25 is located above the stack lever 75 and covers the stack lever 75 from above. The upper end cover 25 is an example of a cover that constitutes the upper surface of the main body of the apparatus and covers the stack lever from above.

The upper end cover 25 is detachably provided with respect to the device main body 2, and is attached to the device main body 2 to cover the upper part of the stack lever 75 (see FIG. 5) and is removed from the device main body 2 to cover the stack lever. It is configured to be switchable to an open state (see FIG. 8) in which the upper part of the 75 is opened.

By configuring the upper end cover 25 to be switchable between the covered state and the open state in this way, for example, when a jam occurs in the sheet S discharged toward the discharge tray 73 by the discharge roller pair 72, the upper end cover 25 By removing 25 from the device main body 2 and switching to the open state, it is possible to improve the jam handling property of the sheet S discharged by the discharge roller pair 72.

The upper end cover 25 has a downstream end portion 25A in the discharge direction and an upstream end portion 25B in the discharge direction. The upper end cover 25 attached to the apparatus main body 2 extends above the stack lever 75 to the downstream side of the stack lever 75 in the discharge direction of the seat S. That is, in the discharge direction of the seat S, the downstream end portion 25A of the upper end cover 25 is located downstream of the stack lever 75.

As described above, since the downstream end of the upper end cover 25 is located downstream of the stack lever 75 in the discharge direction of the seat S, the stack lever 75 is covered with the upper end cover 25 and becomes difficult to see from the user. It is possible to prevent the stack lever 75 from being erroneously operated by the user.

Further, the downstream end portion 25A of the upper end cover 25 has an extension portion 251 extending downward toward the discharge tray 73. As described above, since the downstream end portion 25A has the extension portion 251, the extension portion 251 makes it difficult for the user to see the stack lever 75 at the downstream end portion 25A of the upper end cover 25. It is possible to further suppress the erroneous operation of the 75.

However, the downstream end portion 25A of the upper end cover 25 may have a shape that does not have an extension portion 251 and extends in the horizontal direction. Even in this case, since the downstream end portion 25A is located downstream of the stack lever 75, the stack lever 75 can be covered with the upper end cover 25 to make it difficult for the user to see.

The downstream end 25A of the upper end cover 25 is arranged at a position facing the tip 75b of the stack lever 75, and the sheet S conveyed along the first path L21 toward the downstream in the discharge direction is referred to the stack lever 75. It is configured so that it can be guided between them. The sheet S guided by the downstream end portion 25A of the upper end cover 25 is guided toward the discharge tray 73 side by the extension portion 251 of the downstream end portion 25A.

In this way, the sheet S conveyed through the first path L21 is guided toward the discharge tray 73 side by the extension portion 251 of the downstream end portion 25A, so that the sheet S floats upward from the discharge tray 73. It is possible to prevent the user from touching the sheet S which is conveyed downstream in the discharge direction on the first path L21 without being excessively conveyed forward.

The downstream end portion 25A of the upper end cover 25 has a first concave portion 252 that is recessed upward from the lower end in the left and right central portions. Further, the upstream end portion 25b of the upper end cover 25 has a second recess 253 that is recessed forward at the left and right center of the lower end portion.

The first recess 252 and the second recess 253 can be touched by the user when removing the upper end cover 25 attached to the apparatus main body 2, and the first recess 252 and the second recess 253 can be touched. By removing the upper end cover 25 from the device main body 2, it is possible to facilitate the removal work of the upper end cover 25.

In particular, since the first recess 252 and the second recess 253 are provided at the downstream end 25A and the upstream end 25b of the upper end cover 25, respectively, the downstream end 25A and the upstream end 25b of the upper end cover 25, respectively. The upper end cover 25 can be removed by accessing from either side, and the work of removing the upper end cover 25 becomes easier.

In the present embodiment, the first recess 252 and the second recess 253 are provided on the upper end cover 25, but the upper end cover 25 may not be provided with the first recess 252 and the second recess 253. It is possible. In this case, the upper end cover 25 can be removed from the device main body 2, for example, by touching a portion of the upper end cover 25 located at the downstream end 25A above the discharge tray 73 with a space.

Further, the rear cover 21 of the device main body 2 has a third recess 21b that is recessed forward at the center of the left and right of the upper end portion. The third recess 21b can be gripped when opening and closing the rear cover 21. The user can easily open and close the rear cover 21 by grasping the third recess 21b when opening and closing the rear cover 21.

The third recess 21b of the rear cover 21 and the second recess 253 of the upper end cover 25 are provided adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. That is, the second recess 253 is located adjacent to the third recess 21b.

Since the second recess 253 is located adjacent to the third recess 21b in this way, the second recess 253 and the third recess 21b can be shared, and the second recess 253 and the third recess 21b can be shared, respectively. Even if it is formed small, it can be easily gripped. As a result, the space occupied by the second recess 253 and the third recess 21b at the rear end of the device main body 2 can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first recess 252 of the upper end cover 25 has the same width dimension W2 as the width dimension W1 of the discharge tray 73 in the width direction which is the direction orthogonal to the discharge direction. The first recess 252 has side surfaces 254 facing in the width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction at both left and right ends. Further, the discharge tray 73 has side surfaces 73a facing in the width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction at both left and right ends. The side surface 73a of the discharge tray 73 is arranged so as to be flush with the side surface 254 of the first recess 252.

The side surface 73a of the discharge tray 73 acts as a guide surface in the left-right direction of the sheet S discharged to the discharge tray 73, but since the side surface 73a of the discharge tray 73 is flush with the side surface 254 of the first recess 252, the side surface Similar to the side surface 73a, the 254 can be used as a guide surface for the sheet S discharged to the discharge tray 73. Further, since the side surface 254 is flush with the side surface 73a and no step is formed between them, the design of the image forming apparatus 1 can be improved.

However, in the image forming apparatus 1, the width dimension W2 of the first recess 252 is configured to be smaller than the width dimension W1 of the discharge tray 73, and the side surface 73a of the discharge tray 73 and the side surface 254 of the first recess 252 are flush with each other. It can also be configured so that it does not become. In this case, for example, the side surface 254 of the first recess 252 may be located on the center side in the width direction with respect to the side surface 73a of the discharge tray 73.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the upper end cover 25 has a front engaging portion 255 and a rear engaging portion 256 that engage with the device main body 2 when the upper end cover 25 is attached to the device main body 2. doing.

The front engaging portion 255 is provided at both left and right ends of the upper end cover 25, and is located at the front end portion of the upper end cover 25. The rear engaging portion 256 is provided at both left and right ends of the upper end cover 25, and is located at the rear end portion of the upper end cover 25.

The front engaging portion 255 has a leg portion 255a extending downward from the lower surface of the upper end cover 25, and a protruding portion 255b provided at the lower end portion of the leg portion 255a and projecting forward. The rear engaging portion 256 has a leg portion 256a extending downward from the lower surface of the upper end cover 25, and a protruding portion 256b provided at the lower end portion of the leg portion 256a and projecting rearward. The leg portion 255a of the front engaging portion 255 and the leg portion 256a of the rear engaging portion 256 are configured to be elastically deformable. The protrusion 255b and the protrusion 256b are examples of the protrusion.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the apparatus main body 2 has a mounting surface 26 on which the upper end cover 25 is mounted. On the mounting surface 26, when the upper end cover 25 is attached to the device main body 2, the front engaged portion 261 to which the front engaging portion 255 of the upper end cover 25 engages and the rear engaging portion 256 engage with each other. It has a rear engaged portion 262.

The front engaged portion 261 of the device main body 2 has a concave shape that is recessed downward from the mounting surface 26, and the front engaging portion 255 can be engaged with the front side surface of the front engaged portion 261. The engaged claw 261a is formed. The rear engaged portion 262 of the device main body 2 has a concave shape that is recessed downward from the mounting surface 26, and the rear engaging portion 256 can be engaged with the rear side surface of the rear engaged portion 262. A claw 262a is formed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the protruding portion 255b of the front engaging portion 255 engages with the engaged claw 261a of the front engaged portion 261 when the upper end cover 25 is attached to the device main body 2. The protrusion 256b of the rear engaging portion 256 engages with the engaged claw 262a of the rear engaged portion 262 when the upper end cover 25 is attached to the device main body 2.

In this way, when the upper end cover 25 is attached to the device main body 2, the protrusion 255b engages with the engaged claw 261a, and the protrusion 256b engages with the engaged claw 262a, thereby causing the upper end. The cover 25 is fixed to the device main body 2.

In the upper end cover 25, the protrusion 255b of the front engaging portion 255 protrudes forward, and the protrusion 256b of the rear engaging portion 256 protrudes rearward. That is, the protrusions 255b and 256b project in the front-rear direction, which is the discharge direction.

In this way, since the protrusions 255b and 256b that engage with the device body 2 project in the discharge direction, the upper end cover 25 attached to the device body 2 is placed on the first recess 252 or the upstream end 25B of the downstream end 25A. When the second recess 253 is gripped and lifted, the front engaging portion 255 and the rear engaging portion 256 are engaged with the device main body 2 without applying an excessive force to the protrusions 255b and 256b. It is possible to cancel.

For example, when the first recess 252 is gripped and the downstream end 25A of the upper end cover 25 is lifted, the leg 255a of the front engaging portion 255 bends and the protrusion 255b moves rearward, and is engaged with the protrusion 255b. The engagement state with the joint claw 261a is released. Further, when the second recess 253 is gripped and the upstream end 25B of the upper end cover 25 is lifted, the leg portion 256a of the rear engaging portion 256 bends and the protrusion 256b moves forward to engage with the protrusion 256b. The engagement state with the claw 262a is released.

By grasping the first recess 252 or the second recess 253 and lifting the upper end cover 25, the engagement state between the protrusions 255b and 256b and the engaged claws 261a and 262a can be released, so that the upper end cover 25 can be released. Is easy to remove from the device body 2.

1 Image forming device 2 Device body 21 Top cover 21b Third recess 25 Top cover 72 Discharge roller vs. 73 Discharge tray 73a Side 75 Stack lever 251 Extension 252 First recess 253 Second recess 254 Side side 255 Front engagement part 255b Protrusion 256 Rear engagement 256b Protrusion S sheet

Claims (6)

With the device body
A pair of discharge rollers that discharge the sheet from the device body and
A discharge tray that supports the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair and
A rotatable stack lever that presses the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair toward the discharge tray, and
A cover that constitutes the upper surface of the apparatus main body and covers the stack lever from above, and has a cover whose downstream end is located downstream of the stack lever in the sheet discharging direction.
The cover is an image forming apparatus that is detachably provided with respect to the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downstream end portion of the cover in the discharge direction has an extension portion extending downward toward the discharge tray. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover has a first recess at a downstream end in the discharge direction and a second recess at an upstream end in the discharge direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the side surface of the discharge tray facing the width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction is flush with the side surface of the first recess facing the width direction. A rotatable rotating cover having a side surface of the device body is provided at an upstream end portion of the device body in the discharge direction.
The rotating cover has a third recess that can be gripped when opening and closing the rotating cover.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second recess is located adjacent to the third recess. The cover has an engaging portion that engages with the device body when attached to the device body.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the engaging portion has a protrusion protruding in the discharge direction.

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