JP4587204B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having improved portability and recyclability, etc. using a blindfold structure for closing the extraction aperture of the handle attached to the pull-out to the image forming apparatus housing.

Many image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimiles are provided with a pull-out handle for transportation. This handle becomes unnecessary after the copying machine or the like is installed at a required place, and it may become an obstacle if it protrudes from the housing of the image forming apparatus when an option is added.

  For this reason, there is a mechanism in which such a handle is provided with a mechanism that automatically retracts to a storage position in the image forming apparatus housing when the handle is not used. In addition, in order to improve the appearance quality, there is a case where a blindfold member is provided at a place where the handle comes out.

  For example, when a handle that can be taken in and out is used when transporting an image forming device or other equipment that is relatively heavy, when the handle is retracted into the device during transport and becomes difficult to grip, or when the use of the handle ends. In order to solve problems such as injuries, damage to articles, etc. due to the handle remaining protruding, and the need to increase the strength of the handle to meet safety standards, The handle is supported so that it can move in and out of the device side from the retracted position in the device body, and external force is applied to the handle when the force to keep the handle protruding from the device body in the protruding state is released. Some devices are configured so as to be retracted in the device main body even if they are not (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In order to provide an apparatus structure having a low-cost handle structure, a hollow pipe is used for a part of the frame body, and a handle is provided in the opening of the hollow pipe so that the handle can be moved in and out. When the cap on the exterior is closed by energizing the weak force toward the outside, the handle is prevented from jumping out of the machine, but when the cap is opened, it slightly jumps out of the machine. There is something like this (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  Further, in order to provide an image forming apparatus that can be provided with a handle member that can be taken in and out of the main body of the image forming apparatus and that can be attached with an accessory unit without being restricted by the attachment due to the provision of the handle member. A pair of guide members provided in the forming apparatus main body and formed so that the guide portion extends linearly from the inside of the apparatus main body to one outer side surface thereof; an arm portion inserted into each guide portion of the guide member; A grip that is connected to one end of the arm, and the grip is movable between a storage position close to one side of the image forming apparatus main body and a use position that protrudes outward from one side. A member that engages with the arm portion of the handle member pulled out to the use position to stop the handle member at the use position and prevents the handle member from coming off from the guide portion. And an attachment unit equipped with a guide member is attached to the guide member from which the stopper member and the handle member are removed. In this case, there is one in which the guide member is inserted into the guide portion (for example, see Patent Document 3).

  Furthermore, in order to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the cost and weight by eliminating the bracket for supporting the weight of the image forming apparatus when using the carrying handle, a U-shaped side plate is formed on the side plate forming the apparatus main body. A flat end of the cross section is formed, a screw is passed through so that the flat end and the side plate are supported by both ends, and the flat end and the screw support the weight of the image forming apparatus that is applied to the carrying handle. A hole for inserting the transport handle into the space between the flat end and the side plate is provided, and a notch groove is provided in the transport handle to fit the edge of the hole to prevent it from coming off and entering. There are some (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2000-258969 A JP 2000-094790 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-008597 JP 2002-307781 A

  However, it is difficult to add a mechanism that naturally retracts to a storage position inside the device because a dedicated mechanism is required. In addition, if a handle is provided with a blindfold member, the member must be removed or peeled off when the handle is desired to be used, which is cumbersome to handle.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention improves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a handle to be taken in and out without removing or removing a blindfold member.

An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus using a sheet material made of an elastic material in order to close a pull-out opening of a handle attached to the image forming apparatus housing in a pull-out manner.
The handle is in the form of a long bar and has a U-shaped cross section,
An edge of one side of the sheet material is fixed to the image forming apparatus housing,
The upper edge or the lateral edge of the sheet material is fixed to the image forming apparatus casing so that the sheet material can be turned without resisting movement of the handle when the handle is pulled out from the drawer opening. And can move without fixing the edge of the other side,
The sheet material, which has anti-Ri tends direction,
The fixing of the sheet material is performed such that the direction in which the sheet material is easily warped is opposite to the direction in which the sheet material is turned up when the handle is pulled out.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the color of the sheet material is substantially the same as an appearance color of a portion around the drawer opening of the housing of the image forming apparatus, and the image It is substantially the same as the appearance gloss of the portion around the drawer opening of the forming apparatus housing.

  In the present invention, when the sheet material for blindfolding is turned over, the handle can be taken in and out without removing or peeling off the member for blindfolding.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus that uses an example of a device carrying handle device according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit 1, a paper feeding unit 2, a vertical conveyance unit 3, a writing unit 4, an image forming unit 5, a fixing unit 6, a paper discharge unit 7, an electrical component storage unit 8, and the like. Yes. Since the electrophotographic image forming process by this image forming apparatus is well known, description thereof is omitted. A housing (structure) 10 includes a base 11 located at the bottom, a front plate 12, a rear plate 13, stays (not shown) provided between the front and rear plates, a support (not shown) for supporting the scanner constituting the image reading unit 1, It consists of a left side plate 14 and a right side plate 15. Each component described above can be maintained in its posture and position by being installed in the housing 10.

  In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a handle, which is a long bar shape (for example, a sheet metal processed into a U-shaped cross section), as shown in FIG. A pair is arranged in the gap in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. And, it is supported by a guide (not shown) so as to be able to advance and retreat (retract) from a retracted position (storage position) indicated by a dotted line in the figure toward a side indicated by an arrow in the figure. That is, the handle 20 protrudes from the holes provided in the left and right side plates 14 and 15 so that it can be gripped and used during transportation. When the force for maintaining the protruding state is released, the pulling force of the elastic body 21 Return to the retracted position. Whether or not the automatic return by the pulling force of the elastic body 21 is determined by the vertical movement of the stopper 16 provided in a one-to-one combination in the vicinity of the handle 20 is determined.

  When the apparatus bottom (in this case, the base 11) is in contact with the installation surface, the lower end of the stopper 16 is also in contact with the installation surface and pushed upward, so that the stopper function for the handle 20 does not work. Therefore, even if the handle 20 is pulled out from the device, it is automatically stored in the device when the handle 20 is released. When the device is lifted by holding the handle 20 and the bottom of the device is separated from the installation surface, the lower end of the stopper 16 is also separated from the installation surface and lowered by its own weight. At this time, the lock portion at the top of the stopper 16 is caught by the handle 20 pulled out, and the handle 20 can be maintained in the protruding state without being stored inside the apparatus. The arrangement place of the handle 20 is not limited to the illustrated position.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing details of the handle 20 and an example of a support structure thereof. The handle 20 can be pulled out in the horizontal direction when necessary, and a laterally bent portion 12a obtained by cutting and bending a part of the front side plate 12 or the rear side plate 13 (the front side plate 12 in this example) standing on the base 11. It is possible to go in and out in a horizontal direction from a hole provided in the handle 20, that is, the drawer opening 12b of the handle 20. In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes a stopper for preventing the protrusion 20 from projecting from an appropriate position near the base end of the handle 20, and the stopper 22 is caught on the inner edge of the drawer opening 12b to prevent the handle from falling off. In addition, a handle holding stay 23 that holds the lower surface of the back of the handle 20 and guides the sliding operation is provided at an appropriate position on the side plate so that the back of the handle 20 does not descend with the drawer opening 12b as a fulcrum. In a state where the handle 20 is pulled out of the front plate 12 and protruded, the device can be lifted by holding and lifting the handle 20 manually. While the elastic body 21 allows the handle 20 to be pulled out of the machine during transportation, the handle can be returned to the original retracted position when the hand is released from the handle 20. As the elastic body 21, various things such as a coil spring can be used. Since the right side plate 15 (or the left side plate 14) is fixed on the base 11 so as to be parallel to the laterally bent portion 12a of the front side plate 12 at the time of assembly, the handle 20 appears and disappears from a hole provided in the right side plate 15 or the like. Will be.

  The present invention can be applied not only to a pull-out type handle, that is, a handle using a biasing force as described above, but also to a handle having a structure in which an operator manually moves in and out. The structure is not limited.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the image forming apparatus is conveyed using the handle 20 described above. As shown in the figure, the four handles 20 are pulled out from the casing 10 of the image forming apparatus, and the carrying operator performs operations such as lifting, dropping, and moving by hand. In the example shown in the drawing, the orientation of the handle 20 is set so that the handle 20 having a U-shaped cross section faces sideways with respect to the two located on the operation unit 1a side provided on the front side of the housing 10. Although the handle 20 is provided on the back side of the body 10 so that the handle 20 faces upward, the handle 20 does not have to be provided in such a direction.

  4A shows a state in which the handle 20 provided on the front side of the housing 10 is pulled out, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the handle 20 on the back side of the housing 10 is pulled out from the drawer opening 12b. In FIG. 4A, the upper side of the sheet material 30 for concealing the drawer opening 12b is fixed to the housing 10 around the upper edge of the drawer opening 12b with an adhesive material or the like. In FIG. 4B, the upper side of the sheet material 30 for concealing the drawer opening 12b in the housing 10 around the side edge of the drawer opening 12b is also fixed with an adhesive material or the like. These sheet materials 30 can move freely without fixing other sides to the housing 10.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, when pulling out the handle 20 from the housing 10, the handle 20 is turned over with little resistance to movement, and the handle 20 can be pulled out without peeling off the sheet material 30. When the handle 20 is housed in the housing 10, the turn is turned back to close the drawer opening 12b as shown in FIG. 6A and 6B are views for showing the effect of blindfolding. FIG. 6A is an external view of the state in which the sheet material 30 is not present and the drawer opening 12b and the handle 20 are visible, and FIG. 6B is because the sheet material 30 is present. It is an external view in the state where the drawer opening 12b and the handle 20 cannot be seen.

  In addition, as for the edge | side which fixes the sheet | seat material 30 to the housing | casing 10, as shown in FIG. This is because the sheet material 30 is easily returned to the original position when the handle 20 is stored. The lower part is not so preferable because the sheet material 30 is turned up by its own weight, but it is possible depending on the material of the sheet material 30.

  As a material of the sheet material 30, the PET material is suitable for a blindfold sheet that is difficult to whiten, has a firmness, and is turned or returned. The thickness is suitably 50 μm to 300 μm. If it is 50 μm or less, it will be weak and crumpled, and if it is 300 μm or more, it will be too strong and difficult to turn, and there will be a risk of injury at the edge. In addition, it is preferable to round the edge, since the above-described danger can be reduced.

  Further, if the minimum curvature radius portion (indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 5A) when the sheet material 30 is turned over is set to 50 times or more the sheet thickness when the PET material is used, permanent deformation can be prevented.

  In addition, some sheet materials 30 have a direction in which surface roughness differs between the front and back surfaces depending on the material and manufacturing conditions, and there is a direction in which warpage is likely to occur due to this. Therefore, the sheet material 30 is attached to the housing 10 so that the direction in which the sheet material 30 tends to warp is opposite to the turning direction, the turning of the sheet material 30 is reduced, and the degree of the sheet material 30 floating from the surface of the housing 10 is reduced. preferable.

  Furthermore, if the color of the sheet material 30 is substantially the same as the appearance color of the portion around the drawer opening 12b of the housing 10, the blinding effect can be further improved. In addition, by making the gloss of the sheet material 30 substantially the same as the appearance gloss of the part around the drawer opening 12b of the housing 10, the uncomfortable feeling due to the difference in gloss can be reduced.

1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus that uses an example of a device carrying handle device according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the detail of a handle and its support structure example. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the image forming apparatus is transported using a handle. It is a perspective view which shows the state which pulled out the handle from the drawer opening in the Example of this invention. In the Example of this invention, it is side sectional drawing (A) of the state which pulled out the handle, and sectional drawing (B) of the state which accommodated the handle. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of a blindfold in the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Image reading unit 1a: Operation unit 2: Paper feeding unit 3: Vertical conveyance unit 4: Writing unit 5: Image forming unit 6: Fixing unit 7: Paper discharge unit 8: Electrical component storage unit 10: Case (structure) )
11: Base 12 to 15: Side plate 12a: Lateral bending portion 12b: Pull-out opening 16 of handle: Stopper 20: Handle 21: Elastic body 22: Stopper stopper 23: Handle holding stay 30: Sheet material X: Sheet material X Minimum radius of curvature

Claims (2)

An image forming apparatus using a sheet material made of an elastic body in order to close a pull-out opening of a handle attached to the image forming apparatus housing in a pull-out manner,
The handle is in the form of a long bar and has a U-shaped cross section,
An edge of one side of the sheet material is fixed to the image forming apparatus housing,
The upper edge or the lateral edge of the sheet material is fixed to the image forming apparatus casing so that the sheet material can be turned without resisting movement of the handle when the handle is pulled out from the drawer opening. And can move without fixing the edge of the other side,
The sheet material, which has anti-Ri tends direction,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the fixing of the sheet material is performed such that the direction in which the sheet material is easily warped is opposite to the direction in which the sheet material is turned up when the handle is pulled out.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color of the sheet material is substantially the same as an appearance color of a portion around the drawer opening of the image forming apparatus housing, and around the drawer opening of the image forming apparatus housing. an image forming apparatus comprising Rukoto such as the site of the appearance gloss substantially the same.