JP4855815B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus allowing a scanner section to be mounted on a printer section, in which the mounting of the scanner section on the printer section is facilitated without replacing exclusive components, such as an external cover, or without discharging waste. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 10 includes the printer section 12 and the scanner section 14 that can be mounted on the printer section 12 later. The printer section 12 has recesses, for example, grooves 18 in connecting parts through which the scanner section 14 is mounted on the printer section 12. The scanner section 14 has projections 42 fittable in the grooves 18. Freely detachable cover members 50 are attached to the grooves 18 of the printer section 12 so as to cover the grooves 18. To mount the scanner section 14 on the printer section 12, the cover members 50 are detached from the grooves 18. The detached cover members 50 can be arbitrarily attached to the scanner section 14 and/or printer section 12 so as to be freely detached. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine having these functions, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus in which a scanner unit can be attached to a printer unit, for example.

Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine having a structure in which a scanner unit can be attached to a printer unit as a retrofit, the printer unit is completed without the scanner unit attached, that is, the printer unit alone. Shipped in a state that has been done. For this reason, the printer unit is provided with an exterior cover dedicated to the printer unit that does not have a mounting structure such as mounting holes and protrusions for mounting the scanner unit on the printer unit.
When attaching the scanner unit to the printer unit, remove the exterior cover dedicated to the printer unit from the printer unit, and install the scanner unit to the printer unit. After the replacement, the scanner unit was attached to the printer unit.
In addition, when the scanner unit is attached to the printer unit, a structure is provided so that the scanner unit can stand independently on the printer unit so that it does not affect the exterior cover dedicated to the printer unit by providing an independent fixing leg unit to the scanner unit. I was trying.

However, in the structure in which the exterior cover dedicated to the printer unit is replaced with the exterior cover dedicated to the scanner unit and the scanner unit is attached to the printer unit, the exterior cover dedicated to the printer unit has become waste, so the loss is large and the waste is discarded. Increasing the number of products caused problems in terms of environment, recycling and product recovery.
On the other hand, in a structure in which the scanner unit equipped with fixing legs is attached to the printer unit and is self-supporting without affecting the exterior cover dedicated to the printer unit, the parts, bolts and screws that make up the fixing unit of the scanner unit Because of the large number of parts for mounting brackets and the like, and the mounting structure was complicated, it could not be said that the scanner was easy to mount. Also, when the scanner unit was installed, it lacked a sense of unity, and the appearance design was not satisfactory.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a scanner unit can be attached to a printer unit, without replacing a part such as a dedicated exterior cover, and without giving out waste, in the printer unit. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus to which a scanner unit can be easily attached.

The present invention according to claim 1 is a printer unit, a scanner unit that can be attached to the printer unit, a connection part that is provided on the upper surface of the printer part, and to which the scanner part is attached, and a cross section that is provided on the connection part. The “U” -shaped groove, the “U” -shaped cover member that is detachably attached to the groove of the connection portion, and the cover member, when the cover member is attached to the groove, An image forming apparatus configured to be detachably mounted on at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit when the cover member is removed from the groove unit. When the scanner unit is attached to the printer unit, the cover member removed from the groove unit Linters unit and attached to at least one of the scanner unit, characterized in that configured as a wiring cover capable of holding the line, an image forming apparatus.
In the present invention according to claim 1, the cover member is removed from the groove portion, and the scanner portion is attached to the connection portion of the printer portion. In this case, for example, it is not necessary to replace the external cover dedicated to the printer unit provided in the printer unit with parts such as the external cover dedicated to the scanner unit provided with an attaching means for mounting the scanner unit. Further, the groove cover is detached from the member of connection sites, since it has a freely mounted to a reusable structure detachable in at least one of a printer unit and a scanner unit, should be discarded the cover member There is no.
Further, in the present invention according to claim 1, when the scanner unit is not attached to the printer unit, the cover member is attached to the groove portion of the connection part and functions as a part of the exterior portion of the printer unit. Even a single unit can be used without being affected by the cover member.
Further, in the present invention according to claim 1, the cover member removed from the groove portion of the connection part is attached to at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit, and for example, functions as a wiring cover that holds wiring connecting the printer unit and the scanner unit. As a result, it is possible to collect and fix wiring that spreads complicatedly. In this case, the cover member does not feel uncomfortable in appearance.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the scanner unit includes a convex portion fitted in the groove portion .
In this invention concerning Claim 2, it removes the cover member attached to the groove part of the connection part, and only attaches the convex-shaped part of a scanner part to the said groove part, For attaching a scanner part to a printer part easily It has a structure. Therefore, the scanner unit can be easily attached to the printer unit without requiring fastening means such as bolts, nuts, and screws.
The present invention according to claim 3 is an invention dependent on the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cover member includes a locking claw piece disposed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the cover member; Snap engagement pieces disposed on the other end side of the cover member in the longitudinal direction and on both sides in the width direction of the cover member, and the groove portion can be engaged with the engagement claw pieces and the snap engagement pieces of the cover member And at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit is provided with a locking hole capable of locking the locking claw piece and the snap locking piece of the cover member. The cover member is detachably attached to the groove portion so as to cover the groove portion by engaging the claw piece and the snap engagement piece with the engagement hole provided in the groove portion. The piece and snap-locking piece are By being engaged with the locking hole disposed on at least one of the Yana portion, a cover member is removed from the groove becomes reusable is detachably mounted to at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit This is an image forming apparatus .
Also, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the cover member is attached to the groove portion of the connecting member may be configured to have a function to reinforce the connection portion between the printer portion and the scanner unit.
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, when the cover member is attached to the groove portion of the connecting portion, the cover member may have a structure comprising an exterior surface substantially flush with the printer portion of the periphery of the cover member Is preferred. In this case, since the cover member does not protrude as a protruding portion on the exterior surface of the printer unit, even when the printer unit alone is packed and shipped, there is no possibility that the packing material hits the cover member and is damaged. Further, the cover member need not have the same strength as, for example, a packing cover fixed to the packing, and can be designed simply.
In the image forming apparatus described above, the groove portion of the connecting portion is at least one locking recess and the locking protrusions, or include a hole, the convex portion of the scanner portion, the engagement recess of the printer unit and It is good to include the latching | locking part which can carry out uneven | corrugated latching to at least one of the latching convex part, or a hole.

  According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus in which the scanner unit can be attached to the printer unit, it is possible to easily attach the scanner unit to the printer unit without the need for retrofitting parts and without generating waste. An image forming apparatus that can be attached is obtained.

  The above-mentioned object, other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a back side of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus will be described.
The copier 10 includes a printer unit 12 and a scanner unit 14 attached on the printer unit 12. The printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14 are connected by a wiring unit 16 including, for example, a cable and a harness for signal transmission. The wiring unit 16 also includes a power cable and a harness for supplying power from the printer unit 12 to the scanner unit 14. A scanner unit 14 can be attached to the printer unit 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the printer unit 12 includes, for example, two groove portions 18 as concave portions. The two groove portions 18 are disposed at a connection site to which the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14 are attached. The two groove portions 18 are disposed on both sides of the upper surface of the printer unit 12. The two groove portions 18 are disposed with a predetermined length from the rear end of the printer unit 12 to the front side of the printer unit. Since the two groove portions 18 have the same structure, only one groove portion 18 will be described.
The groove 18 has a rectangular shape in plan view and is formed in a “U” shape in cross section, and has a predetermined depth. The groove portion 18 has a “U” -shaped open mouth end 20 on one end side in the longitudinal direction (the rear surface side of the printer portion 12). On the bottom surface 22 of the groove portion 18 (hereinafter referred to as the groove surface 22), a locking convex portion 24 is disposed on one side in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the locking projection 24 is disposed on one side in the longitudinal direction of the groove surface 22 (on the rear surface side of the printer unit 12), for example, a snap piece 28 surrounded by two slits 26. Including. The snap piece 28 surrounded by the two slits 26 has elasticity. Further, a snap protrusion 30 having a triangular cross section, for example, is formed on the upper surface of the snap piece 28. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the snap projection 30 has an inclined surface 32. The inclined surface 32 is formed so as to gradually become lower from the top end side of the snap projection 30 toward the open end 20 side of the groove surface 22.

Moreover, the groove part 18 has the two latching recessed parts 34, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. The locking recess 34 is constituted by a space provided, for example, between the guide projection piece 38 having a rectangular cross section and the groove surface 22 therebelow. In this case, the guide projection pieces 38 are disposed at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of one groove wall surface 36 a that is provided to stand on both sides in the width direction of the groove surface 22. The guide projection piece 38 is disposed at an intermediate portion in the height direction of the groove wall surface 36a.
In addition, the hole 39 provided in the groove surface 22 below the guide projection piece 38 is a punching hole of the mold.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the scanner unit 14 includes, for example, two support legs 40 to which the scanner unit 14 is attached to the upper surface of the printer unit 12 later. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the two support leg portions 40 each include a convex portion 42 that is fitted in the groove portion 18 of the printer portion 12 described above. The two convex portions 42 are formed, for example, in an L-shaped cross section. The projecting portion 42 includes a projecting portion main body 44 having a substantially quadrangular cross section extending downward from the support leg portion 40, and a projecting portion 46 projecting outward from the projecting portion main body 44. It has a function as a locking portion that is inserted into the locking recess 34 and locked.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, for example, a protruding piece 48 having a “U” -shaped cross section as another locking portion is disposed inside the two convex portions 42. Each of the two protruding pieces 48 protrudes inward of the support leg 40. The protruding piece 48 is disposed on one inner side in the longitudinal direction of the convex body 44, and has a structure that is recessed in a “U” shape from the outer surface to the inner surface of the convex body 44.

Here, the case where the scanner unit 14 is attached to the printer unit 12 will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present embodiment, the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14 are coupled by fitting the support leg unit 40 of the scanner unit 14 into the groove unit 18 of the printer unit 12. A portion of the convex portion 42 opposite to the protruding piece 48 is inserted from the rear surface side of the printer portion 12 through the open end 20 of the groove portion 18, and the bottom end surface of the convex portion 42 extends along the groove surface 22. It is inserted while sliding.

  In this case, the bottom end surface of the convex portion 42 is inserted along the slope surface 32 of the snap projection 30. Further, in the state where the bottom end portion of the convex portion 42 presses the snap projection 30 downward against the urging force due to the elasticity of the snap piece 28 of the locking convex portion 24, the protruding portion 46 of the convex portion 42 is As shown in FIG. 7, the groove 18 is inserted into two locking recesses 34 formed between the two guide projection pieces 38 and the groove surface 22. In addition, since the sloped surface 32 of the snap projection 30 is formed so as to gradually become lower from the top end side toward the opening end 20 side of the groove surface 22, the bottom end surface of the convex portion 42 is the groove surface 22. It is easy to insert from the open mouth end 20 side.

  And the convex-shaped part 42 of the support leg part 40 is inserted to the position contact | abutted to the contact surface 49 of the groove part 18 shown in FIG. 5 by making the lower surface of the guide protrusion piece 38 into a guide surface. When the convex portion 42 is brought into contact with the abutting surface 49, as shown in FIG. 7, the two locking concave portions 34 of the groove portion 18 and the overhanging portion 46 of the convex portion 42 are engaged with the concave and convex portions. As shown in FIG. 6, the snap projection 30 of the locking projection 24 of the groove 18 and the protruding piece 48 of the protruding portion 42 are engaged with each other, and the scanner unit 14 is attached to the groove 18 of the printer unit 12. Therefore, the scanner unit 14 can be easily attached to the printer unit 12. That is, in this embodiment, since it is only necessary to fit the support legs 40 of the scanner unit 14 into the grooves 18 of the printer unit 12, there is no need for fastening means such as bolts, nuts, and screws, and the scanner unit is included in the printer unit. Can be easily installed.

  In this embodiment, the locking projection 24 and the locking recess 34 are provided in the groove 18 as the concave shape portion of the printer unit 12, and the locking projection is provided on the convex shape portion 42 of the scanner unit 14. 24 is provided with a protruding piece 48 that is engaged with the recess 24 and an overhanging portion 46 that is engaged with the engaging recess 34. The recessed portion and / or the engaging protrusion And / or a hole, and a locking concave portion and / or a locking convex portion of the printer unit 12 or a locking portion capable of engaging with the concave and convex portions is arranged on the convex portion of the scanner unit 14. You may make it install.

  In this embodiment, when the scanner unit 14 is not attached to the printer unit 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, cover members 50 that cover the groove portions 18 are detachably attached to the two groove portions 18 of the printer unit 12. By attaching to the printer unit 12, it functions as a part of the exterior part of the printer unit 12. Therefore, the printer unit 12 can be used alone without being affected by the cover member 50.

Therefore, the cover member 50 and the attachment structure of the cover member 50 and the groove portion 18 of the printer unit 12 will be described with reference to FIG.
The cover member 50 includes, for example, a “U” -shaped rectangular cover body 52. The cover main body 52 has, for example, two rectangular cutouts 54 on one side in the width direction. The two notches 54 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the cover main body 52. The notch lengths of the two notch portions 54 are formed slightly longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the guide projection piece 38 disposed in the groove portion 18 of the printer portion 12.

  Further, for example, a substantially L-shaped locking claw piece 56 is disposed on one side of the cover body 52 in the longitudinal direction on both sides thereof. Further, on the other end side of the cover body 52 in the longitudinal direction, for example, snap locking pieces 58 are disposed on both sides thereof. The snap locking piece 58 may be formed in the same structure as the locking projection 24 provided on the groove surface 22 of the printer unit 12, for example.

  On the other hand, the groove portion 18 of the printer unit 12 has a locking hole (not shown) in which the locking claw piece 56 described above is locked in the abutting surface 49. This locking hole (not shown) is disposed at a position facing the two locking claw pieces 56 on the abutting surface 49 of the groove 18.

  Further, the groove portion 18 includes a locking hole 60a in which the above-described snap locking piece 58 is locked to one groove wall surface 36a and the other groove wall surface 36b that are opposed to each other on both sides in the width direction. 60b (the locking hole 60b is not shown). The locking holes 60a and 60b (the locking hole 60b is not shown) are respectively arranged at positions facing the snap locking pieces 58 on one groove wall surface 36a and the other groove wall surface 36b of the groove portion 18. .

  The cover member 50 locks the locking claw piece 56 in a locking hole (not shown) provided in the abutting surface 49 of the groove portion 18, and the snap locking piece 58 is opposed to the groove wall surface 36 a, By engaging with the locking holes 60a, 60b provided in 36b (the locking hole 60b is not shown), it can be easily and detachably attached to the groove portion 18 of the printer unit 12. In this case, the notch portion 54 of the cover main body 52 has a function as a relief portion for preventing the cover main body 52 from coming into contact with the guide projection piece 38 of the locking convex portion 34 of the groove portion 18.

  In the present embodiment, the depth of the groove 18 provided in a part of the exterior portion (exterior surface) of the printer unit 12 and the height of the fitting portion of the cover member 50 fitted in the groove 18 are substantially the same. Since they are formed in the same manner, when the cover member 50 is attached to the groove 18, the cover member 50 and the exterior surface (exterior portion) of the printer unit 12 around it are formed in substantially the same plane. That is, since the cover member 50 does not protrude as a protrusion on the exterior surface of the printer unit 12, even when the printer unit 12 is packaged and shipped, the packing material is prevented from hitting the cover member 50 and being damaged. Is done. Further, the cover member 50 does not need to have the same strength as a packing cover fixed to the packing, for example, and can be designed simply.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the scanner unit 14 is attached to the printer unit 12, the two cover members 50 are removed from the two groove portions 18 of the printer unit 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 9, the two cover members 50 are each mounted on the rear surface of the scanner unit 14, and are configured as a wiring cover for the wiring unit 16, for example. Therefore, the cover member 50 can consolidate and fix wiring that spreads complicatedly.

  In the present embodiment, two cover members 50 are mounted on both sides of the rear surface of the scanner unit 14, for example, as shown in FIG. On both sides of the rear surface of the scanner unit 14, for example, four vertically long rectangular locking holes 62 and one horizontal rectangular locking hole 64, for example, are arranged at appropriate locations for collecting and fixing the wiring portions 16. Is disposed. The four locking holes 62 are at positions corresponding to the four locking claw pieces 56 of the cover member 50, and the one locking hole 64 is at a position corresponding to the two snap locking pieces 58 of the cover member 50. Each is arranged. The locking hole 64 is formed to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the length in the width direction.

In each of the two cover members 50, four locking claw pieces 56 are inserted into the four locking holes 62 and locked, and two snap locking pieces 58 are inserted into the one locking hole 64. By being stopped, the scanner unit 14 is mounted on both sides of the rear surface. In this case, the two cover members 50 are attached so as to hold the cables, harnesses, and the like of the wiring portion 16 between the cover member 50 and the rear surface of the scanner portion 14, respectively. It can be divided into two parts on the left and right sides, and is attached to the scanner unit 14 without any discomfort in appearance.
In this embodiment, the cover member 50 removed from the groove portion 18 of the printer unit 12 is mounted as a wiring cover, for example, on the rear surface side of the scanner unit 14, but the cover member 50 is mounted on the rear surface of the printer unit 12. It may be mounted on the side, or may be mounted on both the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cover member 50 removed from the groove 18 of the printer unit 12 is mounted as a wiring cover, for example, on the rear surface side of the scanner unit 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the cover member 50 may be attached to a connection portion between the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14 and reused as a reinforcing cover that reinforces the connection portion between the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14.
Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the cover member is mounted on the side surface of the scanner unit 14, and includes an instruction manual for the printer unit 12, the scanner unit 14, a document such as a read original, a document stopper, a writing instrument, and the like. You may make it comprise the side pocket part 70 for accommodating the goods of this.

That is, the side pocket portion 70 includes, for example, a pocket main body 72 having a rectangular shape in plan view and a cross-sectional “U” shape. For example, snap locking pieces (not shown) similar to the snap locking pieces 58 of the cover member 50 shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 are arranged at the ends of the protruding pieces 74 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the pocket main body 72. Has been. Further, a locking hole (not shown) in which the snap locking piece (not shown) is inserted and locked is provided on the side surface of the scanner unit 14. Then, the snap lock piece (not shown) and the lock hole (not shown) are concavo-convexly locked, so that the storage portion 76 is provided between the side pocket portion 70 and the side surface of the scanner portion 14. It is formed.
The side pocket 70 is not limited to the one that is attached to the side surface of the scanner unit 14, and for example, is suitably attached to the side surface of the printer unit 12 or the side surfaces of the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14. It may be.

  In the present embodiment, the exterior portion of the printer unit 12 and the scanner unit 14, the cover member 50, and the side pocket unit 70 can be appropriately formed of a plastic material, a metal material, or the like.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a back side of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a state in which a cover member is attached to the printer unit of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram when a scanner unit is attached to the printer unit illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the attachment structure of a printer part and a scanner part. FIG. 6 is an illustrative sectional view taken along line xx shown in FIG. 5 when the scanner unit is attached to the printer unit. FIG. 6 is an illustrative sectional view taken along the line yy of FIG. 5 when the scanner unit is attached to the printer unit. It is a principal part exploded perspective view which shows an example of the attachment structure of a printer part and a cover member. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the state which comprised the cover member removed from the printer part as a wiring cover. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the attachment structure of the cover member shown in FIG. 9, and a scanner part. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the other attachment state of the cover member removed from the printer part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Copy machine 12 Printer part 14 Scanner part 16 Wiring part 18 Groove part (concave part)
20 Open mouth end 22 Groove surface (bottom surface of groove)
24 Locking convex part 26 Slit 28 Snap piece 30 Snap protrusion 32 Gradient surface 34 Locking concave part 36a, 36b Groove wall surface 38 Guide protrusion piece 39 Hole 40 Support leg part 42 Convex-shaped part 44 Convex part main body 46 Overhang part 48 Projection piece 49 Abutting surface of groove 50 Cover member 52 Cover body 54 Notch portion 56 Locking claw piece 58 Snap locking piece 60a, 60b, 62, 64 Locking hole 70 Side pocket portion 72 Pocket main body 74 Projection piece 76 Storage portion

Claims (3)

Printer section ,
Scanner portion serving as a possible attached to the front Symbol printer unit,
Wherein disposed on the upper surface of the printer portion, the connection portion position of the scanner unit is mounted,
A groove having a U-shaped cross section disposed in the connection site,
A "U" -shaped cover member removably attached to the groove, and
When the cover member is attached to the groove portion, the cover member is configured as a part of the exterior portion of the printer portion, and when the cover member is removed from the groove portion, the printer portion and the scanner An image forming apparatus that is detachably attached to at least one of the units and is reusable,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Including wiring for connecting the printer unit and the scanner unit;
When the scanner unit is attached to the printer unit, the cover member removed from the connection site is attached to at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit, and as a wiring cover capable of holding the wiring An image forming apparatus comprising the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanner unit includes a convex portion that is fitted into the groove . The cover member is disposed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the cover member, and on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the cover member and on both sides in the width direction of the cover member. Including snap locking pieces,
The groove includes a locking hole in which the locking claw piece and the snap locking piece of the cover member can be locked,
At least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit is provided with a locking hole in which the locking claw piece and the snap locking piece of the cover member can be locked,
When the locking claw piece and the snap locking piece of the cover member are locked in the locking hole provided in the groove, the cover member covers the groove so as to cover the groove. Removably attached to the site,
The locking claw piece and the snap locking piece of the cover member are removed from the groove portion by being locked in the locking hole provided in at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cover member is detachably attached to at least one of the printer unit and the scanner unit and is reusable .

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