JPH04335655A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize the device and to enable the mounting state of a transfer material to be plurally selected by arranging a manual paper supply port lower than the leading edge of the paper supply of a transfer paper housing part. CONSTITUTION:A developing device 3 and a cleaning device 5 are longitudinally arranged and constituted on the upper side of a photosensitive drum 3 by restraining the expansion of the horizontal direction thereof. At the upper part thereof, a scanner unit 6 is arranged so as to directly guide laser light to the drum 3. Therefore, a paper supply roller 8 can be disposed at the lower part of the developing device 4 and near the drum 3. Then, the transfer paper housing part 11 and an ejection paper housing part 12 are constituted in parallel with an optical axis and in a vertical direction. Besides, the device size of the carrying direction of a transfer paper is collectively minimized by arranging the manual paper supply port 15 lower than the leading edge of the paper supply of the housing part 11. In such a case, manual paper supply can be executed by mounting the transfer paper on a tray 14 and inserting it to a manual paper supply roller 13.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to improvements in image forming apparatuses such as laser printers and LED printers used as output means for personal computers, facsimile machines, and the like. In particular, it relates to improvements related to the entire device, such as miniaturization, improved operability, and cost reduction. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technology that minimizes the installation area of the device, increases the degree of freedom in installation, and also reduces the overall size of the device, making it easier to move and carry, thereby greatly improving ease of use.

0002

[Prior Art] In recent years, lasers,
2. Description of the Related Art Electrophotographic printers (page printers) that use light-emitting elements such as LEDs to form images on photoreceptors have come into general use.

Various improvements have been made to these printers in terms of quality, operability, size, cost, etc., in order to provide a more convenient usage environment.

However, computers (personal computers)
When used connected to a computer, it is desirable that not only the computer itself but also its peripheral devices be installed within the operating range of the user.

[0005] From this point of view, the area most in need of improvement is the size of the installation area.

FIG. 6 shows a printer of a type often seen in conventional page printers. In such a printer, a paper cassette C containing transfer paper is fed by inserting a part of the cassette into the device from the front side F of the device, and a paper cassette C that is placed above the cassette is fed by inserting a part of the cassette into the device from the front side F of the device. A manual paper feed port 110 enables manual paper feeding. Most of the operations are performed with the paper feed port side as the front.

However, as is clear from the above description, printers using the conventional type occupy a large area when installed. Therefore, not only is it often impossible to install the printer within the computer user's normal operating range, but also when the printer needs to be relocated due to the type of use, the movement itself is difficult. There were many inconveniences, such as difficulty.

[0008] Therefore, as a printer that improves the problem of the installation area of the printer as described above, a printer as shown in FIG. 1, which will be described later, can be considered. This is done in order to minimize the device dimensions along the conveyance direction of the transfer paper and the device dimensions in the width direction of the transfer paper perpendicular to this.
By arranging each process unit, optical unit, etc. that performs image formation approximately above the photosensitive drum, and further arranging the paper cassette approximately parallel to them, the area required for installing the device is minimized. This printer is also compact in overall size.

By the way, in such a compact printer, one of the specifications most required by the user is manual paper feeding. This is a specification that will become necessary as printers become more personal, and is mainly used when printing on special paper, such as non-standard long paper, thick paper such as envelopes and postcards. It is.

0010

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The problems to be solved by the present invention are, when a manual paper feed slot is to be provided in a compact printer configured as described above, how to install the manual paper feed slot; This also concerns the installation position of the manual paper feed tray and its operating method.

FIG. 6 shows a compact printer as described above.
If the manual feed port is placed above the paper feed cassette as in conventional printers, the configuration of the device will become complicated and the operability will deteriorate. Furthermore, the dimension of the device along the conveyance direction also becomes long.

Furthermore, if the manual feed slot is placed above the paper feed cassette, the manual feed tray must also be provided above the paper feed cassette, which complicates the configuration of the above-mentioned compact printer. As a result, many problems arise, such as the length of the device along the transport direction becoming longer, the operability becoming worse, and the cost increasing.

The present invention was devised in order to make the above-mentioned compact printer meet the needs of the user and to improve its operability. The printer can be easily installed and moved, and it is also possible to provide the user with a printer that is extremely easy to use in terms of operability.

[0014]

[Means for Solving the Problems] When a manual paper feed slot is provided in a compact printer such as the one described above, if the manual paper feed slot is placed above the paper feed cassette as in the past,
The configuration of the paper feeding section of the apparatus becomes complicated, and the operability in manual paper feeding also deteriorates. Therefore, a manual paper feed port is provided below the paper feed tip of the transfer paper storage section. With this,
In addition to enabling manual paper feeding, the structure of the manual paper feeding device is simplified and operability is improved.Furthermore, the transfer paper storage section and manual paper feeding section are arranged vertically. , shorten the dimension along the transport direction of the device.

Furthermore, if the tray for manual paper feeding is rotatably disposed outside the transfer paper storage section, the operability of manual paper feeding can be improved, the structure of the paper feeding section can be simplified, and the main body of the apparatus can be can be made thinner.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a cross section of an embodiment of a laser printer according to the invention. As shown in this drawing, this embodiment incorporates all of the above-mentioned problem solving means.

That is, regarding the dimensions of the device along the width direction of the transfer paper, the electric transmission section 2 that integrates the drive motor 1, power supply, and electric control section is installed at the bottom of the main body, and the paper conveyance path is shortened. Efforts have been made to minimize this dimension by suppressing the dispersion of the drive type.

Regarding the dimensions of the device along the conveyance direction of the transfer paper, the developing device 4 and the cleaning device 5 are arranged and configured in a vertically long manner above the photosensitive drum 3 while suppressing the spread in the horizontal direction, and the scanner unit is placed above the developing device 4 and the cleaning device 5. 6 is arranged so as to directly guide the laser beam to the photosensitive drum 3, and the dimensions affected by this are minimized. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 3, the developing device 4, and the charging roller 7 are integrally provided in the frame of the cleaning device 5, and are configured as a process cartridge.

By adopting such a configuration, the paper feed roller 8 can be disposed below the developing device 4 and near the photosensitive drum 3, making it possible to further shorten the transport path of the transfer paper. There is. The fixing device 9 is also arranged as close to the photosensitive drum 3 as possible, and the paper ejection roller 10 is arranged with the subsequent conveyance path raised upwards, thereby suppressing the device dimensions along the conveyance path. The transfer paper storage section 11 and the ejected paper storage section 12 are arranged in a vertical direction parallel to the optical axis. Furthermore, by arranging the manual paper feed port 15 below the paper feeding tip of the transfer paper storage section 11, overall the dimensions of the device in the transfer paper transport direction are minimized.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are detailed views of the main parts of the present invention, and show a manual paper feeding section. A tray 14 for manually feeding paper is provided parallel to the transfer paper storage section 11, and the tray 14 can be opened to the outside of the apparatus around its fulcrum 14a. 2 shows the tray 14 in a closed state, and FIG. 3 shows the tray 14 in an open state. With this tray 14 open, place the transfer paper on the tray and insert it up to the manual paper feed roller 13.
Manual paper feeding is possible. Reference numeral 16 denotes a manual paper feed sensor, which detects whether manual paper is inserted.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show other embodiments of the present invention.

The structure of the main body of the apparatus is similar to that of the previous embodiment, and incorporates all means for minimizing the installation area. Due to duplication, the explanation will be omitted here.

In FIG. 4, a major difference from the previous embodiment is that the paper feed tray 14 is provided on the side surface of the main body separately from the main body exterior. The advantage of this case is that the length of the paper feed tray 14 may be different from the length of the exterior of the main body, so the paper feed tray 14 can be shortened, and the paper feed tray 14 can be rotated to manually feed It is possible to reduce the area occupied in the lateral direction of the device, which is necessary when performing paper work.

In FIG. 5, the major difference from the previous embodiment is that only the manual paper feed port 15 is provided below the transfer paper storage section 11 in the printer main body, and the paper feed tray 1
7 is externally attached to make it removable. The advantage of this case is that the shape of the paper feed tray 17 can be changed depending on the type of paper to be fed (special paper such as postcards and envelopes). Therefore, when printing a fixed sheet of paper, it is possible to prevent the printing position from shifting due to the degree of adjustment of the paper feed guide of the paper feed tray, and it is possible to accurately insert the sheet. Options such as a postcard feeder can also be installed at this location.

[0025]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the printer configured according to the present invention minimizes the device size along the transport direction of the transfer paper and the device size along the width direction of the transfer paper perpendicular to this direction. As a result, the area required for installing the device can be minimized. Furthermore, the overall size can be made very compact.

Furthermore, as shown in the present invention, by providing the manual paper feeding section below the paper feeding tip of the transfer paper storage section, manual paper feeding can be performed with a simple configuration even in the above-mentioned compact printer. You can make a mouth. In addition, since the configuration is simplified, it also leads to cost reduction. Furthermore, by arranging the transfer paper storage section and the manual paper feed section vertically, the dimension of the apparatus along the conveyance direction is shortened.

Furthermore, in the configuration of the present invention, since the manual paper feeding section is arranged below the transfer paper storage section, the paper conveyance path from paper feeding to paper ejection can be made smooth, and thick paper such as postcards and envelopes can be easily transported. However, it is possible to feed paper. Also, since the manual paper feed roller can be moved closer to the manual paper feed slot,
Even short papers such as postcards can be easily fed.

In addition, by rotatably disposing the manual paper feed tray outside the transfer paper storage section, the configuration of the paper feed section can be simplified, and the tray can be rotated outside of the transfer paper storage section. The size can be minimized, and furthermore, manual paper feeding can be performed with a simple operation, and the operability can be improved. As described above, with the configuration described in the present invention, a better manual paper feeding device can be obtained in a compact printer, and it is possible to provide a user with a printer that is highly operable and more convenient.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a device using the invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view of the main part of the present invention, showing a manual paper feed section.

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view of the main part of the present invention, showing a manual paper feed section.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Electrophotographic photosensitive drum 4 Developing device 5 Cleaning device 6 Scanner unit 7 Charging roller 8 Paper feed roller 9 Fuser 10 Paper ejection roller 11 Transfer paper storage section 12 Ejected paper storage section 13 Manual feed roller 14 Manual feed tray 14a Fulcrum of paper feed tray 14 15 Manual paper feed slot 16 Manual paper feed sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A photosensitive drum device as an image carrier is disposed below the photosensitive drum device, an optical unit for printing image information is disposed above it, and an unprinted transfer paper storage section is disposed on the side of the device, Further, in the image forming apparatus having a manual paper feed port located above, the manual paper feed port is arranged below the paper feed tip of the transfer paper storage section. 2. A manual paper feed tray is disposed on the outside of the transfer paper storage unit in a manner substantially parallel to the transfer paper storage unit, and the paper feed tray extends outside the apparatus with a part of the lower part as a fulcrum. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to be rotatable in the open state and to be able to manually feed paper in the open state.