JPH06202389A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make space efficiency excellent without excessively increasing the height of a copying machine. CONSTITUTION:In the copying machine, plural kinds of pulling out units 6 having different height in accordance with a paper sheet housing number are set as an option. The pulling out unit 6 is attached so as to be pulled out forward on a housing recessed part 71b provided on the bottom surface 71a of a copying machine main body 1. A leg part 9 is extended/contracted according to the height of the pulling out unit 6 selected by a user, so that the height of the bottom surface 71a of the copying machine main body 1 is adjusted so as to fit the height of the pulling out unit 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of image forming apparatus, an extremely miniaturized apparatus for home use and personal use has been provided. By the way, for a user who rarely uses the image forming apparatus, a low-capacity and small-sized sheet accommodating unit is used.
It is preferable to make the entire apparatus as small as possible. On the other hand, for a user who frequently uses the image forming apparatus, it is preferable to mount a large-capacity paper feed cassette unit in order to reduce the frequency of paper supply to the paper storage unit.

[0003]

In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable that the user selects a large-capacity paper storage unit or a small-capacity paper storage unit and mounts it. However, the main body of the image forming apparatus is provided with a large-sized recess into which a large-capacity sheet storage section can be mounted. When a small-capacity paper storage unit is mounted in this large-sized recess, a space is wasted in the image forming apparatus main body, resulting in poor space efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a high space efficiency.

[0005]

An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a storage recess provided on a bottom surface of an image forming apparatus main body and opened at least below and in front of the image forming apparatus main body. A plurality of types of paper having different heights according to the number of sheets to be stored, and a pre-drawing-type sheet storage section that is detachably mounted in the storage recess, and a sheet storage section and a storage recess provided on the sheet storage section. A guide mechanism for guiding the attachment / detachment of the accommodating portion and height adjusting means provided on the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body and adjusting the height of the bottom surface according to the height of the paper accommodating portion mounted in the accommodating recess. It is characterized by having.

In the image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, the height adjusting means includes at least two types of leg portions having different heights that are selectively attached to and detached from a predetermined portion of the bottom surface. To do. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 is
The height adjusting means is characterized in that the height adjusting means includes elastic legs provided on the bottom surface.

[0007]

According to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, when a user selects a paper container having a different height, the height of the bottom surface is adjusted to the height of the selected paper container. can do. Therefore, the height of the image forming apparatus does not unnecessarily increase, and the space efficiency can be increased.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the height can be easily adjusted by mounting the leg portion having the required height. With the configuration of the invention according to claim 3, the leg portion on the bottom surface can be expanded and contracted to obtain a desired height, and the height can be adjusted very easily.

[0009]

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a copying machine as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the figure, this copying machine illuminates and scans an original placed on an original placing plate 2 inside the main body 1 of the copying machine, and guides reflected light from the original to the photosensitive drum 42. Of the optical system 3, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor drum 42 is visualized by the developing device 41, and then transferred to the image forming unit 4, and the toner image transferred to the paper is fixed in the middle. The fixing unit 54 is disposed, and the above-mentioned paper is pulled out from the paper feed tray 61 in the drawer unit 6 as a paper storage unit by the paper feed roller 51 having a half-moon-shaped cross section, and is passed through the image forming unit 4 to the inside of the copying machine main body. The paper transport unit 5 and the like for discharging the paper to the discharge tray 56 are provided.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the main features of this embodiment are as follows: 1) As the drawer unit 6, a plurality of types having different heights according to the number of sheets to be stored by the user. That is
For example, as an option setting, the user can select the desired number of accommodated sheets (the desired height) from the plurality of types, and 2) the drawer that is selected and mounted by the user. Depending on the height of the unit 6, the height of the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1, that is, the bottom surface 71a of the lower casing 71 described later,
That is, the height can be adjusted by the extendable and retractable legs 9.

Referring to FIG. 3, the optical system 3 includes a fluorescent lamp 39 fixed to the first moving frame 3A and having a reflecting plate 38.
The original is illuminated by the first mirror 31, and the reflected light from the original is fixed to the first moving frame 3A by the first mirror 31 and the second moving frame 3.
A second mirror 32 and a third mirror 33 fixed to B,
The lens 37, the fourth mirror 34 and the fifth mirror 35 fixed to the third moving frame 3B, and the sixth mirror 36 are sequentially guided to the photosensitive drum 42.

As the image forming section 4, a charging charger 43, a developing device 41, a transfer charger 44 and a cleaning device 45 are arranged in this order around the photosensitive drum 42. The image forming unit 4 includes a charging charger 43.
On the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 42 that is uniformly charged by
After the original image is formed to form an electrostatic latent image, the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing device 41, the toner image is transferred to a sheet by the transfer charger 44, and the residual toner is cleaned by a cleaning device. It is designed to be collected by 45.

The sheet conveying section 5 draws sheets one by one from the sheet feeding tray 61, the sheet feeding roller 51, the conveying roller 52 for feeding the sheet from the manual sheet feeding section 60 or the sheet feeding tray 61, and the conveying roller 52. A driving roller means 53a and a driven roller means 53b, which constitute a registration means 53 for temporarily waiting the sheet conveyed by the abutting end of the sheet, the fixing section 54, and a pair of discharge roller means 55. Is equipped with.

The main body 1 of the copying machine is supported by a lower unit 7 partitioned by a lower casing 71 and a relative rotation about a predetermined rotation axis m provided at the end of the lower unit 7. It is of a so-called clamshell type having an upper unit 8 partitioned by an upper casing 81. 5, at the four corners of the bottom surface 71a of the lower casing 71, extendable legs 9 for supporting the copying machine body 1 on a table or the like are provided.

Further, the bottom surface 71a of the lower casing 71 is provided with a storage concave portion 71b which is opened downward and forward and which accommodates the drawer unit 6 in a freely detachable manner.
Rail portions 71c and 71d for guiding insertion / removal of the drawer unit 6 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the storage recess 71b through the protrusions 61a and 61b on both side surfaces of the drawer unit 6. Protrusions 61a and 61b of the drawer unit 6
And rails 71c, 7 of the storage recess 71b of the copying machine body 1
The guide mechanism G is configured by 1d.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the leg portion 9 is a columnar member that can be moved back and forth within the boss 71e of the bottom surface 71a of the lower casing 71, and is biased downward by the compression coil spring 92. There is. A protrusion 71f extending radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the boss 71e is formed. With reference to FIG. 8, on the outer peripheral surface of the leg portion 9, an upper lateral groove 91a that guides the protrusion 71f continuously from a vertical groove 93 for introducing the protrusion 71f from the upper surface of the leg portion 9 is provided. A Z-shaped groove portion 91 including a groove 91b and a lower lateral groove 91c is provided. A protrusion 71 is formed on the inner upper surface of each lateral groove 91a, 91c.
Recesses 91e and 91f are provided for holding f at the position. Referring to FIG. 6, the concave portion 9 of the lower lateral groove 91c
In the state where the 1f and the protrusion 71f are engaged with each other, most of the leg portion 9 is submerged in the boss 71e, and the lower surface thereof supports the copying machine main body 1. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 7, with the recess 91e of the upper lateral groove 91a and the protrusion 71f engaged, the leg 9
Largely protrude from the lower surface of the boss 71e, and the lower surface supports the copying machine main body 1. In this case, by rotating the leg portion 9, it is possible to easily move the protrusion 71f relatively to the upper lateral groove 91a or the lower lateral groove 91c via the vertical groove 91b. Since the leg portion 9 is biased downward by the compression coil spring 92, the leg portion 9 extends downward only by rotating the leg portion 9 and causing the protrusion 71f to enter the vertical groove 91c. Therefore, the operation for extending the leg portion 71 is easy.

According to this embodiment, when the drawer units 6 having different heights are selected by the user, the leg portions 9 are expanded and contracted to make the bottom surface 71a suitable for the selected height of the drawer unit 6. The height can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the height of the copying machine does not become unnecessarily high, and the space efficiency can be increased.

Although the legs 9 are built in the copying machine main body 1 in the above embodiment, a plurality of legs having different heights may be selectively attached by screwing or the like. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other known height adjustment mechanisms can be adopted, and various design changes can be made without changing the gist of the present invention. .

[0019]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the height of the bottom surface suitable for the height of the sheet storage section selected by the user. Therefore, the height of the image forming apparatus does not unnecessarily increase, and the space efficiency can be increased.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the height can be easily adjusted by mounting the leg portion having the required height. With the configuration of the invention according to claim 3, the leg portion on the bottom surface can be expanded and contracted to obtain a desired height, and the height can be adjusted very easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where a drawer unit having a low height is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine, showing a case where a high-height drawer unit is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of a copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a state where the drawer unit is pulled out.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the copying machine main body.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a state in which the legs are contracted.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a state where the legs are extended.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a leg portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Copying machine main body 71a Bottom surface 71b Storage recessed portion 6 Drawout unit (paper storage portion) 61c, 61d Protrusion (guide mechanism) 71e, 71f Rail portion (guide mechanism) 9 Leg portion (height adjustment mechanism)

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Jun Kusakabe 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage recess provided on the bottom surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus and opened at least below and in front of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a plurality of types having different heights according to the number of sheets to be stored. A front drawer type paper storage unit that is detachably mounted in the storage recess, a guide mechanism that is provided in the paper storage unit and the storage recess and that guides attachment and detachment of the paper storage unit, and is provided on the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus, comprising: height adjusting means for adjusting the height of the bottom surface according to the height of a paper storage unit mounted in the storage recess. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the height adjusting means includes at least two kinds of leg portions having different heights, which are selectively attached to and detached from a predetermined portion on the bottom surface. apparatus. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the height adjusting means includes an extendable leg portion provided on a bottom surface.