Patent Application
20130177342
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-000462, filed on Jan. 5, 2012, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
Examples of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus in which a sheet container provided therein is removably installable in the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines include a sheet container (e.g., a paper tray) that accommodates a stack of sheets for printing an image thereon. To reload the sheets, a user pulls out the paper tray from the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image on the sheet. For facilitating the sheet reloading, the paper tray has a pull-out handle for pulling the paper tray to remove from the image forming apparatus.
In recent years, image forming apparatuses have become smaller and lighter and thus more portable, and therefore include a lift-up handle mounted on the image forming apparatus for ease of lifting and moving. Accordingly, such image forming apparatuses generally include a pull-out handle at the sheet container and a lift-up handle at the image forming apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-069667 (JP-2009-069667-A) discloses an image forming apparatus including a sheet container that can be withdrawn from the image forming apparatus and is set inside the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is moved, and a positioning means for mutually positioning the image forming apparatus and the sheet container when the sheet container is lifted so as to hold the image forming apparatus.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-244673 (JP-2009-244673-A) discloses an image forming apparatus including grips mounted on an intermediate frame that supports both an image forming apparatus and a scanner so as to easily carry the image forming apparatus while securing accurate image reading processing.
The lift-up handle of the image forming apparatus is, however, generally attached to a side surface of the image forming apparatus perpendicular to a direction of pulling out the sheet container. If this image forming apparatus is installed in a vicinity of the wall of a room such as an office room, it is likely that the lift-up handle is located close to the wall, and therefore the user cannot reach the lift-up handle when moving the image forming apparatus.
Therefore, the image forming apparatus may need to be moved to where the user can place the fingers on the lift-up handle, which takes longer time for carrying the image forming apparatus.
To avoid this inconvenience, if the lift-up handle is formed on the same side surface where the pull-out handle of the sheet container is arranged, it is likely that the user puts the fingers to the pull-out handle inadvertently when lifting the image forming apparatus. Consequently, a large load of the image forming apparatus is unexpectedly applied to the pull-out handle, which damages the sheet container.
The present invention describes a novel image forming apparatus for forming an image includes a main body including an image forming device to form the image on a sheet, and a sheet container disposed removably installable in the main body, configured to accommodate a stack of sheets of recording media and feed an uppermost sheet of the stack of sheets of recording media toward the image forming device, and movable between a first state, in which the sheet container is installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a second state, in which the sheet container is removed from a first side surface of the image forming apparatus. The sheet container includes a planar member at a proximal end thereof in a pull-out direction, disposed flush with the first side surface of the image forming apparatus with the sheet container installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus.
The planar member includes a cutout opening downwardly extending from an upper end of the planar member. A lower edge of the opening forms a pull-out handle on the first side surface to assist in removal of the sheet container from the main body of the image forming apparatus. An upper edge of the opening forms a lift-up handle to assist in lifting the image forming apparatus with the sheet container installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus.
The above-described image forming apparatus may further include four side surfaces including the first side surface and a second lift-up handle provided to one of the four side surfaces, the one surface disposed opposite the first side surface.
The above-described image forming apparatus may further include four side surfaces including the first side surface and a second lift-up handle provided to one of the four side surfaces adjacent to the first side surface.
The lift-up handle formed on the first side surface may be located at the same position as the opening formed in the planar member.
The upper edge of the opening forming the lift-up handle surface may be inwardly recessed toward an interior of the main body of the image forming apparatus.
The upper edge of the opening forming the lift-up handle formed on the first side surface may include a scalloped portion.
The lift-up handle formed on the first side surface and the second lift-up handle formed on the one of the side surfaces other than the first side surface may be disposed at the same height from a bottom of the main body of the image forming apparatus.
The opening in the planar member may have a height greater than a distance from a lower end of the sheet container to the bottom of the main body of the image forming apparatus.
The lower edge of the opening forming the pull-out handle of the sheet container may be graspable from above the lower edge.
The sheet container may be removable from the main body of the image forming apparatus both in the pull-out direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the pull-out direction.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the advantages thereof will be obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It will be understood that if an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “against”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, then it can be directly on, against, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, if an element is referred to as being “directly on”, “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, then there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numbers referred to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements describes as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, term such as “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors herein interpreted accordingly.
Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, it should be understood that these elements, components, regions, layer and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes” and/or “including”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Descriptions are given, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of examples, exemplary embodiments, modification of exemplary embodiments, etc., of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. Elements having the same functions and shapes are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification and redundant descriptions are omitted. Elements that do not require descriptions may be omitted from the drawings as a matter of convenience. Reference numerals of elements extracted from the patent publications are in parentheses so as to be distinguished from those of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention is applicable to any image forming apparatus, and is implemented in the most effective manner in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have the same function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described.
A description is given of a configuration of an image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1.
The image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1 is a color image forming apparatus employing an image forming mechanism performing an electrophotographic process to form color images using a general electrostatic image forming method. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Further, the image forming mechanism is applicable for black-and-white printing, inkjet printing and so forth.
The image forming apparatus 110 includes an image forming device 3 for forming an image and a sheet feeding device 100 disposed at the lower portion of the image forming apparatus 110, specifically below the image forming device 3, and supplies recording media to the image forming device 3.
The sheet feeding device 100 includes a sheet container 47, a sheet feeding unit 4, and a frame 10.
The sheet container 47 accommodates a sheet stack 41 that is a bundle of multiple sheets or sheet-like recording media accumulated one after another. The sheet feeding unit 4 contacts the sheet stack 41 stored in the sheet container 47 from above to separate an uppermost sheet from the other sheets and feed the uppermost sheet toward the image forming device 3. The frame 10 contains the sheet container 47 and the sheet feeding unit 4.
The sheet feeding unit 4 includes a sheet feeding roller 42 having a rotary shaft 75, and a friction pad 43 that serves as a sheet separation member disposed facing the sheet feed roller 42. As the rotary shaft 75 of the sheet feed roller 42 rotates, a sheet placed on top of the sheet stack 41 stored in the sheet container 47 is fed therefrom by the sheet feeding roller 42 and the separation pad 43. The sheet thus fed from the recording media container 47 is then conveyed by conveying rollers 44 and 45 toward a registration roller 81. Then, the leading edge of the sheet abuts against a nip portion formed between the registration roller 81 and a registration tension roller 80 to align the leading edge of the sheet.
The registration roller 81 rotates to synchronize with movement of the sheet to align with a transfer position of a toner image and the sheet.
The image forming device 3 includes a transfer belt unit 5 and four image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K. The transfer belt unit 5 is disposed to extend in a horizontal direction in the image forming apparatus 110. The four image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K are disposed horizontally above the transfer belt unit 5 along the upper portion of an endless transfer belt 54 to develop and form an image in each of the image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K, which serve as an image carrier.
The elements or components of the image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K are similar in structure and function to each other, except that the image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K have different colors of toner, and therefore are also referred to as the image forming unit 30 in a singular form. For example, the image forming unit 30 (i.e., the image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K) includes a photoconductor drum 31 (i.e., photoconductor drums 31M, 31C, 31Y, and 31K), and image components are disposed around an outer circumferential surface of the photoconductor drum 31. The image components are, for example, a charging roller 32 (i.e., charging rollers 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K) for uniformly charging a surface of the photoconductor drum 31, a developing roller 33 (i.e., developing rollers 33M, 33C, 33Y, and 33K) for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 31K into a visible toner image, a transfer roller 50 (i.e., transfer rollers 50M, 50C, 50Y, and 50K) for transferring the toner image onto a sheet, and a cleaning unit (not illustrated) for cleaning the photoconductor drum 31 after transfer of the toner image onto the sheet by removing residual toner from the surface of the photoconductor drum 31.
An optical writing unit 2 that serves as an exposure unit is disposed above the image forming units 30M, 30C, 30Y, and 30K. The optical writing unit 2 emits a laser light beam to the photoconductor drum 31.
The transfer belt unit 5 includes an endless transfer belt 54, a drive roller 52, and a driven roller 51. The endless transfer belt 54 is that is spanned over the drive roller 52 and the driven roller 51.
The transfer rollers 50M, 50C, 50Y, and 50K are disposed inside the loop of the endless transfer belt 54, facing the photoconductor drums 31M, 31C, 31Y, and 31K, respectively, with an upper moving surface of the endless transfer belt 54 interposed therebetween, so that the transfer roller 50 charged with transfer bias can contact the endless transfer belt 54. By proceeding in the transfer belt unit 5, a toner image is transferred onto the sheet. The sheet having the transferred toner image thereon is conveyed to a fixing unit 6 where the toner image is fixed to the sheet.
The fixing unit 6 includes a fixing roller 60 and a pressure roller 61. The fixing roller 60 serves as a fixing member to fix the toner image to the sheet. The pressure roller 61 serves as an opposed member disposed facing the fixing roller 60 to form a fixing nip portion. The fixing roller 60 encloses a non-illustrated heater that serves as a heating member.
The pressure roller 61 contacts the fixing roller 60 with a predetermined pressure to form the fixing nip portion at a contact portion of the fixing roller 60 and the pressure roller 61.
The sheet to which the toner image is fixed in the fixing unit 6 further travels via a sheet discharging unit 7 to a sheet discharging portion 1a arranged on top of the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110. The sheet discharging unit 7 includes transfer rollers 72 and 73, and sheet discharging rollers 70 and 71. The sheet discharging portion 1a includes a retractable manual sheet tray 9 in the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110.
Next, a description is given of the sheet container 47 of the sheet feeding device 100.
As illustrated in
The sheet container 47 is movable between two states, a closed state in which the sheet container 47 is retracted inside the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110 and an open state in which the sheet container 47 is pulled out of the proximal side 14 of the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110. The sheet is fed from the sheet container 47 to the image forming device 3 in the closed state and new sheets can be loaded in the sheet container 47 in the open state.
The sheet container 47 includes a planar front cover 48 disposed at an end portion of the proximal side 14. When the sheet container 47 is retracted inside the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110, the planar front cover 48 forms the same flat surface with the proximal side 14. Further, the front cover 48 includes an open space 49 that is cut from an upper edge 48a of the front cover 48 and runs downwardly. A portion formed at the bottom of the open space 49 of the front cover 48 is referred to as a pull-out handle 91 in which a user places his/her fingers thereon when pulling the sheet container 47 is defined as a pull-out handle 91. A rack 92 that extends in a horizontal direction is formed below the pull-out handle 91.
It is to be noted that the user can use only one finger or hand to pull or push the sheet container 47 out of or into the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110. However, since the user generally uses more than one finger or both hands for moving the sheet container 47, a plural form “fingers” is used in the description unless otherwise noted.
When pulling out the sheet container 47 from the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110, the user inserts the fingers into the open space 49 and then places the fingers on the pull-out handle 91 from above. The inserted fingers contact an inside surface of the pull-out handle 91 from above and stops at the rack 92. The user engages the fingers with the pull-out handle 91 and pulls out the sheet container 47 in a pull-out direction indicated by arrow “A1” in
By contrast, when installing the sheet container 47 in the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110, the user pushes the front cover 48 in a direction indicated by arrow “A2”, which is an opposite direction of the pull-out direction “A1” in
Accordingly, the pull-out handle 91 is used only to pull out the sheet container 47 by placing the fingers to the inside surface of the pull-out handle 91 from above and cannot be used to lift the image forming apparatus 110.
Further, a lift-up handle 93 is formed on the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110 above the open space 49 to lift up the image forming apparatus 110. The lift-up handle 93 is a flat surface extending in the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110 in the horizontal direction along the rack 92. Further, the lift-up handle 93 includes a protruding portion 94 that extends downwardly from a lower end 14a of the proximal side 14 beyond the surface of the lift-up handle 93. The open space 49 is located below the protruding portion 94. The protruding portion 94 avoids the fingers coming off from the lift-up handle 93. The user inserts the fingers into the open space 49 and holds the lift-up handle 93 with the fingers so as to lift up the image forming apparatus 110 for moving or transporting.
It is to be noted that the user can use only one finger or hand to lifting up the image forming apparatus 110. However, since the user uses more than one finger or both hands for moving the image forming apparatus 110, a plural form “fingers” is used in the description.
In the image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1, the pull-out handle 91 and the lift-up handle 93 are disposed on the same surface of the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110, thereby sharing an area required to insert the fingers when the user pulls out the sheet container 47 or lifts up the image forming apparatus 110 and reducing space of the image forming apparatus 110.
Further, the image forming apparatus 110 includes a distal lift-up handle 95 arranged on the distal side 13 that is disposed facing the proximal side 14. The distal lift-up handle 95 includes a recessed portion or a portion that is recessed to the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 110 on the distal side 13.
When lifting up the image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1, the user inserts the fingers into the open space 49 and then holds the distal lift-up handle 95 with the fingers from below. This action is completely different from the action for placing the fingers on the pull-out handle 91, and therefore can prevent operation error. Accordingly, provision of the distal lift-up handle 95 can prevent the user from putting the fingers on the pull-out handle 91 inadvertently when lifting up the image forming apparatus 110, thereby allowing the user to carry and move the image forming apparatus easily and safely.
Further, due to the distal lift-up handle 95 provided on the distal side 13, when transporting the image forming apparatus 110, not only one user can carry the image forming apparatus 110 alone but also two or more users can carry the image forming apparatus 110 by holding the image forming apparatus 110 from both sides.
Next, a description is given of respective positions and heights of the pull-out handle 91, the lift-up handle 93, and the distal lift-up handle 95.
According to Embodiment 1, the image forming apparatus 110 is installed at a position separated from an installation surface G by a height “b” to allow the user to remove the sheet container 47 from the image forming apparatus 110. In addition, the lift-up handle 93 is located at a position separated from the pull-out handle 91 by a height “a”.
At this time, if the height “b” is greater than the height “a”, it is likely that the user puts the fingers in a gap between the image forming apparatus 110 and the installation surface G separated from each other by the height “b”, mistaking it for the space for placing the fingers on the pull-out handle 91. To avoid the above-described mistake, the image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1 establishes a dimensional relation between the height “a” and the height “b” as “a>b”. Further, it is preferable that the height “b” is small enough to prevent the insertion of human fingers.
Further, it is also preferable that a height “ca” from the installation surface G to the lift-up handle 93 is equal to a height “cb” from the installation surface G to an upper surface (i.e., a surface on which the fingers touch) of the distal lift-up handle 95 provided on the distal side 13. With this arrangement, the image forming apparatus 110 can be carried and easily be lifted up horizontally in a same condition in which the image forming apparatus 110 stands on the installation surface G, thereby maintaining the balance of the image forming apparatus 110 easily.
Next, a description is given of a configuration of an image forming apparatus 120 according to Embodiment 2.
The image forming apparatus 120 according to Embodiment 2 has a similar configuration to the image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1, and therefore reference numerals assigned to the units and components common to the image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1 are employed to explain the configuration of the image forming apparatus 120. However, there are some exceptions: the image forming apparatus 120 according to Embodiment 2 further includes a scalloped portion 96 to prevent the user's fingers from slipping from the distal lift-up handle 95, and does not include the protruding portion 94 of the image forming apparatus 110. The scalloped portion 96 is formed on the lift-up handle 93, with five protruding portions 96a protruding outwardly and downwardly from the surface of the lift-up handle 93 and arranged along a direction into which the fingers are inserted through the open space 49. The scalloped portion 96 is formed in a shape as illustrated in
Next, a description is given of a configuration of an image forming apparatus 130 according to Embodiment 3.
The image forming apparatus 130 according to Embodiment 3 has a similar configuration to the image forming apparatuses 110 and 120 according to Embodiments 1 and 2, and therefore reference numerals assigned to the units and components common to the image forming apparatuses 110 and 120 according to Embodiments 1 and 2 are employed to explain the configuration of the image forming apparatus 130. However, there is an exception: the image forming apparatus 130 according to Embodiment 3 further includes a lift-up handle 97 on the right side 11 and a lift-up handle 98 on the left side 12, respectively. The right side 11 and the left side 12 are disposed adjacent to the distal side 13 having the distal lift-up handle 95 and the proximal side 14 on which the open space 49 is formed from which the sheet container 47 is inserted or removed. Alternatively, either one of the lift-up handles 97 and 98 can be provided to a corresponding one of the right and left sides 11 and 12.
The lift-up handles 97 and 98 are formed by cutouts at the lower edges of the right side 11 and the left side 12, respectively, to open sufficient space for inserting the user's fingers thereinto. Alternatively, the lift-up handles 97 and 98 can be recessed portions provided to the right side 11 and the left side 12.
With the configuration of the image forming apparatus 130 according to Embodiment 3, even if the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 130 is installed close to the wall of a room and the user cannot reach either one of the lift-up handles 97 and 98, the user can put the fingers on the other one of the lift-up handles 97 and 98, and therefore moving or carrying the image forming apparatus 130 easily.
Next, a description is given of a configuration of an image forming apparatus 140 according to Embodiment 4.
The image forming apparatus 140 according to Embodiment 4 has a similar configuration to the image forming apparatuses 110, 120, and 130 according to Embodiments 1, 2, and 3, and therefore reference numerals assigned to the units and components common to the image forming apparatuses 110, 120, and 130 according to Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 are employed to explain the configuration of the image forming apparatus 140. However, the image forming apparatus 140 according to Embodiment 4 can receive the sheet container 47 from two directions of the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 140, which are from the proximal side 14 and from the right side 11.
It is to be noted that
Further, the pull-out direction, indicated by arrow “A1” in
Further, the sheet container 47 includes the pull-out handle 91, which is same as the configuration of the image forming apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 1.
Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 140 includes a lift-up handle 141 on the proximal side 14, a lift-up handle 142 on the right side 11, a lift-up handle 143 on the left side 12, and a lift-up handle 144 on the distal side 13. With the configuration of the image forming apparatus 140 according to Embodiment 4, the sheet container 47 is removably installable in the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus 140 in two directions perpendicular to each other (in directions indicated by arrows A1 and A2, and B1 and B2 in
Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus 140 according to Embodiment 4, if the sheet container 47 is set on either of the right side 11 and the proximal side 14, the user can insert the fingers from the open space 49 of the front cover 48 to put the fingers on the lift-up handle 141 or the lift-up handle 142. With this configuration, the image forming apparatus 140 can be lifted up easily and safely without stressing the sheet container 47. Further, this configuration enables an opening (i.e., the open space 49) to be shared when the user inserts the fingers thereinto for pulling out or pushing in the sheet tray 47 or lifting up the image forming apparatus 140, thereby enhancing a reduction in space of the image forming apparatus 140.
The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements at least one of features of different illustrative and exemplary embodiments herein may be combined with each other at least one of substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims. Further, features of components of the embodiments, such as the number, the position, and the shape are not limited the embodiments and thus may be preferably set. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-000462 | Jan 2012 | JP | national |
