CN101470372B - Internal output type image forming apparatus - Google Patents
Internal output type image forming apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- CN101470372B CN101470372B CN2008101864918A CN200810186491A CN101470372B CN 101470372 B CN101470372 B CN 101470372B CN 2008101864918 A CN2008101864918 A CN 2008101864918A CN 200810186491 A CN200810186491 A CN 200810186491A CN 101470372 B CN101470372 B CN 101470372B
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- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims description 42
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims description 15
- 239000003086 colorant Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000005034 decoration Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 7
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000005286 illumination Methods 0.000 description 5
- BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silver Chemical compound [Ag] BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229910021417 amorphous silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005485 electric heating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000017525 heat dissipation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001771 impaired effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001678 irradiating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 108091008695 photoreceptors Proteins 0.000 description 1
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a main apparatus body, an image reading block located above the main apparatus body, a sheet output portion provided with a sheet output tray onto which each sheet is ejected upon completion of image forming operation, the sheet output portion being located between the main apparatus body and the image reading block and opening at least frontward to permit retrieval of sheets from the sheet output tray, and a front cover section provided on a front side of the main apparatus body, the front cover section including front openable covering members. The front cover section has a striped portion having a surface in which ridges and furrows are formed and a flat portion having a flat surface. The flat portion includes a first flat portion located in an area adjacent to the sheet output tray.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an in-body discharge type image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction peripheral having these functions.
Background
There is known an in-body discharge type image forming apparatus including: an apparatus main body having an image forming unit and a paper feeding unit therein; an image reading unit disposed on the apparatus main body with a paper discharge unit interposed therebetween; in the in-body paper discharge type image forming apparatus, an apparatus front cover is provided in front of the in-body paper discharge type image forming apparatus (for example, japanese patent laid-open publication nos. 2006-58689 and 2004-355019). In such an apparatus, after the image forming operation is performed on the sheet in the apparatus main body, the sheet is discharged to a sheet discharge tray of a sheet discharge unit interposed between the image reading unit and the apparatus main body.
The front cover portion of the apparatus generally includes an opening/closing cover for covering the image forming portion and a decorative cover for the paper feed cassette arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. The paper feed cassette is generally a pull-out type cassette that can be pulled out forward and can slide in the front-rear direction when replenishing paper or the like. In order to facilitate such a moving operation, a handle portion that can be held by a user is provided on the front surface side of the apparatus main body on each paper feed cassette.
However, in the in-body sheet discharge type image forming apparatus, it is structurally difficult for a user to find a sheet discharge position after image formation, as compared with an image forming apparatus that discharges a sheet onto an upper surface or a side surface of the apparatus. It is not easy to find the paper after image formation. The device front cover portion covering the front surface of the device main body is formed into a substantially flat surface. Therefore, when the user faces the front surface of the image forming apparatus, the front surface of the entire apparatus main body is often viewed as a simple plane, and the position of the handle portion may not be immediately recognized because the handle portion on the plane is easily visually ignored.
Therefore, it cannot be said that the paper feeding section or the paper feeding cassette is excellent in visibility, and this is a problem in image forming apparatuses which are now further required to be user-friendly to a wide range of users including visually impaired users.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention provides an in-body paper discharge type image forming apparatus in which a portion required by a user is well recognizable.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising: an apparatus main body having a box shape and including an image forming unit and a paper feeding unit therein; an image reading unit disposed above the apparatus main body; a sheet discharge unit provided between the apparatus main body and the image reading unit, and having a sheet discharge tray for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed, the sheet discharge unit having at least a front surface thereof opened for taking out the sheet; and a device front cover portion that is disposed on a front surface of the device main body and has a unit cover member that can be opened forward, wherein the device front cover portion includes: a stripe processing part, the surface of which is provided with concave strips and convex strips; and a flat processing portion, the surface of which is a flat surface, the flat processing portion including a first flat processing portion located adjacent to the paper output tray.
With this configuration, natural light or illumination light is diffusely reflected at the stripe processed portion, while natural light or illumination light is specularly reflected at the flat processed portion. Therefore, the user can recognize the flat processed portion as a visually more conspicuous portion than the streak processed portion. By providing such a flat processing portion at a position adjacent to the sheet discharge tray, the user can easily recognize the position of the sheet discharge portion.
Therefore, when a sheet after image formation is taken out, the visibility of the sheet discharging unit of the in-body sheet discharge type provided between the apparatus main body and the image reading unit can be improved, and the user can easily access (recognize) the sheet discharging tray.
Preferred in the structure are: a handle portion provided on a part or all of the unit cover member for opening operation of the unit cover member; the flat processing part also comprises a second flat processing part which is positioned at the back part of the handle part.
With this configuration, the second flat processing portion is provided on the rear surface of the handle portion, so that the user can easily recognize the position of the handle portion. Therefore, the handle part of the unit cover member can be easily accessed (recognized), and the operation efficiency is improved.
In the structure, it is preferable to further include: an opening/closing cover disposed below the sheet discharge unit, covering the image forming unit, and being openable and closable forward; and a paper feed cassette disposed below the open/close cover and attached to the apparatus main body in a state of being able to be pulled out forward; the unit cover member of the front cover portion of the apparatus includes the opening/closing cover and a decorative cover on the front surface of the paper feed cassette, the handle portion is mounted on the decorative cover, the first flat processing portion is provided on the opening/closing cover at a position adjacent to the paper output tray, and the second flat processing portion is provided on the decorative cover at a position on the back surface of the handle portion.
With this configuration, the image forming apparatus has the opening/closing cover and the sheet feeding cassette on the front surface, and the user can easily recognize the position of the sheet discharging unit and the position of the handle unit of the sheet feeding cassette.
In this case it is preferred that: the switch cover is also provided with a third flat processing part which shows the direction approaching to the paper outlet part. With this configuration, since the sheet discharging device includes not only the first flat processing portion but also the third flat processing portion which indicates a direction of approaching the sheet discharging portion in a portion adjacent to the sheet discharging tray, the position of the sheet discharging portion can be more easily recognized by a user.
Preferred in the structure are: the second flat processing part and the third flat processing part are bright in color, and the other parts of the front cover part of the device are dark in color. In this case it is preferred that: the lightness differences for the dark and bright colors are lightness differences of greater than 3 in the munsell values of the munsell color chart. With this configuration, the recognizability of the handle portion and the paper output portion can be further improved according to the contrast of colors.
In the above configuration, the third flat processed portion of the switch cover and the second flat processed portion of the handle portion are connected to point to the paper discharge portion. With this structure, according to the shape characteristics of the flat processing portion, the recognizability of the paper output portion can be further improved.
Preferred in the structure are: the image reading device further comprises an operation part which is arranged in front of the image reading part; wherein, a bright color part is arranged on the front surface of the operation part. It is furthermore preferred that: the automatic document feeder is arranged on the image reading part and can be opened or closed upwards; wherein, a bright color part is arranged on a switch handle of the automatic manuscript feeding device. With these configurations, the recognizability of the operation section and the automatic document feeder can be improved.
Preferred in the structure are: the third flat-processed portion of the opening/closing cover is a portion protruding forward, and this portion is the most protruding portion forward on the front surface side of the apparatus main body.
With this configuration, since the third flat processed portion is the most protruding portion protruding forward in the front face side of the apparatus, the third flat processed portion can be made to be a surface that collides with a wall surface or the like on the front face side of the apparatus. Therefore, even if the front surface side of the apparatus collides with a wall surface or the like, the third flat processing portion receives the collision, friction, or the like, and therefore damage to other portions can be suppressed. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus is mounted or moved, other portions on the front side of the apparatus can be protected from collision or the like.
Preferred in the structure are: the third flat processed portion protrudes forward from the front surface of the handle portion. With this configuration, the grip portion can be formed into a surface that does not collide with a wall surface or the like, and the grip portion can be protected.
It is furthermore preferred that: various marks are marked on the third flat processed part of the switch cover. With this structure, the marks can be used to protect other parts on the front side of the device.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the copying machine.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the copying machine.
Fig. 4 is a left side view of the copying machine.
Detailed Description
The following describes a specific embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a copying machine 1 as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. In fig. 1 and other figures, the X-X direction is referred to as the left-right direction, the Y-Y direction is referred to as the front-back direction, the Z-Z direction is referred to as the up-down direction, specifically, the + X direction is referred to as the right direction, the-X direction is referred to as the left direction, the + Y direction is referred to as the front direction, the-Y direction is referred to as the rear direction, the + Z direction is referred to as the upper direction, and the-Z direction is referred to as the lower direction.
The copying machine 1 is a so-called in-body paper-discharge type copying machine including: a box-shaped apparatus main body 10 in which an image forming unit and a sheet feeding unit are installed; an image reading unit 20 disposed above the apparatus main body 10; a paper discharge section 30 provided between the apparatus body 10 and the image reading section 20 for discharging the paper on which the image is formed, and a front surface of the paper discharge section 30 is opened to discharge the discharged paper.
The apparatus main body 10 has an apparatus front cover portion 100 on the front surface thereof, and the apparatus front cover portion 100 includes a plurality of unit cover members that are arranged in a vertical direction and can be opened forward. In the present embodiment, the unit cover member of the apparatus front cover portion 100 includes: a decorative surface 11A of the switch cover 11 disposed at the uppermost part; decorative covers 12A, 13A of the first and second paper feed cassettes 12, 13 disposed to overlap in the vertical direction on the lower surface of the open/close cover 11; and a belt-shaped portion 15 extending in the vertical direction at the left side portion.
The opening/closing cover 11 has a grip portion 113 on a right end surface thereof, and the opening/closing cover 11 can be opened or closed to the front left side with the left end thereof as a rotation axis. On the other hand, first and second paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 are attached to apparatus main body 10 in a state in which they can be pulled out forward. The first and second paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 have handle portions 121 and 131, respectively, for drawing them out and inserting them thereinto.
The image reading section 20 is disposed above the apparatus main body 10 with a space for the sheet forming section 30 interposed therebetween, and is supported by a column section 40 disposed on the left side of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 10 and a side wall disposed on the rear side of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 10. The image reading unit 20 includes: an automatic document feeder unit 21 that feeds an original document to be copied to an original document reading position and then discharges the original document; and a scanner unit 22 having an optical system for reading the document image. In the present embodiment, the automatic document feeder unit 21 includes: an original tray 211 for placing an original to be read; an original discharge tray 212 for discharging the read original; and an intermediate discharge tray 213 that temporarily discharges a document to be subjected to double-sided reading.
The sheet discharge unit 30 is a portion from which a sheet on which an image is formed is discharged from the apparatus main body 10 based on the document image read by the image reading unit 20, and includes a sheet discharge tray 31 and a sheet discharge port 32. The sheet discharge port 32 is provided on the right side surface of the column portion 40 (the surface facing the sheet discharge portion 30), and is an opening through which the sheet on which the image is formed is discharged from the apparatus main body 10. The sheet discharge tray 31 is a sheet receiving surface for receiving the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port 32. The sheet discharge tray 31 has an inclined surface inclined slowly downward from right to left as viewed from the front, with a portion adjacent to the sheet discharge port 32 being the lowest. Due to such inclination, the rear end of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port 32 onto the sheet discharge tray 31 in the sheet conveying direction is aligned in the vicinity of the sheet discharge port 32.
The stay portion 40 located at the left side portion of the sheet discharging portion 30 supports the image reading portion 20 and covers the sheet passage (third sheet passage 613) near the sheet discharge port 32. The front surface of the pillar 40 is covered with a pillar cover 41. The pillar cover 41 is connected to the belt-shaped portion 15 of the apparatus main body 10 in the vertical direction.
An operation panel 50 is attached to the front surface of the image reading unit 20. The operation panel 50 occupies a part of the space above the sheet discharge tray 31 in front of the image reading unit 20. A gap G is provided between the operation panel 50 and the column part 40. Thus, the user can see a part of the in-body sheet discharge type sheet discharge tray 31 through the gap G in a plan view. In particular, the gap G corresponds to a position substantially immediately above the sheet discharge port 32 and at the lowest position of the sheet discharge tray 31 where the rear end of the discharged sheet is aligned in the conveying direction, so that the user can reliably see whether or not there is a sheet on the sheet discharge tray 31 and the condition where the sheet is being discharged.
The operation panel 50 receives various operation instructions and setting instructions from the user. In the example shown here, the operation panel 50 includes: an operation display unit 51 configured by a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or the like, for displaying operation guide information for inputting and setting various copying operations and the like, and for displaying various operation buttons and the like; and operation buttons 52 including a start key for a user to input an instruction to execute printing and a numeric input key for accepting input of the number of printed copies and the like.
The internal structure of the copying machine 1 will be explained below. Fig. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the copying machine 1. As described above, the copying machine 1 includes the apparatus main body 10 having the pillar portion 40 on the upper surface thereof, the image reading portion 20, the sheet discharge portion 30, and the operation panel 50. The apparatus main body 10 includes a paper feeding unit 60, an image forming unit 70, and a fixing unit 80.
The image reading section 20 includes a scanner unit 22 and an automatic document feeder unit 21 arranged thereon. The scanner unit 22 has a moving frame 223 therein, and the moving frame 223 has an exposure lamp for irradiating light onto the document. Although the other parts are omitted in the drawing, the scanner unit 22 includes: a CCD (charge coupled device) sensor that photoelectrically converts light reflected from an original to generate image data; an optical system for guiding the reflected light to the CCD sensor; and so on. Further, a first platen glass (glass) 221 for reading the set original is mounted on the upper face of the scanner unit 22; and a second platen glass 222 for reading the automatically fed document.
The automatic document feeder unit 21 feeds the document placed on the document tray 211 to a document reading position of the second platen glass 23 by the operation of a document conveying mechanism incorporated therein, and discharges the read document to the document discharge tray 212.
The paper feed unit 60 of the apparatus main body 10 feeds (records) paper to the image forming unit 70. The paper feed unit 60 includes: first and second paper feed storage portions 120 and 130 for storing paper of various sizes corresponding to the first and second paper feed cassettes 12 and 13, respectively; the manual paper feeding unit 140 has a manual paper feeding tray openably and closably attached to a right portion of the apparatus main body 10. Although not shown in the drawings, the first and second paper feed storage sections 120 and 130 have cursors for positioning the sheet bundle; and a lifter for raising the sheet bundle by elasticity to bring the uppermost sheet into contact with pickup rollers 621 and 622 described later.
A paper feed path for feeding paper is provided on a path from the paper feed unit 60 to the paper discharge port 32 via the image forming unit 70 and the fixing unit 80. This paper feed passageway includes: a first paper feed path 611 from the first and second paper feed storage units 120 and 130 to the image forming unit 70; a second paper path 612 from the manual paper feed unit 140 to the image forming unit 70; and a third paper path 613 from the image forming section 70 to the paper output port 32.
The first and second paper feed storage units 120 and 130 have, respectively, at the upper part on the paper extraction side (left side): pickup rollers 621, 622 for taking out the loaded paper one by one; and a pair of feed rollers 631 and 632 disposed downstream of the pickup rollers 621 and 622. The pair of paper feed rollers 631 and 632 feed the drawn paper to the first paper feed path 611.
The first paper path 611 includes conveying roller pairs 641 and 642 for conveying paper to the image forming unit 70. The second paper feed path 612 includes a paper feed roller 635 for taking in manually fed paper and a conveying roller pair 645 for conveying the manually fed paper to the image forming unit 70. At the end position of the first paper feed path 611, a registration roller pair 65 is provided for making paper stand by near the image forming portion 70. At the end position of the third paper path 613, a discharge roller pair 66 is arranged for conveying (discharging) paper to the paper discharge portion 30. A paper discharge port 32 is provided along the discharge roller pair 66.
The image forming unit 70 performs a process of transferring a toner image onto the sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 60 based on the document image data obtained by the image reading unit 20. The image forming unit 70 includes a photosensitive drum 71 that is rotatable about an axis, a charger 72 disposed along the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71, an exposure device 73, a developing device 74, a transfer roller 75, and a cleaning device 76.
An electrostatic latent image and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image are formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71. The photosensitive drum 71 is preferably an amorphous silicon photosensitive drum in which an amorphous silicon layer (amorphous silicon) is laminated on the circumferential surface thereof.
The charging unit 72 forms a uniform charge on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71 which rotates clockwise around the drum center. The charger 72 may apply an electric charge to the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71 by corona discharge. Alternatively, a charging roller may be used, and the circumferential surface of the charging roller is rotated while being in contact with the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71, thereby applying an electric charge to the photosensitive drum 71.
The exposure device 73 irradiates the circumferential surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 71 with laser light having intensity based on the image data. The portion of the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71 irradiated with the laser light is charged and removed, whereby an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the pattern irradiated with the laser light is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71.
The developing device 74 supplies toner to the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71 by a built-in developing roller. When toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 71, the toner adheres to a portion where the electrostatic latent image is formed, and a toner image is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71. The developing device 74 is provided with a toner container, which is not shown in the drawings, and the toner is replenished from the toner container after the toner in the developing device 74 is consumed.
The transfer roller 75 forms a nip portion with the photosensitive drum 71, and transfers the toner image formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71 to the paper fed into the nip portion. The toner image on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 71 is positively charged. On the other hand, the transfer roller 75 imparts negative charges of opposite polarity to the charges of the toner image to the paper. The toner image on the circumferential surface of the positively charged photosensitive drum 71 is peeled off from the surface of the negatively charged paper, and is transferred to the paper.
The cleaning device 76 removes and cleans the toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 71 after the transfer process. For the next image forming process, the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 71 is cleaned by the cleaning device 76 and then redirected toward the charger 72.
The fixing unit 80 performs a fixing process by heating the paper on which the toner image is transferred by the image forming unit 70. The fixing unit 80 has a heat roller 81 in which an electric heating element is installed; and a pressure roller 82, wherein the circumferential surface of the pressure roller 82 is disposed to face the circumferential surface of the heat roller 81. The paper after the transfer process passes through a nip portion between a heating roller 81 driven to rotate and a pressure roller 82 driven to rotate in a direction opposite to the heating roller 81, and thereby receives heat from the heating roller 81, and is subjected to a fixing process. The paper subjected to the fixing process is discharged to the paper discharge unit 30 via the third paper path 613 and the discharge roller pair 66.
The detailed structure of the device front cover 100 shown in fig. 1 will be described below with reference to fig. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a front view of the copying machine 1 shown in fig. 1, and fig. 4 is a left side view of the copying machine 1. As described above, the apparatus front cover portion 100 includes the decorative surface 11A of the access cover 11, the decorative covers 12A and 13A of the first and second paper feed cassettes 12 and 13, and the belt portion 15.
The decorative surface 11A of the opening/closing cover 11 includes: a stripe processing portion 11S having a plurality of small convex stripes (concave stripes may be formed) extending in the vertical direction and arranged in the horizontal direction on the surface thereof; and a flat processed portion 11F (third flat processed portion) whose surface is a flat surface. The flat processed portion 11F is shaped like a vertically long rectangle extending along substantially the entire longitudinal side in the vertical direction of the stripe processed portion 11S, is disposed in the center portion in the lateral direction of the decorative surface 11A, and is sandwiched between the stripe processed portions 11S on both sides. The flat processing portion 11F displays, for example, a trademark, a product logo, a manufacturer logo, and the like.
The streak processing section 11S may have a triangular (V-shaped), U-shaped, or rectangular cross-section. Preferably, the pitch of the stripes is about 1mm to 15mm, and the depth of the irregularities is about 1mm to 10 mm. Furthermore, a slit hole for heat dissipation may be provided in the concave portion of the stripe to dissipate heat in the machine.
The decorative surface 11A further has a first inclined surface 111 and a second inclined surface 112 on the upper portion thereof. These first inclined surface 111 and second inclined surface 112 are also flat processed portions whose surfaces are flat surfaces (both of which correspond to the first flat processed portions). The first inclined surface 111 has a lateral width substantially equal to the total width of the stripe-processed portion 11S and the flat-processed portion 11F in the left-right direction, and is continuous with the upper edge portions thereof. The second inclined surface 112 connects the upper edge portion of the first inclined surface 111 and the front edge portion of the sheet discharge tray 31. The angle of inclination of the second inclined surface 112 is slightly larger than the angle of inclination of the first inclined surface 111.
The decorative cover 12A of the first paper feed cassette 12 includes: a stripe-processing portion 12S in which a convex stripe (concave stripe) similar to the stripe-processing portion 11S is formed; and a flat processed portion 12F (second flat processed portion) whose surface is a flat surface. Similarly, the decorative cover 13A of the second paper feed cassette 13 includes: a stripe processing portion 13S in which convex stripes (concave stripes) are formed; and a flat processed portion 13F (second flat processed portion) whose surface is a flat surface. The flat processed portions 12F and 13F are laterally long rectangles extending substantially over the entire length of the trim covers 12A and 13A in the vertical direction, and are disposed in the center portions of the trim covers 12A and 13A in the lateral direction. These leveling units 12F, 13F are provided on the first and second paper feed cassettes 12, 13 and are located on the back of the handle units 121, 131.
In the device front cover section 100 configured as described above, the streak processing sections 11S, 12S, and 13S have small-pitch irregularities, and thus diffuse natural light or illumination light. On the other hand, the flat processed parts 11F, 12F, 13F and the first and second inclined surfaces 111, 112 as the same flat processed parts specularly reflect natural light or illumination light. Therefore, the user can recognize the flat processed portions 11F, 12F, 13F and the first and second inclined surfaces 111, 112 as visually more conspicuous portions than the streak processed portions 11S, 12S, 13S. In particular, since the first and second inclined surfaces 111 and 112 are inclined surfaces inclined downward from the rear to the front and the front ends, in the case of ceiling illumination, the specular reflection light from the first and second inclined surfaces 111 and 112 easily reaches the eyes of the user standing in front of the copying machine 1.
By providing the first and second inclined surfaces 111 and 112 at positions adjacent to the sheet discharge tray 31 and adding contrast with the streak processing sections 11S, 12S, and 13S, the user can easily recognize the position of the sheet section 30. Further, since the flatting units 12F, 13F are provided, the user can easily recognize the positions of the handle portions 121, 131 of the first and second paper feed cassettes 12, 13.
That is, a change is given to the design so that a portion which needs to be approached (recognized) at the time of operation is visually recognized, and on the other hand, the other portion is not recognized by performing the stripe processing on the other portion. This improves the visibility of the sheet discharge unit 30 of the in-body sheet discharge type when sheets after image formation are taken out, and makes it easy to recognize the sheet tray 31. In addition, the handle portions 121 and 131 can be easily recognized, and the operation efficiency in replenishing paper is improved.
Further, since the flat processing portion 11F of the access cover 11 has the shape as described above, the flat processing portion 11F can be a portion directed to the sheet discharge portion 30 (sheet discharge tray 31) and can be a mark for prompting the user of the direction of the sheet discharge portion 30 in connection with the flat processing portions 12F, 13F of the first and second sheet feed cassettes 12, 13. When the user takes out the paper from the paper discharge unit 30, the upper end of the flat processing unit 11F can be set as a rough target for insertion.
The color of the copying machine 1 will be explained below. The overall color of the copier 1 is dark such as black. The copying machine 1 of the black ground tone is coated with silver (bright color) on the flat processing portion 11F of the apparatus front cover portion 100 and the front surfaces 121A and 131A of the grip portions 121 and 131. With such a color structure, visibility of the handle portions 121 and 131 and the sheet discharge portion 30 can be further improved depending on the color contrast. In addition, the black matrix is matched with silver color tone, so that high-grade feeling can be created.
The image reading unit 20 and the operation panel 50 also adopt a black matrix tone. The switch knob 20A of the automatic document feeder unit 21 of the image reading unit 20 is silver-colored. The automatic document feeder unit 21 can be opened upward with the rear end of the scanning unit 22 as a pivot, and grips the switch knob 20A when opened. The peripheral edge portion 50A on the front side of the operation panel 50 is also covered with silver decoration. By such a color configuration, the parts which the user mainly operates are made conspicuous in color, and the recognizability of the parts to the user can be improved.
Next, the shape of the copying machine 1 as viewed from the side will be described with reference to fig. 4. The stay cover 41 of the stay 40 is connected to the belt-shaped portion 15 of the apparatus main body 10, and has an arcuate shape protruding forward. The decorative surface 11A of the open/close cover 11 protrudes forward beyond the pillar cover 41 and the decorative covers 12A and 13A of the first and second paper feed cassettes 12 and 13. This is because the opening/closing cover 11 covers the image forming section 70 including various device components. The decorative surface 11A of the open/close cover 11 also protrudes forward from the front surfaces 121A and 131A of the handle portions 121 and 131.
In the decorative surface 11A of the opening/closing cover 11, the flat processed portion 11F is a projecting flat portion projecting further forward. That is, the flat processing portion 11F is a portion that protrudes most forward on the front surface side of the apparatus main body 10.
When the copying machine 1 is mounted or moved, the decorative surface 11A protruding forward is likely to collide with a wall surface or other objects during movement or the like. However, since the flat processed portion 11F is provided on the decorative surface 11A, the streak processed portion 11S can be prevented from being damaged even if a collision occurs. Since the flat processed portion 11F is the most protruding portion forward on the front surface side of the apparatus main body 10, the front surfaces 121A and 131A of the handle portions 121 and 131 and the pillar cover 41 can be made to be surfaces that do not collide with a wall surface or the like, and these portions can be protected. Further, the flat processed portion 11F preferably protrudes forward beyond the front peripheral edge portion 50A of the operation panel 50.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, the following modified embodiment may be adopted.
(1) In the example shown in the above embodiment, the unit cover member of the front cover of the apparatus includes the decorative surface 11A of the access cover 11 and the decorative covers 12A and 13A of the two-layer paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 disposed thereunder. However, the sheet feeding cassette may have one or more layers (three or more layers).
(2) In the example of the embodiment, the flat processed portion 11F of the decorative surface 11A in the direction approaching the paper output portion 30 is a vertically long rectangle. Alternatively, the flat processed portion 11F may be a triangle or a trapezoid whose tip becomes narrower upward. In addition, although the example in which one flat processed portion 11F is provided at the center portion in the left-right direction of the decorative surface 11A is shown, it may be provided at a position other than the center portion, or two or more.
(3) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which black is a dark color and silver is a bright color. These are but one example and other color combinations are possible. Preferably, the lightness difference between the dark color and the bright color is a lightness difference of 3 or more in the munsell value of the munsell color chart (japanese industrial standard).
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the handle portions 121 and 131 of the paper feed cassettes 12 and 13 are exemplified as "handle portions used for an operation of opening a unit cover member". Alternatively, the grip portion 113 gripped by the user when opening or closing the switch cover 11 may be used as the "grip portion" of the present invention, or the grip portion 113 gripped by the user when opening or closing the switch cover 11 may be used as the "grip portion" of the present invention in addition to the above example. In this case, if the grip portion 113 is present at the position shown in fig. 1, a flat processing portion may be provided at the right end portion of the decorative surface 11A of the switch cover 11.
The form of the opening/closing cover 11 may be variously changed, and for example, the lower end of the opening/closing cover 11 may be used as a pivot, or the opening/closing cover 11 may be a double door (double doors) type. In these ways, it is possible to provide the grip portion 113 at an appropriate position of the opening and closing cover 11, and provide a flat processed portion in the vicinity of the grip portion 113.
Claims (12)
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an apparatus main body having a box shape and including an image forming unit and a paper feeding unit therein;
an image reading unit disposed above the apparatus main body;
a sheet discharge unit provided between the apparatus main body and the image reading unit, and having a sheet discharge tray for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed, the sheet discharge unit having at least a front surface thereof opened for taking out the sheet; and
a device front cover section disposed on the front surface of the device main body and having a unit cover member openable forward,
the image forming apparatus is characterized in that:
the device front cover portion includes: a stripe processing part, the surface of which is provided with concave strips and convex strips; and a flat processing part, the surface of which is a flat surface,
the flat processing portion includes a first flat processing portion located at a position adjacent to the sheet discharge tray.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
a handle portion provided on a part or all of the unit cover member for opening operation of the unit cover member; wherein,
the flat processing part also comprises a second flat processing part which is positioned at the back part of the handle part.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by further comprising:
an opening/closing cover disposed below the sheet discharge unit, covering the image forming unit, and being openable and closable forward; and
a paper feed cassette disposed below the open/close cover and attached to the apparatus main body in a state of being able to be pulled out forward; wherein,
the unit cover member of the front cover portion of the apparatus includes the opening and closing cover and a decoration cover on the front face of the paper supply cassette, the handle portion is mounted on the decoration cover,
the first flat processing part is arranged on the switch cover and adjacent to the paper output tray,
the second flat processing part is arranged on the decorative cover and is positioned at the back part of the handle part.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switch cover further has a third flat processing portion indicating a direction of approaching the sheet discharging portion.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second flat processed portion and the third flat processed portion are colored in a bright color, and other portions of the apparatus front cover portion are colored in a dark color.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lightness differences of the dark colors and the bright colors are lightness differences of 3 or more in the Munsell values of the Munsell color chart.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the third flat processed portion of the switch cover and the second flat processed portion of the handle portion are connected to be directed toward the sheet discharging portion.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,
the image reading device further comprises an operation part which is arranged in front of the image reading part; wherein,
a bright color portion is provided on the front surface of the operation portion.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,
the automatic document feeder is arranged on the image reading part and can be opened or closed upwards; wherein,
and a bright color part is arranged on a switch handle of the automatic document feeder.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the third flat processed portion of the opening/closing cover is a portion protruding forward, and the portion is a portion protruding most forward in the front surface side of the apparatus main body.
11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the third flat processed portion protrudes further forward than a front surface of the handle portion.
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein various marks are marked on the third flat processed portion of the opening and closing cover.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2007-337825 | 2007-12-27 | ||
| JP2007337825 | 2007-12-27 | ||
| JP2007-337826 | 2007-12-27 | ||
| JP2007337826A JP2009157257A (en) | 2007-12-27 | 2007-12-27 | Image forming device |
| JP2007337825A JP5283900B2 (en) | 2007-12-27 | 2007-12-27 | Image forming apparatus |
| JP2007337826 | 2007-12-27 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN101470372A CN101470372A (en) | 2009-07-01 |
| CN101470372B true CN101470372B (en) | 2011-12-28 |
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN2008101864918A Active CN101470372B (en) | 2007-12-27 | 2008-12-23 | Internal output type image forming apparatus |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JP5283900B2 (en) |
| CN (1) | CN101470372B (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP5577639B2 (en) * | 2009-07-20 | 2014-08-27 | 富士ゼロックス株式会社 | Apparatus housing and image forming apparatus using the same |
| JP4967042B2 (en) * | 2010-04-26 | 2012-07-04 | シャープ株式会社 | Operating device, information processing apparatus, and image forming apparatus |
| JP6012696B2 (en) * | 2014-12-10 | 2016-10-25 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | Sheet cassette and image forming apparatus having the same |
| JP6222308B2 (en) * | 2016-07-28 | 2017-11-01 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
| WO2018037640A1 (en) * | 2016-08-24 | 2018-03-01 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | Image-forming device |
| JP2018173448A (en) * | 2017-03-31 | 2018-11-08 | シャープ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
| JP6455560B2 (en) * | 2017-06-30 | 2019-01-23 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
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| US6690901B2 (en) * | 2001-03-22 | 2004-02-10 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Image forming apparatus |
| CN2891527Y (en) * | 2006-04-16 | 2007-04-18 | 项晓亮 | Scan cover plate of multifunctional integrated photocopier/scanner |
| CN101063846A (en) * | 2006-04-28 | 2007-10-31 | 京瓷美达株式会社 | Photosensitive material drum and image-forming machine equipped with the photosensitive material drum |
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| JP3467254B2 (en) * | 2001-03-23 | 2003-11-17 | 京セラミタ株式会社 | Image forming device |
| JP3705799B2 (en) * | 2003-10-06 | 2005-10-12 | 京セラミタ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
| JP2005151367A (en) * | 2003-11-18 | 2005-06-09 | Kyocera Mita Corp | Image forming apparatus |
| JP2006023347A (en) * | 2004-07-06 | 2006-01-26 | Kyocera Mita Corp | Image forming apparatus |
| JP2007094157A (en) * | 2005-09-29 | 2007-04-12 | Kyocera Mita Corp | Image forming apparatus |
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| US6690901B2 (en) * | 2001-03-22 | 2004-02-10 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Image forming apparatus |
| CN2891527Y (en) * | 2006-04-16 | 2007-04-18 | 项晓亮 | Scan cover plate of multifunctional integrated photocopier/scanner |
| CN101063846A (en) * | 2006-04-28 | 2007-10-31 | 京瓷美达株式会社 | Photosensitive material drum and image-forming machine equipped with the photosensitive material drum |
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Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN101470372A (en) | 2009-07-01 |
| JP5283900B2 (en) | 2013-09-04 |
| JP2009157256A (en) | 2009-07-16 |
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