JP2009169121A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which a lid member can be easily and surely attached to an external cover with satisfactory operability. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming apparatus in which an L-shaped auxiliary cover (lid member) 12 is attached to the side cover (external cover) of an apparatus body so as to be detachable, engagement holes 13 and 14 and a fitting hole are made in the two flat faces of the side cover 6, which are orthogonal to each other. Engagement claws 16 and 17 are formed on the end edge of one of the two flat faces of the auxiliary cover 12, which are orthogonal to each other, and a projection 18 is formed on the internal face of the other of the flat faces. Engagement pawls 16 and 17 of the auxiliary cover 12 are engaged with the engagement holes 13 and 14 of the side cover 6. The projection 18 is fitted in the fitting hole of the side cover 6, thereby attaching the auxiliary cover 12 to the side cover 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an L-shaped lid member is detachably attached to an exterior cover.

For image forming devices such as copiers and printers that form images on paper by electrophotography, an opening is provided in the exterior cover to access the interior of the device, and this opening is covered with a lid member. In this case, the lid member is detachably attached to the exterior cover.
JP 2006-058688 A JP 2000-071558 A JP 2006-337477 A

  By the way, since the lid member covering the opening of the exterior cover is attached by the user, it is necessary that the attachment is easy, but it is necessary to support the lid member with one hand when fixing the lid member with screws. However, with such an attachment structure, it is impossible to easily attach the lid member to the exterior cover with good workability.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of easily and reliably attaching a lid member to an exterior cover with good operability.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to an image forming apparatus in which an L-shaped lid member is detachably attached to an exterior cover of a main body of the apparatus. A fitting hole and a fitting hole are respectively formed, an engaging claw is formed on one end edge of two orthogonal planes of the lid member, and a protrusion is provided on the other inner surface. The cover member is attached to the exterior cover by engaging the engagement hole with the engagement hole of the exterior cover and engaging the protrusion with the engagement hole of the exterior cover.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the engaging claw formed on the lid member has a snap-fit shape, and a projection is formed on the engaging claw.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the fitting hole formed in the exterior cover is a long hole.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a concave guide rail connected to the engagement hole is formed on the outer surface of the exterior cover.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a concave guide rail connected to the fitting hole is formed on the outer surface of the exterior cover.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lid member is slid along the exterior cover with the engagement claw first, the engagement claw is engaged with the engagement hole of the exterior cover, and the protrusion of the lid member is disposed on the exterior. By fitting into the fitting hole of the cover, the user can easily and reliably attach the lid member to the exterior cover with one hand and good operability. Alternatively, the engaging claw of the lid member is engaged with the engaging hole of the exterior cover, the lid member is rotated using the engaging portion as a fulcrum, and the protrusion protruding from the inner surface of the engaging member is used as the engaging hole of the exterior cover. By fitting, the user can easily and reliably attach the lid member to the exterior cover with one hand with good operability.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the engaging claw formed on the lid member has a snap-fit shape, and the protrusion is formed on the engaging claw, the lid member is slid along the outer cover and the outer cover is formed. When the engaging claw is engaged with the engaging hole of the cover member, a click feeling is given when the protrusion formed on the engaging claw of the lid member gets over the wall of the exterior cover, and the lid member is securely attached to the exterior cover. Can be confirmed.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the fitting hole formed in the exterior cover is a long hole, the engagement claw of the lid member is engaged with the engagement hole of the exterior cover, and the engagement portion is used as a fulcrum. When the protrusion that is projected from the cover member is fitted into the engagement hole of the exterior cover by rotating the cover member, the protrusion is easily fitted into the engagement hole, and the cover member is securely attached to the exterior cover.

  According to the invention of claim 4, when the lid member is slid along the exterior cover with the engagement claw first, the engagement claw is engaged with the engagement hole of the exterior cover. While being guided by guide rails formed on the outer surface of the outer cover, it is easily engaged with the engagement hole of the exterior cover with good workability.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the engaging claw of the lid member is engaged with the engaging hole of the exterior cover, and the lid member is rotated by using the engaging portion as a fulcrum to protrude from the lid member. When fitting the protrusion into the fitting hole of the outer cover, the protrusion is easily fitted into the fitting hole of the outer cover while being guided by the guide rail formed on the outer surface of the outer cover, and the lid member is securely attached to the outer cover. Attached to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a side cover, FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of an auxiliary cover, and FIG. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are partial perspective views showing a method of attaching the auxiliary cover to the side cover, FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the side cover to which the auxiliary cover is attached, and FIG. It is AA sectional view.

  An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a laser printer, and includes a rectangular box-shaped apparatus main body 2. The apparatus main body 2 is incorporated in a main body frame 3 as shown in FIG. Various process devices (all not shown) such as a photosensitive drum, a charger, a developing device, a transfer device, and a fixing device are incorporated. The front surface of the apparatus main body 2 (the front side in FIG. 1 is the front side) is covered with an openable / closable front cover 4 that also serves as a manual feed tray, the left and right sides are covered with side covers 5 and 6, and the rear surface is covered with a rear cover 7. The top surface is covered with a top cover 8. The front cover 4, the side covers 5, 6 and the rear cover 7 constitute an exterior cover, and these and the top cover 8 are all integrally formed of resin.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 9 shown in FIG. 2 is detachably attached to the lower part of the apparatus main body 2, and the paper feed cassette 9 is attached and detached from the front side of the apparatus main body 2. In addition, an operation panel 10 is mounted on the front side right corner of the top cover 8.

  Thus, in the laser printer 1 according to the present embodiment, an image is formed on a sheet through an electrophotographic process by various process devices (not shown) built in the apparatus main body 2, but the sheet on which the image is formed is formed. Is discharged to the top cover 8 and stocked. Here, the top cover 8 is provided with an opening / closing cover 8A that can be opened as shown in FIG. 1 during maintenance such as jam handling. The opening / closing cover 8A is pivoted up and down by a hinge 11 up and down. Supported as possible. An inner cover 8B for covering the process equipment in the apparatus main body 2 when the front cover 4 is opened is attached to the back surface of the open / close cover 8A substantially vertically.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, an attachment portion 6 </ b> A bent at a right angle with respect to the surface is integrally formed at the rear end lower portion of the right side cover 6. A rectangular opening 6a for accessing the inside of the apparatus main body 2 is formed. The opening 6a is closed by the auxiliary cover 12 as shown in FIG. 8, and the auxiliary cover 12 is attached to the side cover 6 by an attachment structure described below.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, an engagement hole 13 that is long in the vertical direction is formed on one side of the periphery of the opening 6a of the side cover 6, and a similar engagement hole 14 is formed below the engagement hole 13. . A horizontal concave guide rail 6 b that continues to the engagement hole 13 is partially formed on the outer surface of the side cover 6. The mounting portion 6A formed at the lower portion of the rear end of the side cover 6 is formed with a long and long fitting hole 15 in the lateral direction, and the outer surface of the mounting portion 6A has a fitting hole. A horizontal concave guide rail 6 c extending to 15 is partially formed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the auxiliary cover 12 is integrally formed in an L shape with resin, and is large in the same plane as the outer surface of the side cover 6 out of two planes orthogonal to each other. Engaging claws 16 and 17 are integrally formed above and below one longitudinal end edge of the one surface, and a circular boss-like shape is formed on the inner surface of the smaller surface that is bent at right angles from the other end edge of the larger surface. A protrusion 18 is provided. The projection 18 is formed in a bag shape, and a circular hole 18a for inserting a screw 19 shown in FIG.

  By the way, the lower engaging claw 17 formed on the auxiliary cover 12 is formed in a snap-fit shape, and as shown in FIG. 4, a projection 17a is projected in the vertical direction on the surface.

  Next, a method of attaching the auxiliary cover 12 to the side cover 6 will be described. There are the following two methods of attachment.

1) First method (slide method):
In this method, as shown in FIG. 6, the auxiliary cover 12 is slid along the outer surface of the side cover 6 with the engaging claws 16 and 17 first, and the engaging claws 16 and 17 of the auxiliary cover 12 are moved to the side. The cover 6 is engaged with the engagement holes 13 and 14 respectively. At this time, the engaging claw 17 is slid along the guide rail 6b while confirming the position where the engaging claw 17 of the auxiliary cover 12 is fitted using the guide rail 6b formed on the outer surface of the side cover 6 as a mark. Thus, the engaging claws 16 and 17 can be easily engaged with the engaging holes 13 and 14 of the side cover 6 with good workability.

  As described above, when the auxiliary cover 12 is slid along the outer surface of the side cover 6 and the engaging claws 16 and 17 are engaged with the engaging holes 13 and 14 of the side cover 6, the auxiliary cover 12 protrudes from the auxiliary cover 12. The auxiliary protrusion 12 is attached to the side cover 6 by fitting the projection 18 into the fitting hole 15 formed in the attachment portion 6 </ b> A of the side cover 6. Therefore, the user can easily and reliably attach the auxiliary cover 12 to the side cover 6 with one hand with good operability. At this time, since the protrusion 17a is projected in the vertical direction on the snap-fitting engagement claw 17 formed on the auxiliary cover 12, a click feeling is given when the protrusion 17a gets over the wall of the side cover 6. Thus, it can be confirmed that the auxiliary cover 12 is securely attached to the side cover 6.

  Thus, when the auxiliary cover 12 is attached to the side cover 6 as described above, as shown in FIG. 9, the screw 19 is passed from the outside through the circular hole 18a formed in the protrusion 18 of the auxiliary cover 12, The auxiliary cover 12 and the side cover 6 are securely attached to the main body frame 3 by screws 19.

2) Second method (rotation method):
In this method, as shown in FIG. 7, the engaging claws 16 and 17 are engaged with the engaging holes 13 and 14 of the side cover 6 with the auxiliary cover 12 opened to the front side with respect to the side cover 6. The auxiliary cover 12 is rotated in the direction of the arrow with the engaging portion as a fulcrum, and the protrusion 18 projecting from the inner surface of the auxiliary cover 12 is fitted into the fitting hole 15 of the side cover 6 so that the auxiliary cover 12 is shown in FIG. Is attached to the side cover 6 as shown in FIG. At this time, since the fitting hole 15 formed in the side cover 6 is a long hole in the lateral direction as described above, the engaging claws 16 and 17 of the auxiliary cover 12 are changed to the engaging holes 13 and 14 of the side cover 12. The protrusion 18 is engaged when the auxiliary cover 12 is rotated using the engaging portion as a fulcrum and the protrusion 18 protruding from the auxiliary cover 12 is fitted into the fitting hole 15 of the side cover 6. The auxiliary cover 12 is securely attached to the side cover 6 by being easily fitted into the hole 15.

  Further, the engaging claws 16 and 17 of the auxiliary cover 12 are respectively engaged with the engaging holes 13 and 14 of the side cover 6, and the auxiliary cover 12 is rotated with the engaging portions serving as fulcrums to protrude into the auxiliary cover 12. When the provided projection 18 is fitted into the fitting hole 15 of the side cover 6, the side cover 6 is fitted while the projection 18 is guided by the guide rail 6c formed on the outer surface of the mounting portion 6A of the side cover 6. The auxiliary cover 12 is securely attached to the side cover 6 by being easily fitted into the hole 15.

When the auxiliary cover 12 is attached to the side cover 6 as shown in FIG. 8 as described above, the screw 19 is placed outside the circular hole 8a formed in the protrusion 18 of the auxiliary cover 12 as shown in FIG. The auxiliary cover 12 is securely attached to the main body frame 3 together with the side cover 6 by screws 19.
Therefore, even with this method, the user can easily and reliably attach the auxiliary cover 12 to the side cover 6 with one hand and good operability.
In the above, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a laser printer has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other arbitrary image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a facsimile in addition to a printer. Of course.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a side cover of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an outer surface of an auxiliary cover of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an inner perspective view of an auxiliary cover of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a method (first method) for attaching the auxiliary cover to the side cover in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view illustrating a method (second method) for attaching the auxiliary cover to the side cover in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 3 is a partial perspective view of a side cover to which an auxiliary cover of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is attached. FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Laser printer (image forming device)
2 Device body 3 Body frame 4 Front cover (exterior cover)
5,6 Side cover (exterior cover)
6A Side cover mounting portion 6a Side cover opening 6b, 6c Side cover guide rail 7 Rear cover (exterior cover)
8 Top cover 8A Open / close cover 8B Inner cover 9 Paper feed cassette 10 Operation panel 11 Hinge 12 Auxiliary cover (lid member)
13, 14 Side cover engagement hole 15 Side cover engagement hole 16, 17 Auxiliary cover engagement claw 17a Engagement claw protrusion 18 Auxiliary cover protrusion 18a Protrusion circular hole 19 Screw

Claims (5)

In an image forming apparatus in which an L-shaped lid member is detachably attached to an exterior cover,
Engagement holes and fitting holes are formed in two orthogonal planes of the outer cover, an engaging claw is formed on one end edge of the two orthogonal planes of the lid member, and a protrusion protrudes from the other inner surface. The cover member is attached to the exterior cover by engaging the engagement claw of the cover member with the engagement hole of the exterior cover and engaging the protrusion with the engagement hole of the exterior cover. An image forming apparatus.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw formed on the lid member has a snap-fit shape, and a protrusion is formed on the engaging claw.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fitting hole formed in the exterior cover is a long hole.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a concave guide rail connected to the engagement hole is formed on an outer surface of the exterior cover.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a concave guide rail connected to the fitting hole is formed on an outer surface of the exterior cover.

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