Patent ID: 9285761
Filing Date: 2016-03-15
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. A cover opening and closing mechanism, comprising: a first cover member that is a part of a housing and swings between an open position and a close position about a first rotation point; having a first sheet placing surface, a direction from the open position to the close position being defined as a close direction, and a second cover member that swings about a second rotation point in conjunction with a movement of the first cover member, having a second sheet placing surface, wherein the first cover member has a first engagement part at a distal end of the first sheet placing surface, the second cover member has a second engagement part, which engages with the first engagement part when the first cover member is positioned at the close position, at a distal end of the second sheet placing surface so that the first sheet placing surface is flush with the second sheet placing surface, during a process in which the first cover member swings in the close direction, a first contact part of the first cover member, which is other than the first sheet placing surface, contacts to a second contact part of the second cover member, which is other than the second sheet placing surface, before the first engagement part contacts to the second engagement part, seen from a axial direction of the first rotation point, a moving path of the first engagement part is defined as a first engagement path, a moving path of the second engagement part is defined as a second engagement path, the first engagement path and the second engagement path are arranged to intersect at a first cross point, and the first cross point is located at a downstream in the close direction from a second cross point where the first contact part contacts to the second contact part.