Abstract:
A structure of an image forming apparatus includes: a front base and a rear base; a stay member connecting the front base and the rear base; and a side plate having a large mass and supported by the stay member. The stay member is formed into a shape to bear the mass of the side plate with an entire width of the stay member.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to and incorporates by reference the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-267067 filed in Japan on Dec. 25, 2013. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a structure of an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a facsimile, and a scanner. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    An outline of a structure I of a conventional image forming apparatus is shown in  FIG. 7 , and a base portion of the structure  1  is shown in  FIG. 8 . For the purpose of reducing costs, this image forming apparatus is configured by assembling a front base  2  and a rear base  3  with a right stay  4  and a left stay  5  being screwed thereto. A rear side plate  6  is assembled to the rear base  3 , and a rear right frame  7  and a rear left frame  8  are assembled to the rear base  3  and the rear side plate  6  so as to prevent the rear side plate  6  from falling over. A front right frame  9  and a front left frame  10  are assembled to the front base  2 , and a front side plate  11  is assembled to the front right frame  9  and the front left frame  10 . Then, various stays and/or the like are assembled to the front side plate  11  and the rear side plate  6 . 
         [0006]    The left stay  5  is fastened to the front base  2  and the rear base  3  as described above, and the left stay  5  is also assembled to the rear side plate  6  and the front left frame  10 . Then, the rear left frame  8  is located behind the rear side plate  6  and is assembled to the rear side plate  6  and the rear base  3 . Thus, the left stay  5  and the rear left frame  8  are provided on the front side and the rear side of the rear side plate  6 , respectively, while being separated by the rear side plate  6 . 
         [0007]    As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , a driving unit  12 , an electrical system  13  and the like for various units, such as a paper feeding device, a developing device, a photoconductor, a toner supply device, and a waste toner collection device, are assembled to the rear side plate  6 , a mass of the rear side plate  6  as a whole increases. However, as the left stay  5  and the rear left frame  8 , which act as reinforcements, are provided on the front side and the rear side of the rear side plate  6 , respectively, while being separated by the rear side plate  6 , there may be a case in which the structure  1  cannot withstand the mass of the rear side plate  6  and is deformed, as illustrated by the dashed line in  FIG. 9 . Further, to prevent the deformation, a rubber leg  14  has to be provided in the vicinity of an area directly below the rear side plate  6 , as illustrated in  FIG. 10 . Thus, a layout of the rubber legs  14  has also been restricted. 
         [0008]    An example of the related art is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-31364. 
         [0009]    In view of the above, there is a need to provide a structure of an image forming apparatus that is capable of preventing deformation and eliminating a restriction on a layout of an installation location of a leg. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is an object of the present invention to at least partially solve the problems in the conventional technology. 
         [0011]    A structure of an image forming apparatus includes: a front base and a rear base; a stay member connecting the front base and the rear base; and a side plate having a large mass and supported by the stay member. The stay member is formed into a shape to bear the mass of the side plate with an entire width of the stay member. 
         [0012]    The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front view schematically illustrating an image forming apparatus to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view schematically illustrating a structure that is used in one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view schematically illustrating the structure that is used in one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view schematically illustrating a base portion that is used in one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a side view schematically illustrating a stay member that is used in one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram illustrating legs that are used in one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional structure; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional base portion; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram describing a conventional problem; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram describing the conventional problem. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]      FIG. 1  shows a full color copier that serves as an image forming apparatus to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. In  FIG. 1 , a full color copier  800  develops an image, using an image signal obtained by an image reading portion  100 , in an image forming unit  300 , wherein the image forming unit  300  is configured by integrating a photoconductor, a charging device, a developing device, a cleaning device, and/or the like, each of which is not shown in the drawings. The developed image is temporarily transferred to an intermediate transfer unit  400  and secondarily transferred by a secondary transfer roller  500  to a transfer paper, which is not shown in the drawings and is conveyed from a paper feeding device  200 . Then, the transfer paper, to which the image has been transferred, is conveyed to a fixing device  600 , and, after the image is fixed on the transfer paper, ejected to a paper ejection tray  700 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a device main body  21  that is a structure of the full color copier  800  as seen from the rear left, and  FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the device main body  21  as seen from the front left. Further,  FIG. 4  shows a base portion that forms a bottom portion of the device main body  21 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , as in a conventional device, for the purpose of reducing costs, the full color copier  800  is also configured by assembling a front base  22  and a rear base  23  with a right stay  24  and a left stay  25  which are each a stay member being screwed thereto. 
         [0025]    A rear side plate  26 , which is a side plate having a large mass, is fastened to the rear base  23 , and a rear right frame  27  is assembled to the rear base  23  and the rear side plate  26  at a rear right side. Further, at a rear left side, a rear left frame  28  is assembled to the left stay  25  and the rear side plate  26 . Then, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the rear side plate  26  is assembled to the left stay  25  so as to be positioned at the middle of the left stay  25 , and the rear base  23  is assembled to the rear side plate  26 . In  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the reference numeral  29  denotes a front right frame that is fastened to the front base  22 , the reference numeral  30  denotes a front left frame that is fastened to the front base  22 , and the reference numeral  31  denotes a front side plate that is assembled to the front right frame  29  and the front left frame  30 . 
         [0026]    With the above-described configuration, the rear side plate  26  is positioned at the middle of the left stay  25  and the left stay  25  bears a mass of the rear side plate  26  across the entire width of the left stay  25 . Thus, even when a large load is applied to the rear side plate  26 , the base portion does not deform significantly. As a result, deformation of the device main body  21  can be prevented. 
         [0027]    Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the left stay  25  has a size that extends over a whole area of the rear base  23  in the width direction. The left stay  25  also extends rearward behind the rear side plate  26  as far as the layout is possible and is formed so that the total width of the left stay  25  is equal to a length of the image forming apparatus in the depth direction. With this configuration, fastening points between the left stay  25  and the rear base  23  can be increased, and consequently, the deformation of the device main body  21  can be prevented even more effectively. 
         [0028]    Further, in a side view as seen from the rear side plate  26  side, the left stay  25  has an L-shape, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . With this, a bottom portion  25   a  is assembled to the front base  22 , the rear base  23 , and the rear side plate  26  as described above, and a side portion  25   b  is also fixed by the rear side plate  26  and the front left frame  30  from the lateral direction thereof. With this configuration, the left stay  25  is not only fixed to the front base  22  and the rear base  23 , but can also be fastened to the rear side plate  26  and other frames from the lateral direction thereof. As a result, the deformation of the device main body  21  can be prevented even more effectively, and also, it is possible to prevent the front side plate  31  and the rear side plate  26  from falling over. 
         [0029]    Further, below the left stay  25 , legs  32  are assembled as a retaining member, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . With this configuration, a restriction on a layout for installation locations of the legs  32  is eliminated as compared with the conventional device. Then, a gap between the front and rear legs  32  can be made as wide as possible, and consequently, it becomes possible to retain the device main body  21  in a stable state. 
         [0030]    Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific embodiment. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention within the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims, unless otherwise specified in the description above. 
         [0031]    For example, an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to an image forming apparatus of the above-described type, but may be an image forming apparatus of any other type. More specifically, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied may be a stand-alone printer, a stand-alone facsimile, a multifunction peripheral combining a printer and a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral, such as a monochrome device relating to a printer and a facsimile. Further, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied may also be an image forming apparatus that is used for forming electric circuits or an image forming apparatus that is used for forming a predetermined image in the field of biotechnology. 
         [0032]    Effects described above in the embodiment of the present invention are merely a list of most preferred effects arising from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0033]    According to an embodiment, the side plate is positioned at a middle of the stay member and the stay member bears the mass of the side plate across the entire width of the stay member. Thus, even when a heavy load is applied to the side plate, the base portion does not deform significantly and deformation of the structure can be prevented. 
         [0034]    Although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.