Facsimile apparatus

Abstract: A facsimile apparatus comprises a housing (10) of the apparatus and a telephone placing portion (12) disposed at an upper part of the housing, on which a telephone (11) connected to public telephone network can be placed. The facsimile apparatus further comprises means (18) for scanning an original by feeding the original to generate electrical signals representing image information of the original and means (19) for recording image information applied to the apparatus through public telephone network on a sheet. Both the scanning means and the recording means are disposed side by side along the direction of feeding of the original. The telephone placing portion is disposed above both the scanning means and the recording means to cover the upper portion of both the scanning means and the recording means. The apparatus further includes first passage (32) disposed between the telephone placing portion and the scanning means for feeding the original and second passage (33) disposed between the telephone placing portion and the recording means, for feeding the original passed through the first passage. Both first passage and second passage can be opened to the outside by opening the placing portion.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus using a public telephone network, in particular, to a facsimile apparatus with a telephone base. 2. Description of the Related Art In facsimile apparatuses hitherto in use for transmitting and receiving electrical signals representing image information through a public telephone network, a telephone connected to a public telephone network and a facsimile apparatus are placed side by side on a desk or the like, or a telephone and a facsimile are placed separately on the upper part and the lower part of a rack or the like in order to put a space to a good use. In the former it is necessary to ensure a space for the telephone in addition to a space for the facsimile apparatus, therefore such former apparatus is not preferable with a viewpoint of space efficiency. In the latter it is necessary to provide a rack or the like in order to accommodate and arrange vertically these telephone and facsimile apparatus, therefore there is such a problem that a cost required for installing the facsimile apparatus and the telephone becomes expensive. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 57(1982)-160259 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58(1983)-61571, a facsimile apparatus, which is provided with both a telephone placing portion for installing a telephone and a original placing portion for installing an original, for example manuscript, map, a photograph, or other fixed graphic material etc, is disclosed. However, the telephone placing portion is disposed alongside the original placing portion having nearly the same plane size as the telephone placing portion, so that the facsimile apparatus is incapable of having a small plane size and in comparison with the usual case in which a telephone and a facsimile apparatus are placed separately side by side no improvement is performed from a viewpoint of space efficiency. In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58(1983)-19561 a facsimile apparatus with a telephone base which doubles as a protecting cover of the facsimile apparatus is disclosed. The telephone base constitutes an upper side surface of a housing of the facsimile apparatus so as to reduce the plane size of the apparatus. While this disclosure avoids the above-mentioned problem, a detail construction, in order to reduce the thickness of the housing of the facsimile apparatus, is not designed and not provided. In Japanese Utility Model Publication 58(1983)-20059, a facsimile apparatus having a reading side and a writing side underneath a telephone stage is disclosed. However, a unit for holding recording paper in roll type is disposed between the reading and writing sides of the apparatus preventing it from being a flat design. Also, the facsimile apparatus is provided with two separate outlets, one for recorded sheets and one for original sheets. The inlet for original sheets is opened by shifting the telephone stage from a reception mode position towards a transmission/copy mode position permitting insertion of an original to be transmitted/copied. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile apparatus having a telephone placing portion that serves as a telephone placing base which is capable of installing a telephone and having a thin thickness and a compact size. A facsimile apparatus according to the present invention comprises a housing of said apparatus, means for holding recording paper, a telephone placing portion, on which a telephone connected to a public telephone network can be placed during the operation of said apparatus, formed as an upper part of said housing, and having a plane surface and including a guide portion for guiding an original inserted into said apparatus, means for scanning said original by feeding said original to generate electrical signals representing image information of said original, means for recording image information applied to said apparatus via the public telephone network on a sheet, a first passage disposed between said telephone placing portion and said scanning means, through which said original is fed, a second passage disposed between said telephone placing portion and said recording means, through which said original passing through said first passage is fed, and an outlet opening for putting out a recorded sheet from said means for recording, both of said scanning means and said recording means being disposed along a direction of feeding of said original, characterized in that said scanning means and said recording means are disposed side by side along said direction of feeding of said original, said means for holding recording paper is provided at a rearward side portion of said housing and said outlet opening is connected to both said means for recording and said second passage for putting out both the recorded sheet from said recording means and the original sheet from said scanning means. Thereby, the facsimile apparatus according to the invention is capable of having a thin thickness and a compact size. The telephone placing portion is capable of being opened and kept in closed position during the operation of the apparatus. The telephone placing portion may constitute an upper side plate of the housing, having a plane surface. In a preferred embodiment, said telephone placing portion includes a first switch for starting the operation of said scanning means and a second switch for stopping the operation of said scanning means and said recording means. The telephone placing portion may be disposed above both said scanning means and said recording means to cover the upper portion of both said scanning means and said recording means. According to another preferred embodiment, both said first passage and said second passage can be opened to the outside by opening said telephone placing portion. Furthermore, said scanning means may include a light source for illuminating said original and an optical system for guiding light reflected from said original and a CCD line sensor for sensing said light, and said recording means may include a platen roller for feeding said sheet on which image information is recorded and a thermal recording head supported by said platen roller. Advantages of the above-mentioned apparatus are such that the telephone and the facsimile apparatus can be installed with good space efficiency, and an apparatus having a thin thickness and a compact size can be designed and provided. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows an perspective view of a facsimile apparatus with a telephone according to the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a cross sectional view showing a cross section taken along II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3a shows an perspective view of the facsimile apparatus when a telephone placing portion is closed. Fig. 3b shows an perspective view of the facsimile apparatus when a telephone placing portion is opened. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an facsimile apparatus. A telephone 11 can be placed on a telephone placing portion 12 as shown in Fig. 1. The telephone placing portion 12 constitutes an upper side plate of a housing 10 of the facsimile apparatus and it can be opened from its closing position to its opening position. Thus the telephone placing portion 12 serves also as the ceiling portion of the housing 10 of the facsimile apparatus. The telephone placing portion 12 has enough size to cover almost all over the whole upper portion of the facsimile apparatus. There is provided a start/copy switch 13 and a stop switch 14, for operating the facsimile apparatus, at an upper surface of the telephone placing portion 12. The start/copy switch serves for starting the operation of a scanning means or starting copying operation and a stop switch serves for stopping the operation of scanning and recording (not shown in this figure). At the front face of the facsimile apparatus and under the telephone placing portion 12, there is provided a inserting portion 15 into which original sheets are inserted. These original sheets are manuscript, a photograph, map, or subject copy etc, having image information to be transmitted to another facsimile apparatus by the facsimile apparatus. This inserting portion 15 is provided with a pair of guides 16 for guiding original sheets to an inside of the facsimile apparatus. A width between the guides 16 can be adjusted according to a width of original sheets. Furthermore, the facsimile apparatus is provided with a cassette 17 for installing recording paper in roll type at a rearward side portion of the facsimile apparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view showing a cross section taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. The facsimile apparatus is provided with a scanning means 18 for feeding original sheets to generate electrical signals representing the image of the original sheets, and a recording means 19 for recording information content of signals received from another facsimile apparatus through the telephone and recording copies of original sheets. Furthermore, the facsimile apparatus includes a means for transmitting a electrical signal converted from the image of original sheets through public telephone network (not shown in this figure). The scanning means 18 is composed of a light source 20 for lightening a small area on a original sheet, reflection mirrors 23 to 25 for introducing light reflected from the area into a CCD line sensor 22 through a lens 21, and a roller 26 for feeding a inserted sheet during the scanning. A line-shape light source such as a fluorescent light lamp is used for the light source 20. The reflected light from the small area is focused on the surface of the CCD 22 by the lens 21. The sheet is scanned and the image information is converted into a electrical signal by means of the CCD 22 for transmission by wire to a facsimile receiver. The recording means 19 is composed of a thermal recording head 27 for recording information content of signals received from another facsimile apparatus, and a platen roller 28 for feeding recording paper from the cassette 17 to outside the facsimile (not shown in the figure). In addition the platen roller 28 supports the thermal recording head 27. In a preferred embodiment, the facsimile apparatus is provided with a function for copying an original. The function is performed with use of the scanning means 18 and the recording means 19. In other words the copy of the original is recorded by the recording means with the image information from the scanning means on a sheet. Both the scanning means 18 and the recording means 19 are constructed in such a manner that they have as thin a thickness as possible, and they are attached side by side along the direction of feeding of original sheets. As shown in Fig. 2, the direction of scanning by the scanning means 18 is almost parallel with the direction of feeding of recording paper. Thereby the facsimile apparatus 10 can have a very thin thickness and a generally plane configuration. Therefore, the telephone 12 is placed stably on the telephone placing portion 11. As shown in Fig. 2, a guide portion 29 is formed at the back surface of the telephone placing portion 12 so that original sheets are conveyed above an upper part of the scanning means 18 and the recording means 19. The guide portion 29 abuts against the roller 26. Furthermore, there is provided first passage 32 between the guide portion 29 and the scanning means 18 and second passage 33 between the guide portion 29 and the recording means 19. Original sheets pass through piece by piece in the first passage 32 and after that they are lightened by the light source 20, and then the sheets are fed through the second passage 33 and getting out of the apparatus. Both the first passage 32 and the second passage 33 can be opened to the outside by opening the telephone placing portion 12. In addition at an upper surface of the rearward portion of the facsimile apparatus, there is provided a outlet opening 30 for putting out both original sheets and recording papers. The cassette 17 for installing a recording roll paper is attached at a rearward side portion of the housing 10 of the facsimile apparatus, thereby the facsimile apparatus can keep a thin thickness and a plane configuration. Fig. 3a shows the facsimile apparatus when the telephone placing portion 12 is closed, and Fig. 3b shows the apparatus when the placing portion is opened. Usually it is closed as shown in Fig. 3a, however, for example, when sheet clogging or the like takes place, it is opened so as to remove the sheets from the facsimile apparatus. By means of lifting a pair of projecting portions 31 formed at both sides of the telephone placing portion 12, the telephone placing portion 12 is opened and the first and second passage is opened to the outside (see Fig. 2). Thereby the sheets clogged in the passage can be removed. Many widely different embodiments of the present invention may be constructed. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the specification, except as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: A facsimile apparatus using a public telephone network comprising: a housing (10) of said apparatus, means (17) for holding recording paper, a telephone placing portion (12), on which a telephone (11) connected to a public telephone network can be placed during the operation of said apparatus, formed as an upper part of said housing, and having a plane surface and including a guide portion (29) for guiding an original inserted into said apparatus, means (18) for scanning said original by feeding said original to generate electrical signals representing image information of said original, means (19) for recording image information applied to said apparatus via said public telephone network on a sheet, a first passage (32) disposed between said telephone placing portion and said scanning means, through which said original is fed, a second passage (33) disposed between said telephone placing portion and said recording means, through which said original passing through said first passage is fed, an outlet opening (30) for putting out a recorded sheet from said means for recording, both of said scanning means (18) and said recording means (19) being disposed along a direction of feeding of said original, characterized in that both of said scanning means (18) and said recording means (19) are disposed side by side along said direction of feeding of said original, said means (17) for holding recording paper is provided at a rearward side portion of said housing (10), and said outlet opening (30) is connected to both said means (19) for recording and said second passage (33) for putting out both the recorded sheet from said recording means (19) and the original sheet from said scanning means (18). A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said telephone placing portion (12) includes a first switch (13) for starting the operation of said scanning means (18) and a second switch (14) for stopping the operation of said scanning means (18) and said recording means (19). A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said telephone placing portion (12) is disposed above both said scanning means (18) and said recording means (19) to cover the upper portion of both said scanning means and said recording means. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that both said first passage (32) and said second passage (33) can be opened to the outside by opening said telephone placing portion (12). A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said scanning means (18) includes a light source (20) for illuminating said original and an optical system (21, 23, 24, 25) for guiding light reflected from said original and a CCD line sensor (22) for sensing said light, and said recording means (19) includes a platen roller (28) for feeding said sheet on which image information is recorded and a thermal recording head (27) supported by said platen roller.

Inventors: HAYASHI MOTOHIKO, KAWAI RYOICHI, KIDA SHIGERU, KOTANI MATAHIRA, SAKAI KATSUYUKI, SHIRAISHI KENICHI, HAYASHI, MOTOHIKO, KAWAI, RYOICHI, KIDA, SHIGERU, KOTANI, MATAHIRA, SAKAI, KATSUYUKI, SHIRAISHI, KENICHI
Applicants: SHARP KK, SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1991
Main classification: H04N1
IPC codes: H04N1