Patent Abstract:
A housing device includes: a housing that has an opening and defines a containment space for containing an object inserted through the opening; a guide member that has a longitudinal direction aligned with a direction of insertion of the object with respect to the housing and guides the object when the object is inserted into the containment space; a support structure that supports the guide member to be moveable with respect to the housing in the longitudinal direction; and a cover that opens and closes the opening, wherein when the cover closes the opening, the cover supports the object such that the object is spaced apart from the guide member.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-210239, which was filed on Sep. 11, 2009. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a housing device and an image-forming apparatus. 
         [0004]    2. Related Art 
         [0005]    Some housings are provided with a guide member for guiding an object being inserted into the housing along a direction of insertion. In a case where each end of the guide member is fixed to a corresponding frame of the housing and where the housing and the guide member are made of respective materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion, a change in temperature can cause deformation of the housing or the guide member. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing device including: a housing that has an opening and defines a containment space for containing an object inserted through the opening; a guide member that has a longitudinal direction aligned with a direction of insertion of the object with respect to the housing and guides the object when the object is inserted into the containment space; a support structure that supports the guide member to be moveable with respect to the housing in the longitudinal direction; and a cover that opens and closes the opening, wherein when the cover closes the opening, the cover supports the object such that the object is spaced apart from the guide member. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an image-forming apparatus using a housing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing a configuration of the image-forming apparatus; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a configuration of the housing device; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state where an outer cover and an inner cover are opened; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a state where image-forming units are removed from the state shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of a guide member shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are cross-sectional views taken along line VIIa-VIIa and line VIIb-VIIb, respectively, in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing an essential part of  FIG. 6  viewed in a different direction; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing an image-forming unit and guide pins; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a view showing a relationship between an image-forming unit and a guide member in a state where the image-forming unit has been inserted into a housing; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 11A and 11B  are cross-sectional views showing a relationship between a guide member and a frame in modified embodiments; and 
           [0019]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  are cross-sectional views showing a relationship between a guide member and a frame in modified embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     1. Exemplary Embodiment 
       [0020]    An image-forming apparatus, such as a printer or a copy machine, is provided with a cover on a front or a lateral side of a housing, for example, in such a manner that the cover can be opened and closed to facilitate maintenance or replacement of a component part, or removal of a jammed sheet. In the following, taking such an image-forming apparatus as an example, explanation will be made of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of an image-forming apparatus including a housing device according to the exemplary embodiment, and  FIG. 2  schematically shows a configuration inside a housing of the image-forming apparatus. 
       &lt;Configuration of Image-Forming Apparatus&gt; 
       [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , an outer shape of image-forming apparatus  1  is formed by box-shaped housing device  50 , and outer cover  52  is provided on a front of housing  51 , which serves as a base of housing device  50 , such that outer cover  52  can be opened and closed. When outer cover  52  is opened, front frame  53 , which is provided with inner cover  60  that can be opened and closed and serves as a cover of opening  65 A, is exposed to an outside. 
         [0022]    In the following description, when image-forming apparatus  1  is viewed from its front by a user, the horizontal direction is denoted as the X-axis direction, the front-back direction is denoted as the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction is denoted as the Z-axis direction. Also, “left” and “right” are indicated from the user&#39;s perspective. 
         [0023]    Now, with reference to  FIG. 2 , explanation will be made of an example of an inner configuration and an operation of image-forming apparatus  1 . Image-forming apparatus  1  is adapted to constitute a full-color printer of a tandem type, and contains an image-processing unit (not shown in the drawings) that performs image-processing on image data received from a device such as a scanner or a personal computer (not shown in the drawings), or received via a telephone line (not shown in the drawings), etc. Provided inside image-forming apparatus  1  are four image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. Image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K are arranged generally in the horizontal direction so as to be spaced apart from each other and to extend in parallel, and vertical positions of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K are respectively lower in this order (thus, the vertical position of image-forming unit  2 Y is higher than that of image-forming unit  2 K), whereby a plane in which image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K are arranged is inclined at a certain angle (e.g., 10 degrees) with respect to the horizontal direction. By this arrangement of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K in a plane inclined at a certain angle with respect to the horizontal direction, the horizontal dimension is reduced in comparison with a case where image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K are arranged in a horizontal plane. 
         [0024]    Each of the four image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K has basically the same structure, and contains photosensitive drum  3  that is driven to rotate at a certain speed by a drive unit (not shown in the drawings) and that serves as an image-holding member, primary charging roll  4  that charges a surface of photosensitive drum  3 , developer unit  6  that develops, with toner, an electrostatic latent image formed on photosensitive drum  3  as a result of image exposure performed by image exposure unit  5  (described later), and cleaning unit  7  that cleans the surface of photosensitive drum  3 . Photosensitive drum  3  is constituted, for example, of an organic photosensitive member having a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 30 mm, and having an overcoat layer on its surface. Photosensitive drum  3  is rotated by a drive motor (not shown in the drawings). Charging roll  4  is, for example, a roll-shaped charger constituted of a core bar coated with a conductive layer made of a synthetic resin or rubber and having an adjusted electric resistance, and a charging bias is applied to the core bar of charging roll  4 . Further, cleaning roll  4   a  for removing foreign matter such as toner adhering to a surface of charging unit  4  is arranged to contact the surface of charging roll  4 . 
         [0025]    In the following description, where it is not necessary to distinguish between image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K, the image-forming units will be simply referred to as image-forming unit(s)  2 . 
         [0026]    Below image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K, exposure unit  5  is provided. Exposure unit  5  has four semiconductor laser units (not shown in the drawings) for emitting laser beams modulated in accordance with image data. The four laser beams emitted from these semiconductor laser units are deflected by a polygon mirror for scanning, and are irradiated onto photosensitive drum  3  of each image-forming unit  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K via optical elements such as a lens and a mirror (not shown in the drawings). 
         [0027]    In this exemplary embodiment, exposure unit  5  extends along an underside of the four image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K, which are arranged in a plane inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Thus, a length of a light path of the laser beam irradiated onto photosensitive drum  3  is the same for each of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C, and  2 K. 
         [0028]    Image exposure unit  5 , which is provided in common to each image-forming unit  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K, receives image data of respective colors sequentially from the image-processing unit. The laser beam emitted from image exposure unit  5  in accordance with the image data is irradiated onto a surface of corresponding photosensitive drum  3  to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. The electrostatic latent images formed on photosensitive drums  3  are developed by developer units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C,  6 K to form toner images of respective colors. The toner images of respective colors formed sequentially on photosensitive drums  3  of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K are transferred one on top of another by primary transfer rolls  11  to intermediate transfer belt  10 , which is arranged obliquely over the top of each image-forming unit  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K, and serves as an intermediate transfer member. 
         [0029]    Intermediate transfer belt  10  is an endless belt-shaped member tension-supported by multiple rolls. Specifically, intermediate transfer belt  10  is wound around tension roll  12 , drive roll  13 , backup roll  14 , first idler roll  15 , and second idler roll  16 , such that intermediate transfer belt  10  is circulatingly moved in a direction indicated by an arrow in  FIG. 2  by drive roll  13 , which is rotated by a dedicated drive motor (not shown in the drawings) capable of maintaining a constant rotation speed. Intermediate transfer belt  10  has an upper moving section and a lower moving section, and the lower moving section is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, with a downstream end of the lower moving section positioned lower than an upstream end of the same with respect to the direction of movement of the lower moving section. As intermediate transfer belt  10 , a flexible film made of a synthetic resin, such as polyimide, may be used, where the ends of the synthetic resin film are connected by means of welding or the like to form an endless belt member. Intermediate transfer belt  10  is arranged such that the lower moving section is in contact with photosensitive drums  3 Y,  3 M,  3 C,  3 K of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K. 
         [0030]    It is to be noted that intermediate transfer belt  10 , primary transfer rolls  11 , tension roll  12 , drive roll  13 , backup roll  14 , first idler roll  15 , second idler roll  16 , etc., are integrated into a single unit referred to as intermediate transfer unit  9 . 
         [0031]    At a position that is opposed to drive roll  13  across intermediate transfer belt  10  is provided secondary transfer roll  17 , which is urged against intermediate transfer belt  10 . Secondary transfer roll  17  functions to secondarily-transfer the toner images, which have been primarily-transferred onto intermediate transfer belt  10 , onto recording sheet  18 . When recording sheet  18  moves between secondary transfer roll  17  and intermediate transfer belt  10 , secondary transfer roll  17  presses recording sheet  18  against intermediate transfer belt  10 , whereby the toner images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), which have been overlappingly transferred onto intermediate transfer belt  10 , are transferred onto recording sheet  18  owing to pressure and electrostatic force. Recording sheet  18 , on which the toner images of respective colors have been transferred, is conveyed to fixing unit  19  positioned above. 
         [0032]    Fixing unit  19  applies heat and pressure to recording sheet  18  to fix the toner images on recording sheet  18 . Thereafter, recording sheet  18  passes through exit roll  20  of fixing unit  19  and sheet discharge path  21 , and is discharged by discharge roll  22  onto sheet-receiving tray  23  provided at an upper portion of image-forming apparatus  1 . 
         [0033]    Recording sheets  18 , having a prescribed size and being made of a prescribed material, and serving as recording media, are contained in sheet container  24  disposed inside image-forming apparatus  1 . Recording sheets  18  are conveyed from sheet container  24 , one sheet at a time, by means of sheet supply roll  25  and a pair of rolls  26  for sheet separation and conveyance to registration roll  28 , and are temporarily stopped there. Then, recording sheet  18  is further conveyed to a secondary transfer position of intermediate transfer belt  10  by registration roll  28 , which is rotated at a predetermined timing. 
         [0034]    Arranged between sheet-receiving tray  23  and intermediate transfer belt  10  are toner cartridges  29 Y,  29 M,  29 C,  29 K. Toner cartridges  29 Y,  29 M,  29 C, and  29 K supply toner to developer units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K, respectively. Toner cartridge  29 K containing toner of black (K) is larger than the toner cartridges of the other colors because black toner is used more frequently than any other toner. 
       &lt;Configuration of Housing Device&gt; 
       [0035]    Next, with reference to  FIGS. 1 , and  3 - 5 , explanation will be made of a configuration of housing device  50 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing a configuration of housing device  50 ,  FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state where the outer cover and the inner cover are opened, and  FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a state where image-forming units are removed from the state shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , when outer cover  52  on the front of housing  51  is opened, front frame  53  is exposed. Toner cartridges  29 Y,  29 M,  29 C, and  29 K, intermediate transfer unit  9 , etc. are detachably attached to front frame  53 . Front frame  53  is also provided with inner cover  60  that can be opened and closed. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  shows a state where exterior members covering housing device  50  have been removed. On a right side of housing  51  is provided a side cover  100  that can be opened and closed. Second transfer roll  17  is provided on an inner side of side cover  100  such that when side cover  100  is closed, second transfer roll  17  is elastically pressed against drive roll  13  via intermediate transfer belt  10  therebetween. 
         [0039]    Back frame  54  is disposed on a back side of housing  51  so as to be opposed to front frame  53 . Between front frame  53  and back frame  54  is defined a space in which intermediate transfer unit  9 , image-forming units  2 , toner cartridges  29 , etc. are arranged. 
         [0040]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , formed on an inner side of inner cover  60  are four shaft-supporting parts  61 Y,  61 M,  61 C, and  61 K for supporting ends of rotation shafts of photosensitive drums  3  included in image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C, and  2 K, respectively, and roll-supporting part  62  for supporting an end of drive roll  13  of intermediate transfer unit  9 . 
         [0041]    Further, on an inner side of back frame  54  are formed four shaft-supporting parts  55 Y,  55 M,  55 C, and  55 K for supporting the other ends of the rotation shafts of respective photosensitive drums  3 , and roll-supporting part  56  for supporting the other end of drive roll  13  of intermediate transfer unit  9 . 
         [0042]    It is to be noted here that in housing  51 , a direction from the front side (a first side) to the back side (a second side opposed to the first side) along the Y-axis is a direction of insertion of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K, toner cartridges  29 Y,  29 M,  29 C,  29 K, intermediate transfer unit  9 , etc. 
         [0043]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , when inner cover  60  is opened, image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K contained in containment space  65  are exposed. Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , when image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C,  2 K and intermediate transfer unit  9  are removed, containment space  65 , which has opening  65 A, and guide members  70 Y,  70 M,  70 C,  70 K provided in containment space  65  are exposed. 
         [0044]    Containment space  65  and its opening  65 A have a rectangular shape elongated generally in the horizontal direction, and a bottom side thereof is inclined such that a right portion is lower than a left portion, in conformity with an inclination of an upper side of image exposure unit  5 . Guide members  70 Y,  70 M,  70 C, and  70 K for containment of image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 C, and  2 K, respectively, are provided at the bottom of containment space  65  so as to be positioned respectively lower in this order in a step-like manner. 
         [0045]    In the following description, where it is not necessary to distinguish between guide members  70 Y,  70 M,  70 C,  70 K, the guide members will be simply referred to as guide member(s)  70 . 
       &lt;Configuration of Guide Member&gt; 
       [0046]    Next, with reference to  FIGS. 6-10 , a configuration of guide member  70  will be explained.  FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of a guide member shown in  FIG. 5 ,  FIGS. 7A and 7B  are cross-sectional views taken along line VIIa-VIIa and line VIIb-VIIb respectively shown in  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 8  is a perspective view concretely showing an essential part of  FIG. 7 ,  FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing an image-forming unit and guide pins, and  FIG. 10  is a view showing a relationship between an image-forming unit and a guide member in a state where the image-forming unit has been inserted into the housing. 
         [0047]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , rectangular plate member  71  extending along the direction of insertion constitutes a main portion of guide member  70 , and a longer side of plate member  71  on the right is bent downward to form rib  72  extending in the longitudinal direction, while a longer side of plate member  71  on the left is curved upward to form raised portion  73  extending in the longitudinal direction and having an arcuate cross-section. Also, window  74  through which the laser beam emitted from image exposure unit  5  passes is formed along the longitudinal direction of plate member  71 . 
         [0048]    In a back end portion of plate member  71 , to securely engage with back frame  54 , engagement groove  75  extending along the X-axis direction and opening in the leftward direction and bent portion  76  that is bent downward (see  FIG. 7B ) are formed. On the other hand, in a front end portion of plate member  71 , bent portion  77  having screw insertion hole  77 A in its central part is formed. This bent portion  77  extends to an outer side of front frame  53  to engage with front frame  53 . Screw N inserted into screw insertion hole  77 A of bent portion  77  is screwed into screw hole  53 A formed in front frame  53 . Screw insertion hole  77 A and screw hole  53 A are formed to extend along the direction of insertion. Screw N has shaft portion N 2  formed with male threads, and head portion N 1  provided at one end of shaft portion N 2  and having a larger diameter than shaft portion N 2 . 
         [0049]    As shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7A , engagement groove  75  of guide member  70  engages with plate-shaped engagement portion  58 , which is formed in back frame  54  to extend in the X-axis direction. In this exemplary embodiment, bent portion  76  engaging with back frame  54  constitutes an attachment member, and a back portion of guide member  70  is attached to back frame  54  such that its movement is restricted in the X, Y, and Z-axis directions. 
         [0050]    On the other hand, bent portion  77  provided to guide member  70  on a side close to opening  65 A (i.e., on a front side in  FIG. 6 ) is constituted of one end portion of plate member  71  in a longitudinal direction that is bent to extend in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction. Bent portion  77  has screw insertion hole  77 A into which shaft portion N 2  of screw N is inserted. As shown in  FIG. 7A , bent portion  77  is attached to front frame  53  by screw N inserted into screw insertion hole  77 A. Thus, guide member  70  is attached to housing  51  at three positions; two in the back portion and one in the front portion. It is also to be noted that an operation for tightening screw N on the front side in a state that inner cover  60  is opened can be carried out more easily compared to an operation for tightening a screw on any other side. 
         [0051]    In the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 8 , shaft portion N 2  of screw N is inserted into screw insertion hole  77 A and screw hole  53 A in this order, with bent portion  77  being aligned with front frame  53 , and is screwed into screw hole  53 A such that head portion N 1  is spaced apart from bent portion  77  by distance d. Thus, a support structure in this exemplary embodiment is configured such that screw N is fixed with head portion N 1  being spaced apart from bent portion  77  by distance d. 
         [0052]    Further, guide member  70  is formed with round holes  78  adjacent to window  74 , and guide pins  79  protrude through these round holes  78 . The plural (three in this exemplary embodiment) guide pins  79  are arranged along the direction of insertion (in the Y-axis direction), and a distance between first guide pin  79  (from the front side) and second guide pin  79  is shorter than a distance between second guide pin  79  and third guide pine  79 . 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , bottom member  40  of image-forming unit  2  is provided with concave guide groove  41  extending in a direction of installment/removal of image-forming unit  2  (in the Y-axis direction). When image-forming unit  2  is installed, guide groove  41  is guided by guide pins  79  provided to housing  51 , whereby image-forming unit  2  can be installed and removed with respect to housing device  50  along the Y-axis. In a back end portion of guide groove  41 , diverging portions  42 ,  42  are formed to easily receive guide pins  79  when image-forming unit  2  is installed into housing device  50 . 
         [0054]    When image-forming unit  2  is inserted along the direction of insertion, bottom member  40  of image-forming unit  2  is moved along raised portion  73  of guide member  70  such that diverging portions  42 ,  42  of guide groove  41  receive guide pins  79  sequentially and guide groove  41  slidably engages with guide pins  79 . In this way, image-forming unit  2  is installed into containment space  65 . 
         [0055]    After the insertion of image-forming unit  2  into containment space  65 , when inner cover  60  is closed, one end of photosensitive drum  3  of image-forming unit  2  is supported by shaft-supporting part  61  of inner cover  60  and the other end of the same is supported by shaft-supporting part  55  of back frame  54 , such that image-forming unit  2  is supported to be spaced apart from guide member  70  by clearance S, as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0056]    The reason for the provision of clearance S is that if guide member  70  were in contact with image-forming unit  2 , a pressing force resulting from the contact could cause a casing or a shaft of image-forming unit  2  to be deformed. If varying deformations are caused to image-forming units  2 Y,  2 M,  2 M, and  2 K, misalignment of toner images transferred onto intermediate transfer belt  10  can result. Thus, clearance S contributes to avoiding problems that may occur as a result of contact between guide member  70  and image-forming unit  2 . 
       Operation of the Exemplary Embodiment 
       [0057]    In image-forming apparatus  1  according to the exemplary embodiment, when image-forming apparatus  1  is placed on a non-horizontal surface, deformation may be caused to housing device  50  such that distance L between front frame  53  and back frame  54  is decreased. Also, when deformation is caused to housing device  50  due to an external impact or vibration, distance L between front frame  53  and back frame  54  can decrease. In such cases, if the ends of the guide member were fixed to frames  53  and  54  by means of screws or the like, the guide member could warp inwardly to contact image-forming unit  2 . 
         [0058]    To avoid such a problem, in the present exemplary embodiment, distance d is provided between head portion N 1  of screw N and bent portion  77  as shown in  FIG. 7A . Therefore, even if distance L between frames  53 ,  54  decreases and front frame  53  moves in a direction indicated by arrow C, shaft portion N 2  slides in screw insertion hole  77 A to absorb the effect of deformation of housing  51 , thereby preventing warp of guide member  70 . Thus, problems such as misalignment of toner images caused by contact between guide member  70  and image-forming unit  2  are less likely to occur. 
       Modified Embodiments 
       [0059]    The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned exemplary embodiment, and support structures as described in the following modified embodiments may be utilized. 
         [0000]    &lt;2-1&gt; 
         [0060]    In the exemplary embodiment, head portion N 1  of screw N is spaced apart from bent portion  77  to create distance d. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and configurations as shown in  FIGS. 11A ,  11 B,  12 A, and  12 B may be used. 
         [0061]    In a support structure shown in  FIG. 11A , boss portion  53 B is formed to protrude outwardly from a portion of front frame  53  surrounding screw hole  53 A, and boss insertion hole  77 B is formed in bent portion  77  of guide member  70 . These boss portion  53 B and boss insertion hole  77 B are formed to extend along the direction of insertion. 
         [0062]    In a support structure shown in  FIG. 11B , screw hole  53 C having a bottom is formed in front frame  53 , and screw insertion hole  77 A is formed in bent portion  77  of guide member  70 . This screw hole  53 C and screw insertion hole  77 A are formed along the direction of insertion. 
         [0063]    The support structures shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B  operate in a similar manner and exert similar effects to those of the support structure shown in the exemplary embodiment. Further, screw N is fixed with head portion N 1  being in contact with an end of boss portion  53 B in the support structure shown in  FIG. 11A , and screw N is fixed with an end of shaft portion N 2  being in contact with a bottom of screw hole  53 C in the support structure shown in  FIG. 11B , and thus loosening of screw N is less likely to occur than in the exemplary embodiment. 
         [0064]    In a support structure shown in  FIG. 12A , insertion hole  53 D extending along the direction of insertion is formed in front frame  53 , and engagement protrusion  77 B extending along the direction of insertion and inserted into insertion hole  53 D is formed at an end of bent portion  77  of guide member  70 . 
         [0065]    In a support structure shown in  FIG. 12B , engagement protrusion  53 E extending outwardly along the direction of insertion is formed on front frame  53 , and insertion hole  77 C extending along the direction of insertion to receive engagement protrusion  53 E is formed in bent portion  77  of guide member  70 . 
         [0066]    In the support structures shown in  FIGS. 12A and 12B , when distance L between frames  53  and  54  decreases and front frame  53  moves in the direction indicated by arrow C, the influence is absorbed by the support structures and thus warp of guide member  70  is prevented. Further, because screw N is not used, unlike the support structure shown in the exemplary embodiment or shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , a number of components included is less than the number used in the exemplary embodiment. 
         [0067]    Any other support structure having a different configuration from those described in the foregoing may be adopted, so long as the support structure can prevent an influence of a decrease in the distance between frames  53  and  54  and movement of front frame  53  in the direction indicated by arrow C from being transmitted to guide member  70 . 
         [0000]    &lt;2-2&gt; 
         [0068]    In the exemplary embodiment, image-forming unit  2  is illustrated as an object. However, the object may be another unit. 
         [0000]    &lt;2-3&gt; 
         [0069]    In the exemplary embodiment, housing device  50  is used to constitute image-forming apparatus  1 . However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and may be applied to any other apparatus. 
         [0070]    The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6