Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6134418?ie=ISO-8859-1
Timestamp: 2014-07-13 15:16:10
Document Index: 246063434

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 188', 'art 188', 'art 190', 'arts 211', 'art 212', 'art 212']

Patent US6134418 - Image forming apparatus having a casing mounted to the apparatus at an upper ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsAn image forming apparatus of the type having a sheet discharging section provided in an upper portion of a body of the apparatus, a stacking section for stacking a sheet driven out via the sheet discharging section, and a casing accommodating a sheet conveying mechanism. An inclined surface is formed...http://www.google.com/patents/US6134418?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6134418 - Image forming apparatus having a casing mounted to the apparatus at an upper portion of a stacking deviceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6134418 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/353,834Publication dateOct 17, 2000Filing dateJul 15, 1999Priority dateMar 11, 1996Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1093273C, CN1167284A, US6112047, US6263185Publication number09353834, 353834, US 6134418 A, US 6134418A, US-A-6134418, US6134418 A, US6134418AInventorsYasuhisa Kato, Hidenobu Endo, Masaaki Yoshikawa, Motokazu YasuiOriginal AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (14), Referenced by (31), Classifications (17), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetImage forming apparatus having a casing mounted to the apparatus at an upper portion of a stacking deviceUS 6134418 AAbstract An image forming apparatus of the type having a sheet discharging section provided in an upper portion of a body of the apparatus, a stacking section for stacking a sheet driven out via the sheet discharging section, and a casing accommodating a sheet conveying mechanism. An inclined surface is formed on top of the stacking section and inclines obliquely downward toward the sheet discharge section. A guide on the bottom of the casing is used for sliding against the inclined surface when the casing is mounted to the body of the apparatus.
What is claimed is: 1. An image forming apparatus with a finisher mounted on a side thereof, comprising:a sheet discharge section provided in an upper portion of a body of said apparatus: a stack section for stacking a sheet driven out via said sheet discharge section: a casing accommodating a sheet conveying mechanism, and provided in an upper portion of said stack section, and mounted to said body of said apparatus; an inclined surface formed on a top of said stack section and inclined obliquely downward toward said sheet discharge section; and a guide surface formed on a bottom of said casing and slidable on said inclined surface when said casing is mounted to said body of said apparatus. 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:a first set of ribs formed on said inclined surface and extending in a direction in which sheets are discharged from said sheet discharge section, said first set of ribs being engageable with said guide surface. 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said guide surface comprises:an engaging portion engageable with said first set of ribs. 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said engaging portion comprises:a second set of ribs engageable with said first set of ribs formed on said inclined surface. 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first set of ribs is configured to mate with said second set of ribs.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
11. An image forming apparatus with a finisher mounted on a side thereof, comprising:sheet discharge means for discharging sheets, provided in an upper portion of a body of said apparatus; stack means for stacking a sheet driven out via said sheet discharge means; a casing accommodating a sheet conveying mechanism, said casing being provided in an upper portion of said stack means and mounted to said body of said apparatus; an inclined surface formed on a top of said stack means and inclined obliquely downward toward said sheet discharge means; and guide surface means formed on a bottom of said casing, for sliding against said inclined surface when said casing is mounted to said body of said apparatus. 12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:first rib means for engaging said guide surface means, formed on said inclined surface and extending in a direction in which sheets are discharged from said sheet discharge means. 13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said guide surface means comprises:engagement means for engaging said first rib means. 14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said engagement means comprises:second ribs means for engaging said first rib means formed on said inclined surface. 15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first ribs means includes means for mating with said second rib means.
16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said inclined surface is convex.
This application is a Division of application Ser. No. 08/814,464 Filed on Mar. 10, 1997.
A multifunction image forming apparatus selectively operable as, e.g., a copier, printer or facsimile apparatus is extensively used today. This kind of apparatus has customarily been provided with a constriction based on a copier. Therefore, to use the apparatus as a printer, peripherals for use with the apparatus have each been provided with a mechanism for turning over sheets sequentially output in the order of page. However, the remarkable spread of personal computers is substituting a printer-based configuration for the traditional copier-based configuration. An image forming apparatus eased on a printer is so constructed as to discharge a sheet carrying an image thereon via a sheet discharge section face down by way of a substantially vertically extending sheet transport path. Specifically, the printer-based apparatus has a sheet feed section and the sheet discharge section below and above an image forming section, respectively. The sheet transport path extends substantially vertically from the sheet feed section to the sheet discharge section. While a sheet is conveyed along such a transport path, a toner image is transferred to the sheet. The sheet with the toner image is driven out of the apparatus face down via the sheet discharge section. The substantially vertical transport path is far shorter than the conventional sheet transport path, noticeably reducing the interval between the sheet feed and the sheet discharge. In addition, this path can be almost fully exposed to the outside only if one side of the apparatus is opened, insuring sheet transport and promoting easy removal of a jamming sheet.
However, some problems arise when a sorter, sorter/stapler, mail box or similar finisher is mounted to the apparatus having the substantially vertical transport path. The apparatus has a sheet outlet in its upper portion. Therefore, when a mail box, for example, is mounted to the apparatus, it increases the overall height of the apparatus, and therefore raises the level of a scanner and that of an operation panel, obstructing easy operation. Moreover, mounting a mail box having a number of trays is impractical because the overall height of the apparatus is naturally limited in relation to maneuverability. In addition, the apparatus needs a mechanical strength great enough to bear the weight of the mail box, resulting in an increase in cost.
There is an increasing demand for an image forming apparatus with a substantially vertical sheet transport path and allowing a plurality of finishers mounted thereto at the same time. However, it is difficult for a plurality of finishers to coexist on a single image forming apparatus. For example, mounting a mail box on the top of the apparatus while mounting a sorter/stapler on the side of the same is not easy. In light of the above, a relay unit having its own sheet transport path and sheet conveying function may be located at the upper portion of the apparatus. The relay unit connects the sheet discharge section to, e.g., a sorter/stapler mounted on the side of the apparatus which does not interfere with, e.g., a mail box mounted on the top of the apparatus. The conveying function as well as a path selecting function available with the relay unit allows the sorter/stapler and mail box to exist together on a single apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus making the most of the advantages of a substantially vertical sheet transport path, and allowing a plurality of finishers to be mounted thereto at the same time.
Moreover, in accordance with the present invention, an image forming apparatus for conveying a sheet substantially vertically from a sheet feed section positioned below an image forming section to a sheet discharge section positioned above the image forming section to thereby form an image on the sheet, and stacking, when the sheet is discharged by usual sheet discharge, the sheet on the top of the apparatus includes a sheet receiving unit located above the sheet discharge section and including at least one tray forming a bin. A relay unit is provided in the upper portion, of the apparatus for conveying the sheet driven out via the sheet discharge section to a finisher for finishing the sheet. A usual sheet feed section is constructed integrally with the upper portion of the relay unit for discharging the sheet. A discharge cover is included in the usual sheet discharge section and rotatable in the up-and-down direction. The lowest tray of the sheet receiving unit is constructed integrally with the discharge cover.
FIG. 30 is a side elevation demonstrating how the ninth embodiment conveys a sheet to a stick section included in a relay unit;
FIG. 34 is a side elevation showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention:
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS To better understand the present invention, brief reference will be made to a conventional image forming apparatus including a substantially vertically extending sheet transport path, shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the apparatus, generally 10, includes a body 10A. A sheet feed section 14 and a sheet discharge section 16 are respectively positioned below and above an image forming section 12 in the direction of height of the apparatus body 10A. A sheet transport path SP extends substantially vertically from the sheet feed section 14 to the sheet discharge section 16. The sheet feed section 14 has a tray 18 and a group of feed rollers 20. A sheet S is fed from the tray 18 to a registration roller pair 22 by the feed rollers 20 and conveyor rollers arranged alone the sheet transport path SP. A writing unit 24 forms a toner image on a photoconductive drum 26 in accordance with image data output from a scanner or a personal computer, not shown. The registration roller pair 22 drives the sheet S toward an image transfer position 28 in synchronism with the movement of the toner image carried on the drum 26. At the transfer position 28, the toner image is transferred from the drum 26 to the sheet S. The sheet S with the toner image is conveyed to a fixing unit 30. After the toner image has been fixed on the sheet S by the fixing unit 30, the sheet S is brought to the sheet discharge section 16 and driven out to the top 10a of the apparatus body 10A thereby.
The sheet transport path SP is extremely short and reduces the interval between the feed of the sheet S and the discharge of the same while enhancing efficient sheet transport. In addition, the path SP can be almost fully exposed to the outside only if one side 10b of the apparatus body 10A is opened, promoting extremely easy removal of a jamming sheet.
However, it is not easy with this kind of apparatus 10 to mount, e.g., a mail box to the top 10a or to mount a sorter/stapler or similar finisher to the side, as stated earlier. This will be described with reference to FIG. 2 specifically. As shown, assume that a mail box 32 having, e.g., four bins is mounted to the top 10a in a general configuration. Then, the overall height of the system increases. Particularly, when a scanner is mounted in the upper portion of the apparatus 10, the operation surface of the scanner will be located at an extremely high level, rendering the operation difficult. Further, the increase in height of the apparatus naturally limits the number of bins available with the mail box 32 as well as the number of sheets which can be stacked. As a result, only a simple finisher with limited functions is applicable to the apparatus 10.
In a duplex copy mode for forming images on both sides of a sheet, the sheet S carrying the toner image on side side thereof, as stated above, is turned, or switched back, in a direction SB by way of the top 10a of the apparatus body 10A. Then, the sheet S is routed through a duplex copy path 36 which joins the path SP at a position upstream of the registration roller pair 22. In FIG. 2, the reference numeral 38 designates a manual feed unit for allowing the operator to feed sheets by hand.
1st Embodiment Referring to FIG. 3, an image forming apparatus embodying the present invention is shown and generally designated by the reference numeral 40. As shown, the apparatus 40 has a body 40A accommodating a sheet feed section 44 and a sheet discharge section 46 below and above an image forming section 42, respectively. A sheet transport path SP1 extends substantially vertically from the sheet feed section 44 to the sheet discharge section 46. Major process units of the apparatus 42, as well as the sheet feed section 14, are built in the apparatus body 40A. The sheet transport path SP1 is almost fully exposed to the outside only if one side 40b of the apparatus 40 is opened.
A duplex copy unit 48 is mounted on the apparatus body 40A in the vicinity of the sheet transport path SP1. A sorter 50 having trays or bins 50 is mounted on the apparatus body 40A at the opposite side to the path SP1. The sorter 50 is a specific form of sheet discharging means or finishing means. A relay unit, or sheet discharging means, 52 is mounted on the top 40a of the apparatus body 40A and extends substantially parallel to the top 40a. The relay unit 52 communicates a sheet discharge section 46 having a sheet outlet 46a to the sorter 50. A manual feed unit 54 is positioned below the duplex copy unit 48.
The duplex copy unit 48, sorter 50 and manual feed unit 54 are distributed to both sides of the apparatus 40, as stated above. This allows the top 40a of the apparatus body 40A to be effectively used without obstructing the removal of a jamming sheet from the duplex copy unit 48 or the duplex copying operation.
As FIG. 3 indicates, the major constituents of the apparatus 40 concentrate at one side due to the substantially vertical transport path SP1. Therefore, the central part of the apparatus 40, i.e., the space below the top 40a is broad. For this reason, in the illustrative embodiment, the top 40a is positioned at a level lower than a preselected level, i.e., the level of a conventional apparatus having major units arranged around its center, while maintaining the discharge section 46 at the conventional level. The relay unit 52 is arranged in a recess 56 between the discharge section 46 and the top 40a. The top of the relay unit 52 is flush with the top of the discharge section 46, i.e., the top of the apparatus 40. The sheet outlet 46a is substantially aligned with a sheet transport path SP2 defined in the relay unit 52.
As stated above, the relay unit 52 can be arranged while maintaining the discharge section 46 at the conventional level, i.e., without increasing the overall height of the apparatus 40. Because the sheet outlet 46a is substantially aligned with the path SP2 of the relay unit 52, the sheet transport distance is minimized.
In a duplex copy mode, the sheet S carrying the toner image on one side thereof is switched back by use of the upper portion of the apparatus body 40A, i.e., the internal structure of the relay unit 52. Then, the sheet S is routed through a duplex copy path 72 joining in the path SP1 at a position upstream of the registration roller pair 62. A sheet fed from the manual feed unit 54 is brought to the path SP1 by a group of rollers 74. The path SP1 of the relay unit 52 is an extension of the path SP1. Conveying means including conveyor rollers 76 is arranged in the relay unit 52. In this sense, the path SP2 is equivalent to the path P1 as to function. The sheet S coming out of the fixing unit 70 is transferred to the sorter 50 by way of the discharge section 46 and relay unit 52.
The relay unit 52 makes it needless to add the sorter 50 or similar finishing device in the direction of height of the apparatus body 40A, promoting the free layout of the finisher. This prevents easy operation from being obstructed by the increase in the height of the apparatus, and obviates the limitations on the number of bins and tie number of sheets to be stacked.
2nd Embodiment FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same or similar structural elements as or to the elements of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description will not be made in order to avoid redundancy. As shown, the second embodiment includes a relay unit 82 having at least one tray, four trays 88a-88d by way of example. Discharge rollers 86a-86d and path selectors 88a-88d are respectively associated with the he trays 83a-84d. With this configuration, the relay unit 82 plays the role of a mail box, sorter, or similar unit for sorting or stacking sheets. The trays 84a-84d may be used in combination with the sorter 50 for sorting or stacking sheets sequentially transferred from the sheet discharge section 46.
As shown in FIG. 5, a tray 90 may be positioned downstream of the relay unit 82 with respect to the direction of sheet transport so as to operate in combination with the trays 84a-84d.
As stated above, the relay unit 82 extending substantially parallel to the top of the apparatus body, labeled 80A, is capable of serving as finishing means alone. Therefore, even when the number of trays is increases, the increase of the height of the apparatus remains constant and is minimized. Further, the relay unit or finishing means 82 can coexist with another or other finishers without increasing the height of the apparatus. In addition, the usual sheet discharge and the sheet discharge to the finisher share a single path, so that the path is simple.
In the embodiment, sheets are usually driven out to the most upstream tray, i.e., tray 84a in order to prevent the advantages of the substantially vertically path from being lessened.
Assume that the first or the second embodiment switches back the sheet within the relay unit 52 or 82 in the duplex copy mode. Then, the entire conveying means arranged in the relay unit 52 or 82 must be provided with a reversible rotating function. Such an arrangement would increase the cost and deteriorate reliability of transport. In light of this, as shown in FIG. 6, path selecting means 92 may be positioned just after the sheet discharge section 46 while another switch-back path may be defined in the relay unit 82. In FIG. 6, the top 80a of the apparatus body 80A bifunctions as a tray and a switchback path SB at the same time. This eliminates the need for an additional switch-back path which would complicate the construction.
(1) A relay unit is mounted on the top of an apparatus and arranged in the horizontal direction, allowing finisher or the like to be added to the side of the apparatus. The finisher can be added without lessening the advantages of a substantially vertical sheet transport path, e.g., easy removal of a jamming sheet.
3rd Embodiment Reference will be made to FIGS. 7-10 for describing a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, an image forming apparatus 100 includes a body 100A accommodating an image forming section 106. The image forming section 106 includes a photoconductive drum 105. A sheet feed section 108 is positioned below the section 106 while a fixing section 109 and a sheet discharge section 110 are positioned above the section 106. A writing unit and other conventional units are not shown because they are not relevant to the understanding of this embodiment. A mail box or sheet receiving means is mounted on the top of the sheet discharge section 110 and has one or more trays. A sorter, sorter/stapler or similar finisher 114 is mounted on one side of the apparatus body 100A in order to deal with sheets coming out of the body 100A. A relay unit 116 is also mounted on the top of the apparatus body 100A and communicates the sheet feed section 110 and finisher 114. A usual sheet discharge section 118 is formed integrally with the relay unit 116. The relay unit 116 plays the role of a single bin or tray and has its own sheet transport path and conveying function arranged thereinside. The sheet feed section 108 has a plurality of cassettes 108a-108d each storing a stack of sheets 20 of particular size.
In the illustrative embodiments, the mail box 112 has at least four bins or trays 130a-130d. At least the tray 130 closest to the relay unit 116 is mounted on the body, not shown, of the mail box 112 in such a manner as to be rotatable up and down (direction E). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the tray 130a has a shaft 132 journalled to brackets 134 included in the body of the mail box 112. A stop 136 is affixed to one side of the tray 130a adjacent to the shaft 132. When the stop 136 abuts against the bracket 134 adjacent thereto, it limits the downward movement of the tray 130a (lower limit).
As shown in FIG. 7, the transport cover 138 mentioned earlier is rotatable up and down about a shaft 140. When the cover 138 is rotated upward, the path SPc is exposed to the outside and facilitates the removal of a jamming sheet. At the same time, the cover 138 plays the role of a tray associated with the usual sheet discharge section 118. An auxiliary tray 142 is contiguous with the outermost end of the cover 138. A discharge cover 144 rotatable up and (down about a shaft 146 is included in the usual discharge section 118. By raising the discharge cover 144, it is possible to uncover the path SPa in order to remove a jamming sheet.
In the embodiment, the mail box or sheet receiving means 112 having one or more trays is mounted on the top of the apparatus body 100A. In this case, to reduce the overall height of the apparatus as far as possible (for easy operation). it is necessary to reduce the space between the top of the apparatus body 100A, i.e.. relay unit 116 and the bottom tray 130a of the mail box 112 as far as possible. When the cover 138 of the relay unit 116 is raised or opened, it tray 130a interferes with the cover 138.
However, because the tray 130a is rotatable up and down, the cover 138 abutting against the tray 130a cause the tray 130a to rotate upward (retract), as shown in FIG. 9. Consequently, the cover 138 can be sufficiently raised and provides a space broad enough to promote easy removal of a jamming sheet. After the jam processing, only if the cover 138 is lowered, the tray 130a is automatically lowered to its preselected position due to its own weight. If the retraction of the tray 130a does not suffice, the tray 103b overlying the tray 130a may also be rotatably supported.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the discharge cover 144 of the usual sheet discharge section 118 is opened for removing a jamming sheet, the tray 130a is also raised to form a sufficient working space.
4th Embodiment FIGS. 11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same or similar structural elements as or to the elements of the third embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will not be described in order to avoid redundancy. As shown, an image forming apparatus 200 is characterized in that the tray 130a is rotatable in synchronism with the transport cover 138. Specifically, the shaft 132 of the tray 130a has one end thereof removed, as at 132a. A toothed pulley 148 has a hole 148a identical in cross-section as the removed portion 132a of the shaft 132, and is affixed to the removed portion 132a. Likewise, a toothed pulley 148 is affixed to a removed portion 140a included in the shaft 140 of the transport cover 138. A timing belt 150 having a toothed inner periphery is passed over the toothed pulleys 148. The trays other than the tray 130a are freely rotatable, as in the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 12, when the cover 138 of the relay unit 116 is opened, the tray 130a is also rotated upward via the timing belt 150. As a result, a sufficient working space is available above the cover transport 138, facilitating the removal of a jamming sheet. In addition, because the tray 130a does not abut against the cover 138, it is not necessary for the operator to raise the tray 130a.
If desired, the discharge cover 144 and tray 130 may be interlocked in the same manner as he transport cover 138 and tray 130a. Alternatively an arrangement may be made such that when one of the covers 138 and 144 is opened, the tray 130a rotates in interlocked relation thereto. The toothed pulleys 148 and timing belt 150 may be replaced with a gear and rack device, linkage, etc.
5th Embodiment Reference will be made to FIGS. 13-17 for describing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same or similar structural elements as or to the elements of the third and fourth embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will not be made in order to avoid redundancy. As shown in FIG. 13, an image forming apparatus 300 includes a movable relay unit 152 mounted on the top thereof. The usual sheet discharge section 118 is formed integrally with the tray unit 152. A scanner or image reading device 156 is mounted on the apparatus 300 above the relay unit 152 by a frame 154. The space between the relay unit 152 and the scanner 156 is reduced as far as possible in order to prevent the operation surface of the scanner 156 from being increased in level.
FIG. 14 shows another image forming apparatus 301 also representative of the illustrative embodiment. As shown, a relay unit 158 having the usual sheet discharge section 118 integrally therewith is mounted on the top of the apparatus 301. The mail box 112 having four bins or trays is positioned above the sheet discharge section 110. In this embodiment, the tray 130a is not rotatable.
As shown in FIG. 15, the movable relay unit 152 or 158 (partly omitted) is slidably supported by guide rails 160 and 162. The guide rail 160 is affixed to the bottom of a recess 104b located at the top of an apparatus body 300A or 301A while the guide rail 162 is affixed to one side wall of the recess 104b. The operator may pull the relay unit 152 or 158 toward the operator, gripping a handle 164. When the relay unit 152 or 158 is pushed to a preselected mounting position. rollers 166 built in the apparatus body 300A or 301A and rollers 168 built in the usual discharge section 118 face each other. In this condition, the sheet S is driven out onto the transport over 138. The covers 138 and 144 are constructed in the same manner as in the previous embodiments.
6th Embodiment FIGS. 18-21 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same or similar structural elements as or to the elements of the previous embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will not be made in order to avoid redundancy. As shown, an image forming apparatus 400 includes a body 400A accommodating a relay unit 170 at the center thereof. A scanner or image reading device 156 is mounted on the apparatus body 400A above the relay unit 170 via spacers 172 and 174.
The transport cover 182 is divided into two cover parts 188 and 190 in the direction of sheet transport. The cover part 188 adjacent to the usual discharge section 176 has its rear end in the direction of sheet transport supported by a shaft 191, and is rotatable up and down about the shaft 191. The other cover part 190 adjacent to the finisher 114 has its front end in the above direction supported by a shaft 192, and is also rotatable up and down about the shaft 197. The upper surface of the transport cover 182 is used to stack sheets in the usual sheet discharge mode.
The usual discharge section 176 has a discharge roller pair 194, a discharge cover 195 carrying the upper roller of the roller pair 194 therewith, a guide 197 forming a sheet discharge path 196 between it and the discharge cover 195, and a solenoid or drive means 198 for driving the path selector 177. The cover 195 is supported by a shaft 193 at its side remote from the transfer section 178 and rotatable up and down. The solenoid 198 is affixed to the cover discharge 195.
As shown in FIG. 19, the path selector 177 has a shaft 177a with which an arm 201 is formed integrally. One end 201a of the arm 201 is engaged with a plunger 198a extending from the solenoid 198. A spring 202 is anchored to the other end 201b of the arm 201. In this condition, the path selector 177 is constantly biased toward a position where it steers sheets toward the finisher 114, as indicated by a solid line. In the usual sheet discharge mode, the solenoid 198 is turned on to switch the path selector 177 to a position indicated by a dash-and-dots line.
The opening/closing structure of the cover 195 included in the usual sheet discharge section 176 stems from the fact that sheet jams are likely to occur at tie transfer section 178.
As shown in FIG. 21, when a am occurs during usual sheet discharge, the discharge cover 195 is rotated upward so as to substantially fully uncover the path 196 and transfer section 178. Should the fulcrum about which the cover 195 is rotatable be located at the transfer section 178 side, it would be difficult to remove a sheet jamming the transfer section 178. In this embodiment, the transfer section 178 can be fully uncovered, facilitating jam processing.
7th Embodiment FIGS. 22-24 show a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same or similar structural elements as or to the elements of the previous embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 22, an image forming apparatus 500 includes a body 500A. A relay unit 205 is mounted on the top of the apparatus body 500A. The scanner 156 is mounted on the apparatus body 500A above the relay unit 205 via the spacers 172 and 174. The relay unit 205 includes a usual sheet discharge section 206 having a discharge cover 207. The discharge cover 207 is rotatable about a fulcrum located at the transfer section 178 side, as in the above embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 23, when the sheet S jams the path 180, one or both of the cover parts 211 and 213 are rotated upward in order to partly uncover the path 180. Even if the sheet S stops below the intermediate fixed cover part 212, it can be easily removed because its leading edge or trailing edge protrudes from the cover part 212.
8th Embodiment Referring to FIGS. 25-27, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the same or similar structural elements as or to the elements of the previous embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 25, an image forming apparatus 500 includes a body 600A on which a relay unit 220 is mounted. The scanner 156 is mounted on the apparatus body 600A above the relay unit 220 via a spacer 172 and a one-bin device 221. The one-bin device, or sheet receiving means. 221 is positioned above the sheet feed section 110 and has one or more bins. A usual sheet discharge section 222 is constructed integrally with a part of the relay unit 220 positioned above the sheet discharge section 110. The usual sheet discharge section 222 includes a discharge cover 223 rotatable up and down. Specifically, the discharge cover 223 has its end remote from the transfer section rotatably supported by a shaft 193, as in the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 18.
The one-bin device 221 has a body 224 and a bin or tray 225. A sheet transport path 226 is formed in the body 224 and communicated to the path 110a extending upward from the sheet feed section 110. A conveyor roller pair 227 and a discharge roller pair 228 are mounted on the body 224. In the illustrative embodiment, the tray 225 of the one-bin device 221 directly serves as the lowermost tray. However, when a mail box having a plurality of trays is mounted on the apparatus body 600A, its lowermost tray will be affixed to the discharge cover 223.
Stub shafts 233 protrude from the opposite ends of the tray bracket 232 while holes 234 are formed in the rear end of the movable portion 230 with respect to the direction of discharge. After the holes 234 have been engaged with the stub shafts 233, the bracket 231 is stopped by a stop ring 235. In this condition, the movable portion 230 is rotatable up and down relative to the discharge cover 223 while being prevented from slipping out. A leg 236 extends downward from the bottom of one side of the movable portion 230. The leg 236 slides on a channel or rail 237 formed on the top of the apparatus. When the movable portion 230 moves substantially horizontally, the leg 236 serves to maintain the position of the portion 230.
The ratio between the stationary portion 229 and the movable portion 230 with respect to the length in the direction of sheet discharge is selected such that when the discharge cover 223 is opened, the sheet remains on the portion 230 due to friction derived from its own weight. Therefore, the sheet remains on the movable portion 230 without fail during movement of the portion 230.
As shown in FIG. 25, the apparatus 600 has three different sheet outlets, i.e., an output A for discharging the sheet to the tray 125, an outlet B for discharging it the top of the relay unit 220, and an outlet C for discharging it to the tray 114a of the finisher 114. Therefore, when the apparatus 600 is implemented as a multifunction machine having the functions of a copier, facsimile apparatus and printer, the three outlets A-C can be selectively used. This surely prevents sheets output by one function from being mixed with sheets output by another function.
(3) The relay unit can be pulled cut toward the operator. This prevents the relay unit from interfering with a scanner or a mail box mounted on the apparatus, and guarantees a sufficient space for jam processing. Further, the distance between the scanner, mail box or the like and the relay unit can be reduced as far as possible, preventing the height of the apparatus from increasing.
9th Embodiment Referring to FIGS. 28-33, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 28, an image forming apparatus 700 includes a body 700A accommodating an image forming section 302. A sheet feed section 304 and a sheet discharge section 306 are located below and above the image forming section 302, respectively. A scanner 312 is mounted on the apparatus body 700A above the sheet discharge section 306 via spacers 308 and 310. A sorter, sorter/stapler or similar finisher 314 is mounted on one side of the apparatus body 700A and includes a stack portion 314a. A relay unit 316 is mounted on the top of the apparatus body 700A and has its own sheet transport path and conveying function arranged along the top of the apparatus body 700A. The sheet feed section 308 includes a plurality of cassettes 318 and 320 respectively loaded with sheets S1 and S2 of, e.g., different sizes. The transport path SP extends substantially vertically from the sheet feed section 304 to the sheet discharge section 306 via the image forming section 302.
The scanner 312 includes a glass platen 350 for laying a document thereon. A cover plate 352 presses the document against the glass platen 350 and has a white pressing surface. A lamp 354 illuminates the document laid on the glass platen 350. The resulting reflection from the document is reflected by a mirror 356. A pair of mirrors 358a and 358b are movable at one half of the speed of the mirror 356. A lens 360 and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor 362 are also arranged in the scanner 312.
The major process units of the image forming section 302, the sheet feed section 304 and the sheet discharge section 306 are accommodated in the apparatus body 700A. The substantially vertical sheet path SP is almost fully exposed to the outside only if a side wall 700a forming part of the apparatus body 700A is opened. This promotes easy removal of a sheet jamming the path SP.
The finisher 368 includes a sheet path SPb connecting the discharge section 306 and finisher 314, roller pairs 378 and 380, an outlet roller pair 382 located downstream of the roller pair 380 for discharging the sheet to the finisher 314, and a sheet sensor 384 intervening between the roller pairs 378 and 380. Another full-stack sensor 384 is associated with the stack portion 304a of the finisher 314. The path selector 370 consists of a switching member 370a and a solenoid 370b (see FIG. 29) for driving it.
The controller 372 is implemented as a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 29, the outputs of various sensors including the sheet discharge sensor 348 and full-stack sensors 374 and 384 are input to the controller 372. In response, the controller 372 selectively turns on or turns off the solenoid 370b. An operation panel 386 is also connected to the controller 372 and allows processing using the finisher 314 to be input thereon.
In operation, the main charger 26 charges the surface of the drum 322 uniformly. The writing unit 324 scans the charged surface of the drum 322 with a laser beam in accordance with the image data output from the scanner 312 or from a personal computer, thereby forming a latent image on the drum 322. After the eraser has erased the charge of the non-image area of the drum 322, the developing unit 328 develops the latent image with charged toner so as to produce a corresponding toner image. The sheet S1, for example, is fed from the cassette 318 by the pick-up roller 336, separated from the others by the separator roller pair 338, and fed into the sheet path SP. The registration roller pair 342 drives the sheet S1 toward the image transfer device 330 such that the leading edge of the sheet meets that of the toner image of the drum 322 at the nip between the drum 322 and a belt included in the device 330. The sheet S1 carrying the toner image thereon is brought to the fixing unit 334 to have the toner image fixed thereby, as mentioned earlier.
Assume that a mode not needing the finisher 314 is selected. Then, as shown in FIG. 30, the controller 372 turns on the solenoid 370b in order to move the switching member 370 to its lowered position. As a result, only the sheet path SPa of the conveying device 366 it unblocked. In this condition, the sheet S1 driven out via the discharge section 306 is conveyed by the conveying device 366 to the stack section 364. Let this sheet discharge be referred to as usual discharge.
On the other hand, assume that a mode needing the finisher 314, e.g., a staple mode is selected. Then, as shown in FIG. 31, the controller 372 does not turn on the solenoid 370 and thereby maintains only the sheet path SPb terminating at the finisher 368 open. As a result, the sheet S1 come out of the discharge section 306 is conveyed by the conveying device 368 to the finisher 314. The sheet S1 is subjected to stapling or similar job in the finisher 314, and then driven out to the stack section 304a, although not shown specifically.
Of course, the sheet S1 may be discharged to the stack section 304a of the finisher 314 by the usual discharge. However, in the illustrative embodiment, the sheet S1 is delivered to the stack section 364 in order to reduce the so-called first copy time, so long as finishing is not necessary.
Why the solenoid 370b is held in its OFF state for maintaining the conveying device 368 assigned to the finisher 314 unblocked is as follows. Generally, a greater number of sheets are stacked on the finisher than on the stack section 364, so that continuous sheet feed occurs over a long period of time. In light of this, the embodiment reduces the duty of the solenoid 370b so as to reduce the size and cost of the solenoid 370b.
The finisher 314 has a stapling function thereinside, although not shown.
The relation between the stacking function and the full-stack sensor 374 will be described hereinafter. Assume that the mode not needing the finisher 314 is selected, and that a job exceeding the number of sheets which can be stacked on the stack section 364 of the relay unit 316 is executed. Then, as shown in FIG. 32, the controller 372 turns off the solenoid 370b in response to the output of tie full-stack sensor 374. As a result, the conveying device 368 assigned to the finisher 314 is selected. Therefore, images can be continuously formed on the number of sheets available with the relay unit 316 and the number of sheets available with the finisher 314. When the stack section 304a of the finisher 314 is full, as determined by the full-stack sensor 384, the above switching operation may not be effected.
FIG. 33 is a flowchart demonstrating the above operation of the controller 372. As shown, the controller 372 turns on the solenoid 370b in response to the output of the sheet discharge sensor 348 located at the downstream end of the sheet path SP.
10th Embodiment FIGS. 34-37 show a tenth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 34, an image forming apparatus 800 has a sorter, sorter/stapler or similar finisher 402 mounted on one side thereof. The apparatus 800 includes a body 800A accommodating a plurality of trays 404 loaded with a stack of sheets each, an image forming section 406 for forming a toner image and transferring it to the sheet S fed from any one of the trays 404, and a fixing unit 408 for fixing the toner image on the sheet S, and so forth. A sheet discharge section 410 for discharging the sheet S and a stack section 412 for stacking the sheet S are located in the upper portion of the apparatus body 800A. When the finisher 402 is not used, the sheet S driven out via the discharge section 410 is delivered to the stack section 412.
To mount the casing 420 to the apparatus body 800A, the casing 420 is put on the stack section 412 with its rear face A, FIG. 35, contacting the rear face B, FIG. 35, of the apparatus body 800A. At this instant, the ribs 428 of the casing 420 and the ribs 424 of the stack section 412 mate with each other with their side faces contacting each other. Subsequently, the casing 420 is moved toward the discharge section 410 along the inclined surface 422. After the positioning pins 430 have been received in the holes 432, the casing 420 is fastened to the apparatus body 800A by the screw 434, as shown in FIG. 37.
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