Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8194255?dq=5,687,325
Timestamp: 2015-05-29 05:37:15
Document Index: 277812470

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 91', 'art 95', 'art 95', 'arts 91', 'art 58', 'art 58', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'art 58', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'art 58', 'art 58', 'art 58', 'art 58', 'arts 91', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'arts 91', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'arts 91', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'arts 91', 'art 139', 'art 139', 'art 139']

Patent US8194255 - Image forming apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsAn image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a cover section, an image reading device including a document hold member and a document hold member cover, and a lock mechanism. When the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member, the lock mechanism prevents...http://www.google.com/patents/US8194255?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8194255 - Image forming apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8194255 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/232,100Publication dateJun 5, 2012Filing dateSep 10, 2008Priority dateSep 14, 2007Also published asUS20090122330Publication number12232100, 232100, US 8194255 B2, US 8194255B2, US-B2-8194255, US8194255 B2, US8194255B2InventorsTakayuki Andoh, Takuji Takahashi, Takamasa Shiraki, Yoshihide Ohta, Kohji Hatayama, Kazushige Kawamura, Tetsuya Fujioka, Masato Ogawa, Taku KudohOriginal AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (88), Non-Patent Citations (8), Referenced by (4), Classifications (15), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetImage forming apparatus
US 8194255 B2Abstract
an apparatus body including an image forming device configured to form an image on a recording medium;
a cover section provided on the apparatus body and configured to close with respect to the apparatus body to function as a top surface of the apparatus body and to open with respect to the apparatus body to expose the inside of the apparatus body;
an image reading device provided above the cover section while forming an open space with the cover section and configured to slide substantially in parallel with a surface of the cover section, wherein the image reading device includes:
a document hold member configured to place a document thereon; and
a document hold member cover configured to be in close contact with the document hold member so as to keep the document onto the document hold member; and
a cover lock mechanism configured to prevent opening of the cover section throughout the slidable range of the image reading device, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member.
a cover section provided on the apparatus body and configured to close with respect to the apparatus body to function as a top surface of the apparatus body and to open with respect to the apparatus body to expose the inside of the apparatus body:
a document hold member configured to place a document thereon: and
a document hold member cover configured to be in close contact with the document hold member so as to keep the document onto the document hold member;
a cover lock mechanism configured to prevent opening of the cover section throughout the slidable range of the image reading device, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member;
a first engagement section provided on the apparatus body;
a second engagement section provided on the image reading device and configured to engage with the first engagement section; and
a regulating member configured to locate at a first position that causes the first engagement section and the second engagement section to be engaged with each other when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member, and to locate at a second position that causes the first engagement section and the second engagement section to be separated from each other when the document hold member cover is in close contact with the document hold member.
3. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cover lock mechanism further comprises:
a bias force applying member configured to apply a bias force to the regulating member so as to cause the regulating member to move toward the second position,
wherein, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member, the document hold member cover is configured to directly or indirectly apply a force to the regulating member opposing the bias force of the bias force applying member to cause the regulating member to move from the second position to the first position.
the image reading device is configured to be fixed at one of a plurality of lock positions throughout the slidable range, and wherein the cover section is prevented from opening when the image reading device is fixed at one of the plurality of lock positions.
the regulating member has a side surface having a length determined based on the slidable range of the image reading device, and wherein:
the engagement section comprises a plurality of engagement sections each corresponding to one of the plurality of lock positions of the image reading device, the plurality of engagement sections being provided on the side surface.
6. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cover lock mechanism further comprises:
a cover regulating member configured to cause the cover section to be in a locked state with respect to the apparatus body after the cover section is closed, the first cover regulating member including an operation lever configured to release the locked state of the cover section,
wherein the first engagement section moves cooperatively with the operation lever such that, when the first engagement section is engaged with the second engagement section, the operation lever is prevented from operating to keep the locked state of the cover section.
7. The image forming apparatus of claim 2,
an automatic document feeder integrally provided with the document hold member cover.
a slide lock mechanism configured to prevent sliding of the image reading device throughout the slidable range of the image reading device, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member.
a slide lock mechanism configured to prevent sliding of the image reading device throughout the slidable range of the image reading device, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member;
10. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the slide lock mechanism further comprises:
11. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein:
the image reading device is configured to be fixed at one of a plurality of lock positions throughout the slidable range, and wherein the image reading device is prevented from sliding when the image reading device is fixed at one of the plurality of lock positions.
12. The image forming apparatus of claim 11, wherein:
a lock mechanism including:
a cover lock mechanism configured to prevent opening of the cover section throughout the slidable range of the image reading device, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member; and
a document hold member cover configured to be in close contact with the document hold member so as to keep the document onto the document hold member:
a cover lock mechanism configured to prevent opening of the cover section throughout the slidable range of the image reading device, when the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member: and
15. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, wherein the lock mechanism further comprises:
16. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, wherein:
the image reading device is configured to be fixed at one of a plurality of lock positions throughout the slidable range.
17. The image forming apparatus of claim 16, wherein:
the engagement section comprises a plurality of engagement sections each corresponding to one of the plurality of lock positions of the image reading device, the plurality of engagement sections being provided on the side surface. Description
This patent application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. �119 to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2007-239720 filed on Sep. 14, 2007, 2007-300383 filed on Nov. 20, 2007, and 2008-133081 filed on May 21, 2008, in the Japanese Patent Office, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The image forming device 2 is capable of forming an image on a recording sheet S, which is fed by the sheet feeding device 20. The image forming device 2 includes a plurality of photoconductors 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, and 3 d, each of which may function as an image carrier on which a toner image of a specific color is formed. In this example, a toner image of yellow is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3 a. A toner image of cyan is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3 b. A toner image of magenta is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3 c. A toner image of black is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3 d. The photoconductors 3 a to 3 d are provided in parallel with one another, with a predetermined distance with one another. An intermediate transfer belt 4, which functions as an intermediate transfer body, is provided at a lower portion of the photoconductors 3 a to 3 d. The intermediate transfer belt 4 is an endless belt, which is supported by support rollers 5 and 6. One of the support rollers 5 and 6 may be implemented by a drive roller, which causes the intermediate transfer belt 4 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 2. Alternatively, an intermediate transfer drum may be used in replace of the intermediate transfer belt 4.
For each one of the photoconductors 3 a to 3 d, which may be collectively referred to as the photoconductor 3, a plurality of image forming devices may be provided to together perform image forming operation. The plurality of image forming devices mainly includes a charging device 7, a developing device 9, a transfer device 10, and a cleaning device 11. In addition to these devices, a light scanning unit (LSU) 8 is provided on a bottom surface of the cover section 18. The charging device 7 charges the surface of the photoconductor 3. The LSU 8 irradiates a laser light to the surface of the photoconductor 3 according to an image signal received from the image reading device 100. The developing device 9 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3 into a toner image. The transfer device 10, which is provided so as to face the photoconductor 3 via the intermediate transfer belt 4, causes the toner image to transfer from the surface of the photoconductor 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 4. The cleaning device 11 removes and collects residual toner left on the surface of the photoconductor 3 after the toner image is transferred.
The above-described image forming operation is performed for each one of the photoconductors 3 a to 3 d such that the yellow toner image, the cyan toner image, the magenta toner image, and the black toner image are respectively formed and sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 4 to form a composite image.
Referring to FIG. 26, the ADF 120 mounted on the exposure glass cover 110 is provided with a document tray 121, on which a stack of one or more original document sheets (“document stack OD”) may be placed. When a feed roller 122 detects the document stack OD being placed on the document tray 121, the feed roller 122 feeds the document stack OD toward a separator such as a separation belt 123 and a separation roller 124.
The separation belt 123 pressure contacts the separation roller 124 at a desired angle θ. The separation belt 123 is wound around a drive roller 125 and a driven roller 126. The driven roller 126 is exerted with a bias force applied by a spring 127 so as to cause the separation belt 123 to be stretched. Between the drive roller 125 and a shaft 125 a, one way clutch 128 is provided so as to cause the drive roller 125 to rotate in the clockwise direction of FIG. 26. The separation roller 124 is rotated in the clockwise direction so as to separate one original document sheet of the document stack OD from the rest of the original document sheets of the document stack OD, which is placed between the separation belt 123 and the separation roller 124. The recording sheet separated by the separator is transferred by a first transfer roller 141 and a driven roller 142 along a reverse path 143 toward the slit glass 101. A reverse path guide 144 may be provided so as to guide the original document sheet toward the slit glass 101. After being transferred to the slit glass 101, the original document sheet is guided by a discharge path guide 145 to be transferred toward a discharge path 146. Above the slit glass 101, a reflector guide plate 147 is provided, which may function as a white board that is used to correct the color of the image data of the original document.
Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the cover section 18 is further provided with a cover lock mechanism 60 including the operation lever 61. In one example, the cover lock mechanism 60 includes a first cover regulating member, which provides a function of preventing the cover section 18 from opening with respect to the apparatus body 1 when the cover section 18 is closed. Referring to FIG. 4, the first cover regulating member of the cover lock mechanism 60 mainly includes the operation lever 61, a support shaft 62, and lock claws 63, which are integrally provided. The operation lever 61 allows the operator to release the locked state of the cover section 18 with respect to the apparatus body 1, which is caused by the first cover regulating member of the cover lock mechanism 60. The operation lever 61 is formed of a plate member having a surface that is arranged in nearly parallel with the surface 41 of the output sheet tray 40. Referring to FIG. 1, in order to help the operator to easily access the operation lever 61, the output sheet tray 41 may be provided with a concave section 44. Referring back to FIG. 4, the support shaft 62, which is rotatably provided with the cover section 18, fixes the operation lever 61 and the lock claws 63 to the cover section 18. The lock claws 63 each have one end, which meets corresponding one of engage sections 1 a (FIG. 2) that are provided on the apparatus body 1 when the cover section 18 is closed. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the support shaft 62 extends along the length of the output sheet tray 40 in the direction Y from the right side to the left side of the apparatus body 1. The operation lever 61 is fixed at nearly a center of the support shaft 62. The lock claws 63 are fixed at end portions of the support shaft 62.
Still referring to FIG. 4, the cover lock mechanism 60 further includes a spring 64, which is wound around the support shaft 62 at a position near the position where one of the lock claws 63 is provided. The spring 64 exerts a bias force to the cover lock mechanism 60 to rotate about an axis of the support shaft 62 in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 2. With the bias force of the spring 64, the lock claws 63 and the engage sections 1 a are kept in the engaged state to make the cover section 18 to be in the locked state. In such locked state, the operation lever 61 is kept at the position such that the upper portion of the operation lever 61 is not exposed above the surface 41 of the output sheet tray 40. When the operation lever 61 is rotated in the direction C indicated by the arrow of FIG. 2 against the bias force exerted by the spring 64, the lock claws 63 are made apart from the engage sections 1 a to make the cover section 18 to be in the released state. As the operator continues to lift the operation lever 61 and the cover section 18 in the direction A of FIG. 3, the cover section 18 opens to expose the inside of the apparatus body 1.
As described above, in this example, the image reading device 100 may slide with respect to the cover section 18. Referring to FIG. 10 or 11, the image reading device 100 and the support sections 50 and 51 further include a slide mechanism, which causes the image reading device 100 to be slidable substantially in parallel with a surface of the cover section 18. The slide mechanism includes rail sections 33 and 34 in the direction Y indicated by the arrow of FIG. 10 or 11, which is the width direction of the image reading device 100 or the direction perpendicular to the direction X in which the recording sheet S is discharged. The rail sections 33 and 34 are each integrally provided with the image reading device 100. The rail section 33 includes a surface 33 a, a convex section 33 b, and a groove 33 c that extends in the direction Y. The rail section 34 includes a surface 34 a and a convex section 34 b. As illustrated in FIG. 4 or 11, the surfaces 33 a and 34 a of the rail sections 33 and 34, which are each integrally formed with the image reading device 100, are in contact respectively with a surface 50 a of the support section 50 and a surface 51 a of the support section 51. In order to prevent the image reading device 100 to be shifted in the direction Y, a pin 55 is provided on the support section 50, which is inserted into the groove 33 c, as illustrated in FIG. 11. In another example, two pins 55 may be provided as illustrated in FIG. 36. With this structure, the image reading device 100 is able to slide with respect to the cover section 18. Further, since the rails sections 33 and 34 are integrally formed with the image reading device 100, or since the contact surfaces 50 a and 51 a are integrally formed with the support sections 50 and 51, sliding function may be provided with reduced number of components or with reduced cost.
Referring to FIG. 4, the support section 50 further includes stopper sections 53 a and 53 b at the positions near the outer side surface, which may be collectively referred to as the stopper section 53. The support section 51 includes stopper sections 54 a and 54 b at the positions near the outer side surface, which may be collectively referred to as the stopper section 54. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the stopper section 53 and the stopper section 54 respectively contact the convex section 33 b of the rail section 33 and the convex section 34 b of the rail section 34. Alternatively, the stopper sections 53 and 54 may be provided at the positions near the inner side surfaces of the support sections 50 and 51. In such case, the convex sections 33 b and 34 b are each provided at the inner sides of the rail sections 33 and 34.
With this structure described above, the image reading device 100 is prevented from being separated from the support sections 50 or 51. For example, even when the image reading device 100 is pulled against the cover section 18 while the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 is being carried, the convex sections 33 b and 34 b of the rail sections 33 and 34 are prevented from moving away from the surfaces 50 a and 51 a of the support sections 50 and 51 by the stopper sections 53 and 54. In another example, the image reading device 100 may be slightly lifted away from the cover section 18 due to various environmental factors, which may cause deformation of the surface of the image reading device 100. In such case, the convex sections 33 b and 34 b of the rail sections 33 and 34 are prevented from positioning away from the surfaces 50 a and 51 a of the support sections 50 and 51 by the stopper sections 53 and 54. In another example, one side of the image reading device 100 may be lifted away from the cover section 18 when force is exerted on the other side of the image reading device 100. In such case, since the stopper sections 53 and 54, or the convex sections 33 b and 34 b, are provided for both sides of the image reading device 100 or the apparatus body 1, lifting of the side of the image reading device 100 may be prevented. Further, since the stopper sections 53 and 54 are integrally formed with the support sections 50 and 51, or since the convex sections 33 b and 34 b are integrally formed with the image reading device 100, stopper function may be provided with reduced number of components or with reduced cost.
Alternatively, the stopper sections 53 and 54 may be provided at the positions near the inner and outer side surfaces of the support sections 50 and 51. The convex sections 33 b and 34 b are each provided at the inner and outer sides of the rail sections 33 and 34. However, this structure may not be able to provide sufficient space for other components, for example, a component for absorbing shock due to opening or closing the cover section 18.
In order to efficiently use the limited space, as illustrated in FIG. 4 or 11, the stopper sections 53 and 54 are provided at selected portions of the support sections 50 and 51 along the direction X. For example, referring to FIG. 4, the stopper section 53 a is provided at a front portion of the support section 50, while the stopper section 53 b is provided at a rear portion of the support section 50. With this structure, the space may be effectively used. Further, even when the rear portion of the image reading device 100 is lifted due to the force applied to the front portion of the image reading device 100, lifting of the rear portion of the image reading device 100 is suppressed.
In another example, referring to FIGS. 36 and 37, the support section 51 may further include a slot 51 c having a length, which is determined based on a slidable range of the image reading device 100. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 37, tapered portions 53 c may be provided on edge portions of the stopper sections 54 a and 54 b of the support section 51 in the sliding direction shown by arrows Xa and Xb, respectively. Further, tapered portions 53 c may be also provided on edge portions of the stopper sections 53 a and 53 b of the support section 50 in the sliding direction shown by arrows Xa and Xb. With this structure, when the image reading device 100 is caused to slide in the direction Xb, the stopper sections 53 and 54 are prevented from getting stuck at edge portions of the rail sections 33 and 34 of the image reading device 100. Further, a tapered section may be provided on edge portions of the rail sections 33 and 34 of the image reading device 100. This allows the image reading device 100 to slide more smoothly.
Still referring to FIG. 37, the stopper section 54 a and the stopper section 53 a may each have a length L, which is determined based on the slidable range of the image reading device 100. More specifically, even when the image reading device 100 slides toward the direction Xa, the rail section 33 and the rail section 34 are made in contact with the stopper sections 53 and 54 throughout the slidable range of the image reading device 100. This structure suppress the image reading device 100 to be lifted upward even when the image reading device 100 is away from the original position.
As illustrated in FIG. 13 or 14, the operation button 80 includes a shaft 81, and a spring 82 of twisted coil that wounds around the shaft 81. The spring 82 applies a bias force to the operation button 80 to cause the operation button 80 to move toward one direction toward the outer surface of the apparatus body 1. The operation button 80 is integrally provided with a hook 80 a. When the bias force from the spring 82 is applied, the hook 80 a is caused to engage with a cut section 35, which is provided on the rail section 33 of the image reading device 100. With this engagement, the image reading device 100 is prevented from sliding. When the operator applies the force that is greater than the bias force applied by the spring 82 by pushing the operation button 80, the hook 80 a is separated from the cut section 35. This causes the image reading device 100 to be able to slide in the direction X. In this example, the cut section 35 includes three cut sections 35, however, any number of cut sections 35 may be provided.
In this example, as described above referring to FIG. 36, the image reading device 100 is kept stable by the pin 55, which is inserted into the groove 33 c. However, the distance between the two pins of the pin 55 may not be increased since the support section 50 is provided with various other components. Further, in order to reduce cost, the pin 55 may be formed of a plastic member, which is integrally formed with the output sheet tray 40 and the support sections 50 and 51. Similarly, the groove 33 c may be made of a plastic member integrally formed with the housing of the image reading device 100. For this reason, the pin 55 and the groove 33 c may no be tightly engaged and tend to deform when compared to the example case in which the pin 55 and the groove 33 c are each made of a metal member. Even when the image reading device 100 is in the locked state, the image reading device 100 may not be stable with respect to the support sections 50 and 51. In this example, the plastic member includes a mixture of polycarbonate (PC) and polystyrene (PS). Further, the plastic member may be processed with a fire retardant.
In view of the above, a slide lock mechanism may be provided on the support section 51, in addition to the slide lock mechanism provided on the support section 50. By additionally providing the slide lock mechanism on the support section 51, the image reading device 100 may be made more stable while suppressing movement of the image reading device in the direction Y. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the support section 51 may be provided with a lock member 90 of cylinder shape. A pressure spring 91 applies a bias force to the lock member 90 to cause the lock member 90 to move up in the direction. As illustrated in FIG. 16A, the lock member 90 may be engaged with a groove 36, which is provided on the rail section 34 of the image reading device 100. The pressure spring 91 includes one end being engaged with a lower portion of the lock member 90, and the other end being engaged with a spring receive section 51 d, which is integrally provided with the support section 51.
As illustrated in FIG. 14, the operation button 80 of the support section 50 and the lock member 90 of the support section 51 are coupled through a flexible wire 92. The wire 92 includes an end section, which is provided at the side facing the support section 51 and bent at about 90 degrees in the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface having the drawing of FIG. 14 thereon. Referring to FIG. 15, the wire 92 is bent at about 90 degrees in the direction opposite to the above-described direction of FIG. 14. The wire 92, which extends upward, is connected to a hook engage section of the lock member 90. With this structure, when the operation button 80 is pressed by the operator, the slide lock mechanism of FIG. 13 provided for the support section 50 and the slide lock mechanism of FIG. 15 provided for the support section 51 are cooperatively operated. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the wire 92 is prevented from being loose by a groove provided on the rib surface of the cover section 18 or a guide 57 a of a wire support member 57 provided on the surface of the cover section 18. In order to make the slide lock mechanisms provided on the support sections 50 and 51 to be cooperatively operable, while suppressing the number of components or cost, the wire 92 that is flexible is implemented. Further, the wire 92, which is flexible, is applicable to complicated routing, such as U-shaped routing as illustrated in FIG. 14.
The lock intermediate member 175 may be formed of plate having a rectangular shape. The lock intermediate member 175 includes a support shaft 176 along the longitudinal direction. The lock intermediate member 175 is rotatably provided on the image reading device 100 to be rotated around the support shaft 176. The lock intermediate member 105 further includes the movable pin 177, which is in contact with the movable section 174 of the lock member 171. Referring to FIG. 47, for example, the platen lock mechanism 170 may further include a spring 171 a, which exerts a bias force to the lock member 171 to cause the lock member 171 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 47. The spring 171 a exerts a bias force to the lock member 171 to cause to rotate around the pivot 172 so as to cause the movable section 174 to contact the movable pin 177. With this structure, the movable section 174 and the movable pin 177 are made in contact with each other.
As described above, the image reading device 100 is prevented from separating from the apparatus body 1 by stopper sections 53 and 54 that engage the rail sections 33 and 34, respectively. For improved strength, the support sections 50 and 51 each have a sufficient length in the front and back directions. Specifically, for the support section 50 that is provided at the left side, the surface 50 a and the stopper section 53 are formed so as to extend to the front side as far as possible. With this structure, even when the operator puts his or her hand onto the image reading device 100, the image reading device 100 is kept stable.
However, when the operator slides the image reading device 100 in the direction Xb, the surface 50 a and the stopper section 53 a provided in the front portion of the support section 50 may be exposed. Especially when the front portion of the support section 50 is not flat, it may hurt the operator.
In view of the above, the front portion of the support section 50 may be formed of a flat surface, on which the image reading device 100 is mounted. In such case, the flat surface should be provided at a position above the position where a slide contact surface is formed between the surface 50 a (FIG. 36) of the support section 50 and the surface 33 a (FIG. 10) of the image reading device 100. When the slide contact surface between the support section 50 and the image reading device 100 is positioned above the position where the flat surface of the support section 50 is provided, the operator's hand or clothing may get caught by the image reading device 100 as the image reading device 100 slides.
When the projected portion is inserted into the support section 50, the slide contact surface formed between the image reading device 100 and the support section 50, and an opening for receiving the projected portion may form an opening 59 as illustrated in FIG. 36 or 38. In this example, the opening 59 is formed between the surface 50 a and the stopper section 53 a at the front edge portion of the support section 50. More specifically, the opening 59 is surrounded by the walls 52 c, 52 d, and 52 e. To enhance strength of the support section 50, especially the stopper section 53 a, the front edge portion is integrally formed by the pair of sidewalls 52 c and 52 d and the front wall 52 e. When the image reading device 100 slides in the direction Xb while the opening 59 is exposed, the finger of the operator may be caught in the opening 59. In order to prevent this, a shield member may be provided, which covers the opening 59 when the image reading device 100 slides.
As illustrated in FIG. 39, the shield member 90 includes shaft parts 91 a and 91 b on which the shield member 90 pivots, shield surfaces 92 and 97 to shield the opening 59, first and second holders 93 a and 93 b, pivot regulators 94 a, 94 b, and 94 c, a spring attachment part 95, and a stopper 96. In this example, the second holder 93 b may be formed of a hook. The above-described components of the shield member 90 are integrally formed of a plastic member.
Referring to FIGS. 40 and 41, a torsion spring 98 is wound around the spring attachment part 95 provided between the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b. The torsion spring 98 includes a first end 98 a to be engaged with the first and second holders 93 a and 93 b. More specifically, the first end 98 a is sandwiched between the first and second holders 93 a and 93 b. The torsion spring 90 further includes a second end 98 b to be engaged with a spring engagement part 58 a provided on a bottom surface of the supporting section 50 as indicated by a dashed-dot line in FIG. 42. The torsion spring 98, which is attached to the shield member 90 and the support section 50, transmits a torsion moment to the shield member 90. Referring to FIG. 40, the support section 50 further includes a stopper engagement part 58 d in the inner side of the sidewall 52 d. Each of the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b includes an oval cutout having a width smaller than a diameter thereof. The support section 50 further includes bearings 58 b and 58 c integrally provided on the sidewalls 52 c and 52 d, having upward openings whose widths are larger than the widths of the oval cutouts of shaft parts 91 a and 91 b, respectively.
With this structure, as illustrated in FIGS. 42 and 43, the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b of the shield member 90 may be inserted easily from a circumferential direction into the bearings 58 b and 58 c that face the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b, respectively. When the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b are inserted into the bearings 58 b and 58 c and the shield member 90 is mounted on the front edge portion of the support section 50, the second end 98 b of the torsion spring 98 contacts the spring engagement part 58 a and is engaged therewith.
After the shield member 90 is inserted into the bearing 58 b and 58 c as illustrated in FIG. 43, the shield member 90 is pivoted on the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b toward the front wall 52 e of the support section 50. While the shield member 90 is moved, the torsion spring 98 constantly applies an elastic force and a bias force to the shield member 90 so as to keep the shield member 90 at the first position, or the shield position. Further, the stopper 96 prevents the shield member 90 from returning to a position where the shield member 90 is mounted at the time of installation, so as to prevent the oval cutouts of the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b from disengaging from the bearings 58 b and 58 c, respectively. The stopper 96 tends to bend in a rotary axis direction of the shield member 90. As the shield member 90 pivots around the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b, the stopper 96 contacts the stopper engagement part 58 d provided in the support section 50 and bends to an extent to go over the stopper engagement part 58 d. After going over the stopper engagement part 58 d, the stopper 96 remains at the side of the stopper engagement part 58 d. This structure prevents the oval cutouts of the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b from returning to the position where the openings of the bearings 58 b and 58 c are provided, respectively, thus preventing the shield member 90 from disengaging from the opening 59.
Referring now to FIGS. 44A, 44B, 45A, 45B, and 46, the shield surfaces 92 and 97 that cover the opening 59 and the pivot regulators 94 a, 94 b, and 94 c are described, together with operation of the shield member 90, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.
The shield member 90 operates cooperatively with sliding of the image reading device 100. The engagement part 139, which is formed of a plate projected downward, is integrally provided on the bottom surface of the image reading device 100, at a position beneath the drive motor 131. FIG. 46 illustrates a section where the engagement part 139 and the shield member 90 are engaged. Referring to FIG. 46, the engagement part 139 is made of a cam having an outline so as to smoothly engage with the pivot regulators 94 a and 94 c within the slidable range of the image reading device 100.
Still referring to FIG. 46, the shield member 90 is provided with the pivot regulator 94 a at the position facing the engagement part 139. The pivot regulator 94 a restricts movement of the shield member 90. As described above, the image reading device 100 is installed as it slides in the direction Xb from the rear side of the apparatus body 1. When the image reading device 100 slides in the direction Xb against the bias force of the torsion spring 98 illustrated in FIG. 43, a front edge portion of the engagement part 139 contacts the pivot regulator 94 a before the image reading device 100 reaches a position illustrated in FIGS. 44B and 45A. The contact made between the engagement part 139 and the pivot regulator 94 a causes the shield member 90 to pivot about the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b in the clockwise direction in FIG. 45A. After the front edge portion of the engagement part 139 contacts the pivot regulator 94 a, the rear edge portion of the engagement part 139 further causes the shield member 90 to pivot in the clockwise direction while contacting the pivot regulator 94 a. When the image reading device 100 slides to the front edge of the support section 50 illustrated in FIG. 44B, the shield member 90 is at the standby position illustrated in FIG. 45A. The angle of the shield member 90 at the standby position is greater than that of the shield member 90 at the shield position and smaller than that of the shield member 90 when it is mounted.
Referring to FIG. 45B, when the image reading device 100 is slid in the direction Xa to the rearmost position, the shield member 90 pivots on the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b to be at the shield position. As illustrated in FIGS. 45B and 46, the engagement part 139 and the shield member 90 are positioned such that only the projected portion of the engagement part 139 and the pivot regulator 94 c of the shield member 90 engage with each other. In this state, the other portion of the engagement part 139 does not engage with, for example, the pivot regulator 94 a. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 45B, as the opening 59 is covered by the shield surface 92, only the shield surface 92 appears on the exterior of the apparatus body 1.
More specifically, the shield surface 92 that covers the opening 59 is formed with a curved cylindrical shape that is coaxial or nearly coaxial with the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b, on which the shield member 90 rotates. Despite its position, the shield member 90 sufficiently covers the opening 59 provided on the front edge portion of the support section 50 while leaving no significant gap. In this example, the shield surface 92 has a continuous circumferential surface that keeps the gap between the shield member 90 and the support section 50 to be less than 1 mm throughout the entire slidable range of the image reading device 100, thus preventing a small item, such as a paper clip, from falling into the opening 59.
In alternative to a cylindrical surface, the shield surface 92 may be formed of a spherical surface whose axis is coaxial or nearly coaxial with the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b, which are the center of rotation of the shield member 90.
Further, the shield surface 97 has a shape that meets a front surface of the image reading device 100. More specifically, when the image reading device 100 slides in the direction Xa in FIG. 45B, with a bias force applied by the torsion spring 98, the shield member 90 pivots on the shaft parts 91 a and 91 b in the counterclockwise direction. The shield surface 97 rotates upward and contacts the front surface of the image reading device 100. Since the shield surface 97 meets the front surface of the image reading device 100, the size of the opening 59 formed by the sidewalls 52 c and 52 d and the front wall 52 e may be reduced.
While the shield surface 92 is rotated upward only by the bias force of the torsion spring 98, the shield surface 92 may rotate downward to expose the opening 59, for example, when the operator pushes the shield member 90. In such case, the operator may be hurt, for example, by having his or her finger caught in the opening 59, or a small item may fall into the opening 59. To solve this problem, in this example, the pivot regulator 94 c illustrated in FIG. 39 or 45B is caused to be in contact with the projected surface of the engagement part 139. This prevents the shield surface 92 from rotating downward as illustrated in FIG. 45B, even if the user pushes the shield surface 92. The pivot regulator 94 c functions as a shield stopper that prevents the shield member 90 from changing its position when the shield member 90 is at the shield position, even when pressed. The pivot regulator 94 c further serves as a displacement controller that controls displacement of the shield member 90 by selectably contacting the engagement part 139.
The shape of the shield member 90, such as the shapes of the shield surfaces 92 and 97, or the shape of the support section 50 is not limited to those described above. For example, the front wall 52 e of the support section 50 may be omitted and a portion corresponding thereto may be provided on the shield member 90, as long as the support section 50 keeps sufficient strength. Further, in this example, it is assumed that the opening 59 is effectively covered when the image reading device 100 is fixed at one of the lock positions. Alternatively, the opening 59 may be effectively covered regardless of the position of the image reading device 100 in the sliding direction. Alternatively, the torsion spring 98 may be omitted, provided that the engagement part 139 of the image reading device 100 and the pivot regulator 94 c of the shield member 90 are engaged with each other with improved accuracy.
Referring to FIG. 36, the rail sections 33 and 34 of the image reading device 100, which is illustrated in FIG. 10, are inserted into corresponding entries 52 b and 51 b of the support sections 50 and 51, and slid forward in the direction Xb. After the rail sections 33 and 34 are inserted, the cover section 18 is opened. The slot 51 c of the support section 51 and the rail section 34 of the image reading device 100 are connected through a screw 56 (FIGS. 12A and 12B), which is provided from the bottom surface of the support section 51. The screw 56 is provided so as to prevent the image reading device 100 from disconnecting from the support section 51 even when the image reading device 100 slides in the direction Xb. The screw 56 may be replaced by any other member capable of connecting the image reading device 100 to the support section 51, such as a rivet, pin, etc. In order to remove the image reading device 100 from the support section 51, the screw 56 is removed from the slot 51 c of the support section 51.
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