Image Reading Apparatus And Image Forming Apparatus
An image reading apparatus includes: a main body; an operation panel; a document feeding tray movable between first and second positions and having a placing surface on which a document is placed; a document conveying plate guiding the document; and a reading unit reading an image of the document. The placing surface includes first and second placing portions. In the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and a line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the line and the second placing portion. The line is perpendicular to a predetermined plane and passes through a boundary between the first and second placing portions. In the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel, and the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with a conveying surface of the document conveying plate.
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This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-182542, filed on Jun. 30, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to an image reading apparatus such as a scanner, as well as to an image forming apparatus such as a scanner, a facsimile machine, a copier, etc.
BACKGROUNDJP-A-2003-92651 (hereinafter referred to as Document 1) and JP-A-2002-320058 (hereinafter referred to as Document 2) disclose a facsimile machine. The facsimile machine includes an operation unit cover body is disposed on a front portion of an upper surface of a main body case. On the surface of the operation unit cover body, an operation panel is formed. An image reading unit is disposed within the main body case, and an inkjet type image recording unit (a printer unit) is disposed below the image reading unit. The facsimile machine includes: a document tray on which a document is placed, in order to feed the document to the image reading unit; and a sheet feeding tray on which a plurality of sheets of recording paper (sheets) are placed, in order to print and record data such as a received image on the recording paper (sheet). The document tray and the sheet feeding tray stand on the main body case in the rear of the image reading unit. The document tray and the sheet feeding tray are disposed substantially parallel to each other and downwardly inclined toward the front side (i.e., upwardly inclined toward the rear side).
In the above configuration, a document having been read and a recording sheet having been printed are respectively discharged toward a document discharge tray and a recording sheet discharge tray. These trays are provided at the front surface of the main body case and vertically separated from each other.
The facsimile machine includes a transceiver (a handset) with a ten key numeric pad for a telephone set, in order to communicate with (calling) a facsimile machine or a telephone of the distant party. The handset is placed and laid on a cradle provided on one side of the main body case (housing), so that the longitudinal direction of the handset becomes substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main body case.
JP-A-2003-158592 (hereinafter referred to as Document 3) discloses a facsimile machine includes a sheet feeding cassette which can be inserted into a lower portion of a main body from the front thereof. In the facsimile machine, a sheet printed in a recording unit (not shown) is discharged to a recording sheet discharge stacker protruding rearward from a rear portion of the main body. In this facsimile machine, a document tray is disposed upstream of the recording sheet discharge stacker, and the document having been read during the course of passing through a reading unit is discharged forward of the main body.
However, in case where the document tray and the sheet feeding tray stand to be inclined rearward as described in Documents 1 and 2, particularly an upper end portion of the tray is situated rearward of a rear surface of the main body case. Accordingly, in order to arrange the tray in a correct rearwardly-inclined position where the rear-side tray exhibits its function, it is necessary to keep a large space (a dead space) between the rear surface of the main body case and a wall surface of a room. That is, even when the main body case is formed to be compact, a large space is necessitated when the image recording apparatus (the facsimile machine) is in use.
In Patent Document 3, a recorded sheet is discharged rearward of the main body. Hence, even in this case, a large space is required between the rear surface of the main body case and the wall surface of the room.
Moreover, in the facsimile machine disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the document tray and the sheet feeding tray are generally formed into a straight line in a side view. Accordingly, when the rearwardly-inclined position is adopted, upper end portions of the trays are distant from the rear surface of the main body case in the side view.
Further, in case where the document tray and the sheet feeding tray are left standing when the image recording apparatus (the facsimile machine) is not in use, dust settles on surfaces (upper surfaces) of the respective trays, the surface of the operation panel, and the inlet to the document reading unit and the sheet feeding unit, as well. Hence, there also arises a problem of consumption of efforts induced by cleaning dust when the image recording apparatus is used again.
SUMMARYAccording to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus including: a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane; an operation panel provided on a surface of the main body; a document feeding tray that is movable between a first position and a second position and has a placing surface on which a document is placed when the document feeding tray is in the first position; a document conveying plate having a conveying surface on which the document fed from the document feeding tray is guided in a conveying direction; and a reading unit that reads an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate, wherein the placing surface of the document feeding tray includes a first placing portion and a second placing portion and is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion in the conveying direction, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with the conveying surface of the document conveying plate, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the first placing portion is positioned across a virtual line from the second placing portion and extends from the boundary in a direction away from the predetermined plane, where the virtual line is defined as a line that is perpendicular to the predetermined plane and passes through the boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and the virtual line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the virtual line and the second placing portion, and wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel.
According to a second aspect of the invention, an image forming apparatus including: a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane; an operation panel provided on a surface of the main body; a recording medium feeding unit that is provided in a lower portion of the main body and separates one at a time a plurality of sheets of a recording medium placed in a stacked manner; a conveying passage having a substantially U-shaped portion in cross section to convey the recording medium fed from the recording medium feeding unit; a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed from the conveying passage; a discharge portion for discharging the recording medium conveyed from the recording unit; and a image reading apparatus disposed above the recording unit, wherein the image reading apparatus comprises: a document feeding tray that is movable between a first position and a second position and has a placing surface on which a document is placed when the document feeding tray is in the first position; a document conveying plate having a conveying surface on which the document fed from the document feeding tray is guided in a conveying direction; and a reading unit that reads an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate, wherein the placing surface of the document feeding tray includes a first placing portion and a second placing portion and is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion in the conveying direction, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with the conveying surface of the document conveying plate, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the first placing portion is positioned across a virtual line from the second placing portion and extends from the boundary in a direction away from the predetermined plane, where the virtual line is defined as a line that is perpendicular to the predetermined plane and passes through the boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and the virtual line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the virtual line and the second placing portion, and wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel.
According to a third aspect of the invention, an image forming apparatus including: a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane; a recording medium feeding unit that is provided in a lower portion of the main body and separates one at a time a plurality of sheets of a recording medium placed in a stacked manner; a conveying passage having a substantially U-shaped portion in cross section to convey the recording medium fed from the recording medium feeding unit; a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed from the conveying passage; a discharge portion for discharging the recording medium conveyed from the recording unit, in a first conveying direction; a document conveying plate that is disposed above the recording unit and guides a document in a second conveying direction; a reading unit that reading an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate; an operation panel unit disposed above the reading unit; and a document feeding tray that is disposed on an upper surface of the main body and feeds a document to a document introducing port formed between the document conveying plate and the operation panel, wherein the document feeding tray is movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the document feeding tray in the second position covers at least a part of an upper surface of the operation panel and the document feeding port, and wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, an orthogonal projection of the document feeding tray onto the predetermined plane is entirely positioned within a contour of the main body.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings
A main body 2 of the facsimile machine 1 is an injection-molded product formed of a synthetic resin. As shown in
In the present embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
A sheet feeding roller 6b serving as sheet feeding means is provided at a position above the sheet feeding cassette 3. A drive shaft 6c is provided at an upper end portion of a sheet feeding arm 6a in the sheet feeding means. The sheet feeding arm 6a is vertically rotatable about the drive shaft 6c. The sheet feeding arm 6a is attached to the sheet feeding roller 6b, and the sheet feeding roller 6b is provided at the lower end of the sheet feeding arm 6a. By means of synergistic operation of the sheet feeding roller 6b and the inclined separation plate 8, sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding cassette 3 and serving as recording media are separately fed one at a time. The sheet P is distributed to the recording unit 7 disposed at a position above the sheet feeding cassette 3 by way of the sheet feeding passage member 9, and the recording unit 7 performs image recording for the sheet P. Subsequently, the recorded sheet P is sent to a discharge portion 10, which is a space above the sheet feeding cassette 3, and discharged to the outside of the main body 2 by way of a discharge port 10a shared with the insertion port 2a (see
As shown in
A pair of registration rollers 17 which exhibit both a conveying effect and a registration effect are disposed upstream of the platen 16 with respect to the conveying direction. The pair of registration rollers 17 include a drive roller and a driven roller. The registration rollers convey the sheet P to a space between a nozzle plane provided on the lower surface of the recording head and the platen 16. A pair of sheet discharge rollers 18 are arranged downstream of the platen 16. The pair of sheet discharge rollers 18 include: a spur positioned to contact with an upper surface of the sheet P; and a drive roller for driving the lower surface of the sheet P. The recorded sheet P is conveyed to the sheet discharge portion 10 by means of the pair of sheet discharge rollers 18.
As shown in
An image reader 22 is placed at a position below the operation panel 20 and placed in the main body 2. Specifically, as shown in
The document conveying plate 23 is disposed at a position facing the lower surface of the operation panel 20, so as to extend toward the upstream side. A space between the operation panel 20 and the document conveying plate 23 acts as a document feeding port 29. A document discharge port 30 as an opening portion provided in the front portion of the main body 2 is positioned downstream of the pair of document discharge rollers 28. A document discharge tray 31 extending toward the front of the main body 2 is provided subsequently to the document discharge port 30 and is vertically rotatable. The document separation plate (the separation pad) 25 facing to the upper surface of the document feeding roller 24, a driven roller (a pinch roller) of the pair of document conveying rollers 26, a driven roller (a pinch roller) of the pair of document discharge rollers 28, and a document pressing plate 32 facing to the upper surface of the image scanner 27 are attached to the lower surface of the operation panel 20.
As shown in
The document feeding tray 33 is selectively movable between a lying position (second position) and a standing position (first position). As shown in
Here, a virtual straight line S is assumed as a line that passes through the boundary portion 33a and that is perpendicular to a mount plane on which the main body 2 is placed. An angle θ1 (a first inferior angle) is assumed as a contained angle formed by the first placing surface 33b and the virtual straight line S when the document feeding tray 33 is in a standing position. An angle θ2 (a second inferior angle) is assumed as another contained angle formed by the virtual straight line S and the second placing surface 33c when the document feeding tray 33 is in a standing position. The first angle θ1 is smaller than the second angle θ2, and the second placing surface 33c is arranged in a plane substantially flush with the surface of the document conveying plate 23.
According to this structure, the first placing surface 33b urges an end of the document to be inserted into the reading unit. Since the second placing surface 33c is positioned in a plane substantially flush with the document conveying plate 23, the document is smoothly guided from the second placing surface 33c to the document conveying plate 23.
As shown in
The document discharge tray 31 is made of a transparent resin plate. As shown in
The document feeding tray 33 is bent at an angle θ3 between the first placing surface 33b and the second placing surface 33c, in side cross section. Namely, the document feeding tray 33 is bent at an obtuse angle (an angle θ3 ranges from 120° to 145° or thereabouts) and at an intermediate position in the direction for conveying the document G, in side cross section. When the main body 2 is viewed from the side, the upper end of the document feeding tray 33 in a standing position is assumed to situate towards the front as compared with the rear surface of the main body 2. When the document feeding tray 33 is in the standing position, the second placing surface 33c is substantially flush with the document conveying plate 23. The first placing surface 33b is disposed rearward of the apparatus with reference to the virtual straight line S.
Even when the document G is placed on the placing surfaces 33b, 33c of the document feeding tray 33 in the standing position and when an intermediate portion of the document G in the feeding direction of the document G is bent under its own weight, the bent intermediate portion does not contact the boundary portion 33a of the document feeding tray 33. Hence, as compared with a document feeding tray having a downwardly convex carved shape in side cross section, the conveying resistance (sliding resistance) during feeding of the document G can be reduced without providing elongated ribs on the placing surface of the document feeding tray 33 along the sheet feeding direction. As shown in
A handset cradle 37 is provided in a form of a recess in one side area on the upper surface (on one side of the location where the document feeding tray 33 is disposed) of the main body 2. The handset cradle 37 receives a cordless handset 36 (a transceiver having operation buttons such as a ten key numeric pad) in a standing state. As shown in
A rear side of the upper surface of the main body 2 is formed to be downwardly inclined toward the back. A space (an opening portion) of a size that allows a sheet conveying passage of the recording unit 7 to be observed from above is formed at a rearward position in the lateral center of the upper surface of the main body 2 (a rearward position with reference to the position where the document feeding tray 33 is disposed). As shown in
In the standby state or in the operating state of the facsimile machine 1, when the document feeding tray 33 opened from the upper surface of the operation panel 22 is lifted so as to stand up as shown in
As mentioned above, the intermediate portion of the document feeding tray 33 in the feeding direction of the document is bent at an obtuse angle, and the angle θ4 with respect to the horizon of the upper portion (first placing surface 33b) of the document feeding tray 33 in the standing position is as large as about 70° (see
When the main body 2 is viewed from the side, the document feeding tray 33 in the standing position is situated rearward of the handset 36 in the standing state. Hence, when the user picks up or places the handset 36 from or on the handset cradle 37, the user's fingers do not interfere with the side surface of the document feeding tray 33, thereby enabling smooth handling of the handset 36.
Claims
1. An image reading apparatus comprising:
- a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane;
- an operation panel provided on a surface of the main body;
- a document feeding tray that is movable between a first position and a second position and has a placing surface on which a document is placed when the document feeding tray is in the first position;
- a document conveying plate having a conveying surface on which the document fed from the document feeding tray is guided in a conveying direction; and
- a reading unit that reads an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate,
- wherein the placing surface of the document feeding tray includes a first placing portion and a second placing portion and is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion in the conveying direction,
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with the conveying surface of the document conveying plate,
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the first placing portion is positioned across a virtual line from the second placing portion and extends from the boundary in a direction away from the predetermined plane, where the virtual line is defined as a line that is perpendicular to the predetermined plane and passes through the boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion,
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and the virtual line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the virtual line and the second placing portion, and
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel.
2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the second placing portion covers at least a part of the document feeding plate.
3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document feeding tray is rotatable around an axis that is substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and is substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction.
4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document feeding tray including the first placing portion and the second placing portion is integrally formed.
5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion is disposed substantially parallel to the operation panel.
6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first placing portion and the second placing portion is substantially flat.
7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1,
- wherein the operation panel is disposed to be downwardly inclined forward,
- wherein the document feeding tray in the first position is positioned rearward of the operation panel.
8. An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane;
- an operation panel provided on a surface of the main body;
- a recording medium feeding unit that is provided in a lower portion of the main body and separates one at a time a plurality of sheets of a recording medium placed in a stacked manner;
- a conveying passage having a substantially U-shaped portion in cross section to convey the recording medium fed from the recording medium feeding unit;
- a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed from the conveying passage;
- a discharge portion for discharging the recording medium conveyed from the recording unit; and
- a image reading apparatus disposed above the recording unit,
- wherein the image reading apparatus comprises:
- a document feeding tray that is movable between a first position and a second position and has a placing surface on which a document is placed when the document feeding tray is in the first position;
- a document conveying plate having a conveying surface on which the document fed from the document feeding tray is guided in a conveying direction; and
- a reading unit that reads an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate,
- wherein the placing surface of the document feeding tray includes a first placing portion and a second placing portion and is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion in the conveying direction,
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with the conveying surface of the document conveying plate,
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the first placing portion is positioned across a virtual line from the second placing portion and extends from the boundary in a direction away from the predetermined plane, where the virtual line is defined as a line that is perpendicular to the predetermined plane and passes through the boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion,
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and the virtual line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the virtual line and the second placing portion, and
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a cradle provided on an upper surface of the main body, to place a handset in a standing state,
- wherein when a downstream side in the conveying direction is defined as a front side in a plan view, the cradle is located to position the handset so that, in a side view, an upper portion of the handset is situated to a frontward of the document feeding tray in the first position.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,
- wherein an opening portion and a door are provided on an upper surface of the main body and blow the document feeding tray of the first position,
- wherein the opening portion is located above at least a part of the recording unit, and
- wherein the door is rotatably attached to the main body to selectively expose and close the opening portion when the document feeding tray is in the second position.
11. An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane;
- a recording medium feeding unit that is provided in a lower portion of the main body and separates one at a time a plurality of sheets of a recording medium placed in a stacked manner;
- a conveying passage having a substantially U-shaped portion in cross section to convey the recording medium fed from the recording medium feeding unit;
- a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed from the conveying passage;
- a discharge portion for discharging the recording medium conveyed from the recording unit, in a first conveying direction;
- a document conveying plate that is disposed above the recording unit and guides a document in a second conveying direction;
- a reading unit that reading an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate;
- an operation panel unit disposed above the reading unit; and
- a document feeding tray that is disposed on an upper surface of the main body and feeds a document to a document introducing port formed between the document conveying plate and the operation panel,
- wherein the document feeding tray is movable between a first position and a second position,
- wherein the document feeding tray in the second position covers at least a part of an upper surface of the operation panel and the document feeding port, and
- wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, an orthogonal projection of the document feeding tray onto the predetermined plane is entirely positioned within a contour of the main body.
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the document feeding tray has a placing surface on which the document is placed, the placing surface having a first placing portion and a second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion the second conveying direction, and
- wherein the placing surface is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion in cross section, so that the first placing portion and the second placing portion forms an obtuse angle.
13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a cradle provided on an upper surface of the main body, to place a handset in a standing state,
- wherein when a downstream side in the second conveying direction in plan view is defined as a front side, the cradle is located to place an upper portion of the handset in a side view is situated to the front side of the document feeding tray in the first position.
14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,
- wherein an opening portion and a door are provided on an upper surface of the main body and blow the document feeding tray of the first position,
- wherein the opening portion is located above at least a part of the recording unit, and
- wherein the door is rotatably attached to the main body to selectively expose and close the opening portion when the document feeding tray is in the second position.
15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the second placing portion covers at least apart of the document feeding plate.
16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the document feeding tray is rotatable around an axis that is substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and is substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction.
17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the document feeding tray is integrally formed.
18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion is disposed substantially parallel to the operation panel.
19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the first placing portion and the second placing portion is substantially flat.
20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,
- wherein the operation panel is disposed to be downwardly inclined forward,
- wherein the document feeding tray in the first position is positioned rearward of the operation panel.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 29, 2007
Publication Date: Jan 3, 2008
Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA (Nagoya-shi)
Inventor: Masahisa Kato (Nagoya-shi)
Application Number: 11/771,066
International Classification: B65H 5/22 (20060101); B65H 83/00 (20060101); B65H 85/00 (20060101);