IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20160098007A1
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Doi, Shigeo, Sugiyama, Tadahisa
• Granted Patent: US 9,766,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1633 using doors or covers G03G21/1638 takes precedence

Abstract

A door is held in an open condition by locking a stopper member whose one end is turnably supported by an apparatus body. The stopper member is composed of a base member having a project portion and a turning shaft portion supported by a printer body, and a reinforcing member. The reinforcing member is joined with the base member by a joining mechanism such that, in a case when a force of predetermined magnitude is applied to the door in opening the door, the base member is broken and the reinforcing member holds the door by supporting the project portion and the turning shaft portion of the broken base member.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an apparatus body;

a door openably supported by the apparatus body; and

an arm portion whose one end is supported by the apparatus body and locking and holding the door in an open condition, the arm portion including;

a body portion including a first engage portion engaging with the door and a second engage portion engaging with the apparatus body; and

a reinforcing member locking the door when the body portion is broken by force applied to the door in opening the door.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a joining mechanism joining the reinforcing member with the body portion such that, in response to the breakage of the body portion by the force applied to the door in opening the door, the reinforcing member supports the first and second engage portions of the broken body portion.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a shaft-like member joining the body portion with the reinforcing member;

an insertion hole provided through the reinforcing member and through which the shaft-like member is inserted in a condition in which a gap is provided between the insertion hole and the shaft-like member.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the joining mechanism includes:

first and second shaft-like members joining the reinforcing member with the body portion;

a first insertion hole provided at one end part of the reinforcing member and through which the first shaft-like member is inserted; and

a second insertion hole provided at another end part of the reinforcing member and through which the second shaft-like member is inserted,

wherein the first and second shaft-like members are inserted into the first and second insertion holes such that at least one of the first and second insertion holes is provided with a gap between the first shaft-like member or between the second shaft-like member.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first shaft-like member joins the reinforcing member with the body portion by entering an inside of the first engage portion and the second shaft-like member joins the reinforcing member with the body portion by entering an inside of the second engage portion.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is a resin-made member and the reinforcing member is a metallic member.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first engage portion is a projection slidably supported by the door and the second engage portion is a shaft portion turnably supported by the apparatus body.

8. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an apparatus body;

a door openably supported by the apparatus body;

a stopper member including a first engage portion engaging with the apparatus body and a second engage portion engaging with the door, and holding the door in an open condition;

a first shaft-like member inserted into the first engage portion of the stopper member;

a second shaft-like member inserted into the second engage portion of the stopper member; and

a metal member through which the first shaft-like member inserted into the first engage portion of the stopper member and the second shaft-like member inserted into the second engage portion of the stopper member are inserted.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the metal member is provided with first and second insertion holes through which the first and second shaft-like members are respectively inserted, and

wherein at least one of the first and second insertion holes is provided with a gap between the first shaft-like member or between the second shaft-like member.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and second engage portions are projections engaging with the apparatus body and the door.