Housing structure, electronic apparatus, and image forming apparatus

• US 9,869,962 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishida, Masahiro, Matsuda, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US14/965,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1619 Frame structures
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/206 Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone

Abstract

A housing structure includes a housing, a cover, and a plurality of paths of gas. The cover spatially partitions an inside and an outside of the housing. The plurality of paths of gas connect the inside and the outside of the housing and include a plurality of bypass portions. Two or more paths of gas of the plurality of paths of gas communicate with an outside of the cover via a single housing opening that communicates an inside and the outside of the cover with each other.

Claims

1. A housing structure, comprising:

a housing;

an interior cover disposed inside the housing;

a first cover including a first projection; and

a second cover including a second projection, the first cover and the second cover spatially partitioning an internal side and an external side of the housing, an external opening existing between the first cover and the second cover,

the first cover and the interior cover forming a first multi-angled passage there-between, including a plurality of angled passageways leading to the external opening,

the second cover and the interior cover forming a second multi-angled passage there-between, including a plurality of angled passageways leading to the external opening, and

the external opening, the first multi-angled passage, and the second multi-angled passage being spatially continuous with each other and at least one of the first cover and the second cover being an opening-and-closing cover, wherein at least one of the first and second multi-angled passage includes a gap, between the at least one of the first cover and the second cover that is an opening-and-closing cover and the interior cover, that is relatively greater than an amount at which the opening-and-closing cover is movable toward the interior cover from a closed position of the opening-and-closing cover at which closing of the opening-and-closing cover is completed.

2. The housing structure of claim 1,

wherein the first multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways, and

wherein the second multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways.

3. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a sound source device to generate sound during operation;

a housing covering the sound source device; and

the housing structure of claim 2, the first and second multi-angled passages being configured to attenuate the generated sound.

4. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising the electronic apparatus of claim 3.

5. The housing structure of claim 2,

wherein each of the three or more angled passageways of the first multi-angled passage are substantially 90°

, and wherein each of the three or more angled passageways of the second multi-angled passage are substantially 90°

.

6. The housing structure of claim 1,

wherein the first cover and the second cover are disposed adjacent to each other, with the external opening existing there-between, and

wherein the first cover and the second cover are opening-and-closing covers openable and are closable from any of the first cover and the second cover.

7. The housing structure of claim 1,

wherein the gap between the at least one of the first cover and the second cover that is an opening-and-closing cover and the interior cover has a size that allows variations in component tolerances and clearance of a movable part.

8. The housing structure of claim 1, wherein the interior cover includes a first and second interior cover.

9. The housing structure of claim 8,

wherein the first interior cover and the second interior cover form a third multi-angled passage there-between, including a plurality of angled passageways eventually leading to the external opening.

10. The housing structure of claim 9,

wherein the first multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways, and wherein the second multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways.

11. The housing structure of claim 10,

wherein each- of the three or more angled passageways of the first multi-angled passage are substantially 90°

, and wherein each of the three or more angled passageways of the second multi-angled passage are substantially 90°

.

12. The housing structure of claim 9,

wherein the first multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways,

wherein the second multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways, and

wherein the third multi-angled passage includes three or more angled passageways.

13. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a sound source device to generate sound during operation;

a housing covering the sound source device; and

the housing structure of claim 12, the first and second multi-angled passages being configured to attenuate the generated sound.

14. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising the electronic apparatus of claim 13.

15. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a sound source device to generate sound during operation;

a housing covering the sound source device; and

the housing structure of claim 9, the first and second multi-angled passages being configured to attenuate the generated sound.

16. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising the electronic apparatus of claim 15.

17. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a sound source device to generate sound during operation;

a housing covering the sound source device; and

the housing structure of claim 1, the first and second multi-angled passages being configured to attenuate the generated sound.

18. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising the electronic apparatus of claim 17.