Support device and image forming apparatus having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10663918-B2
Application number	US-201916385154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 18, 2016
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

A support device and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. The support device according to an example includes a first lever rotatably disposed at a door provided in a body of an image forming apparatus, and a first elastic member to rotate the first lever disposed at a first position based on the door being closed to a second position based on the door being opened, wherein, at the second position, the first lever supports a part of a toner cartridge tray pulled out from the body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A support device, comprising:
a first lever rotatably disposed at a door provided in a body of an image forming apparatus, wherein a front end of the first lever is a free end; and
a first elastic member to rotate the first lever disposed at a first position based on the door being closed to a second position based on the door being opened,
wherein, at the second position, the front end of the first lever contacts a part of a toner cartridge tray pulled out from the body to support the toner cartridge tray.

2. The support device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the part of the toner cartridge tray supported by the front end of the first lever at the second position includes a left side or a right side of the toner cartridge tray.

3. The support device as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein a rear end of the first lever is hingedly connected to an inside of the door, and
wherein a side of the front end of the first lever contacts an internal structure of the body and the first lever is rotated from the second position to the first position when the door is closed.

4. The support device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the side of the front end of the first lever is inclined along a length direction of the first lever.

5. The support device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first lever is perpendicular to an inside of the door at the second position.

6. The support device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first lever is coupled with a push protrusion to press a switch to sense an opening or a closing of the door.

7. The support device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second lever hingedly connected to an inside of the door and spaced apart from the first lever at a predetermined distance; and
a second elastic member to rotate the second lever at a third position based on the door being closed to a fourth position based on the door being opened,
wherein, at the fourth position, the second lever supports one of a left side or a right side of the toner cartridge tray that is not supported by the front end of the first lever.

8. The support device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a front end of the second lever is a free end, and a rear end is hingedly connected to the inside of the door.

9. The support device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a side of the front end of the second lever contacts an internal structure of the body and the second lever is rotated from the fourth position to the third position when the door is closed.

10. The support device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the side of the front end of the second lever is inclined along a length direction of the second lever.

11. The support device as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
a holder in which the second lever is accommodated in the inside of the door; and
a locking member elastically and slidably coupled to one end of the holder,
wherein the locking member couples a front end of the second lever to maintain the second lever at the third position based on the second lever being accommodated in the holder.

12. The support device as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
a boss coupled to an internal structure of the body to contact the locking member,
wherein the locking member includes an inclined surface to contact the second lever, and another inclined surface to contact the boss, the locking member to be retracted by the contact of the inclined surface with the boss to unlock the second lever.

13. The support device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pillar non-rotatably coupled with the door,
wherein the first lever is rotatably coupled to a front end of the pillar.

14. The support device of claim 13 , further comprising:
a push protrusion coupled with the pillar and protruding from the front end of the pillar to press a switch on an inside of the body to sense an opening or closing of the door.

15. The support device of claim 13 , further comprising:
a hinge protrusion coupled with the front end of the pillar,
wherein the first lever is rotatably coupled to the front end of the pillar through the hinge protrusion, and
wherein the first elastic member comprises a torsion spring.

16. The support device of claim 13 , wherein a cross section of the pillar includes a circular shape, a square shape, a hexagonal shape, or an octagonal shape.

17. The support device of claim 13 , wherein the pillar protrudes toward an inside of the body when the door is closed.

18. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a body;
a door provided on one side of the body;
a sensor disposed in an inside of the body and including an on-off sensor for sensing an opening or a closing of the door;
a photosensitive medium on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
a developing unit to form the electrostatic latent image of the photosensitive medium into a visible image;
a transfer unit to transfer the visible image to a recording medium;
a fixing unit to fix the visible image transferred to the recording medium;
a toner cartridge tray on which the developing unit is mounted, the toner cartridge tray being disposed to be pulled out from or put into the body; and
a support device disposed at a first position based on the door being closed, the support device including a first lever rotated to a second position by an elastic force based on the door being opened,
wherein, at the second position, a free first end of the first lever contacts a part of a toner cartridge tray pulled out from the body to support the toner cartridge tray.

19. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising:
a second lever arranged at a third position based on the door being closed, and rotated to a fourth position by an elastic force based on the door being opened,
wherein, at the fourth position, the second lever supports one of a left side or a right side of the toner cartridge tray that is not supported by the front end of the first lever.

20. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising:
a holder in which the second lever is accommodated in an inside of the door; and
a locking member elastically and slidably coupled to one end of the holder,
wherein the locking member contacts a front end of the second lever to maintain the second lever at the third position based on the second lever being accommodated in the holder.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Kim Mintae
• Park Seongho

Classifications

• G03G21/1647

  Mechanical connection means · CPC title

• G03G21/1633 Primary

  using doors or covers (G03G21/1638 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G2221/1869

  Cartridge holders, e.g. intermediate frames for placing cartridge parts therein · CPC title

• G03G2221/1684

  using extractable subframes, e.g. on rails or hinges · CPC title

• G03G21/1853 Primary

  the process cartridge being mounted perpendicular to the axis of the photosensitive member · CPC title