Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12126776-B2
Application number	US-202318501840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2023
Priority date	May 13, 2022
Publication date	Oct 22, 2024
Grant date	Oct 22, 2024

Abstract

An operation unit is provided on a front side of the image forming apparatus. A document feeding portion feeds a document supported by a document supporting portion in a document feeding direction from a front side of the image forming apparatus toward the rear side of the image forming apparatus. A document discharge portion discharges the document in a document discharge direction from the rear side toward the front side. The operation unit is disposed on one side with respect to an apparatus center of the image forming apparatus in a left-right direction orthogonal to a direction from the front side to the rear side. A conveyance center of the document feeding portion in the left-right direction is disposed on the other side with respect to the apparatus center in the left-right direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus main body configured to form an image on a sheet; and
an image reading apparatus provided on the apparatus main body and configured to read an image on a document,
wherein the apparatus main body includes
a sheet supporting portion configured to support a sheet,
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed the sheet supported by the sheet supporting portion,
an image forming unit configured to form the image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit, and
a sheet discharge portion configured to discharge the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit in a sheet discharge direction from a rear side of the image forming apparatus toward a front side of the image forming apparatus,
wherein the image reading apparatus includes
a document supporting portion configured to support a document,
a document feeding portion configured to feed the document supported by the document supporting portion in a document feeding direction from the front side toward the rear side,
an image reading unit configured to read an image on the document fed by the document feeding portion,
a document discharge portion configured to discharge the document whose image has been read by the image reading unit in a document discharge direction from the rear side toward the front side, and
a document stacking portion on which the document discharged by the document discharge portion is stacked, and
wherein the document supporting portion includes a first supporting portion configured to support a document and a second supporting portion configured to be slidable toward the front side with respect to the first supporting portion and support the document together with the first supporting portion.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sheet supporting portion is a cassette configured to be drawn out toward the front side with respect to a casing of the apparatus main body.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image reading apparatus includes
a platen glass having a document placing surface on which a document is placed,
a document pressing portion configured to press the document placed on the platen glass against the platen glass,
a pivot supporting portion configured to support the document pressing portion so as to be pivotable about a pivot shaft with respect to a casing of the image reading apparatus between a closed position where the document pressing portion covers the platen glass and an open position where the document pressing portion is opened the platen glass, and
a gripping portion configured to be gripped to pivot the document pressing portion from the closed position to the open position.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the document supporting portion, the document feeding portion, and the document discharge portion are provided in the document pressing portion, and
the gripping portion is formed in the second supporting portion.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the document supporting portion, the document feeding portion, and the document discharge portion are provided in the document pressing portion, and
the image reading apparatus further includes a reading moving unit configure to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the pivot shaft.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the reading moving unit configured to move the image reading unit from the front side to the rear side in a case where the image reading unit reads an image on a document placed on the platen glass.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the reading moving unit includes
a carriage configured to support the image reading unit,
a guide portion configured to guide the carriage in a direction from the front side to the rear side,
a motor, and
a belt configured to transmit drive of the motor to the carriage to move the carriage,
the motor is disposed at a position deviated to the one side in a left-right direction of the image forming apparatus with respect to the document placing surface, and
the belt is stretched between a drive stretching portion that is disposed on the one side in the left-right direction with respect to the document placing surface together with the motor and to which drive of the motor is transmitted, a first stretching portion disposed closer to the rear side than a moving end on the rear side of the carriage in a direction along a moving direction of the carriage, and a second stretching portion disposed closer to the front side than the moving end on the front side of the carriage in the direction along the moving direction of the carriage.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the image reading apparatus further includes an abutment portion against which an edge portion of a document placed on the document placing surface is abutted, and
the abutment portion is provided at an end on the front side among a pair of ends of the document placing surface in a direction from the front side to the rear side.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the abutment portion is provided in a portion of an end on the front side of the document placing surface in a left-right direction of the image forming apparatus, and
an inclined surface inclined upward from the rear side toward the front side is formed on another portion of the end on the front side of the document placing surface.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation unit provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus and configured to receive an operation by an operator.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the operation unit includes a display portion configured to display information, and is supported with respect to a casing of the image forming apparatus so as to be pivotable between a first operation position at which the display portion faces the front side and a second operation position at which the display portion faces upward than the first operation position.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sheet feeding unit feeds a sheet in a sheet feeding direction from the front side toward the rear side.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a remaining amount display portion,
wherein the image forming unit is an inkjet image forming unit configured to eject ink onto a sheet to form an image,
wherein the remaining amount display portion is configured to display a remaining amount of ink used in the image forming unit, and
wherein the remaining amount display portion is disposed on the front side of the apparatus main body.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ono Takahiro
• Fukushima Takayuki
• Matsuo Kazuki
• Tachibana Takuma
• Yasuda Yuya
• Mitamura Akiyuki
• Matsumoto Akira
• Urita Akira
• Hishinuma Norikazu
• Nakamura Takatsugu
• Hashimoto Yu

Classifications

• H04N1/1225

  Means for maintaining contact between the sheet and the image sensor, e.g. pressing means · CPC title

• H04N1/00615

  Guiding elements, e.g. plates · CPC title

• H04N1/0061

  Feed belts · CPC title

• H04N1/00607

  Grippers or the like, e.g. suction grippers · CPC title

• H04N1/0053

  Discharge tray in cover · CPC title