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US 12,228,874 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus having a noise-reducible structure
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTetsuharu Ube
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus, having a housing including a first side wall and a second side wall, a sheet tray movable in a first direction, an image forming device to form an image on a sheet, and a chute movable in a second direction, is provided. The sheet tray has a first outer frame, having a first dent denting downward. The chute has a second outer frame. The second outer frame has a second dent denting upward and forming an opening together with the first dent and a handle extending downward from the second dent. At least one of the first outer frame and the second outer frame has a wall shielding a part of the opening at a position upstream from the handle in the second direction.
Claims14
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a housing having a first side wall and a second side wall, the second side wall being spaced from the first side wall;
- a sheet tray for storing sheets, the sheet tray being movable in a first direction to be drawn outward, the sheet tray having a first outer frame, the first outer frame forming an outer surface of the image forming apparatus together with the second side wall, the first outer frame having a first dent denting downward;
- an image forming device configured to form an image on a sheet supplied from the sheet tray;
- a feed roller configured to supply the sheet to the image forming device, and
- a chute located above the sheet tray, the chute being configured to guide the sheet with the image formed on one side thereof by the image forming device to return to the image forming device, the chute being movable in a second direction opposite to the first direction to be drawn outward, the chute having a second outer frame, the second outer frame forming the outer surface of the image forming apparatus together with the second side wall, the second outer frame having a second dent denting upward and forming an opening together with the first dent, the second outer frame having a handle extending downward from the second dent,
- wherein:
- at least the first outer frame among the first outer frame and the second outer frame has a wall shielding a part of the opening at a position upstream from the handle in the second direction,
- the wall includes a first wall extending upward from the first dent,
- the first wall includes a first central wall and a pair of side walls, one and the other of the side walls being located on one side and the other side of the first central wall, respectively, in a widthwise direction intersection orthogonally with the second direction, upper ends of the side walls being located to be higher than an upper end of the first central wall,
- the upper end of the first central wall is located to be lower than a lower end of the feed roller, and
- the one and the other of the side walls are located on one side and the other side of the feed roller respectively, in the widthwise direction.
8 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a housing having a first side wall and a second side wall, the second side wall being spaced from the first side wall;
- a sheet tray for storing sheets, the sheet tray being movable in a first direction to be drawn outward, the sheet tray having a first outer frame, the first outer frame forming an outer surface of the image forming apparatus together with the second side wall, the first outer frame having a first dent denting downward;
- a feed roller configured to convey the sheets from the sheet tray;
- and
- a chute configured to guide the sheets and located above the sheet tray, the chute being movable in a second direction opposite to the first direction to be drawn outward, the chute having a second outer frame, the second outer frame forming the outer surface of the image forming apparatus together with the second side wall, the second outer frame having a second dent denting upward and forming an opening together with the first dent, the second outer frame having a handle extending downward from the second dent,
- wherein:
- the wall includes a first wall extending upward from the first dent,
- the first wall includes a first central wall and a pair of side walls, one and the other of the side walls being located on one side and the other side of the first central wall, respectively, in a widthwise direction intersection orthogonally with the second direction, upper ends of the side walls being located to be higher than an upper end of the first central wall,
- the upper end of the first central wall is located to be lower than a lower end of the feed roller, and
- the one and the other of the side walls are located on one side and the other side of the feed roller respectively, in the widthwise direction.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.