JP3439896B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine and a printer, and more particularly to an improvement of the image forming apparatus operable from a plurality of operating directions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various types of OA equipment have been positively introduced and installed in various places in the office in order to improve the efficiency of office work. Some of these OA devices are downsized such as laptop computers, but many such as desktop computers and copiers have a considerably large installation area and bulk. Therefore, when these OA devices are installed in an office, a large space is occupied by each OA device, and the space that can be actually used becomes small even in an office having a large area. For image forming devices such as copiers, to effectively utilize space,
It is almost always installed near the wall. However, considering the layout of furniture in the office, if OA equipment can also be used from two or more directions,
The degree of freedom in installation is increased, space can be saved, and operability can be improved. The following technology is disclosed as such an image forming apparatus.

<Copier Having Operation Units on Both Sides of Apparatus> A copying machine disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 169244/1989 has a plurality of operation units independently at positions opposed to each other through a document placing unit. While arranging, at the end of the document placing section,
Supports the pressure plate and opens and closes laterally. <Rotating Copying Machine> The copying machine disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-21946 has a rotating mechanism at the bottom of the main body of the copying machine. Allows operation from any direction. <Copier in which each unit is unitized and can be accessed bidirectionally> The copier disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 32525/1988 allows the units in the apparatus to be independent and enables bidirectional access to the front and rear of the apparatus. The operation part can be attached to both front and rear surfaces. <Copier that can be operated from 4 directions> JP-A-5-20405
7, JP-A-5-207209, and JP-A-5-2072.
No. 10, JP-A-5-216314, and JP-A-5-219.
The copying machines disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 308 and 227372/1993 include a document pressure plate capable of opening / closing operations in four directions and a means for detecting the opening / closing direction. The lighting means provided on the original scale is turned on in accordance with the above. Further, it is provided with an operation panel movable between two adjacent sides, and further provided with means for detecting the position of the operation panel. In addition, a space is provided between the scanner unit and the image forming engine unit so that the image formed paper is ejected in this space, and the scanner unit moves in four directions with respect to the image forming engine unit. And make it easy to take out the discharged paper. When an image forming instruction is issued from each operation panel, the instruction is sequentially stored to form an image, and the interruption instruction can be accepted only from the operation panel that issued the image forming instruction. Provide an operation panel that can be prioritized. Further, the original reading range or the vertical movement of the discharge tray is determined based on the detection result of the operation direction. Further, the scanner is made movable with respect to the image forming engine section, and the original reading range, the effective operation panel or the vertical movement of the discharge tray is controlled according to the detection result of the moving direction. Further, the original reading range, the upper and lower sides of the effective operation panel or discharge tray are determined based on the detection result of the opening / closing direction of the pressure plate.

<Copier equipped with operation section having two print keys> The copier disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-76343 has a construction in which print keys are provided at the left and right positions of the operation plate. ing. <Apparatus provided with an operating section that stands up in the operating direction> The apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-76343 aims to make the operating panel stand up so that the display surface of the operating panel can be easily seen. To do. <Apparatus equipped with a rotating operation unit> Showa 63-6685
The apparatus disclosed in No. 0 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-66851 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit rotatably with respect to the apparatus body so that the angle with respect to the line of sight can be changed. <Apparatus equipped with a rotatable operation unit> JP-A-62-153
In the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 963/1983 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-153966, a display unit provided with a liquid crystal panel is provided rotatably with respect to the operation panel to make the display easy to see. Also, it can be driven by a motor to set the required angle. <Device in which the position of the operating portion is variable> JP-A-60-209
In the devices disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 745 and JP-A-61-43308, an operation unit is made detachable and a plurality of unit receiving portions are provided so that the position of the operation device can be changed.

[0005]

By the way, in each of the above-mentioned conventional techniques, different side surfaces of the copying machine can be used as operation positions, and as a result of enabling copying operations from a plurality of directions, It is desirable that the description such as the size display on the document scale formed along the edge of the document table be easily visible from any operation position. That is, when performing a copy operation, the original is set at a predetermined position on the original table surface exposed by opening the original pressure plate, and then copying is started using the keys on the operation device. The size display, position display, and the like that are the reference when setting are set on the original scale. Further, since the description of the setting position, direction, etc. in the document setting work is the description on the document scale, if this description is in the opposite direction from the operation position and it is difficult to read, the operability will be extremely deteriorated. It can be said that The simplest method that is effective for facilitating the accurate and easy visual recognition of characters such as "A4" described on the manuscript scale from both operation directions is the same as two upper and lower parts. This is a method of arranging characters side by side, but since the area of the original scale is limited, it is unavoidable to reduce the size of each character and the visibility is reduced, or the number of written characters increases and the visibility is increased. Defects such as deterioration or unsightly design may occur.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the image forming apparatuses are opposed to each other.
When setting a document on the platen from one operating position, the size indication on the document scale can be viewed correctly and easily from any direction, improving the operability in document setting work. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a document alignment scale display capable of being read from both operation directions, and the size display of the document scale is printed on two inclined surfaces in the V-shaped groove. However, the purpose is to make it easy for both operating sides to confirm the displayed characters without turning them upside down. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the size display of the document scale is printed on the two inclined surfaces of the V-shaped groove portion so that the display can be easily confirmed from either operating side, while the document scale is displayed. It is an object of the present invention to have a flat upper surface to improve the setting of a document and to enable highly visible display even if the V-shaped groove of the document scale has a shallow structure. According to the invention of claim 3, the size display of the document scale is printed in both directions of the vertical surface of the concave groove portion so that the display can be easily confirmed from either side and the display in the opposite direction cannot be seen. Has an aim. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the size indication of the original scale is divided and printed on the inner wall of a plurality of continuous V-shaped or V-shaped grooves, and the print is performed at a limited low height or depth. It is intended for bidirectional display.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is an operation position provided on each of two facing surfaces of an image forming apparatus, and an apparatus between each operation position. In the image forming apparatus including an original table located on the upper surface and an original scale arranged along an edge of the original table and having a size display section on the upper surface, the image forming apparatus capable of being operated from each operation position has the above size. The display part consists of a single V-shaped groove or ∧-shaped protrusion, and each inclined surface of the V-shaped groove or ∧-shaped protrusion can be easily visually recognized from each operation direction.
It is characterized in that the characters indicating the size are described so that they can be visually recognized. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the V-groove-shaped size display portion is covered with a transparent member, and the V-shaped size display portion is adjusted according to the refractive index of the transparent member.
It is characterized in that the characters indicating the size are visually recognized. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the operating positions are respectively provided on the two surfaces of the image forming apparatus that face each other, the document table located on the upper surface of the apparatus between the operation positions, and the edge of the document table along the edge. In the image forming apparatus, which is arranged and has a document scale having a size display section on the upper surface, and which can be operated from each operation position, the size display section is composed of a single groove, It grooves from each operation direction to the wall surface as each viewing is easily
The same character representing the size is described on both of the inner wall surfaces . According to another aspect of the present invention, there are provided operation positions respectively provided on two surfaces of the image forming apparatus which face each other, a document table positioned on the upper surface of the apparatus between the operation positions, and an edge of the document table. In an image forming apparatus which is arranged and has an original scale having a size display section on the upper surface, and which can be operated from each operation position, the size display section is composed of a plurality of continuous V-grooves or ∧-type protrusions, Each V-groove or each sloping surface of each ∧-shaped projection is easy to see from each operating direction .
It is characterized in that partial characters forming a character representing a size are described so that an upright character can be visually recognized from each operation direction .

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus as viewed from the rear side. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in these figures is provided with a device casing 2 formed in a vertically long rectangular shape, an image reading device 3 provided on the upper side of the device casing 2, and an image reading device 3 provided on the lower side of the device casing 2. Image forming apparatus (image forming unit) 4, a main power switch 5 provided at the center of the right side plate of the apparatus casing 2 (the right side plate in FIG. 1), and one side portion of the upper surface of the apparatus casing 2. Operating device 6 provided, human body detection sensors 7 and 8 provided on the upper part of the front plate and the upper part of the rear plate of the device casing 2, and the operation direction A side (front side) provided on the upper part of the left side plate of the device casing 2. Power switch 9 and a power switch 10 provided on the upper part of the right side plate of the device casing 2 on the operation direction B side (back side),
A start key 11 on the operation direction A side provided on the front side of the upper portion of the device casing 2 and a start key 12 on the operation direction B side provided on the rear side of the upper portion of the device casing 2 are provided. In other words, this image forming apparatus has operation positions on the front side surface and the back side surface, respectively, and the operator can operate by standing in either one of the operation positions. With the main power switch 5 turned on, each power switch 9, 10
The operation screen for the operation direction A, the operation screen for the operation direction B, or the like is displayed on the LCD panel 26 that constitutes the operation device 6 based on the operation contents of the above, the detection contents of the human body detection sensors 7 and 8, and the like. , The operation direction A or B is enabled, and when the operation is performed in this direction, the image reading device 3 is operated to read the image of the document, and the image of the size specified by the image creating device 4 is read. A toner image corresponding to the image data obtained by the image reading device 3 is formed on the transfer sheet, and the sheet is ejected outside the machine.

The image reading device 3, the operating device 6 and the image forming device 4 which compose the image forming apparatus 1 will be described in detail below. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the image reading device 3 includes a contact glass 15 fitted into an opening formed in the upper part of the device casing 2 and an upper part of the device casing 2 adjacent to the contact glass 15. Placed manuscript scale 1
6, a pressure plate 17 configured to be openable and closable in any of the front and rear directions on the upper portion of the device casing 2, and a guide rail (not shown) arranged in the device casing 2 to provide a sub-scanning direction. On the other hand, a first carriage 18 that is configured to be movable and is driven to run at a first speed according to the scaling ratio, and a document that is placed on the first carriage 18 and placed on the contact glass 15. A light source 19 for illuminating
A first mirror 20 is disposed on the first carriage 18 and reflects light (optical image) from the document. Further, the image reading device 3 is configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction by a guide rail (not shown) arranged in the device casing 2, and even if the first carriage 18 moves, the document is read. A second carriage 21 that is driven to travel at a speed (second speed) that is half the first speed so that the optical path length during reading is constant, and is arranged on this second carriage 21 and reflected from the first mirror 20. The second and third mirrors 22 and 23 that reflect the reflected optical image, and the movable mirror 2 are movably arranged in the device housing 2. The position is adjusted to a position according to focus, magnification, etc., and the light is emitted from the third mirror 23. The lens 24 that collects the focused optical image and the lens 24 that is movably arranged in the device housing 2 are positionally adjusted to a position according to focus, magnification, etc., and receive the optical image collected by the lens 24. And convert to electrical signal (image signal) CCD image sensor 25 that
It has and.

When an image reading command is output from the image forming apparatus 4 side, the positions of the lens 24 and the CCD image sensor 25 are moved in the left-right direction according to the reading magnification, the reading range, etc., and the positions are adjusted. After that, the first carriage 1
In the state where the light source 19 of No. 8 is turned on, the first carriage 18
And the second carriage 21 are moved in the sub-scanning direction at the first and second speeds, respectively, to read the image of the original document placed on the contact glass 15, and the lens 24
The light is condensed on the CD image sensor 25 to generate an image signal, which is supplied to the image forming device 4.

The operating device 6 is located at a position laterally above the device housing 2 in the front-back direction (from the front side to the back side in FIG. 1).
And an LCD display (liquid crystal display) 26 that is arranged so as to be long, and when the operator touches the LCD display 26, the LCD display 26 is detected, and touch position information is generated. The touch panel 27 and the microprocessor are arranged on the upper side of the device casing 2 and communicate with the main controller 52 of the image creating device 4 side through the I / O port as shown in FIG. It is operated by taking in a display instruction command, status information, etc. output from the device and displaying them on the LCD display 26 constituting the operating device 6, and processing touch position information of the touch panel 27 constituting the operating device 6. Key detection process, send this to main controller (control unit) 52 And an operation unit 28 for performing that processing and the like.

When a split display screen instruction is output from the main controller 52, this is taken in by the operation unit 28, and each half surface of the screen (first half and second half surface) is displayed on the LCD display 26. Display the split screen used for. In addition, when a full display screen instruction is output from the main controller 52, the full screen is captured by the operation unit 28, and the full display screen is displayed on the LCD display 26 so that the entire screen is used for operation in one operation direction. indicate. When the operator touches the display surface of the LCD display 26 in this state, the touch panel 27 detects this and generates touch position information, and the operation unit 28 processes the touch position information to process a key signal corresponding to the touch position. (Operation information) is generated and supplied to the main controller 52.

Further, the image forming device 4 is generated by the writing optical unit 45 for writing an optical image based on the image signal output from the image reading device 3 as shown in FIG. A visualization unit 46 that visualizes an optical image as a toner image, a paper feed unit 47 that supplies transfer paper, and a transfer paper extracted by the paper feed unit 47 is visualized by the visualization unit 46. Paper transfer unit 48 for transferring the converted toner image
A fixing unit 49 for melting and fixing the toner on the transfer paper on which the image is transferred by the paper transfer unit 48, and the transfer paper on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 49 are attached to the left side plate of the device casing 2. A paper discharge unit 51 that discharges paper onto a paper discharge tray 50, and a main controller (control unit) 52 that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1.
Based on the instruction from the main controller 52,
An image signal processing unit (IPU) 53 for processing an image signal output from the image reading device 3 is provided, and an image represented by the image signal output from the image reading device 3 is visualized as a toner image, On the transfer paper of the specified size,
After the toner image is transferred, the toner image is fixed and discharged onto the discharge tray 50 outside the machine.

The writing optical unit 45 is a laser output composed of a laser diode for generating a laser beam, a polygon mirror for scanning the laser beam, a polygon mirror drive motor, etc., based on the image data output from the image signal processing section 53. Unit 60, f-
A lens group 61 such as a θ lens and a mirror 62 that reflects the laser light from the lens group 61 and supplies the laser light to the visualization unit 46 are provided, and the image data output from the image signal processing unit 53 is optically converted. The signal is converted into a signal, and an optical image corresponding to the image data is written on the photoconductor 63 forming the visualization unit 46 to form an electrostatic latent image. The visualization unit 46 is rotationally driven by a main motor 85 (see FIG. 4), and a photoreceptor 63 on which a latent image is formed by the laser light emitted from the writing optical unit 45, and one end of the photoreceptor 63. When a laser beam emitted from the writing optical unit 45 is detected, a beam sensor 64 that generates a main scanning synchronization signal (LSYNC) and supplies it to the main controller 52, a photoconductor cleaning unit 65, and a charging unit. 66 and a developing unit 67.

When a printing operation is performed, the driving force of the main motor 85 drives the photosensitive member 63 to rotate,
After cleaning by the cleaning unit 65, the charging unit 66 uniformly charges, and when an optical image corresponding to image data is written on the photoconductor 63 by the laser light emitted from the writing optical unit 45, the photoconductor An electrostatic latent image is formed on 63. After that, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 63 is developed by the developing unit 67 to form a toner image. The paper feeding unit 47 includes first to third paper feeding trays 70 to 72,
First to third sheet feeding units 73 to 73 that take out the respective transfer sheets in the first to third sheet feeding trays 70 to 72 one by one and feed them toward the image forming apparatus (image forming unit) located above 7
5, a vertical conveyance unit 76 that conveys the taken-out transfer paper upward, and a registration roller 77 that supplies the transfer paper to the paper transfer unit 48 at a timing when the transfer paper is taken in. When performing a printing operation, a transfer paper of a specified size is taken out of the transfer paper of each size stored in the first to third paper feed trays 70 to 72, and the transfer paper is conveyed upward and onto the photoconductor 63. The transfer paper is supplied to the paper transfer unit 48 at the timing when the front end of the formed toner image reaches the paper transfer position.

The paper transfer unit 48 includes a paper transfer bias roller 78, a drive roller 79, and a conveyor belt 80 for conveying the transfer paper on which the toner image on the photoconductor 63 is transferred. The fixing unit 49 controls the fixing roller 81 controlled to have a predetermined temperature and the transfer roller conveyed by the paper transfer unit 48.
And a pressure roller 82 which is pressed against. The paper discharge unit 51 includes a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 69 that convey the transfer paper.
Is equipped with. In addition, the main controller (control unit) 5
2 has a microprocessor as shown in FIG.
While communicating with the operating device 6 and the image signal processing unit 53 through the O port, a process of controlling the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 1, a process of receiving a signal output from each sensor 83, and a control of the solenoid 84. Is a circuit for performing a process for controlling the main motor 85, a process for controlling the intermediate clutch 86, and the first to third sheet feeding clutches 87-89, and the like. Each sensor 8 based on the operation information transmitted
5 is processed to control the solenoid 84, the main motor 85, the intermediate clutch 86, the first to third sheet feeding clutches 87 to 89, an image reading command is generated, and the image reading command is generated. Processing of transmitting to the reading device 3, generation of a display instruction command, state information, display information, etc., transmission to the operation device 6, generation of an image processing instruction, and transmission of this to the image signal processing unit 53. And so on.

FIG. 5 shows the document table (contact glass) 1 described above.
5 is a configuration diagram of FIG. 5, in which document scales 100 and 101 in the form of narrow bands are provided on the periphery of the document table 15. Manuscript scale 1
Reference numerals 00 and 101 denote original corner reference marks 102 for aligning the originals, a size display portion 103 showing the original sizes “A4” and “A3”, and the originals with corners aligned with the reference marks 102. A scale 104 is printed to indicate the position of the edge of each size original when the sheets are set. FIG. 6A is an enlarged view showing a specific configuration of the size display unit 103,
(b) is a sectional view thereof. The size display portion 103 indicates the size formed on the V groove 110 formed along the edge of the document scale 101 near the platen and the two inclined surfaces (inclined inner walls) 110A and 110B of the V groove 110, respectively. Characters 111 and. Each character 111 is arranged so that the characters 111 written on the inclined surfaces 110A and 110B can be normally recognized when the operators located in the A operation direction and the B operation direction respectively look down in a normal standing posture. , Written upside down. A size scale 104 is printed on the horizontal plane of the V groove 110.
Reference numeral 04 indicates the position of the edge of the A4 size document. The angle θ of the bottom of the V groove 110 is not limited within a range from an acute angle to an obtuse angle, but when the size display unit 103 is located near one of the operation positions, the character from the other operation position is a V groove. Since the visibility of may deteriorate,
It may be formed in an inverted V shape (the inclination angle of one inclined surface is different from that of the other, or the inclination direction length of the inclined surface is different).

According to the size display of this embodiment, in the image forming apparatus capable of bidirectionally performing the copy operation with the facing side surfaces as the operation positions, respectively, the position is not turned upside down. The characters 111 can be visually recognized, and moreover, the characters are inclined toward the side where they are viewed from the directions of the lines of sight A and B, so that the characters are easy to see, the operability in the document setting work can be improved, and the characters can be seen from one operation position. The number of characters 111 does not increase when you see
There is no reduction in visibility and unsightly design. Instead of using the V-shaped groove as the size display portion 103, a ∧-shaped protrusion may be used, and the above characters may be displayed on each inclined surface of the ∧-shaped protrusion.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the original document scale of the present invention. In this embodiment, a V-shaped groove 110 in which characters 111 are formed on two inclined inner wall surfaces 110A and 110B, respectively. In the size display portion 103 having the above, the characteristic is that the V groove 110 is covered with the transparent member 115, and the transparent member 115 may be filled so as to fill the entire inside of the V groove, or the surface of the V groove. It may have a plate shape that covers only the above. Size display section 10 on the original scales 100 and 101
3 is the inclined surfaces 110A and 1A in the V groove, as in the above-described embodiment.
10B are respectively printed in an upright state so that they can be viewed from any operation position, while the transparent member 115 refracts the lines of sight A and B as shown in the figure, the V groove 110 is inclined. Even if the structure has a shallow angle, it seems that there is an angle, so that the character 111 can be easily seen from each operation position. Further, in the type in which the original is set on the original scale, the upper surface of the original scale is flat, which is suitable for setting the original. Further, dust and the like are not accumulated in the groove, which facilitates cleaning.

Next, FIG. 8 shows a document scale of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a third example of the embodiment, in which the size indicator 103 of the document scale has a concave groove 120 having a concave structure (rectangular cross section), and the vertical wall surfaces of the concave groove 120 facing each other. 121A, 121B and the vertical wall surfaces 121A, 12
1B has a character 111 formed respectively. Each character 1
11 is displayed upright from any of the operation directions A and B, and the display in the opposite direction is not visible. The other effects are the same as those in the above-described embodiments. In addition, the wall surface 121A,
121B does not necessarily have to be a strict vertical surface, and may be tilted by a predetermined angle so that it can be easily seen from each operation direction. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the concave groove 120 is an inverted trapezoid or a shape close to it.

FIG. 9 (a) is a sectional view of the size display portion of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The size display portion 103 is elongated in the horizontal direction when viewed from the respective operating directions A and B. The inclined surface 125A has a configuration in which V-grooves 125 each having a short width in the direction are continuously arranged in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and face each operation direction.
In 125B, the partial character 111a in which the character "A4" is divided into a plurality of pieces in the vertical direction is described. When viewed from each operation direction, the partial characters are continuously arranged in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 9 (b). “A4”, which is the completed character 111 in the overlapping state, is visually recognized.

Next, FIG. 10 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, instead of the plurality of V-grooves in the embodiment of FIG. 9, a plurality of ∧-shapes (mountain-shapes) elongated in the lateral direction are provided. By arranging the protrusions in the vertical direction continuously, the same display effect as that of the embodiment of FIG. 9 is realized. That is, the size display unit 103 has a ∧-shaped (mountain-shaped) protrusion 130 that is long in the horizontal direction and short in the vertical direction when viewed from the operation directions A and B.
Is continuously arranged in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and partial characters 111a in a state in which the character "A4" is divided into a plurality of pieces in the vertical direction are described on the inclined surfaces 130A and 130B facing each operation direction. As shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the partial characters “A4”, which is the completed character 111 in a vertically overlapping state, are visually recognized. According to this form example,
A manuscript scale having a limited low height or depth enables easy bidirectional display.

[0023]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the size display portion of the original scale includes the V-shaped groove and the characters printed on both inclined surfaces of the V-shaped groove. Even when viewed from the operation direction, the characters formed on each inclined surface do not turn upside down and can be easily confirmed. The characters for the opposite side written on the inclined surface on the front side when viewed from the side where the operator is located are invisible and therefore do not interfere. Alternatively, a V-shaped protrusion may be provided instead of the V groove, and similar characters may be written on the inclined surface. According to the invention of claim 2, since the transparent member is arranged on the V-shaped groove, dust may be accumulated in the groove, it may interfere with the setting of the original when setting the original on the original scale, and the groove may not be formed. The original will not be damaged. Further, due to the refraction effect of the transparent member, even if the V-shaped groove of the scale has a shallow structure, it looks like an angle and is easy to see.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the size display portion of the original scale is composed of the concave groove portion and the characters printed bidirectionally on the inner wall of the concave groove, so that the display can be easily performed from either operation position side. It can be confirmed, and the display in the opposite direction is not visible, so it does not interfere with the operation. According to the invention of claim 4, the size indication of the document scale is composed of a plurality of partial characters described in a plurality of continuous V grooves or ∧-shaped protrusions, and each partial character is one character when viewed from each operation direction. Therefore, it is possible to correctly recognize the character from both directions at a limited low height or shallow depth.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention when viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1 when viewed from the rear side.

3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the image forming apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of an operation device, a main controller, and an image signal processing unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a structural explanatory view of a document scale to which the size display unit of the invention is applied.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are an enlarged perspective view of a size display section according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and an XX sectional view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a size display section according to a second example of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a size display section according to a third example of the present invention.

9A is a cross-sectional view of a size display portion according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9B is a view seen from the direction A.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a size display section according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 image forming device, 2 device housing, 3 image reading device,
4 image forming device, 5 main power switch, 6 operating device, 10 power switch, 11 start key, 47 paper feeding unit, 52 main controller, 70, 71,
72 paper feed trays, 73, 74, 75 paper feed units,
100, 101 original scale, 102 original corner reference mark, 103 size display section, 104 scale, 110
V groove, 100A, 110B inclined surface (inclined inner wall), 1
11 characters, 120 concave groove, 120A, 120B wall surface, 125 V groove, 125A, 125B inclined surface, 13
0 Protrusion, 130A, 130B Inclined surface.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Endo 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A 1-225986 (JP, A) 3-67329 (JP, U) Actually open 59-151243 (JP, U) Actually open 63-153287 (JP, U) Actually open 61-99194 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 27/00-27/80 H04N 1/00 H04N 1/10 H04N 1/107

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An operation position provided on each of two facing sides of an image forming apparatus, a document table located on the upper surface of the apparatus between the operation positions, and arranged along an edge of the document table. And an original scale having a size display section on the upper surface thereof and capable of being operated from each operation position, the size display section is composed of a single V groove or a V-shaped projection. It is easy to see from each operation direction on each inclined surface of the groove or ∧-shaped protrusion, and the upright characters can be seen from each operation direction.
An image forming apparatus, in which characters indicating a size are described so that the size can be changed . 2. An upper surface of the size display portion including the V groove is covered with a transparent member, and the size is adjusted according to the refractive index of the transparent member.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a character indicating "" is visually recognized. 3. An operation position provided on each of two facing surfaces of the image forming apparatus, a document table located on the upper surface of the apparatus between the operation positions, and arranged along an edge of the document table. And with a manuscript scale with a size display on the top surface,
In the image forming apparatus capable of being operated from each operation position, the size display section is composed of a single groove, and the inner wall surface of the groove is provided with a double groove for facilitating visual recognition from each operation direction.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the same character representing the size is described on one inner wall surface . 4. An operation position provided on each of two facing surfaces of the image forming apparatus, a document table located on the upper surface of the apparatus between the operation positions, and arranged along an edge of the document table. And with a manuscript scale with a size display on the top surface,
In the image forming apparatus capable of being operated from each operation position, the size display section includes a plurality of continuous V-shaped grooves or ∧-shaped projections, and each V-shaped groove or each ∧-shaped projection has an inclined surface in each operation direction. It is easy to see from each of the
An image forming apparatus, wherein partial characters forming a character representing a size are described so that the character can be visually recognized.