JPH11198496A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus easy to confirm the light emitting display element such as an ON/OFF display LED or the like of a power supply regardless of an arranging place. SOLUTION: An LED is provided in the central part of the upper edge 7 of an expanded region 21 projected by outwardly expanding the almost central region of a front part 6 containing the upper edge 7 on the front side of the apparatus of a laser printer 20. The LED is provided so as to straddle an upper surface part 5 and the front part 6 of the apparatus. A content display of characters or the like showing an ON/OFF state of a power supply is provided at the region corresponding to the LED of the upper surface part 5 and the front part 6. Therefore, the LED and the content display can be seen well in either case to see the laser printer 20 from above or below.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a laser printer,
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a facsimile, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus with improved visibility of a light emitting display such as an LED for displaying an operation state and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a laser printer has a power on / off display,
In general, several light-emitting displays using LEDs or the like are provided for displaying an error such as a paper jam or displaying data received from a personal computer or the like.

For example, FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B) are small laser printers which are installed and used on a desk, cabinet, personal computer rack, or the like. The laser printer shown in FIG. 1 is a power on / off LED
2. An LED 3 for displaying an error such as a paper jam, and an LED 4 for displaying and displaying data from a personal computer or the like.
A display unit 8 such as an LCD is provided at the center near the upper edge 7 on the front side of the apparatus. FIG. 1 (B)
The laser printer 10 shown in FIG.
ED2, error display LED3, data reception display L
The ED 4 is provided at the center near the upper edge 7 of the front part 6.
A display unit 8 made of a CD or the like is provided near the upper edge 7 of the upper surface unit 5 as in the laser printer 1 of FIG. In the drawing, reference numeral 9 denotes a paper discharge unit.

The laser printer 1 shown in FIG. 1A has good visibility when the LEDs 2 to 4 are viewed from above as seen from the user 12 shown in FIG. When looking up from below like the person 13, it is almost invisible. On the contrary, the laser printer 10 shown in FIG. 1B has good visibility when the LEDs 2 to 4 are looked up from below like the user 13 shown in FIG. When looking down from above as in the case of the person 12, it is almost invisible.

For this reason, it is convenient to install the laser printer 1 shown in FIG. 1A in a place that is not too high, such as on a desk, but it is convenient to install it on a tall cabinet or a personal computer rack. Not suitable for On the other hand, FIG.
Is suitable for installation on a tall cabinet, a personal computer rack, or the like. However, when the laser printer 10 is installed on a desk or a place lower than the desk, LEDs 2 to 4 can be used.
In such a case, the user may need to lean down and look in to check the situation.

[0006] Also, in the conventional ordinary image forming apparatus, like the laser printers 1 and 10, the appearance of the apparatus is not provided with much unevenness, and the front side and the like have a relatively flat appearance. . On the other hand, in recent years, there have been designs designed on the premise that the image forming apparatus is used in such a manner that it can be installed tightly on a wall or the like so that the installation space of the image forming apparatus can be reduced, or that the image forming apparatus can be arranged so as to be fitted in a recess of the wall. is increasing. However, in the above-described laser printers 1 and 10 and image forming apparatuses having the same outer shape as those described above, FIG.
3 (A), if it is fitted exactly into the projection 15 of the wall 14 or if it is housed exactly in the recess 16 of the wall 14 as shown in FIG. 3 (B), it will project in the case of FIG. 3 (A). Part 1
When viewed from the side 5, the LEDs 2 to 4 may be difficult to see because of the shadow of the protruding portion 15. In the case of FIG.
To 4 may be difficult to see. Laser printer 1,
Similar inconveniences are likely to occur even if devices and fixtures are installed beside 10.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention provides an LED for displaying power on / off regardless of the installation location.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus which makes it easy to visually recognize a light emitting display such as the above.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein at least an upper edge portion of a front side of the apparatus which is swelled in a curved shape is provided. It is characterized in that a light emitting display is provided at a central portion so as to extend over the top and front surfaces of the device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the content display of the light emitting display is provided on each of the upper surface and the front surface of the device.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, description will be made by assigning common reference numerals to parts common to the related art. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a laser printer 20 which is an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The laser printer 20 is formed such that a substantially central portion of the front portion 6 including the upper edge 7 on the front side of the apparatus is expanded outward and slightly protruded, and the upper edge 7 of the expanded portion 21 is formed. In the center of the LED, an on / off display LED 22, an error display LED 23, and a data reception display LED 24 are provided as in the conventional example. Further, a display unit 25 such as an LCD is provided on the upper surface unit 5. Since the space inside the device is increased by providing the bulging portion 21, if necessary, the arrangement of the device inside the device can be made more efficient by using the increased space, or the space of the device housed in the bulging portion 21 can be improved. The external dimensions (vertical, horizontal, and height dimensions excluding the swelling portion 21) of the apparatus can be reduced by that much.

The LEDs 22 to 24 are provided so as to straddle the upper surface 5 and the front 6 of the device. Also, between the LEDs 22 to 24 on the upper surface part 5 and the display part 25, and the front part 6
The LEDs 22 to 24 have respective LEDs 22
24 are provided, that is, content displays 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b, 24a, and 24b of characters, graphics, symbols, and the like indicating power on / off, errors, data reception, and the like.

[0012] Therefore, as shown in FIG.
To 24 and the contents display 22a, 23a,
When the user 24 looks up and looks up from below like the user 13, the parts on the front part 6 side of the LEDs 22 to 24 and the contents display 22 are displayed.
b, 23b and 24b can be seen, and in any case, the LED and the content display can be seen well. Therefore, whether the laser printer 20 according to the present embodiment is installed in a place that is not very high, such as on a desk, or on a tall cabinet or a personal computer rack, the LEDs 22 to 24 and the contents display 22a to 22 There is no problem in the visibility of 24b.

[0013] Even if the LED is fitted to the projection 15 of the wall 14 as shown in FIG. 6A or is housed in the recess 16 of the wall 14 as shown in FIG.
Since the substantially central portion of the upper edge 7 provided with 22 to 24 is bulged outward, the angle at which the LEDs 22 to 24 can be visually recognized increases, and there is almost no direction in which the LEDs 22 to 24 are difficult to see as shown in the figure, and the visibility is improved. .

[0014]

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention has a curved centrally swelled at least substantially at the center of the upper edge on the front side of the apparatus. Because the light emitting display is provided in a crooked position, the visibility of the light emitting display for power on / off display etc. regardless of the height of the installation location or the installation form in the shadow or depression of the projecting part of the wall There is an effect that it becomes better.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, since the content display of the light emitting display is provided on each of the upper surface and the front surface of the device, not only the light emitting display but also the content thereof is provided. The display also has the effect of improving visibility.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional laser printer.

FIG. 2 is a side view conceptually showing the visibility of a user viewing the LED of the laser printer of FIG. 1 from obliquely above or obliquely below.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view conceptually showing the visibility of LEDs when the laser printer of FIG. 1 is installed in the shadow or depression of a protruding portion of a wall.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a laser printer as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 2 in the laser printer of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the laser printer of FIG. 4 corresponding to FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser printer 2 LED for power on / off display 3 LED for error display 4 LED for data reception display 5 Top part 6 Front part 7 Top edge 8 Display part 9 Paper discharge part 10 Laser printer 12, 13 User 14 Wall 15 Projection part 16 recess 20 laser printer 21 bulging part 22 power on / off display LED 23 error display LED 24 data reception display LED 25 display unit 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b content display

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a light-emitting display member provided at a substantially central portion of at least an upper edge portion on a front side of a device swelled in a curved shape so as to extend over an upper surface and a front surface of the device. apparatus. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display of the content of the light emitting display is provided on the upper surface and the front surface of the device, respectively.