Image Reading Apparatus And Image Forming Apparatus

Abstract

An image reading apparatus includes: a main body; an operation panel; a document feeding tray movable between first and second positions and having a placing surface on which a document is placed; a document conveying plate guiding the document; and a reading unit reading an image of the document. The placing surface includes first and second placing portions. In the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and a line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the line and the second placing portion. The line is perpendicular to a predetermined plane and passes through a boundary between the first and second placing portions. In the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel, and the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with a conveying surface of the document conveying plate.

1 . An image reading apparatus comprising:
 a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane;   an operation panel provided on a surface of the main body;   a document feeding tray that is movable between a first position and a second position and has a placing surface on which a document is placed when the document feeding tray is in the first position;   a document conveying plate having a conveying surface on which the document fed from the document feeding tray is guided in a conveying direction; and   a reading unit that reads an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate,   wherein the placing surface of the document feeding tray includes a first placing portion and a second placing portion and is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion in the conveying direction,   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with the conveying surface of the document conveying plate,   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the first placing portion is positioned across a virtual line from the second placing portion and extends from the boundary in a direction away from the predetermined plane, where the virtual line is defined as a line that is perpendicular to the predetermined plane and passes through the boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion,   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and the virtual line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the virtual line and the second placing portion, and   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel.   
     
     
         2 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the second placing portion covers at least a part of the document feeding plate. 
     
     
         3 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the document feeding tray is rotatable around an axis that is substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and is substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction. 
     
     
         4 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the document feeding tray including the first placing portion and the second placing portion is integrally formed. 
     
     
         5 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion is disposed substantially parallel to the operation panel. 
     
     
         6 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the first placing portion and the second placing portion is substantially flat. 
     
     
         7 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the operation panel is disposed to be downwardly inclined forward,   wherein the document feeding tray in the first position is positioned rearward of the operation panel.   
     
     
         8 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane;   an operation panel provided on a surface of the main body;   a recording medium feeding unit that is provided in a lower portion of the main body and separates one at a time a plurality of sheets of a recording medium placed in a stacked manner;   a conveying passage having a substantially U-shaped portion in cross section to convey the recording medium fed from the recording medium feeding unit;   a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed from the conveying passage;   a discharge portion for discharging the recording medium conveyed from the recording unit; and   a image reading apparatus disposed above the recording unit,   wherein the image reading apparatus comprises:   a document feeding tray that is movable between a first position and a second position and has a placing surface on which a document is placed when the document feeding tray is in the first position;   a document conveying plate having a conveying surface on which the document fed from the document feeding tray is guided in a conveying direction; and   a reading unit that reads an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate,   wherein the placing surface of the document feeding tray includes a first placing portion and a second placing portion and is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion in the conveying direction,   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the second placing portion is positioned substantially flush with the conveying surface of the document conveying plate,   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, the first placing portion is positioned across a virtual line from the second placing portion and extends from the boundary in a direction away from the predetermined plane, where the virtual line is defined as a line that is perpendicular to the predetermined plane and passes through the boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion,   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, a first inferior angle formed by the first placing portion and the virtual line is smaller than a second inferior angle formed by the virtual line and the second placing portion, and   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion covers at least a part of the operation panel.   
     
     
         9 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 8 , further comprising a cradle provided on an upper surface of the main body, to place a handset in a standing state,
 wherein when a downstream side in the conveying direction is defined as a front side in a plan view, the cradle is located to position the handset so that, in a side view, an upper portion of the handset is situated to a frontward of the document feeding tray in the first position.   
     
     
         10 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein an opening portion and a door are provided on an upper surface of the main body and blow the document feeding tray of the first position,   wherein the opening portion is located above at least a part of the recording unit, and   wherein the door is rotatably attached to the main body to selectively expose and close the opening portion when the document feeding tray is in the second position.   
     
     
         11 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a main body to be placed on a predetermined plane;   a recording medium feeding unit that is provided in a lower portion of the main body and separates one at a time a plurality of sheets of a recording medium placed in a stacked manner;   a conveying passage having a substantially U-shaped portion in cross section to convey the recording medium fed from the recording medium feeding unit;   a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed from the conveying passage;   a discharge portion for discharging the recording medium conveyed from the recording unit, in a first conveying direction;   a document conveying plate that is disposed above the recording unit and guides a document in a second conveying direction;   a reading unit that reading an image of the document guided from the document conveying plate;   an operation panel unit disposed above the reading unit; and   a document feeding tray that is disposed on an upper surface of the main body and feeds a document to a document introducing port formed between the document conveying plate and the operation panel,   wherein the document feeding tray is movable between a first position and a second position,   wherein the document feeding tray in the second position covers at least a part of an upper surface of the operation panel and the document feeding port, and   wherein when the document feeding tray is in the first position, an orthogonal projection of the document feeding tray onto the predetermined plane is entirely positioned within a contour of the main body.   
     
     
         12 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the document feeding tray has a placing surface on which the document is placed, the placing surface having a first placing portion and a second placing portion, the second placing portion positioned downstream of the first placing portion the second conveying direction, and
 wherein the placing surface is bent at a boundary between the first placing portion and the second placing portion in cross section, so that the first placing portion and the second placing portion forms an obtuse angle.   
     
     
         13 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising a cradle provided on an upper surface of the main body, to place a handset in a standing state,
 wherein when a downstream side in the second conveying direction in plan view is defined as a front side, the cradle is located to place an upper portion of the handset in a side view is situated to the front side of the document feeding tray in the first position.   
     
     
         14 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein an opening portion and a door are provided on an upper surface of the main body and blow the document feeding tray of the first position,   wherein the opening portion is located above at least a part of the recording unit, and   wherein the door is rotatably attached to the main body to selectively expose and close the opening portion when the document feeding tray is in the second position.   
     
     
         15 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the second placing portion covers at least apart of the document feeding plate. 
     
     
         16 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the document feeding tray is rotatable around an axis that is substantially parallel to the predetermined plane and is substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction. 
     
     
         17 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the document feeding tray is integrally formed. 
     
     
         18 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein when the document feeding tray is in the second position, the first placing portion is disposed substantially parallel to the operation panel. 
     
     
         19 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein each of the first placing portion and the second placing portion is substantially flat. 
     
     
         20 . The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein the operation panel is disposed to be downwardly inclined forward,   wherein the document feeding tray in the first position is positioned rearward of the operation panel.