JP2008111864A - Fixed structure and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixed structure for improving external appearance and workability by suppressing damage of a recording sheet, and also to provide an image forming device thereof. <P>SOLUTION: A laser printer includes a printer body 2, a sheet supply device 3 arranged in the lower side of the printer body 2, and a fixing member 4 for fixing to couple the printer body 2 and the sheet supply device 3. The fixing member 4 includes a branch-shaped connection part 41 branching upward and downward, and a screwing part 42 for forming a through hole penetrating upward and downward. One piece 41a of the connection part 41 is engaged with a body side side-frame 28 from the inside, and a screwing part 42 of the fixing member 4 is fixed on an upper frame 34 by a screw S screwed in a vertical direction in the state where the other piece 41b is engaged with a supply side side-frame 33 from the inside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing structure for connecting two apparatuses, and an image forming apparatus in which a recording sheet supply apparatus is connected to the lower side of an image forming apparatus main body.

  In general, an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer includes a recording sheet tray in which a recording sheet is stored. In such an image forming apparatus, a recording sheet supply apparatus having a sheet tray different from the main body side recording sheet tray on the lower side of the main body, a dedicated table for conveying the image forming apparatus, and the like Additional auxiliary equipment may be added.

  However, when the image forming apparatus main body is simply placed on the auxiliary device as described above, for example, when these units are transported integrally, the image forming apparatus main body and the auxiliary member are used. There is a possibility that the relative position of will deviate from the normal position. As a technique for solving such a problem, conventionally, there is a technique in which an image forming apparatus main body and an auxiliary member (dedicated stand) are fixed by a connecting plate from the outside of the image forming apparatus (see Patent Document 1). Specifically, in this technique, one end of the connecting plate is engaged with the handle of the image forming apparatus main body, and the other end is fixed to the dedicated base by screwing in the horizontal direction.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-94339

  However, according to the above-described configuration, unevenness is formed by exposing the connecting plate and screws to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, there is a possibility that the recording sheet is caught by the unevenness and damaged. Further, there is a problem that the appearance is deteriorated by exposing the connecting plate and the screw to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body. Furthermore, the above-described technique has a structure in which screws are screwed in the horizontal direction, so that there is a problem that screwing workability is poor compared to a structure in which screws are screwed from the upper side to the lower side. This problem is also expected to occur when a plurality of recording sheet supply devices are installed below the image forming apparatus main body and each recording sheet supply device is fixed by the connecting plate.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a fixing structure and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing damage to a recording sheet and improving appearance and workability.

  The present invention that solves the above-described problems comprises connecting a first device, a second device disposed below the first device, the first device, and the second device. A fixing structure including a fixing member to be fixed, wherein each of the first device and the second device includes a frame, and the fixing member includes a bifurcated connecting portion that branches vertically, and a vertical structure. A screwing portion having a through-hole formed therethrough, and one piece of the connecting portion divided into two is engaged with the frame of the first device from the inside, and the other piece is the first piece. In a state where the frame of the second device is engaged from the inside, the screwing portion of the fixing member is screwed up and down into at least one of the frame of the first device and the frame of the second device. It is fixed with a screw.

  As the first apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus main body having an image forming means for forming a predetermined image on a recording sheet can be adopted, and as the second apparatus, for example, a supply side recording sheet tray in which the recording sheet is accommodated is used. The provided recording sheet supply apparatus can be employed. Furthermore, when a plurality of recording sheet supply devices are stacked, both the first device and the second device may be used as the recording sheet supply device.

  According to the present invention, when the connecting portion of the fixing member is engaged from the inside of the frame of the first device or the frame of the second device, the fixing member is exposed to the outside of the frame to form irregularities. Absent. Therefore, damage to the recording sheet can be suppressed and the appearance can be improved. Moreover, since it is sufficient to screw the screw into the screwing portion of the fixing member from the upper side to the lower side, the workability is improved.

  According to the present invention, since the fixing member is not exposed to the outside of the frame and is fixed by screwing the screw up and down, damage to the recording sheet can be suppressed, and the appearance and workability can be improved. Can be improved.

<Overall configuration of laser printer>
First, the overall configuration of a laser printer as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be briefly described. In the drawings to be referred to, FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a main body side paper feed tray and a supply side paper feed tray from the laser printer. It is a sectional side view which shows the state pulled out. FIG. 3 is a front view of the laser printer as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a fixing member.
Hereinafter, “right side” and “left side” are referred to as “front side” and “back side”, respectively, and the “upper side” and “lower side” are respectively referred to as “upper side” and “upward” and toward the page of FIG. The side facing from the back to the near side toward the paper surface in FIG. 2 is referred to as “left side”, and the side facing from the near side to the back side in FIG. 2 is referred to as “right side”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser printer 1 includes a printer main body 2, a paper supply device 3 disposed below the printer main body 2, a printer main body 2, and a paper supply device 3. And a fixing member 4 to be fixed.

<Printer configuration>
As shown in FIG. 2, the printer main body 2 includes an image forming unit 21 that forms a predetermined image on the paper 5, a main body side frame 22 that supports the image forming unit 21, and a main body side supply that stores the paper 5. A paper tray 23 and a double-sided transport mechanism 24 are mainly provided.

  The image forming unit 21 mainly includes a scanner unit 25, a process unit 26, and a fixing unit 27. Since the image forming unit 21 has a known structure, a detailed description of the structure is omitted, but only the operation will be briefly described below.

  In the image forming unit 21, an electrostatic latent image based on image data is formed on the photosensitive drum 26A of the process unit 26 by laser light emitted from the scanner unit 25, and toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image. Thus, a toner image is carried on the photosensitive drum 26A. The toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 26 </ b> A is transferred to the paper 5 conveyed from the front side of the printer main body 2, and then thermally fixed by the fixing unit 27, thereby being printed on the paper 5. Here, in the present embodiment, the process unit 26 includes four cartridges loaded with four color toners, thereby enabling color printing.

  The main body side frame 22 is a metal part. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of main body side frames 28 (only one side is shown) disposed on both sides (right side and left side) of the image forming unit 21, A bottom frame (not shown) for connecting the lower ends of the pair of main body side frames 28 is provided. An engagement hole 28 a with which the fixing member 4 is engaged is formed at an appropriate position below the main body side frame 28. The engagement hole 28a is formed at a position exposed to a space A1 described later. As shown in FIG. 2, an attachment / detachment port 22 a for attaching / detaching the main body side paper feed tray 23 is formed in the lower part on the near side of the main body side frame 22. A paper feed mechanism that transports the paper 5 in the main body side paper feed tray 23 toward the front side of the image forming unit 21 is provided in the upper part on the back side of the attachment / detachment opening 22a (lower side on the front side of the image forming unit 21). A part of a paper feed roller 22b is disposed. In addition, in this embodiment, although the main body side frame 22 was comprised with the metal, this invention is not limited to this, For example, you may comprise with the combination of resin, a metal, and resin.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body side paper feed tray 23 mainly includes a storage portion 23 a for storing the paper 5 and a grip portion 23 b gripped by the user, and is formed at a lower portion of the main body side frame 22. It is detachably mounted in the horizontal direction from the detachable opening 22a. More specifically, the main body side paper feed tray 23 is detached from the main body side frame 22 by being pulled out from the attachment / detachment opening 22a, and is attached to the main body side frame 22 by being pushed inward from the attachment / detachment opening 22a. Is done. The grip portion 23b of the main body side paper feed tray 23 is formed with a projecting wall 23d projecting downward from the lower surface 23c of the main body side paper feed tray 23, and the fixing member 4 is hidden by the projecting wall 23d. It is supposed to be. Further, in order to guide the sheet 5 sent from the double-sided conveyance mechanism 24 described later upward (upstream in the conveyance direction of the sheet 5) between the storage unit 23a and the gripping unit 23b of the main body side sheet feeding tray 23. The guide wall 23e is formed.

  Further, a paper feed pad 23f, which is a component of the paper feed mechanism, is disposed between the housing portion 23a and the grip portion 23b of the main body side paper feed tray 23, and a paper feed roller of the main body side frame 22 is provided. By combining with 22b etc., a paper feed mechanism is configured. Further, when the main body side paper feed tray 23 is removed from the printer main body 2, a predetermined space A <b> 1 is formed in the lower portion of the printer main body 2.

  The double-sided conveyance mechanism 24 includes a plurality of reverse conveyance rollers 24A and a guide unit 24B that guides the paper 5 upward. Further, the double-sided transport mechanism 24 is located below the main body side paper feed tray 23, and the end of the double-sided transport mechanism 24 on the side of the attachment / detachment opening (front side) is a predetermined distance from the attachment / detachment opening 22a of the main body side paper supply tray 23 It is arrange | positioned so that it may exist in the position away only to the other side (back side) of the attachment / detachment port side. Then, when the sheet 5 conveyed from the fixing unit 27 side is conveyed downward by a switchback mechanism (not shown), the duplex conveying mechanism 24 sandwiches the sheet 5 by the reverse conveying roller 24A. Thus, the paper is transported from the back side of the printer main body 2 to the front side under the main body side paper feed tray 23. In addition, the double-sided conveyance mechanism 24 returns to the front side of the image forming unit 21 (upstream in the conveyance direction of the paper 5) in the inverted state again using the guide unit 24B and the guide wall 23e of the main body side paper feed tray 23. .

<Configuration of paper supply device>
The paper supply device 3 mainly includes a supply-side paper feed tray 31 that accommodates the paper 5 and a supply-side frame 32 that supports the supply-side paper feed tray 31.

  The supply-side paper feed tray 31 mainly includes a storage portion 31a for storing the paper 5 and a grip portion 31b gripped by the user, and is attached / detached horizontally from an attachment / detachment port 32a formed in the supply-side frame 32. It is installed freely. More specifically, the supply-side paper feed tray 31 is detached from the supply-side frame 32 by being pulled out from the attachment / detachment opening 32a and is attached to the supply-side frame 32 by being pushed inward from the attachment / detachment opening 32a. Is done. A configuration of a paper feeding mechanism that conveys the paper 5 in the housing portion 31 a toward the guide wall 23 e of the main body side paper feeding tray 23 between the housing portion 31 a and the gripping portion 31 b of the supply side paper feeding tray 31. A sheet feeding pad 31c, which is a component, is disposed. Further, when the supply-side paper feed tray 31 is removed from the paper supply device 3, a predetermined space A <b> 2 is formed below the paper supply device 3.

  The supply side frame 32 is a metal part and, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of supply side frames 33 (only one side is shown) disposed on both sides (right side and left side) of the supply side paper feed tray 31. And an upper frame 34 (the connection portion is not shown) that connects the upper ends of the pair of supply-side side frames 33 to each other. An engagement hole 33 a with which the fixing member 4 is engaged is formed at an appropriate position on the upper side of the supply side frame 33. The engagement hole 33a is formed at a position exposed to the space A2. Further, a screw hole 34a into which a screw S for fixing the fixing member 4 to the upper frame 34 is screwed is formed at an appropriate position of the upper frame 34 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction. In addition, a paper feed roller 32b, which is a component of the paper feed mechanism, is disposed on the upper side on the front side of the supply side frame 32. The paper feed of the supply side paper feed tray 31 mounted on the supply side frame 32 is provided. A paper feeding mechanism is configured by combining with the pad 31c and the like. In the present embodiment, the supply side frame 32 is made of metal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a resin or a combination of a metal and a resin.

<Configuration of fixing member>
As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing member 4 includes a bifurcated connecting part 41 that branches vertically, a screwing part 42, and an intermediate part 43 that connects the connecting part 41 and the screwing part 42. The fixing member 4 may be formed by cutting and bending a metal plate or may be formed by injection molding using a resin.

  The connecting portion 41 includes a first piece 41a, a second piece 41b arranged to face the first piece 41a, and a base portion that connects the base ends of the pieces 41a and 41b. 41c. As shown in FIG. 3, the first piece 41 a of the connecting portion 41 engages with the engagement hole 28 a of the main body side frame 28 of the printer main body 2, and the second piece 41 b is a paper supply device. 3 is engaged with the engagement hole 33a of the supply side frame 33. The connecting portion 41 is arranged such that the base portion 41c is exposed to a space A1 formed by removing the main body side paper feed tray 23 and a space A2 formed by removing the supply side paper feed tray 31. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the screwing portion 42 is formed in a substantially horizontal plate shape, and a through hole 42 a penetrating vertically is formed at an appropriate position. And this screwing part 42 is arrange | positioned on the upper surface of the upper flame | frame 34, and is exposed to space A1 formed by removing the main body side paper supply tray 23. FIG. The upper frame 34 is arranged so that the upper surface thereof is exposed to the space A1 formed by removing the main body side paper feed tray 23.

  The intermediate portion 43 is formed in a substantially L shape in sectional view by a horizontal wall portion 43 a formed integrally with the connecting portion 41 and a vertical wall portion 43 b formed integrally with the screwing portion 42. The vertical wall portion 43b of the intermediate portion 43 defines the vertical positional relationship between the screwing portion 42 and the pieces 41a and 41b of the connecting portion 41. The intermediate portion 43 is disposed on the upper surface side of the upper frame 34 so as to be exposed to a space A1 formed by removing the main body side paper feed tray 23.

  The fixing member 4 configured as described above is disposed between the double-sided conveyance mechanism 24 of the printer main body 2 and the attachment / detachment port 22a as shown in FIG. Specifically, the fixing member 4 is disposed in a space A <b> 3 surrounded by the lower wall 23 g and the projecting wall 23 d of the main body side paper feed tray 23 and the end of the double-sided transport mechanism 24 on the side of the attachment / detachment port 22 a. Note that one fixing member 4 is preferably provided on each of the left and right sides of the front side of the printer body 2. Here, the space A3 communicates with the space A1 in a state where the main body side paper feed tray 23 is removed.

Next, a method of connecting the printer main body 2 and the paper supply device 3 by the fixing member 4 according to the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, first, the pieces 41 a and 41 b of the connecting portion 41 of the fixing member 4 are connected to the engagement holes 28 a of the main body side frame 28 of the printer main body 2 and the supply side frame 33 of the paper supply device 3. It engages with the engagement hole 33a from the inside of each side frame 28,33. Thereafter, the through hole 42a (see FIG. 4) of the screwing portion 42 of the fixing member 4 and the screw hole 34a of the upper frame 34 of the sheet feeding device 3 are aligned, and then the screw S is screwed from top to bottom. Thus, the printer main body 2 and the paper supply device 3 are fixed by the fixing member 4.

According to the above, the following effects can be obtained in the present embodiment.
By adopting a structure in which the fixing member 4 is engaged from the inside of each of the side frames 28 and 33, the fixing member 4 is not exposed to the outside, so that damage to the paper 5 is suppressed and its appearance is improved. . Further, since the printer body 2 and the paper supply device 3 are fixed by screwing the screws S from the upper side to the lower side with respect to the fixing member 4, workability can be improved.

Since the screwing portion 42 of the fixing member 4 is disposed so as to be exposed to the space A1 formed by removing the main body side paper feed tray 23, the user performs screwing work using the space A1. It can be done easily.
The screwing portion 42 and the intermediate portion 43 of the fixing member 4 are arranged on the upper surface side of the upper frame 34 so as to be exposed to the space A1 formed by removing the main body side paper feed tray 23. . Therefore, it becomes easy to attach or remove the fixing member 4 to or from the printer main body 2 and the paper supply device 3 by grasping the screwing portion 42 and the intermediate portion 43.

Since the fixing member 4 is disposed in a space formed by disposing the double-sided conveyance mechanism 24 below the main body-side paper feed tray 23 (a space between the double-sided conveyance mechanism 24 and the attachment / detachment opening 22a), Space can be used effectively, and as a result, the size of the apparatus can be reduced.
The engagement hole 28a and the engagement hole 33a are formed at positions exposed to the spaces A1 and A2, respectively. Therefore, it becomes easy to visually engage the engagement holes 28a and the engagement holes 33a and engage the connecting portions 41 of the fixing member 4 with these holes.

Since the main body side frame 28 and the supply side frame 33 are made of metal, the rigidity of the mounting portion with the fixing member 4 is increased, and the printer main body 2 and the paper supply device 3 can be firmly fixed.
Since the projecting wall 23d for concealing the fixing member 4 is formed on the main body side paper feed tray 23, the appearance can be further improved.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can utilize with various forms so that it may illustrate below.
In the above embodiment, the printer main body 2 is employed as an example of the first device, and the paper supply device 3 is employed as an example of the second device. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a plurality of paper supply devices 3 are installed on the lower side of the printer main body 2, the paper supply device 3 disposed on the upper side is employed as the first device, and is disposed on the lower side of the paper supply device 3. The paper supply device to be used may be adopted as the second device.

In the embodiment, the paper 5 is used as an example of the recording sheet. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an OHP sheet.
In the above embodiment, the screwing portion 42 of the fixing member 4 is disposed so as to be exposed to the space A1 in the printer main body 2 formed by removing the main body side paper feed tray 23. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is not limited. For example, the screwing portion 42 may be disposed in a place other than the space A1 (for example, a space outside the side frame 28 in FIG. 3 and inside the outer wall of the printer main body 2). Even in this case, since the screw S can be screwed from the upper side to the lower side, the workability can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the screwing portion 42 of the fixing member 4 is fixed to the upper frame 34 of the paper supply device 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the screwing portion 42 of the fixing member 4 may be fixed to the bottom frame 29 that connects the lower ends of the pair of main body side frames 28 of the printer main body 2. Further, the screw S may be coupled to both the bottom frame 29 of the printer main body and the upper frame 34 of the paper supply device 3.

  In the embodiment, the two pieces 41 a and 41 b of the connecting portion 41 of the fixing member 4 are engaged with the engagement holes 28 a and 33 a of the main body side frame 28 and the supply side frame 33, so that Although the paper supply device 3 is connected, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the two frames 41 a and 41 b of the connecting portion 41 of the fixing member 4 are connected to each other by sandwiching the bottom frame 29 of the printer body 2 and the upper frame 34 of the paper supply device 3. You may make it do.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portion 41 of the fixing member 4 is mounted in a direction along the direction from the front of the apparatus to the back side (the direction in which the paper feed trays 23 and 31 are mounted). It is preferable. According to this, the connecting portion 41 can be easily engaged with the bottom frame 29 and the upper frame 34 simply by inserting the fixing member 4 from the front toward the back, so that the workability can be improved. . In this case, the screwing portion 42 of the fixing member 4 may be fixed to a fixing portion 34b formed on the upper frame 34 of the sheet feeding device 3 as shown in FIG.

In the said embodiment, although the intermediate part 43 was provided between the connection part 41 and the screwing part 42, this invention is not limited to this, For example, you may connect the connection part 41 and the screwing part 42 directly. .
In the above-described embodiment, the engagement holes 28a and 33a penetrated through the side frames 28 and 33 are employed as the holes for engaging the fixing member 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a bottomed cylinder Shaped holes may be employed.
In the present embodiment, a color laser printer is used as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, a monochrome laser printer, an inkjet printer, or the like may be used.

1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a main body side paper feed tray and a supply side paper feed tray are pulled out from the laser printer. It is the front view which looked at the laser printer from the near side. It is a perspective view which shows a fixing member. It is a front view showing a structure in which a screwing portion of a fixing member is fixed to a bottom frame of a printer main body. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a form in which a bottom frame of a printer main body and an upper frame of a paper supply device are held by a connecting portion of a fixing member.

Explanation of symbols

1 Laser printer 2 Printer body (first device)
3 Paper supply device (second device)
4 fixing member 5 paper 21 image forming unit 22 main body side frame 22a attachment / detachment opening 23 main body side paper supply tray 24 double-sided transport mechanism 28 main body side frame 28a engagement hole 29 bottom frame 31 supply side paper supply tray 32 supply side frame 32a attachment Deletion 33 Supply side frame 33a Engagement hole 34 Upper frame 34a Screw hole 41 Connecting portion 41a First piece 41b Second piece 41c Base portion 42 Screwing portion 42a Through hole A1 Space S Screw

Claims (10)

A fixing device comprising: a first device; a second device disposed below the first device; and a fixing member for connecting and fixing the first device and the second device. Structure,
Each of the first device and the second device includes a frame,
The fixing member is
A bifurcated connecting part branched up and down;
A screwing portion formed with a through hole penetrating vertically,
One piece of the connecting portion divided into two is engaged with the frame of the first device from the inside, and the other piece is engaged with the frame of the second device from the inside. A fixing structure, wherein a screwing portion of a fixing member is fixed to at least one of the frame of the first device and the frame of the second device with a screw screwed in a vertical direction. An image forming apparatus main body having an image forming means for forming a predetermined image on a recording sheet, a recording sheet supply apparatus disposed under the image forming apparatus main body, the image forming apparatus main body, and the recording sheet supply apparatus An image forming apparatus provided with a fixing member for connecting and fixing
The image forming apparatus main body includes:
A main body side frame for supporting the image forming means;
The recording sheet supply device includes:
A supply side recording sheet tray for storing recording sheets;
A supply side frame that supports the supply side recording sheet tray,
The fixing member is
A bifurcated connecting part branched up and down;
A screwing portion formed with a through hole penetrating vertically,
One piece of the connecting portion divided into two is engaged with the main body side frame from the inside, and the other piece is engaged with the supply side frame from the inside with the screwing portion of the fixing member. The image forming apparatus is fixed to at least one of the main body side frame and the supply side frame with a screw that is screwed in a vertical direction. The image forming apparatus main body is detachably provided with a main body side recording sheet tray in which a recording sheet is accommodated, and an attachment / detachment opening for attaching / detaching the main body side recording sheet tray is formed,
The supply side recording sheet tray is detachably provided to the recording sheet supply device,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the screwing portion of the fixing member is disposed so as to be exposed to a space formed by removing the main body side recording sheet tray. The double-sided conveyance mechanism used when performing double-sided printing of the recording sheet is below the main body-side recording sheet tray, and the end of the double-sided conveyance mechanism on the side of the detachable port extends from the detachable port to the detachable port. Are arranged so as to be at a predetermined distance on the opposite side,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fixing member is disposed on the attachment / detachment port side of the double-sided conveyance mechanism. The main body side frame includes a pair of main body side frames disposed on both sides of the image forming unit, and a bottom frame that connects lower ends of the pair of main body side frames.
The supply side frame has a pair of supply side frames disposed on both sides of the supply side recording sheet tray, and an upper frame connecting upper ends of the pair of supply side frames. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the screwing portion is fixed to a bottom frame of the main body side frame or an upper frame of the supply side frame.   One piece of the connecting portion engages with a hole formed in the main body side frame, and the other piece engages with a hole formed in the supply side frame. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a main body and the recording sheet supply device are connected to each other.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the main body side frame and the supply side frame is configured to include a metal.   The two pieces of the connecting portion sandwich the bottom frame of the main body side frame and the upper frame of the supply side frame, thereby connecting the image forming apparatus main body and the recording sheet supply device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 or 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the connecting portion is attached in a direction along a direction in which the main body side recording sheet tray is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

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