Patent classifications
G03G15/0881
SEALS ON PRINT POWDERS RESERVOIRS
A print material cartridge may include a hopper to maintain an amount of print material therein; and an atmospheric pressure seal to seal the hopper from atmosphere; wherein a pressure within the hopper and sealed by the atmospheric pressure seal is lower than atmosphere.
Developer container, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus
A developer container includes a frame having a developer storage chamber which stores a conveying member, a developing chamber in which a developer bearing member and a supplying member are arranged, a partition partitioning the developer storage chamber and the developing chamber and provided with a first opening, and a second opening which connects an interior of the developing chamber and an exterior of the frame. A filter allows passage of air and restricts passage of the developer, with the filter being fixed to the frame so as to cover the second opening. The conveying member is deformable such that the developer is conveyed from the developer storage chamber to the developing chamber via the first opening by deformation of the conveying member being released, and the conveying member conveys the developer such that the developer passes above the supplying member.
Image forming apparatus including a body with a shutter member and a cartridge with shutter member
A first contact portion provided on a first shutter member that opens and closes a receiving port for receiving a developer from a cartridge and a second contact portion provided on the cartridge are configured to contact each other in an attachment and detachment direction of the cartridge so that the first shutter member is in a position at which the receiving port is opened. The first shutter member is urged by a first urging member so that a contacting state between the first contact portion and the second contact portion is maintained until a second shutter member that opens and closes a supplying port of the cartridge closes the supplying port when the cartridge is discharged from the apparatus body.
IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS THAT PREVENTS ATTACHMENT OF TONER CARTRIDGE TO DRAWER WITHOUT MOUNTING OF PROCESS CARTRIDGE ON THE DRAWER
An image-forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a drawer movable in a first direction relative to the main casing; a process cartridge detachably mountable on the drawer; and a toner cartridge. The drawer includes a first drawer side plate and a second drawer side plate spaced apart from each other in a second direction crossing the first direction. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in the second direction when the process cartridge is mounted on the drawer; and a developing device for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum. When the process cartridge is mounted on the drawer and the toner cartridge is attached to the process cartridge, the toner cartridge has a length in the second direction greater than a distance in the second direction between the first drawer side plate and the second drawer side plate.
DECOUPLING BETWEEN CONSUMABLE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
An example image forming apparatus includes a coupling device to perform coupling or decoupling between the image forming apparatus and a consumable, a sensor to sense an opening of a cover of the image forming apparatus, and a processor. When receiving an opening sensing signal of the cover from the sensor, the processor determines whether the consumable coupled to the image forming apparatus corresponds to a consumable access condition, and based on a result of determination, transmits a signal requesting decoupling of the consumable corresponding to the consumable access condition to the coupling device.
DEVELOPING DEVICE
A developing device includes a developing member to carry developer stored by a developing frame, and a regulating blade having a support plate fixed to the developing frame, a plate-like member, and a regulating member. One end portion of the plate-like member is opposed to the developing member, and the other end portion is welded to the support plate. The regulating member is fixed to a plate-like member surface, and contacts the developing member to regulate a developer thickness on a developing surface. The regulating member is provided with a recessed portion recessed at a regulating member end portion. The regulating member end portion is lower than a regulating member central portion. A plate-like member region welded to the support plate is located at the plate-like member other end portion and overlaps the regulating member central portion and the regulating member end portion at which the recessed portion is provided.
Developing apparatus with magnetic seal member facing conveyance screw
A developing apparatus includes a developer container that stores developer, a conveyance screw including a shaft portion and a blade, a bearing portion configured to engage with an engagement portion of the shaft portion of the conveyance screw, and a magnetic seal member having a magnetic property and disposed along a peripheral surface of the shaft portion in a noncontact manner with respect to the shaft portion between the blade and the engagement portion in the rotational axis direction of the conveyance screw.
Fibrous seal for a print particle vessel
Examples of a print particle transfer device are described herein. Some examples of the print particle transfer device include a print particle vessel to contain print particles. In some examples, the print particle transfer device also includes a plunger with a fibrous seal element to engage an inside surface of the print particle vessel. The fibrous seal element seals an interface between the plunger and the inside surface of the print particle vessel to prevent escape of the print particles at the interface during movement of the plunger within the print particle vessel.
Print powder reservoir sealed from atmosphere at lower pressure than atmosphere
A print material cartridge may include a hopper to maintain an amount of print material therein; and an atmospheric pressure seal to seal the hopper from atmosphere; wherein a pressure within the hopper and sealed by the atmospheric pressure seal is lower than atmosphere.
Biased print gaskets
In various examples, biased print gaskets can include a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processing resource to charge a material included in a gasket with a first bias voltage to repel print particles from a surface of the gasket, cease charging the material with the first bias voltage and charge the material with a second bias to attract print particles to a surface of the gasket.