Patent classifications
G03G15/087
STRUCTURE FOR DRIVING TONER INLET SHUTTER OF DEVELOPING CARTRIDGE BY USING MOTOR
An example image forming apparatus includes a main body, a driving motor, a developing cartridge, and a clutch. The developing cartridge includes a toner container, a mounting portion to receive a toner refill cartridge, a toner inlet portion to connect the mounting portion to the toner container, and a toner inlet shutter to be switched between a blocking location for blocking the toner inlet portion and an inlet location for opening the toner inlet portion. The clutch is to selectively transmit a driving force of the driving motor to the toner inlet shutter.
CONTAINER
A container for accommodating a content of powder or a liquid includes an accommodating portion; an end portion including a rotatable member and a discharging portion which includes a discharge opening and a passage, wherein the end portion is on a side opposite from the accommodating portion with respect to a rotational axis direction; and a flange portion extending in a radial direction of a phantom circle about the rotational axis, wherein as viewed in the rotational axis direction, an outer edge of the flange portion includes an arcuate portion which is on an outermost side of the end portion with respect to the radial direction and which is formed along the phantom circle about the rotational axis and includes a connecting portion which connects a first point and a second point on the phantom circle and which is provided in a region inside the phantom circle.
TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM
An image forming system includes a toner container and an image forming apparatus to which the toner container is detachably mountable. The image forming apparatus includes a mounting portion to which the toner container is detachably mountable. The toner container includes an accommodating portion configured to accommodate toner, a discharge portion provided with an opening for discharging the toner in the accommodating portion to outside of the toner container, a rotatable member rotatable, relative to the discharge portion, about a rotational axis in a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction, and a projection provided below the opening of the discharge portion, the projection having inner peripheral surface such that, when the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the rotational axis extends in a direction of gravity and at least a part of the discharge portion is below the accommodating portion, the inner peripheral surface faces inward in a radial direction of an imaginary circle centered on the rotational axis.
TONER CARTRIDGE INCLUDING CASING HAVING OPENING AND SHUTTER
A cartridge includes a shutter that opens and closes when the cartridge is attached and detached to a developing unit or image forming apparatus. The cartridge includes a casing having a chamber with a first opening at one end portion allowing toner to flow out of the casing. The cartridge includes a cover that covers the first opening, movable with the casing and having a second opening allowing toner to flow out of the cover. The shutter is located at the one end portion and has a protrusion further from the one end portion than the cover. The developing unit supports the protrusion when the cartridge is mounted thereon, and the casing pivots with the cover relative to the developing unit between a first position where the shutter closes the second opening and a second position where a third opening of the shutter overlaps the second opening.
Replaceable unit for an image forming device having magnets of varying angular offset for toner level sensing
A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A rotatable shaft is positioned within the reservoir and has an axis of rotation. A first magnet and a second magnet are connected to the shaft and rotatable around the axis of rotation in response to rotation of the shaft. The first magnet and the second magnet pass near at least a portion of an inner wall of the housing forming the reservoir during rotation of the first and second magnets. An amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet varies depending on an amount of toner in the reservoir.
DEVELOPER SUPPLY CONTAINER
A developer supply container detachably mountable to a developer receiving apparatus, the developer supply container includes an accommodating portion for accommodating a developer; a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the accommodating portion from the developer supply container; a developer feeding portion for feeding the developer in the accommodating portion toward the discharge opening; a rotatable drive receiving portion for receiving a rotational force; a drive transmitting portion for transmitting the rotational force received by the drive receiving portion to the feeding portion; a portion-to-be-detected for detecting rotation of the drive receiving portion; a contact surface for contacting a rotatable member provided in the developer receiving apparatus; wherein the drive receiving portion, the portion-to-be-detected and the contact are formed integrally.
Stop transmission mechanism and toner cartridge
A stop transmission mechanism includes: a ratchet, wherein elastic teeth are provided on a periphery of the ratchet; a claw provided at a radical side of the ratchet, comprising a fixed end and a moving end which rotates around the fixed end, wherein a claw portion to be engaged with the elastic teeth is provided on the moving end; and a tension spring, wherein one end of the tension spring is fixed, and the other end of the tension spring is mounted on the moving end of the claw, for providing a force which drives the claw portion towards the ratchet; wherein the elastic teeth are made of an elastic material; when the claw portion of the claw is buckled on the elastic teeth by the force of the tension spring, the ratchet is flexibly fixed; when external driving force is large enough, sliding tooth happens.
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
An image forming apparatus includes a main housing, a drawer, and a cartridge. The drawer is movable between an inside position inside the main housing and an outside position outside the main housing. The cartridge is installable into and removable from the drawer. The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum configured to rotate about a drum axis. The drawer comprises a lock member movable between a lock position in which the drawer is locked to the main housing, and an unlock position in which the drawer is unlocked from the main housing. The cartridge installed in the drawer is rotatable about the drum axis between a first position and a second position. The lock member is positioned in the lock position when the cartridge is positioned in the first position, and positioned in the unlock position when the cartridge is positioned in the second position.
CONVEYANCE MEMBER, CONVEYANCE DEVICE, POWDER SUPPLY CONTAINER, AND POWDER UTILIZATION DEVICE
A conveyance member includes: a shaft that is rotatably disposed in a passage through powder is conveyed; a first conveyance unit that is provided at the shaft to project in a direction away from the shaft, and includes a plurality of first slits obliquely extending toward the shaft and a first film having flexibility; and a second conveyance unit that is provided at the shaft to project in a direction opposite to the first conveyance unit from the shaft, and includes a plurality of second slits obliquely extending toward the shaft and a second film having flexibility.
Electrical connector assembly for an image forming device
An assembly for an image forming device includes an electrical connector movable relative to a frame of the image forming device between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position the electrical connector is disengaged from a first corresponding electrical connector of a first replaceable unit and a second corresponding electrical connector of a second replaceable unit when the first and second replaceable units are installed in the image forming device. In the extended position the electrical connector is engaged with the first corresponding electrical connector of the first replaceable unit and the second corresponding electrical connector of the second replaceable unit when the first and second replaceable units are installed in the image forming device.