Patent classifications
G03G2221/1624
IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH DETACHABLE WASTE TONER CONTAINER AND SHEET-CONVEYING GUIDE
An image-forming apparatus includes an apparatus body and a process cartridge attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body. The apparatus body includes a sheet-feed roller and a body wall. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; a developing roller; a cleaner; a conveying pipe and a waste-toner container for storing waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaner and conveyed by the conveying pipe. The waste-toner container is detachably mountable on the drum frame. The waste-toner container mounted on the drum frame is positioned opposite to the photosensitive drum with respect to the developing roller. The body wall of the apparatus body and a container wall of the waste-toner container constitute a part of a sheet-conveying guide for guiding conveyance of a sheet from the sheet-feed roller toward the photosensitive drum when the process cartridge is attached to the apparatus body.
Image forming apparatus including developing device which has developing casing movable relative to photosensitive drum, and toner cartridge which supplies toner to developing device
An image forming apparatus includes comprising a main body casing, a drum cartridge, and a toner cartridge. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, a developing casing, and a developing shutter. The developing device includes a developing roller, a developing casing, and a developing shutter. The toner cartridge includes a toner casing, a toner shutter, and a cushion member. The cushion member is positioned between the toner casing and the toner shutter. The cushion member is configured to allow the toner shutter, while the toner shutter is engaged with the developing casing, to move relative to the toner casing when the developing casing moves relative to the photosensitive drum in a state where the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached in the main body casing, the developing shutter is in a developing open position, and the toner shutter is in a toner open position.
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
A first cartridge support is configured to support a drum cartridge. The first cartridge support is configured to move in a first direction between a first position at which the drum cartridge is mounted on a housing and a second position at which the drum cartridge is detachable. A second cartridge support is configured to support a development cartridge. The second cartridge support is configured to move in the first direction between a third position at which the development cartridge is mounted on the drum cartridge and a fourth position at which the development cartridge is detachable. In a state where the second cartridge support is located at the third position, the second cartridge support is located between the first cartridge support located at the first position and a cover located at a closed position with respect to the first direction.
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING DEVELOPING DEVICE WHICH HAS DEVELOPING CASING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO PHOTOSENSITIVE DRUM, AND TONER CARTRIDGE WHICH SUPPLIES TONER TO DEVELOPING DEVICE
An image forming apparatus includes comprising a main body casing, a drum cartridge, and a toner cartridge. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, a developing casing, and a developing shutter. The developing device includes a developing roller, a developing casing, and a developing shutter. The toner cartridge includes a toner casing, a toner shutter, and a cushion member. The cushion member is positioned between the toner casing and the toner shutter. The cushion member is configured to allow the toner shutter, while the toner shutter is engaged with the developing casing, to move relative to the toner casing when the developing casing moves relative to the photosensitive drum in a state where the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached in the main body casing, the developing shutter is in a developing open position, and the toner shutter is in a toner open position.
TONER CONVEYING DEVICE, CLEANING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
A toner conveying device includes a case storing toner; a conveyance member rotatably supported at both ends by the case, including a spiral blade extending along a rotational axis, and configured to rotate to convey the toner inside the case in a predetermined conveying direction; and a pushing member pushed against an outer peripheral portion of the conveyance member in a first direction intersecting with the rotational axis and configured to slide on the outer peripheral portion as the conveyance member rotates. The pushing member is composed of a flexible sheet member and includes a base portion secured at a securing position inside the case and protruding pieces aligned along the rotational axis and protruding from the base portion toward the conveyance member to abut on the outer peripheral portion. An alignment interval between the protruding pieces is different from a pitch of the spiral blade along the rotational axis.
TONER CONVEYING DEVICE, CLEANING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
A toner conveying device includes a case that can store therein toner to be conveyed, a conveyance member rotatably supported at both ends thereof by the case and configured to rotate to convey the toner inside the case in a conveying direction set in advance, and a pushing member pushed against the conveyance member and configured to slide on an outer peripheral portion of the conveyance member as the conveyance member rotates. The pushing member includes a first sheet member having flexibility and abutting on the outer peripheral portion in a first direction intersecting with a rotational axis direction of the conveyance member to push the conveyance member and a second sheet member having flexibility and abutting on the outer peripheral portion in a second direction, which is different from the first direction, intersecting with the rotational axis direction to push the conveyance member.
Waste toner collecting device for increasing waste toner collecting efficiency
A waste toner collecting device includes a waste toner container, a detector, and an auger. The waster toner container is to collect waste toner. The detector is to detect an amount of waste toner collected and accumulated in the waste toner container. The auger is to disperse the waste toner in the waste toner container. The auger includes a first blade to transport the waste toner in a first direction toward the detector in the waste toner container, and a second blade to transport the waste toner in a second direction opposite to the first direction in the waste toner container. The second blade includes a first blade section having a waste toner transport rate greater than a waste toner transport rate of the first blade.
Process cartridge having drum cartridge, toner cartridge and waste toner conveyor tube
A process cartridge having a drum cartridge and a toner cartridge is provided. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a cleaner, a conveyer tube, a developing roller, and a developing device. The toner cartridge is attachable to the drum cartridge and is located on a side of the developing roller opposite to the photosensitive drum in an attaching direction. The toner cartridge includes a waste toner container to store the toner conveyed through the conveyer tube and a toner container to store the toner to be supplied to the photosensitive drum. The toner container communicates with a developing chamber in the developing device and is located at least partly between the waste toner container and the developing chamber. The conveyer tube extends in the attaching direction and is arranged to overlap the photosensitive drum, the toner container, and the waste toner container in a view along an axial direction.
Powder container having a flexible sheet to contact the conveying rotator
A powder container includes a toner storage disposed at an upper portion of the powder container and a powder collection portion disposed at a lower portion of the powder container. There is a conveying rotator inside the powder collection portion, the conveying rotator including a shaft portion and one of a screw blade and a coil wound around the shaft portion. There is further a flexible sheet to contact the conveying rotator and swing in a flow path from the outlet port to the conveying rotator. The flexible sheet includes a contact portion that contacts one of the screw blade and the coil; and a tip that does not contact the screw blade and does not contact the coil, the tip having a greater width than the contact portion.
Image Forming Apparatus With Removable Waste Toner Container and Exposable Feeding Path
An image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, an external-sheet inlet, a waste toner container, a connector, and a conveying roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet inserted through the external-sheet inlet in the feeding path. The conveying roller is mounted on the waste toner container and removable from the chassis along with the waste toner container.