| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20090220274 | Tandem Type Photosensitive Unit and Image Forming Apparatus - A tandem type photosensitive unit detachably mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus is provided. The tandem type photosensitive unit includes a plurality of parallelly arranged photosensitive drums; developer cartridges mounted on respective cartridge mounting positions having a constant positional relationship to photosensitive drums respectively; a pair of first side plates opposed to each other in an axial direction of the photosensitive drums for positioning each photosensitive drum by retaining both end portions of each photosensitive drum in the axial direction; and a pair of second side plates opposed to each other in the axial direction for retaining each developer cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting position. The pair of second side plates are provided with guided portions guided to a unit guide portion provided in the main body and cartridge guide portions for guiding mounting of each developer cartridge on the cartridge mounting position. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090220275 | Tandem Type Photosensitive Unit and Image Forming Apparatus - A tandem type photosensitive unit detachably mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus is provided. The tandem type photosensitive unit includes: a plurality of parallelly arranged photosensitive drums; a first end-side shaft receiving member engaged with a first end portion of each photosensitive drum in the axial direction; a second end-side shaft receiving member engaged with a second end portion, opposite to the first end portion, of each photosensitive drum in the axial direction; a first side plate collectively retaining each first end-side shaft member; and a second side plate collectively retaining each second end-side shaft receiving member. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090269097 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: plural photosensitive members aligned in a first direction; plural developing units for the photosensitive members, respectively, each of the developing units including a developer supplier, and a housing which holds the developer supplier; a translation member which moves the developing units between a contact position in which the developer suppliers contact the photosensitive members and a separated position in which the developer suppliers are separated from the photosensitive members by a linear reciprocating movement in the first direction; plural memory chips provided on the housings of the developing units, respectively; plural contacts provided on the translation member, each of the contacts configured to contact the corresponding memory chips; and a wiring provided on the translation member and electrically connected to each of the contacts. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20090269100 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a casing, a photosensitive unit removably mountable in the casing, and a protective member. The photosensitive unit includes a plurality of photosensitive members. The protective member is removably attached to the photosensitive unit and includes: a covering plate which opposes the plurality of photosensitive members to cover the plurality of photosensitive members when protecting the photosensitive members; a written part arranged on the covering plate, and including operation information related to the image forming apparatus written thereon; and a support part which supports the photosensitive unit so that the photosensitive members and the covering plate are separated by an interval when protecting the photosensitive members. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20090324280 | Tandem Type Photosensitive Unit and Image Forming Apparatus - A tandem type photosensitive unit includes a plurality of drum retaining units arrayed in line in an arraying direction, and a pair of side plates arranged on both sides of the drum retaining units in an axial direction perpendicular to the arraying direction and collectively opposed to the drum retaining units. Each drum retaining unit retains a photosensitive drum having an axis which extends in the axial direction. At least one of the side plates is provided to be slidable in the axial direction. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20100028043 | Tandem Type Photosensitive Unit and Image Forming Apparatus - A tandem type photosensitive unit includes: a plurality of photosensitive drums arranged in parallel with one another; a first structure member having a side surface extending in an arrangement direction of the photosensitive drums as viewed from an axial direction of the photosensitive drums for collectively retaining the plurality of photosensitive drums and relatively positioning the plurality of photosensitive drums; and a second structure member having a side surface extending in the arrangement direction as viewed from the axial direction for collectively retaining developer cartridges provided correspondingly to the photosensitive drums respectively. The first structure member is fixed to the second structure member on one side in the arrangement direction, and mounted on the second structure member with a clearance on the other side in the arrangement direction. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100111562 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes a main body, an endless belt, and a drum unit. The drum unit is detachably mounted on the main body. The drum unit is inserted in a mounting direction to mount on the main body. The drum unit has a first end and a second end that is disposed downstream in the mounting direction. The drum unit supports a plurality of photosensitive drums including a black photosensitive drum and color photosensitive drums. The black photosensitive drum has a first axis extending in an axial direction perpendicular to the mounting direction. Each of the color photosensitive drums has a second axis extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction. The black and color photosensitive drums are arranged in the mounting direction. The black photosensitive drum is disposed at a position nearest to the first end. The second end is pivotable about the first axis to be movable between an initial position and a pivot position. The black and color photosensitive drums contact the endless belt when the drum unit is disposed in the initial position. The black photosensitive drum contacts the endless belt and the color photosensitive drums are separated from the endless belt when the drum unit is disposed in the pivot position. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100135689 | Image Forming Apparatus and Process Unit - A process unit and an image forming apparatus are provided. The process unit is slidably moutable on an apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. The process unit includes plural photosensitive units which include photosensitive members, respectively, and are arranged at an interval, each of the photosensitive units including a unit contact, an electrode unit which electrically connects the photosensitive units to the apparatus main body. The electrode unit includes plural unit-side electrode members which come into contact with the unit contacts of the photosensitive units, respectively, a relay electrode member which comes into contact with the respective unit-side electrode members to electrically connect the respective unit-side electrode members, and a body-side electrode member which comes into contact with an apparatus main body contact provided in the apparatus main body. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100135692 | Process Cartridge and Image Forming Apparatus - A process cartridge and an image forming apparatus are provided. The process cartridge is detachably mountable in an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, a first outer side plate which is provided on one side of the photosensitive drums in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, a second outer side plate which is provided on the other side of the photosensitive drums in the axial direction, and opposes the first outer side plate with the photosensitive drums interposed therebetween, and a plurality of input parts which are provided on ends of the photosensitive drums at the one side, respectively. An end face of each of the input parts being provided inward with respect to the outer surface of the first outer side plate. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100135693 | Image Forming Apparatus and Photosensitive Unit - An image forming apparatus is described. The image forming apparatus may include an image forming apparatus body and a photosensitive unit detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus body. The photosensitive unit includes: a frame; photosensitive bodies supported by the frame; cartridges including a developer carrier and detachably mountable to the frame; and a pressing portion provided on the frame for pressing the cartridges to direct the developer carrier toward the corresponding photosensitive body. Each cartridge can shift in the frame to a first attitude pressed by the pressing portion, and a second attitude released from the press of the pressing portion and detachable from the frame. The image forming apparatus body is provided with an abutment portion abutting the cartridge in the second attitude thereby bringing the cartridge into the first attitude when the photosensitive unit is mounted to the image forming apparatus body. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100135694 | Photosensitive Unit and Image Forming Apparatus - A photosensitive unit is provided. The photosensitive unit includes a frame, plural photosensitive drums which are held by the frame, plural cartridges detachably mounted in the frame. Each cartridge includes a developing roller for supplying developer to the corresponding photosensitive drum, a supply roller, and a casing having a first casing portion supporting the developing roller and the supply roller and including a first wall, and a second casing portion storing developer and including a second wall connected to the first wall through a first stepped portion. The frame includes plural beam members which are provided between a pair of side parts. Each beam member includes a third wall which opposes the first wall with a distance therebetween, and a fourth wall which opposes the second wall with a distance therebetween in a state where a cartridge is mounted in the frame. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100135697 | Tandem Type Photosensitive Unit and Image Forming Apparatus - A photosensitive unit includes: plural photosensitive drums; side plates provided on a first side and a second side of the photosensitive drums in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, respectively, each of the side plates being formed with through holes at a position opposing each photosensitive drum in the axial direction; and plural bearing members fitted into the through holes, respectively, to support end portions of the photosensitive drums. An inner surface of each of the through holes has four linear portions. The four linear portions are in contact with a virtual circle virtually set in the corresponding through hole, and arranged at a regular angular interval with respect to a center of the virtual circle. Each of the bearing members includes an insertion portion which has an outer peripheral surface having a diameter larger than that of the virtual circle, and is inserted into the through hole. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100166456 | Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming Unit - An image forming apparatus comprises a photosensitive drum, a charged wire which long extends in a shaft direction of the photosensitive drum and charges the photosensitive drum by electric discharge, a frame disposed so as to surround the charged wire, the frame in which a cover side opening is formed in the side opposite to the photosensitive drum with respect to the charged wire, and a cover member disposed so as to cover the cover side opening while forming a blow path in communication with the cover side opening between the frame and the cover member. The cover member moves along the charged wire and is constructed extractably from a side surface of the frame and also a cleaning member for cleaning the charged wire is disposed. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20100166457 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a drum unit which holds photosensitive drums in parallel, a developing cartridge which is detachably mounted in the drum unit, a translation member which is provided in the apparatus body to be movable linearly, a shaft which is provided on the tandem photosensitive drum unit for each developing cartridge; and a pivoting member which is rotatably supported by the shaft. The pivoting member includes an abutting portion which is provided on one side to abut the translation member, a pressing portion which is provided on the other side, and is configured to press a predetermined portion of the developing cartridge in a direction in which the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum; and a spring portion which applies a biasing force in a direction in which the pressing portion is separated from the predetermined portion. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20110064457 | Image Forming Apparatus and Tandem Type Photosensitive Unit - An image forming apparatus is described. An image forming apparatus may include an image forming apparatus body and a tandem type photosensitive unit slidable with respect to the body, wherein the unit includes: a frame; a plurality of photosensitive bodies; a plurality of developer cartridges, including developer carriers, detachably mountable on the frame; and a pressing portion provided on the frame for pressing each of the cartridges so that the developer carrier thereof is directed toward the corresponding photosensitive body, each of the cartridges is pivoted to be movable to an imaging position pressed by the pressing portion and a detached position released from the pressing by the pressing portion, and the body is provided with an abutting portion abutting the cartridge located on the detached position thereby pivoting the cartridge and moving the same to the imaging position when the unit is mounted on the body. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110064463 | Developer Cartridge - A developer cartridge is described. The developer cartridge detachably mountable on a tandem type photosensitive unit slidable to a drawn-out position and a mounted position with respect to an image forming apparatus body may include a casing; a developer carrier rotatably supported on one end portion of the casing for carrying a developer; a pair of upright portions arranged on another end portion of the casing at an interval from each other in the axial direction of the developer carrier to extend from another end portion of the casing in a detaching direction for the developer cartridge; and an elastically deformable coupling portion extending in the axial direction of the developer carrier for coupling the upright portions with each other. | 03-17-2011 |
