Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Akinobu Hirayama

Kenji Watanabe

Takahito Ueno

Toshiaki Takeuchi

Tachio Kawai

Teruhiko Sasaki

Toshiki Fujino

Daisuke Abe

Takateru Ohkubo

Hiroshi Hagiwara

Goshi Ozaki

Hiromitsu Kumada

Yoshiko Kubo

Masanari Morioka

Hiroyuki Munetsugu

Takeo Kawanami

Yu Fukasawa

Tadashi Horikawa

Takayuki Yada

Kazutaka Sueshige

Sadaaki Tani

Tatsuro Harada

Koji Yamaguchi

Hiroshi Takarada

Kojiro Yasui

Yasufumi Yoshino

Takamitsu Soda

Akihiro Fujiwara

Makoto Hayashida

Osamu Anan

Ryuta Murakami

Daisuke Makiguchi

Naoki Matsumaru

Hiroaki Nosho

Yasuo Yoda

Shuhei Watanabe

Kentaro Yamashita

Takuro Kanno

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a casing having a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion in a direction of the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum. A coupling is positioned adjacent to the first end portion of the casing, with the coupling being operatively connected to the photosensitive drum so as to transmit a driving force toward the photosensitive drum. The coupling includes a main body configured to rotate about a rotational axis of the main body to thereby transmit the driving force and at least one engaging member, with the engaging member being pivotable relative to the main body between a first position and a second position about a pivot axis that is non parallel to the rotational axis of the main body, and with the engaging member being configured to transmit the driving force toward the photosensitive drum via the main body.

Cartridge, drum unit and image forming apparatus

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, the movable member movable relative to the photosensitive drum to control an inclination angle of a drive transmission member. The movable member is movable between a first position for reducing an inclination angle of the drive transmission member relative to the photosensitive drum and a second position retracted from the first position. By this, driving connection can be smoothly carried out.

Cartridge and image forming apparatus

A toner cartridge includes a casing accommodating toner and provided with a toner discharge opening, a fan, a closing member capable of shifting between a closed position and an open position for opening a passage. The toner cartridge also includes a drive receiving member for receiving a driving force from outside of the toner cartridge and for transmitting the driving force toward the fan and the closing member by rotation thereof. The closing member periodically moves between the closed position and the open position by receiving the driving force.

Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

An image forming system includes a toner container and an image forming apparatus to which the toner container is mountable. The toner container includes a projection that includes an inner peripheral surface centered on a central axis of the toner container. When the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction, the projection has a downward guide surface facing downward and an upward guide surface facing upward. When the toner container is moved downward in a direction of the central axis toward a mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, (i) the downward guide surface is configured to guide a guided member of the image forming apparatus so that the guided member is rotated in a rotational direction about the central axis, and (ii) the upward guide surface is configured to guide the guided member so that the guided member is moved up after the guided member is rotated in the rotational direction by the downward guide surface.

Toner container and image forming system

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a casing rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum. A coupling is operatively connected to the photosensitive drum so as to be capable of transmitting a driving force toward the photosensitive drum. The coupling includes a main body, a movable portion movable relative to the main body of the coupling between a first position and a second position, and a projection configured to move in a circumferential direction of the coupling relative to the main body of the coupling in response to movement of the movable portion from the first position to the second position.

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a coupling operatively connected to the photosensitive drum so as to be capable of transmitting a driving force toward the photosensitive drum. The coupling includes a first wall, a second wall provided inside the first wall in a radial direction of the coupling, a groove portion defined by the first wall and the second wall, a recessed portion provided in the second wall, and an inclined portion adjacent to the recessed portion.

[TASK] To further develop prior art technique. [SOLUTION] A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a coupling. the coupling includes a main body and a movable member movable relative to the main body. The movable member includes an engaging portion which is capable of entering between a driving force application member and a braking force application member by the movement relative to the main body. The movable member receives a driving force for rotating the photosensitive drum, from the driving force application member and also receives a braking force applying a load against rotation of the photosensitive drum, from the braking force application member.

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.

An image forming unit to be attached to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus includes a first cartridge including a driven portion configured to rotate on a first rotational axis; and a second cartridge configured separable from the first cartridge. The second cartridge includes an input portion configured to receive driving force from the apparatus body; and a drive transmission portion configured to rotate on a second rotational axis and to transmit the driving force to the driven portion.

Image forming apparatus and image forming unit

A toner container includes a toner accommodating body, a nozzle in fluid communication with the toner accommodating body, and a shutter configured to open and close the opening of the nozzle. A projection is positioned at an end portion of the toner container in a direction of the rotational axis, the projection having an inner peripheral surface facing towards the rotational axis. When the toner container is oriented such that the toner accommodating body is above the nozzle, the nozzle is above the projection, and the projection is at a bottommost side of the toner container, (i) the opening of the nozzle is positioned such that toner may be discharged from a lateral side of the toner container that is above the bottommost side, (ii) the projection includes (ii-i) a first surface facing downward, (ii-ii) a second surface facing downward, and (ii-iii) a third surface facing upward, with the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface being positioned outside the inner peripheral surface of the projection and inside the opening of the nozzle in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, (iii) the first surface extends such that a distance in the direction of the rotational axis from the first surface to the toner accommodating body decreases along the first surface in the first rotational direction, (iv) the second surface extends such that a distance in the direction of the rotational axis from the second surface to the toner accommodating body decreases along the second surface in the first rotational direction, (v) a distance, measured along a line that is perpendicular to the rotational axis, from the rotational axis to at least a part of the first surface is less than a distance, measured along a line that is perpendicular to the rotational axis, from the rotational axis to a part of the second surface that is closest from the rotational axis, and (vi) at least a part of the third surface is above an uppermost part of the second surface.

Toner container having nozzle and projection at bottom of container and image forming system using container

A cartridge includes a frame and a photosensitive drum rotatably supported by the frame. An opening is provided in the cartridge, with toner removed from the photosensitive drum being discharged to outside of the cartridge through the opening. A discharging passageway is provided in fluid communication with the opening and through which toner can move to the opening. A coupling member is provided inside the discharging passageway, with the coupling member including a projection at an end of the coupling member, and the coupling member being movable along the discharging passageway between a first position and a second position.

Cartridge

A toner container includes a toner accommodating body and a nozzle including an opening configured to form a part of a discharge passageway through which toner may be discharged to outside of the toner container. A shutter is configured to open and close the opening of the nozzle, with the shutter being rotatable about a rotational axis between a first position in which the shutter closes the opening of the nozzle and a second position in which an opening of the shutter aligns with the opening of the nozzle to form the discharge passageway. A projection is positioned at an end portion of the toner container, with the projection including a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface. When the toner container is oriented such that the toner accommodating body is above the nozzle, the nozzle is above the projection, and the projection is at a bottommost side of the toner container, (i) the opening of the nozzle is positioned such that toner may be discharged from a lateral side of the toner container that is above the bottommost side, (ii) the first surface faces downward, (iii) the second surface faces downward, and (iv) the third surface faces upward.

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a discharge opening for permitting discharge of toner removed from the photosensitive drum to outside of the cartridge. The cartridge also includes a coupling member provided adjacent to the discharge opening and configured to output a rotational force, with the coupling member being movable relative to the photosensitive drum between (i) a first position and (ii) a second position retracted from the first position.

A cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum; a discharging path for permitting movement of a developer removed from the drum, the discharging path including a developer discharge opening and a movable portion through which the developer is movable and which is movable between a retracted position in an upstream side with respect to a developer moving direction through the discharge opening and a advanced position in a downstream side with respect to the developer moving direction; and a sealing portion for closing the discharging path by contacting the movable portion at a position different from that of the discharge opening.

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Susono, Japan

Akinobu Hirayama