Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Atsushi Miwa

Shougo Sato

Hiroki Mori

Makoto Hattori

Hirotaka Mori

Hideaki Deguchi

Tomoya Yamamoto

Hidetoshi Yano

An image reading device includes: a controller which performs a first drive operation for rotating the discharge roller, and a second drive operation for moving the discharge guide between the third position and the fourth position. The controller stops the first drive operation when performing the second drive operation, and stops the second drive operation when performing the first drive operation.

Image reading device

An image reading device includes: a discharge guide including a discharge opening for discharging the sheet conveyed by the conveyance guide to the discharge tray, the discharge guide being configured to move from a third position to a fourth position according to the decrease in the number of the sheet to be supported by the supply tray, the fourth position being higher than the third position; a discharge roller configured to discharge the sheet through the discharge opening; and a first drive source which generates a first drive force for moving the discharge guide between the third position and the fourth position, wherein the first drive force is also used for rotating the discharge roller.

An image reading apparatus includes a supply tray which support sheets and includes a movable plate configured to move in correspondence to reduction in a number of the sheets supported on the supply tray, a discharge tray which is located below the supply tray and supports discharged sheets, a conveyance guide which guides a sheet conveyed from the supply tray toward the discharge tray, a reading sensor which reads an image on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance guide, and a discharge unit having a discharge opening for discharging the sheet to the discharge tray and moves from a third position to a fourth position in correspondence to reduction in the number of the sheets supported on the supply tray. A first timing for which the movable plate is to move and a second timing for which the discharge unit is to move are different.

Image reading apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a drum unit including a photosensitive drum; a belt unit; and a secondary transfer member. The belt unit includes: a first roller; a second roller spaced apart from the first roller; an intermediate transfer belt supported by the first roller and the second roller; and a primary transfer member. The intermediate transfer belt includes: a first portion; and a second portion. The first portion has an upstream end and a downstream end in a first direction. The second portion has an upstream end and a downstream end in a second direction. The primary transfer member is configured to transfer a toner image from the photosensitive drum to the first portion. The secondary transfer member is capable of contacting the downstream end of the second portion, and is configured to transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to a sheet.

Image forming apparatus capable of restraining occurrence of electric discharge between intermediate transfer belt and sheet

A first guide guides a first cartridge when the first cartridge is mounted onto a main casing. A second guide guides a second cartridge when the second cartridge is mounted onto the main casing. The first and second guides are located in the main casing. A third guide is located at an upstream side of the first guide in a first mounting direction that is a direction in which the first cartridge is guided by the first guide when the first cartridge is mounted onto the main casing. The third guide guides the first cartridge toward the first guide when the first cartridge is mounted onto the main casing. The third guide moves relative to the second guide between a first protruding position at which the third guide protrudes to outside the main casing and a first accommodated position at which the third guide is accommodated in the main casing.

Image forming apparatus including main casing, first cartridge and second cartridge

In an image forming apparatus, a discharge roller discharges a sheet conveyed by a first conveying path. The discharge roller switches between: a mode of conveying a sheet in a sheet discharging direction to discharge a sheet; and a mode of reversing a direction of conveying a sheet from the sheet discharging direction and feeding a sheet to a re-conveying path. A pivot plate at an open position constitutes a second conveying path. The pivot plate at a closed position closes the second conveying path. The pivot plate is provided with a penetrating portion penetrating the pivot plate over an entire thickness of the pivot plate. The penetrating portion constitutes part of the re-conveying path when the pivot plate is disposed at the closed position. Part of the pivot plate is exposed outside the housing.

Image forming apparatus having pivotally-movable image reading device above sheet discharge tray

In an image forming apparatus, when a pivot plate is at a closed position, a free end of the pivot plate is at a vertical level higher than first and second hinge portions which are arranged apart from each other in a width direction along a horizontal direction. A free end of the pivot plate moves in a space defined between first and second virtual vertical planes. The first virtual vertical plane is defined as a virtual vertical plane, on which a widthwise inner end of a first hinge portion is disposed, and which is perpendicular to a rotational center axis of the first hinge portion. The second virtual vertical plane is defined as a virtual vertical plane, on which a widthwise inner end of the second hinge portion is disposed, and which is perpendicular to a rotational center axis of the second hinge portion.

Image forming apparatus having image reading device

An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet in an electro-photographic method and detachably attached to a body of the image forming apparatus; a chassis configured to accommodate the image forming unit and including an opening portion, through which the image forming unit is detachably attached to the body; a handle arranged in the image forming unit to protrude at least partly through the opening portion when the image forming unit is attached to the body; and a cover movable between a closed position, in which the opening portion is closed, and an open position, in which the opening portion is exposed, the cover including a protrusion cover configured to cover a protrusive part of the handle protruded through the opening portion when the cover is in the closed position, is provided.

Image forming apparatus having a handle with a protrusive part and a convex part to cover the protrusive part

An image forming device includes a main casing, a process cartridge, a sheet passage, and a first guide. The process cartridge includes a photosensitive body, and a transfer member, and is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the main casing. The sheet passage extends in a first direction and is configured to allow a sheet to pass between the photosensitive body and the transfer member. The first guide is configured to guide the process cartridge such that the process cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the main casing. The first guide has a support portion extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and configured to support the process cartridge in a state where the process cartridge is attached to the main casing.

Image forming device facilitating removal of jammed sheet

An image forming apparatus includes: an electrophotographic image forming section; a sheet feeding tray; a conveying roller; a sheet discharging tray; a sheet discharging roller that is switched between a first state in which the sheet discharging roller rotates in a first direction and a second state in which the sheet discharging roller rotates in a second direction in which the sheet is conveyed back toward the image forming section; and a re-conveying roller that conveys the sheet conveyed back toward the image forming section by the sheet discharging roller, the re-conveying roller having an axial direction parallel to an axial direction of the conveying roller and being located at a position at which the re-conveying roller projected onto a first virtual plane that is perpendicular to the axial direction at least partially overlap with the conveying roller projected onto the first virtual plane.

Image forming apparatus

Image forming apparatus having first conveying path, re-conveying path, and second conveying path

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit configured to transfer a developing agent image onto a sheet, a fixing unit configured to fix the developing agent image onto the sheet, a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet having the developing agent image thereon, at least one pair of discharge rollers disposed downstream of the fixing unit in a conveying direction and configured to discharge the sheet toward the discharge tray, and at least one pair of conveying rollers disposed at a conveying path extending between the fixing unit and the at least one pair of discharge rollers. The at least one pair of conveying rollers is configured to convey the sheet toward the at least one discharge rollers in the conveying direction and to form the sheet into a corrugated shape having at least one of a ridge portion and a groove portion in a sheet thickness direction.

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Anjo, Japan

Atsushi Miwa