Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Brother Kogyo Kaubshiki Kaisha

Daisuke Maeta

Shougo Sato

Kazuna Taguchi

Nao Itabashi

Naoya Kamimura

Atsushi Fukaya

Keigo Nakajima

Masashi Imai

Masahiko Hayakawa

An image forming apparatus includes a housing and a first process cartridge. The first process cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the housing. The first process cartridge includes a first photosensitive drum, a first developing roller, and a developing frame. The developing frame has a toner inlet opening. A toner cartridge has a toner supply opening. The toner cartridge is positioned above the developing frame such that the toner supply opening and the toner inlet opening face with each other in upward/downward direction. In the state where the first process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is attached to the housing, the toner cartridge is incapable of being detached from the first process cartridge. In a state where the first process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is detached from the housing, the toner cartridge is detachable from the first process cartridge.

Image forming apparatus permitting user to imagine clear detachment procedure of toner cartridge from process cartridge

An image forming apparatus includes: a main body casing having an opening; a cover movable between a closing position to close the opening and an opening position to open the opening; and a process cartridge detachably attachable to the main body casing through the opening while the cover is at the opening position. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a developing device; a toner receiving part; and a toner conveying part. The toner receiving part has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion has a receiving opening for receiving toner. When the cover is at the closing position and the process cartridge is in the attached state, the first end portion is outside the main body casing while the second end portion is inside the main body casing. The toner conveying part conveys toner in the toner receiving part to the developing device.

Image forming apparatus including process cartridge provided with toner receiving part for receiving toner

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit and a supplier having a first supply port though which a first consumable item is supplied to a first accommodating portion and a second supply port through which a second consumable item is supplied to a second accommodating portion, and a guide. The image forming system further includes a first bottle including a first connector having a first outlet port connectable to the supplier and a first guided portion configured to be guided by the guide in a state in which the first connector is attached to the supplier, and a second bottle including a second connector having a second outlet port connectable to the supplier and a second guided portion configured to be guided by the guide in a state in which the second connector is attached to the supplier.

Image forming system, image forming apparatus, and bottle

A developing cartridge includes: a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction; a casing; a first cam and a first gear rotatable together relative to the casing about a first axis extending in the first direction; and a second cam and a second gear rotatable together relative to the casing about a second axis extending in the first direction. The second gear contacts the first gear. When the developing cartridge is attached to a drum cartridge including a photosensitive drum: at a first position of the first cam, the second cam is at a third position and the developing roller and the photosensitive drum contact each other; and at a second position of the first cam, the second cam is at a fourth position and contacts a part of the drum cartridge to move the developing cartridge to separate the developing roller from the photosensitive drum.

Developing cartridge including first cam rotatable with first gear and second cam rotatable with second gear to separate developing roller from photosensitive drum

An image-forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a drawer movable in a first direction relative to the main casing; a process cartridge detachably mountable on the drawer; and a toner cartridge. The drawer includes a first drawer side plate and a second drawer side plate spaced apart from each other in a second direction crossing the first direction. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in the second direction when the process cartridge is mounted on the drawer; and a developing device for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum. When the process cartridge is mounted on the drawer and the toner cartridge is attached to the process cartridge, the toner cartridge has a length in the second direction greater than a distance in the second direction between the first drawer side plate and the second drawer side plate.

Image-forming apparatus that prevents attachment of toner cartridge to drawer without mounting of process cartridge on the drawer

An image forming apparatus includes a housing and a first process cartridge. The first process cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the housing. The first process cartridge includes a first photosensitive drum, a first developing roller, and a developing frame. The developing frame has a toner inlet opening. The toner cartridge has a toner supply opening. The toner cartridge is positioned above the developing frame such that the toner supply opening and the toner inlet opening face with each other in upward/downward direction. In the state where the first process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is attached to the housing, the toner cartridge is incapable of being detached from the first process cartridge. In a state where the first process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is detached from the housing, the toner cartridge is detachable from the first process cartridge.

An image-forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a drawer movable in a first direction relative to the main casing; a process cartridge detachably mountable on the drawer; and a toner cartridge detachably mountable on the drawer. The drawer is movable between: an inner position where the drawer is accommodated in the main casing; and an outer position where a part of the drawer is located outside the main casing. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in a second direction crossing the first direction when the process cartridge is mounted on the drawer; and a developing device configured to supply toner to the photosensitive drum. The toner cartridge is configured to store the toner.

Image-forming apparatus including movable drawer on which toner cartridge is mountable without process cartridge

An image-forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a collecting roller, a belt, a cleaner, and a controller. In response to receiving a signal, the controller performs a process staring with a first process and ending with a second process. The controller rotates the developing roller at a contact position at a first speed in the first process. The controller causes the collecting roller to move residual toner to the belt to allow the cleaner to clean the belt while the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum in the second process. The process further includes: (a) causing the developing roller to halt rotating while maintaining the developing roller at the contact position; and (b) causing the developing roller halted in the (a) causing to start rotating at a second speed lower than the first speed while maintaining the developing roller at the contact position.

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Nagoya, Japan

Daisuke Maeta