Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Hirotaka Mori

Shougo Sato

Hiroshi Nakano

Makoto Souda

Noboru Suzuki

Masato Makino

Yohei Hashimoto

Hiroshige Hiramatsu

Mayu Okada

Noriyuki Kawamata

Yukio Shiohara

Makoto Ishii

Atsushi Kato

Masahito Saeki

Kazumasa Makino

Atsushi Miwa

Masamitsu Ukai

Atsuo Hirose

Hiroyuki Okuchi

Takami Takeuchi

A photosensitive drum is rotatably supported in a main body. A developing cartridge is detachably mountable on the main body in a state where the photosensitive drum is supported in the main body. The developing cartridge includes a developing device and a frame. The developing device includes a developing roller disposed in confrontation with the photosensitive drum to supply developer to the photosensitive drum when the developing cartridge is mounted in the main body, and a developer-accommodating portion configured to accommodate developer. The frame includes a waste-developer-accommodating portion configured to accommodate waste developer and supports the developing device that is movable relative to the frame. The frame is disposed on an opposite side of the developing roller from the photosensitive drum. An urging member is disposed between the frame and the developing device to urge the developing roller toward the photosensitive drum.

Image forming apparatus having cartridge and waste developer accommodating portion

An image forming apparatus includes first and second casings, a support portion, a control panel, and a USB port. The first casing houses an image forming unit and includes a sheet discharge tray configured to support a sheet discharged by a discharge roller. The second casing is disposed above the first casing, and houses an image scanner. The support portion is disposed at a top surface of the first casing such that the support portion support raises the second casing, and partially defines an open portion that enables an access to the sheet discharged on the sheet discharge tray. The control panel is disposed at the second casing. A downstream end portion of the control panel is positioned downstream of the discharge roller in a discharging direction. The USB port is positioned above the sheet discharge tray, and overlaps, when viewed from the top, with the sheet discharge tray.

Image forming apparatus

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet cassette including a first housing, a pressing plate, a raising plate, a first resilient member, and a second resilient member. The sheet conveying device further includes a second housing, a sheet-cassette accommodating portion, a first electrode, a second electrode, a sheet conveyor, a driver, a first signal output device, and a second signal output device. When controlling the driver to move the raising plate to move the pressing plate upward, the controller detects a state change in the first signal output device from not outputting a conduction signal to outputting the conduction signal; upon this detection, starts counting the number of pulse signals; and determines an amount of upward movement of the pressing plate based on the counted number.

Sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a first drive roller and a second drive roller disposed downstream of the first drive roller and configured to rotate at a peripheral speed greater than a peripheral speed of the first drive roller. The first drive roller includes a drive shaft and a roller portion. The roller portion is configured to contact the sheet and is movable relative to the drive shaft in an axial direction and a rotation direction of the drive shaft. One of the drive shaft and the roller portion of the first drive roller includes a protrusion protruding toward the other one of the drive shaft and the roller portion. The other one of the drive shaft and the roller portion of the first drive roller includes a recessed portion. The recessed portion includes a peripheral wall that defines an opening such that the protrusion is positioned in the opening.

Sheet feeding apparatus

A sheet feeding device having sheet feed tray configured to support multiple sheets be movably inserted to a main body. A sheet feed roller is configured to contact the sheet supported by the sheet feed tray and rotate to apply a feeding force to feed the sheet in a sheet feed direction. The sheet feed roller is configured to contact the sheet feed tray when there is no sheet on the sheet feed tray. A push latch mechanism is arranged on a downstream side with respect to the sheet feed roller in the sheet feed direction. A state of the push latch mechanism is alternately switched between an engaged state and a disengaged state every time when a pressing force is applied to the push latch mechanism. A first spring is configured to exert an elastic force to move the sheet feed tray toward a near side.

Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus employing the same

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having a first opening on a first side, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt arranged to have a surface thereof facing the photosensitive members, primary-transfer members, a secondary-transfer roller, a first feed roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is removably installed in the chassis through the first opening and settled in a position opposite from the photosensitive members across the intermediate transfer belt, a connector, a first feeding path extending in a range between the first feed roller and the secondary-transfer roller, and a second feeding path being formed in clearance between the intermediate transfer belt and the waste toner container to convey a recording sheet being inserted through a sheet inlet and merging into the first feeding path in the vicinity of the first feed roller.

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a conveyance belt which conveys a recording sheet via a position opposing the image carrier, a belt cleaner which removes adhered matters on the conveyance belt, a driving unit which drives the image carrier and the conveyance belt, a bias applying unit which applies a cleaning bias to the belt cleaner, and a controller which controls the driving unit and the bias applying unit such that when the image carrier is driven at a first speed, the cleaning bias is applied to the belt cleaner, and when the image carrier is driven at a second speed slower than the first speed, the cleaning bias is not applied to the belt cleaner.

Image forming apparatus having a controller to control the current flowing between a cleaning member and a collecting member

An image forming apparatus, including a conveyer unit, an image forming unit, and a registration unit, is provided. The conveyer includes a first roller, a second roller, and a belt having a first surface to contact the sheet. The image forming unit forms an image on the sheet in an image forming area. The registration unit is on an upstream side of the image forming area and includes a third roller and a fourth roller. A rotation axis of the third roller is on a side of the first surface, and a rotation axis of the fourth roller is on a side of a second surface of the belt, which is a reverse surface of the first surface. The registration unit manipulates the third and fourth rollers to align the sheet with a reference orientation and convey the sheet to the belt.

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Nagoya, Japan

Hirotaka Mori