Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Ituro Katoh

Shoichiro Yoshiura

Masanobu Deguchi

Tadaaki Kawano

Akira Mitsuyama

Tutomu Kato

An image formation apparatus contains a first and second unit. The first unit, which is a self-contained first module, contains a photo-sensitive body and structure for removing residue toner from the photo sensitive body. The second unit, which is a self-contained developer module, provides toner to the first unit and receives the residue toner from the first unit. The residue toner in the second unit is received in a self contained container and does not mix with fresh toner. The modules are detachably mounted in the apparatus. The second module cannot be mounted in the apparatus until the first module is mounted. The two units have different lives of interchange.

Image forming apparatus having selectively removable image processing and toner modules

An image formation apparatus contains a first and second unit. The first unit, which is a self-contained first module, contains a photo-sensitive body and structure for removing residue toner from the photo sensitive body. The second unit, which is a self-contained developer module, provides toner to the first unit and receives the residue toner from the first unit. The modules are detachably mounted in the apparatus. The second module cannot be mounted in the apparatus until the first module is mounted.

Image forming apparatus having selectively removable image processing

An image formation apparatus having an image carrier; a first removable unit including at least a cleaning system and a toner recovery feeding device; and a second removable unit including a developing system for developing an electrostatic latent image and a toner recovery collecting device for collecting the toner recovered by the first unit. A guide member on the first unit interacts with an indexing member on the second unit, in response to insertion of the second unit, into the image formation apparatus, to interconnect the toner collecting device of the second unit with the toner recovery feeding device of the first unit and to position the second unit with respect to the image carrier.

Removable processing units and toner collecting device for an image

A fixing device for fixing images of an original document on a copy material is provided for a plain paper copier. The fixing device comprises a pair of rollers for stressing under pressure the copy material carrying toner powder thereon. The toner powder is tightly adhered to the surface of the copy material to correspond to the images of the original document. In a preferred form, the toner powder is a pressure-fixable developing powder which consists of a wax component and a thermoplastic resin. A developing powder supplier is disposed within a developer powder reservoir for supplying developer powder to a magnet brush. A rotatable cylindrical magnet is provided within said developing powder supplier for generating a non-uniform magnetic field to stir the developer powder within the reservoir. A copy sheet stripping device is also provided which moves in synchronization with the approach of a copy sheet towards the fixing device and to move in synchronization with the separation of the copy sheet away from the fixing device.

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Nara-ken, Japan

Ituro Katoh