Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Tokyo Magnetic Printing Co., Ltd.

Junichi Hashimoto

Isao Kishi

Yuwen Wang

Yasushi Okabe

Kazuaki Ooka

Ryuya Yamazaki

Koji Abe

Takashi Shimizu

Keigo Nakajima

Shota Iriyama

Kengo Yada

Takuya Amaike

Yoshiya Tomatsu

Shuichi Kato

Makoto Souda

Takeru Kinoshita

Shota Shinoya

Tsukuru Katsuyama

Kazuma Hinoue

Ichiro Yoshida

Takashi Arakawa

Soun Kanada

Tomozo Sekiguchi

Norio Uchida

Nao Itabashi

Naoya Kamimura

Yasuo Fukamachi

Masatoshi Shiraki

Masayoshi Mita

Tomitake Aratachi

Kazutoshi Nakamura

Shinya Kusuda

Saya Minoshima

Takamasa Tsukada

Hotaka Kakutani

Misato Osuka

Yoshiyuki Okazaki

Junya Sumida

Yoji Tsujishita

Ayaka Komori

Takako Hayashi

Yohei Hashimoto

Toshio Furukawa

Takanobu Yamada

Masafumi Inoue

Yuichi Matsushita

Fan Xu

Masahiko Hayakawa

Shuhei Hatano

Yukiko Takami

Hiroshi Mizuno

Seiichi Senda

Ryosuke Sakai

Hiroyuki Yoshinaga

Miho Ishida

Shintaro Fukuoka

Tomoyuki Imura

Go Iwasa

Shuji Ota

Koji Ogawa

Enao Yamada

Masayuki Hatano

Masaki Ueji

Aya Tamura

Hiromasa Ueno

Marika Ozaki

Kyoichi Yoshizawa

Yoshifumi Kanda

Tomoaki Karino

Teiichi Isshiki

Tadayuki Miyagi

A developing cartridge includes: a casing, a developing roller, a first agitator, a supply roller, and a second agitator. The casing is configured to accommodate toner. The developing roller is rotatable about a developing roller rotation axis extending in a first direction. The first agitator is configured to agitate the toner. The first agitator is rotatable about a first agitator rotation axis extending in the first direction. The supply roller is positioned between the first agitator and the developing roller. The supply roller is rotatable about a supply roller rotation axis extending in the first direction. The second agitator is positioned between the supply roller and the first agitator. The second agitator is rotatable about a second agitator rotation axis extending in the first direction. A rotation locus of the second agitator is positioned outside of a rotation locus of the first agitator.

Developing cartridge including casing and first and second agitators for agitating toner accommodated in casing

In an image forming apparatus, a process frame is movable into and out of a main casing in a first direction. The process frame includes a first wall and a second wall spaced apart from the first wall in a second direction. A first cartridge is detachably mountable to the process frame in a third direction crossing the second direction. A first electrode protrudes from an outer surface of the first cartridge outwardly in the second direction. In a state where the first cartridge is mounted to the process frame, the first cartridge is positioned between the first wall and second wall of the process frame in the second direction and a portion of the first wall aligns with the first electrode in the third direction such that the portion of the first wall is overlapped with the first electrode as viewed in the third direction.

Image forming apparatus including coupling member selectively coupled to photosensitive drum

An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive drum; a magnetic roller; a transfer belt; a drum cleaning roller for collecting toner on the photosensitive drum and discharging collected toner to the photosensitive drum; a belt cleaner; a waste toner accommodating unit; and a controller configured to perform a printing operation for forming an image on a sheet and a cleaning operation for cleaning the drum cleaning roller. The controller is configured to perform: when performing the printing operation, collecting toner on the photosensitive drum using the drum cleaning roller; and when performing the cleaning operation, discharging the toner on the drum cleaning roller collected in the collecting to the photosensitive drum; transferring the toner on the photosensitive drum onto the transfer belt; and collecting the toner on the transfer belt using the belt cleaner so that the collected toner is accommodated in the waste toner accommodating unit.

Image forming apparatus configured to perform cleaning operation for cleaning drum cleaning roller configured to collect toner on photosensitive drum

A toner cartridge includes: a casing; a conveyer member rotatable about an axis; a shutter rotatable about the axis between a closed position and an open position; a toner coupling rotatable about the axis; a planet carrier rotatable about the axis with the toner coupling; a planetary gear rotatable about a pin of the planet carrier and rotatable about the axis in accordance with the rotation of the planet carrier; and a ring gear meshing with the planetary gear and rotatable about the axis with the shutter. When the shutter moves from the closed position to the open position, the planetary gear is not rotatable about the pin and is rotatable about the axis with the ring gear. In a state where the shutter is at the open position, the planetary gear is rotatable about the pin and is rotatable about the axis relative to the ring gear.

Toner cartridge including conveyer member rotatable about axis inside casing and shutter rotatable about the axis from closed position to open position

A developing cartridge includes a casing, a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction, a developing memory having an electrical contact surface, an agitator, an agitator gear rotatable about an agitator axis together with the agitator, a holder holding the electrical contact surface, and a plate movable between a first position and a second position in a second direction crossing the first direction relative to the casing. The holder is movable relative to the casing in a third direction crossing the first and second directions between a retracted position and an advancing position. The holder is movable from the retracted position to the advancing position in response to a movement of the plate from the first position to the second position. The plate is positioned farther away from the developing roller than the agitator gear and the holder are in the second direction.

Developing cartridge including movable plate for moving holder holding electrical contact surface

A developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller; a shaft; and a cam. The casing is configured to accommodate developer therein. The developing roller is rotatable about a first axis extending in an axial direction. The shaft extends along a second axis extending in the axial direction. The shaft is movable along the second axis. The cam is movable along the second axis in response to axial movement of the shaft. The cam has a cam surface non-parallel with the second axis.

Developing cartridge including shaft and cam having cam surface

A developing roller is located nearer a first end than a second end in a first direction. A first boss extends in a second direction and is movable together with a housing. The first boss bears the weight of a developer cartridge when the first boss is supported by a support surface of a first side plate of a drum unit, and is located away from the developing roller in the first direction and the third direction. A first pressure receiving surface is located farther away from the developing roller than the first boss in the third direction. The pressure receiving member receives a pressing force in the third direction from a pressing member of the first side plate of the drum unit. The first boss is located away from the developing roller in the first direction by a first distance. The first pressure receiving surface is located away from the developing roller in the first direction by the first distance or by a second distance smaller than the first distance.

Developer cartridge

A drum cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main frame of an image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; and a drum contact. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about a drum axis extending in a first direction. A toner cartridge including a storage medium having an electrical contact surface is attachable to and detachable from the drum frame. In a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the drum frame, the drum contact is movable in the first direction between: a separated position in which the drum contact is positioned away from the electrical contact surface; and a contacting position in which the drum contact is in contact with the electrical contact surface. The drum contact moves from the separated position to the contacting position in accordance with attachment of the drum cartridge to the main frame.

Drum cartridge including drum contact movable in accordance with attachment of drum cartridge to main frame

An image forming apparatus including a housing, a toner cartridge, and a drum unit. The drum unit is movable through the opening between an accommodated position where the drum unit is positioned in the housing and a pulled-out position where the drum unit is pulled out of the housing. The drum unit includes a photosensitive drum and a developing unit. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about a first axis extending in a second direction. The developing unit includes a magnetic roller, a developer container, a first auger and a second auger. The magnetic roller is positioned between the toner cartridge and the photosensitive drum. The magnetic roller faces a surface of the photosensitive drum. The developer container is formed with an inlet allowing the toner to be replenished from the toner cartridge. The first auger is positioned in the developer container. The second auger is positioned in the developer container.

Image forming apparatus capable of suppressing increase in size

A drum unit includes a photosensitive drum, a developing unit, a toner cartridge, a connector and a relay board. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about a first axis extending in an axial direction. The developing unit includes a magnetic roller, a developer container, a conveyer member and a toner sensor. The developer container accommodates therein carrier, and has an inlet. The conveyer member is positioned in the developer container, and configured to convey toner and the carrier from the inlet toward the magnetic roller. The toner cartridge accommodates therein toner and is attachable to the developer container to replenish toner in the developer container through the inlet. The connector is electrically connected to an image forming apparatus. The relay board electrically connects the toner sensor to the connector. The relay board is configured to transmit a detection signal from the toner sensor to the image forming apparatus.

Drum unit capable of suppressing complication of wiring

A developing cartridge includes a casing having an outer surface, a developing roller, a first electrode, and a boss. The developing roller is movable together with the casing and includes a developing roller shaft extending along a first axis extending in a first direction. The developing roller is rotatable about the first axis. The first electrode is positioned at one end portion in the first direction of the developing roller shaft, and electrically connected to the developing roller shaft. The boss is positioned at one end portion in the first direction of the outer surface. The boss extends in the first direction and is engageable with the drum unit. A part of the first electrode is configured to contact with a second electrode of the drum unit as a result of pivotal movement of the developing cartridge about the boss relative to the drum unit.

Developing cartridge having electrode contactable with another electrode by pivot motion of the cartridge

A developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller; a shaft extending in a first direction; a first inclined surface; a second inclined surface; an elastic member; and a first protrusion. The shaft is movable in the first direction relative to the casing and the developing roller, and is movable in the second direction together with the same. The first inclined surface is positioned at one end portion of the shaft, while the second inclined surface is positioned at another end portion of the shaft. The first and second inclined surfaces are inclined relative to the first direction. The first protrusion is movable in the first direction together with the second inclined surface. The shaft is movable from a first position to a second position when the second inclined surface receives a pressing force directed in a direction from the another end portion to the one end portion.

Developing cartridge including first and second inclined surfaces, elastic member, and first protrusion

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Toyohashi, Japan

Junichi Hashimoto