Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kazuhiro Aso

Toshio Koike

Hideo Yoshizawa

Tadashi Ogawa

Hideki Kosugi

Makoto Yasuda

Nobuo Kuwabara

Akira Fujimori

Teppei Kikuchi

Michiharu Suzuki

Jun Shiori

Tetsuya Muto

Keinosuke Kondoh

Kentaro Mikuniya

Yu Takahashi

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of developer containers to contain different types of developers and a container mount in which the plurality of developer containers is removably installed and arranged adjacent to each other. Each of the developer containers includes an engagement portion. The engagement portion of one of the developer containers engages the engagement portion of another of the developer containers adjacent to the one of the developer containers when the developer containers are installed in the container mount in a predetermined order, to allow the developer containers to be installed. Further, the engagement portion of one of the developer containers interferes with the engagement portion of another of the developer containers adjacent to the one of the developer containers when the developer containers are installed in the container mount in a different order from the predetermined order, to prevent the developer containers from being installed.

Image forming apparatus with a plurality of developer container each having an engagement portion

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a removable component configured to be removably installed in an installation position in the apparatus body, a cover configured to open and close when the removable component is removed from or installed in the installation position, a replacement removable component configured to be installable in and removable from the installation position in which the removable component is installed, and a holder configured to hold the replacement removable component at a different position from the installation position when the removable component is installed in the installation position and the cover opens. The replacement removable component held by the holder is configured to inhibit the cover from closing.

Image forming apparatus including a removable component which is held by holder

An image forming apparatus includes image bearers, developing devices, developer containers, and developer supply devices. The image bearers are arranged side by side along a movement direction of an intermediate transferor or a sheet. The developing devices, the developer containers, and the developer supply devices are configured to be rearrangeable for each color in the movement direction in a manner that one or each of a developing device, a developer container, and a developer supply device corresponding to each color of the different colors is detached from and attached to the image forming apparatus, separately from a rest of the developing device, the developer container, and the developer supply device. The image forming apparatus is configured to be available for use when colors of the developing device, the developer container, and the developer supply device correspond to each other after rearrangement.

Image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a developer bearer opposed to an image bearer, configured to bear developer and rotate in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, and configured to develop a latent image on the image bearer and a casing opposed to the developer bearer at a position downstream from an opposed position, at which the developer bearer is opposed to the image bearer, in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer. A casing gap between the developer bearer and the casing continuously decreases or increases from a first end of the developing device to a second end of the developing device across a center of the developing device in a longitudinal direction of the developing device.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transferor to rotate in a predetermined rotation direction, a plurality of image bearers disposed along the intermediate transferor to bear latent images, a plurality of developing devices to develop the latent images, a plurality of developer containers to contain developers, and a plurality of conveyance paths each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of developing devices and a respective one of the plurality of developer containers to supply the developers to the plurality of developing devices respectively. An arrangement of the plurality of developing devices in the predetermined rotation direction is configured to be changed without changing an arrangement of the plurality of developer containers. A layout of the plurality of conveyance paths is configured to be changed without changing connections between a supply source and a supply destination of the plurality of conveyance paths.

Image forming apparatus including developing devices, developing containers, and changeable conveyance paths between the developing devices and the developing containers

An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transferor, a plurality of image bearers, a plurality of developing devices, a plurality of developer containers, a plurality of conveyance paths, and a plurality of sub-hoppers. At least one set of an image bearer, a developing device, and a sub-hopper is disposed at a height different from other sets. The arrangement of the plurality of developing devices and the plurality of sub-hoppers in the rotation direction of the intermediate transferor is changed while satisfying the following. The arrangement of the plurality of developer containers is not changed and the connections between the plurality of developing devices and the plurality of sub-hoppers are not change, while the layout of the plurality of tubes as the plurality of conveyance paths is changed so that the connections between the plurality of tubes and the plurality of sub-hoppers are not changed.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kazuhiro Aso