Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Kei Katagiri

Keigo Nakajima

Shota Iriyama

Masatoshi Shiraki

Mayu Wakamatsu

Kazuaki Ooka

Kengo Yada

A development device includes a housing, a development roller, and a layer thickness regulating blade, the layer thickness regulating blade including a support sheet metal and a blade rubber section, the blade rubber section including a contact portion and an extension, the contact portion contacting the development roller, the extension extending from the contact portion, the extension including a curved surface portion having a curved surface, the curved surface being formed to be closer to the support sheet metal in a thickness direction of the support sheet metal as being farther away from the contact portion, the curved surface having a curvature radius equal to or more than 1.5 mm and equal to or less than 3.0 mm, the curved surface portion having a height equal to or less than 1.0 mm in the thickness direction.

Development device

There is provided an image forming apparatus including a casing and a drum cartridge. The drum cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum having a circumferential surface which includes a first area and a second area; a first cover which pivotally moves between a first closed position where the first cover covers the first area of the photosensitive drum and a first open position where the first area is exposed; and a second cover which pivotally moves between a second closed position where the second cover covers the second area of the photosensitive drum and a second open position where the second area is exposed. A direction in which the second cover pivotally moves from the second closed position to the second open position is opposite to a direction in which the first cover pivotally moves from the first closed position to the first open position.

Image forming apparatus and drum cartridge

An apparatus main body includes a drum guide configured to guide installation of a drum cartridge into the apparatus main body and a developing guide configured to guide installation of a developing cartridge into the apparatus main body. A downstream end of the developing guide is located farther away from an opening than a downstream end of the drum guide is. The drum cartridge includes a first handle located inside the apparatus main body in a state where the drum cartridge is installed in the apparatus main body. The developing cartridge includes a second handle located inside the apparatus main body in a state where the developing cartridge is installed in the apparatus main body. The handle cover is located between the opening and the first handle to cover the first handle, in a state where the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge are installed in the apparatus main body.

Image forming apparatus including handle cover configured to cover handle of drum cartridge

There is provided an image forming apparatus including: a casing having a drum guide and a developing guide, a drum cartridge having a photosensitive drum and a handle, and a developing cartridge having a developing roller. The developing guide is longer than the drum guide. With the drum cartridge being installed in the casing and with the developing cartridge being removed from the casing, the handle locates at the first position. Further, with the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge being installed in the casing, being pressed by the developing cartridge, the handle locates at the second position farther away from an opening than the first position.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Kei Katagiri