Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Other

Keizou Takeuchi

Noboru Katakabe

Shigemitsu Tani

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Kenji Asakura

Masanori Yoshikawa

Hideki Tatematsu

Kazumasa Hayashi

Akinori Toyoda

Hiroshi Komakine

Yasutaka Tamai

Hiromichi Miyoshi

Takumi Kitano

Hiroshi Yasumoto

Manabu Kitajima

Kouzou Ezawa

Shouji Nishitani

An image forming apparatus uses a plurality of image forming units having photosensitive drums and that are arranged rotatable in a vertical plane such that the image forming units are shifted sequentially to an image forming position. Each of the image forming units has a rectangular concave portion along its longitudinal direction which contains a handle made of an elastic rectangular-shaped plate. The handle has elongated holes extending in the longitudinal direction at both ends of the handle which engage anchoring members provided at the concave portion. The handle is allowed to be contained within the concave portion by its elastic force and is allowed to be pulled out from the concave portion by a user's finger inserted into an entrance groove provided only at a side opposite to the photosensitive drum with respect to the handle. In addition, the image forming apparatus has a door for allowing the attaching/detaching of the image forming units wherein the door has a protrusion which is capable of contacting the handle.

Image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming units with handles

An image forming apparatus uses a plurality of image forming units that are arranged rotatable in a vertical plane such that the image forming units are shifted sequentially to an image forming position. Each image forming unit has a translucent toner detection window on its outer periphery for detecting the remaining amount of toner in a toner hopper. The image forming units will have a replacing position in which it will face an opening for allowing replacement of the image forming unit. The translucent detection window will face the opening when the image forming unit is in the replacing position.

Image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming units and translucent toner detection window

An image forming apparatus uses a plurality of image forming units which are rotatable arranged in a vertical plane. The image forming units are divided into a photosensitive member unit for supporting a photosensitive member and a developing unit for supporting a developing roller and wherein the units are rockably supported about a rocking center axis. A point of application of a drive force for transmitting a drive force to the developing roller is located substantially on the rocking center axis.

Image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming units with pivotable subunits

An image forming unit including a photosensitive member on the surface of which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charger for charging the photosensitive member, a developing roller for developing the electrostatic latent image into a visible image, a box for supporting the photosensitive member, the charger and the developing means. A first flange that is integrally formed into one unit including a first taper hole portion that is a positioning part with respect to the apparatus main body for positioning the photosensitive member at the image forming position of the apparatus main body and a first coupling portion that is a rotation engaging portion for receiving a rotation driving force from the apparatus main body is attached to one end of the photosensitive member. Thereby, it is possible to realize an image forming unit having a simple structure, capable of being reduced in size and weight, and realizing a high quality image, and an image forming apparatus capable of improving the positioning and the rotating accuracy of the photosensitive member at the image forming position by using the image forming unit.

Image forming unit with high positioning and rotating accuracy and image forming apparatus using the same

In order to provide a developing apparatus in which the toner thin layer regulating capability and the toner charging capability can be enhanced by a developer regulating member of a simple structure, a development roller can be rotated with a small driving force, toner is prevented from adhering and development can be performed with high accuracy, the developer regulating member of the developing apparatus is provided with a surface constituting a step in a direction vertical to the direction of the rotation axis of the development roller, a pressed surface that is pressed against the development roller in the downstream side of the step and an opposed surface formed so as to be opposed to the development roller with a predetermined space therebetween in the upstream side of the step.

Developing apparatus with a developing regulating member

An oil application roller unit including a holder having at least a shaft or bearings, an oil application roller rotatably supported by the holder, and an oil leakage prevention film closely wound around the oil application roller to pack the roller and capable of being pulled out. By pulling the oil leakage prevention film while the oil application roller remains installed in the holder, the oil application roller is rotated, and the oil leakage prevention film can be removed. Since the user is not required to make contact with the oil application roller at the time of unpacking, the hands of the user are not stained. Unpacking can thus be attained safely.

Image formation apparatus, oil application roller unit and fixing device

A bet unit provides an intermediate transfer belt where primary transfer is performed at a part stretching between a drive roller and a tension roller, and a cleaner roller separated from and brought into contact with a part of the intermediate transfer belt stretching between an opposed roller and the drive roller in the downstream side of the opposed roller. The belt unit is detachably attachable to the body with the opposed roller on the operator's side. The tangential line of the opposed roller is substantially vertical at a secondary transfer position. The cleaner roller is disposed in a range enclosed by the intermediate transfer belt, the tangential line of the drive roller parallel to the common tangential line of the peripheries of the tension roller and the opposed roller, and the vertical tangential line of the secondary transfer side of the opposed roller.

Image forming apparatus and belt unit thereof

The present invention provides a process cartridge having components which are easy to assemble and disassemble and are convenient to reuse. A process cartridge of the present invention comprises a first unit having a photosensitive drum; a second unit having a cleaning means for the photosensitive drum; and wherein the first unit and the second unit are rotatably hinged to each other by a coupling shaft projecting from the side wall of the first unit and a coupling hole perforating the side wall of the second unit. The second unit is fixed at a position where the hinged rotation of the second unit in a predetermined direction with respect to the first unit is stopped.

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Osaka, Japan

Keizou Takeuchi