Kyocera Mita Corporation

Kenichi Tanabe

Tetsuro Tomoe

Takahisa Nakaue

Hiroshi Ito

Tetsuo Tanda

Tohru Nakayama

Rumi Nagae

Akane Kikuta

Yoshikane Tsuchihashi

A developing unit is provided with developers, toner supply pipes, a drive mechanism, a position holding mechanism, and a retraction mechanism. Each of the plurality of developers has a development roller that corresponds to a color. Each toner supply pipe has a toner supply port and supplies toner to one of the plurality of developers. The drive mechanism moves the toner supply pipes so that each toner supply pipe can be positioned at a toner supply position and a retraction position. The position holding mechanism restricts the movement of the toner supply pipes so that one of the toner supply pipes is positioned at the toner supply position. If the electric power is cut off such that one of the toner supply pipes is positioned at the toner supply position, then the retraction mechanism releases the restriction of movement of that toner supply pipe and positions that toner supply pipe at the retraction position.

Developing unit

A color printer includes a color printer main body, a photosensitive drum, a rotary development device, a plurality of toner containers and a drive power transmission mechanism. The drive power transmission mechanism includes a housing, a shaft member, a first transmission mechanism, and a second transmission mechanism. The housing is mounted on the color printer main body. The shaft member is mounted in the housing so as to be axially rotatable, and mobile in the axial direction. The first transmission mechanism is mounted in the housing and transmits the drive power of the drive motor to the shaft member, so that the shaft member can be moved in the axial direction. The second transmission mechanism is mounted in the housing and transmits the drive power of the drive motor to the shaft member, so that the shaft member can be rotated.

Color image forming device having an output toner transport member

A toner supply device is disclosed that supplies toner contained in a toner container to a developing device in an image forming device. The toner supply device includes a conveyance pipe for conveying the toner from the toner container to the developing device downward, and at least one supply pipe for supplying the toner from the conveyance pipe to the developing device downward. The conveyance pipe is connected to the toner container for conveying the toner from the toner container to the developing device. The supply pipe has an upper portion connected to the conveyance pipe and a lower end capable of advancing into the developing device. In addition, a conveyance member is rotatably located in the supply pipe for conveying the toner downward. The supply pipe is located such that a center axis of the supply pipe is slanted relative to the horizontal line at a repose angle of the toner or more.

Toner supply device

A fixing unit has a heating roller for fusing a toner image on a copy sheet thereon, a pressing roller which is rendered in pressing contact with the heating roller while the copy sheet is transported through a clearance defined by the heating roller and the pressing roller, and a control lever which is operative to selectively move the pressing roller toward and away from the heating roller so as to set the fixing unit between a pressing-contact state where the pressing roller is pressed against the heating roller and a released state where the pressing roller is set away from the heating roller. A warning display member bearing information relating to manipulation of the control lever is detachably attached to the control lever in such a manner as to be removable from the control lever by pulling the warning display member generally in the same direction as manipulating the control lever to set the fixing unit to the pressing-contact state.

Fixing unit with indicator for shifting control of pressing roller

An image forming apparatus is able to maintain an image density at a constant level. The apparatus has a FC mode selecting key for allowing a user to selectively designate a low FC mode indicating that the apparatus is in a less-used state where the number of times of image formation is smaller than a predetermined value and a high FC mode indicating that the apparatus is in a highly-used state where the number of times of image formation is not smaller than the predetermined value, and a CPU for correctively setting a target value of toner density at a value higher than a target value of toner density at the low FC mode when the apparatus is in the high FC mode.

Growing community of inventors

Hirakata, Japan

Kenichi Tanabe