Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Kyocera Mita Corporation

Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Kiyonori Yamamoto

Hiroshi Kimura

Masahiko Hisajima

Kiyoshi Shibata

Masahiro Watashi

Kiyoshi Morimoto

Takashi Nagashima

Yasuhiko Yoshikawa

Shinsuke Yoshinaga

Toshihiko Yamamoto

Masami Fuchi

Yoichiro Irie

Masaki Higashiyama

Mitsuhiro Goda

Masaki Murashima

Masahiko Mizuno

Hiroshi Ishida

Hiroshi Kusumoto

Yukio Hashimoto

Masahiro Murakami

Naoki Yamane

Masahiko Kobayashi

Yoshihiro Yamaguchi

Nobuhiro Fukuma

Tadakazu Ogiri

Yoshinori Makiura

Takashi Kusukawa

Yasuyuki Hirai

Kotaro Kawasaki

Toshio Hori

Nobuyuki Kashiwagi

Naoki Motobayashi

Shinji Ito

Toshiyuki Mitsuya

Masahiko Sakae

Akira Yokoe

Osamu Sota

Yuji Kishinaka

Masahiro Nakayama

Provided are: a sheet feed device that is capable of suppressing the occurrence of a sheet feeding fault by changing the pressing contact force of a retard roller against a feed roller; and an image formation device equipped with the same. This sheet feed unit () is provided with: a pickup roller (); a feed roller (); a retard roller (); a holding member () that holds the retard roller (); a first biasing member () that biases the holding member (); and a pressing contact force changing mechanism () that changes the pressing contact force of the retard roller () against the feed roller (). The pressing contact force changing mechanism () has: a rotary shaft () disposed parallel to the axial direction of the retard roller (); a cam member () that rotates with the rotary shaft (); and a movable member () that contacts the cam member (), moves in the axial direction in conjunction with the rotation of the cam member (), and changes the biasing force generated by the first biasing member ().

Sheet feed device and image formation device equipped with same

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a first sheet feeding cassette, a conveyance unit and a lock member. The first sheet feeding cassette is inserted into the apparatus main body along a predetermined insertion direction and is drawn out of the apparatus main body along a drawing direction opposite to the insertion direction. In a state where the lock member is in a lock position, the first sheet feeding cassette does not interfere with the lock member to allow the first sheet feeding cassette to be inserted into the apparatus main body. In a state where the lock member is in a lock release position, the first sheet feeding cassette interferes with the lock member to inhibit the first sheet feeding cassette from being inserted into the apparatus main body.

Image forming apparatus including sheet feeding cassette and conveyance unit attachable and detachable to and from apparatus main body

A separating claw unit includes: a separating claw provided beside and against a surface of an image carrier on which a toner image to be transferred to a recording paper sheet in a nip area between the image carrier and a transfer section is to be formed, the separating claw being configured to separate the recording paper sheet having passed through the nip area off the surface of the image carrier in a direction away from the surface of the image carrier; and a cushion guide provided next to the separating claw to extend beyond the separating claw in the direction away from the surface of the image carrier, held elastically and displaceably away from the surface of the image carrier, and configured to come into contact with the recording paper sheet to guide the recording paper sheet downstream in a direction of conveyance of the recording paper sheet.

Image forming apparatus

An electrical connecting member electrically connects between two conductive members. The electrical connecting member includes a coil spring part formed by winding a wire around a coil axis. The electrical connecting member comes into contact with one of the conductive members with elastic force in a circumferential direction around the coil axis and comes in contact with the other of the conductive members with elastic force in an axial direction of the coil axis so that the conductive members are electrically connected.

Electrical connecting member and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a driven unit, a coupling mechanism, a driving lever and a locking mechanism. The driven unit is configured to be supported slidably between a storage position and a pull-out position. The driving unit is driven by a driving force from a driving source. The coupling mechanism is configured to be switchable between a transmission state and a transmission release state. The driving lever is slidable between a transmission position and a transmission release position. The locking mechanism is configured to prevent the sliding of the driving lever from the transmission release position toward the transmission position. The sliding of the driving lever from the transmission release position into the transmission state can be permitted by the sliding of the driven unit from the pull-out position into the storage position.

Image forming apparatus including driving lever switching driven unit into transmission state and transmission release state

An image forming apparatus includes a housing and a pair of cassette guides. The housing is provided with a cassette storage space and a unit storage space. The unit storage space is disposed above the cassette storage space and configured to slidably support an image forming unit. The housing has a pair of side plates arranged to be opposite to each other in a direction intersecting a sliding direction of the image forming unit. The pair of cassette guides is provided in the cassette storage space and arranged inside the pair of side plate. A guide rail part is formed by a gap between the side plate and the guide cassette arranged inside the side plate, and a top face of the cassette guide. A unit-side rail provided to the image forming unit is slidably engaged with the guide rail part.

In a sheet feeding device, a feeding roller is driven and rotated to feed a sheet in a conveying direction of a sheet conveying path and a drive transmission mechanism transmits rotation drive force generated in a driving portion to the feeding roller. In this mechanism, a drive input gear having an inner space is arranged on a rotation axis supporting the feeding roller rotatably so as to rotate by the rotation drive force. A drive transmission gear arranged between the feeding roller and drive input gear on the rotation axis rotates and becomes slide-movable along the rotation axis between a first position transmitting the rotation drive force to the feeding roller and a second position cutting off the transmission of the rotation drive force to the feeding roller by the rotation drive force from the drive input gear to transmit the rotation drive force to the feeding roller.

Sheet feeding device, and image reading device and image forming apparatus including this

A sheet conveying apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a sheet cassette, a mounting portion and a conveying unit. The sheet cassette is mounted into the apparatus main body. The conveying unit is arranged above the sheet cassette in the apparatus main body. The conveying unit includes a conveyance path, an upper guide unit, a lower guide unit and a locking mechanism. The upper guide unit defines an upper surface part of the conveyance path. The lower guide unit defines a lower surface part of the conveyance path and enters the mounting portion to open the conveyance path. The locking mechanism locks the lower guide unit to the upper guide unit. The lower guide unit includes a projecting piece. The sheet cassette includes a push-up portion. The push-up portion pushes up the projecting piece when the sheet cassette is mounted into the mounting portion.

Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with same

An image forming apparatus includes a housing including a first wall portion extending in a vertical direction, a second wall portion extending in the vertical direction on a side opposite from the first wall portion, and an internal space formed between the first wall portion and the second wall portion. In a first state in which a sheet cassette is not attached to the housing, a cover member seals an opening portion formed in the second wall portion and through which the sheet cassette passes through, and forms part of the second wall portion. In a second state in which the sheet cassette is attached to the housing, the cover member is pivoted by being abutted by part of the sheet cassette and covers a top of a portion of the sheet cassette that is exposed to the outside of the housing.

A sheet feeder includes: a housing; a sheet feeding mechanism and a manual feed tray and that is mounted pivotably to the housing. The manual feed tray can assume a first posture that is closed relative to the housing, and a second posture that is open relative to the housing. A link couples the housing with the manual feed tray and pivots with a pivoting movement of the manual feed tray to hold the second posture of the manual feed tray. A posture changing mechanism permits the manual feed tray to pivot farther in an opening direction from the second posture when a load acts on a sheet mounting surface and causes the manual feed tray to assume a third posture while being held by the link. A posture holding mechanism holds the third posture of the manual feed tray.

Sheet feeder having manual feed tray, and image forming apparatus including the same

An image forming apparatus, comprising: a feed roller; a separation unit; a position detection part includes: a detection member that can move to a retracted position, and a detector which detects that a image formation target material is disposed at the feed position or the feed setup position in a case of having detected that the detection member is at the retracted position; and a restricting member that is disposed at a restricting position that restricts the detection member from moving from the initial position to the retracted position by abutting the detection member, in a detached state in which the separation unit is detached from the mounting part.

Image forming apparatus and feed mechanism

An image forming apparatus () is equipped with a left-side cover (), manual supply tray (), a carry guide () and a lift plate (), and these are rotatably supported by a third shaft (). The apparatus is reduced in size and a protrusion length L of the lift plate () is enlarged. The change in inclination angle of the lift plate () is reduced and a paper-sheet supply characteristic, even when the amount of paper sheets placed on the manual supply tray () changes, is stabilized.

Image forming apparatus with common support shaft

An image forming apparatus has an image bearing member and a main body with an internal conveyance path for conveying a transfer material. An opening/closing member is attached to the main body and is displaceable between a closed position and an opened position where the conveyance path is exposed. A cover is set to cover a part of the image bearing member facing the conveyance path when the opening/closing member is open and is retracted from the conveyance path when the opening/closing member is closed. A moving mechanism slides the cover. Front and rear frames are held movably by the moving mechanism and are attached respectively to front and rear edges of the cover in a sliding direction. A tension applying mechanism acts on the frames to apply tension to the cover in the sliding direction during a sliding movement of the cover.

Image forming apparatus and image bearing member cover

A structure for clamping the harnesses, enabling the harnesses attached to the substrate or the harnesses around the substrate to be clamped by using parts that have been usually used. An assembly having the structure for clamping the harnesses comprises a circuit board on which parts are mounted on one side thereof; a shielding plate arranged on the other surface side thereof; and an insulating sheet arranged between the other surface of the circuit board and the shielding plate; wherein the harnesses are extending around the circuit board. The insulating sheet forms a clamp protruding outward beyond the circuit board, and the harnesses are engaged with a protruding piece.

Assembly having a structure for clamping the harnesses and image-forming machine

A manual paper supply device is equipped with a paper shear prevention memberfor preventing shear of the paperloaded into the manual feed paper supply tray. A brushis arranged on the paper shear prevention memberto make contact with the paper; and the brushis arranged to form an acute angle against the paperin the paperfeed direction G. Skewing and floating of the paperare prevented accordingly when the paperis set. Further, the generation of multi-feed and marking of the paperis avoided.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Kiyonori Yamamoto