Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Gnss Technologies Inc.

Lighthouse Technology & Consulting Co., Ltd.

Makoto Ishii

Fumikazu Sato

Yasushi Okabe

Isao Kishi

Fumio Morita

Naoya Kamimura

Hiroki Mori

Hiroshi Tokuda

Shougo Sato

Takashi Shimizu

Shinji Kimura

Hiroo Ogawa

Hiroshi Igarashi

Yasutake Yamaguchi

Hiroaki Maeda

Shigeharu Katayama

Takashi Nakata

Hideyuki Torimoto

Masahiro Asako

Hirotaka Mori

Tsutomu Suzuki

Masatoshi Shiraki

Hideaki Deguchi

Yoshinori Ito

Soichiro Nishimura

Mitsuru Horinoe

Kazumasa Makino

Tsuyoshi Suzuki

Kazushi Fukuta

Takeshi Takami

Shunji Murai

Takami Takeuchi

Satoshi Kogure

Dinesh Manandhar

Tomoyuki Miyano

Motohisa Kishimoto

An image forming apparatus can include a body casing and a photosensitive member unit configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the body casing. The photosensitive member unit can be moved between a first position where the photosensitive member unit is stored in the body casing and a second position where the photosensitive member unit is withdrawn from the body casing, and between the second position and a third position where the photosensitive member unit is withdrawn from the body casing. The image forming apparatus may further include a control member disposed in the body casing, The control member can be configured to move between a holding position in which the photosensitive member unit is prevented from moving between the second position and the third position and a release position where the photosensitive member unit is allowed to move between the second position and the third position.

Image forming apparatus having a removable photosensitive member unit

A developing cartridge removably set in a laser printer includes a drive gear that inputs a drive force thereto, a detection gear that irreversibly moves from a unused position where the detection gear does not engage with the drive gear, to a used position where the detection gear does not engage with the drive gear, through a drive force transmitting position where the detection gear engages with the drive gear, and a contact member formed on the detection gear. Provided in a main frame of the laser printer is an actuator that moves the detection gear from the unused position to the drive force transmitting position as the contact member contacts the actuator when the developing cartridge is set in the main frame of the laser printer.

Developing cartridge, process unit, and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge includes a developer frame portion and a photosensitive member frame portion, wherein when the photosensitive member frame portion is attached to the developer frame portion, a first extension portion and a second extension portion are positioned in a substantially overlapping configuration and the first extension portion engages the second extension portion so as to urge a developer carrying member toward a photosensitive member.

Photosensitive member cartridge, developer cartridge and process cartridge

An image forming apparatus can include a body casing, a photosensitive member unit configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the body casing, the photosensitive member unit can be moved between a first position where the photosensitive member unit is stored in the body casing and a second position where the photosensitive member unit is withdrawn from the body casing, and between the second position and a third position where the photosensitive member unit is withdrawn from the body casing. The image forming apparatus may further include a control member disposed in the body casing, the control member configured to move between a holding position in which the photosensitive member unit is prevented from moving between the second position and the third position and a release position where the photosensitive member unit is allowed to move between the second position and the third position.

A developer cartridge including a frame, a developer carrying member, and an input gear member is provided. The frame includes a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall and the second side wall extend in a length direction. The developer carrying member extends from the first side wall to the second side wall in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction. The developer carrying member includes a developer carrying member shaft rotatably supported by the first side wall and the second side wall, and the developer carrying member is rotatable about a first axis. The input gear member, for supplying a driving force for rotating the developer carrying member, is rotatably supported by the first side wall so as to be rotatable about a second axis. A first distance between the first axis and the second axis in the length direction is about 14.0 mm.

A photosensitive unit is described. The photosensitive unit may include a developer cartridge including a developing agent carrier and a casing, a photosensitive member, and a side wall. The casing is provided with a pivoting member including a pressuring portion applied with an external pressing force and a fitting projection fitted to the side wall. The pivoting member is configured to be pivoted along a pressing direction for pressing the developing agent carrier toward the photosensitive member when a pressing force is applied to the pressuring portion, or along a pressure releasing direction opposite to the pressing direction. The side wall is formed with a fit portion to which the fitting projection is loosely fitted so that a movement of the fitting projection along a pivoting direction of the pivoting member is allowed.

Photosensitive unit and image forming apparatus

A developer cartridge including a frame, a developer housing section, a developer supplying section, a developer electrode, and an input gear is provided. The frame includes a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall and the second side wall extend substantially in a length direction. The developer housing section, for housing a developer, extends from the first side wall to the second side wall in a width direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction. The developer supplying section, for supplying the developer to a photosensitive member, extends from the first side wall to the second side wall in the width direction and houses a developer carrying member. The developer carrying member includes a developer carrying member shaft and a developer carrying member body that is supported on the developer carrying member shaft. The developer carrying member shaft extends in the width direction and is rotatably supported by the first side wall and the second side wall. The developer electrode electrically biases the developer carrying member, and at least a portion of the developer electrode is connected to the first side wall and the developer carrying member. The input gear supplies a driving force for rotating the developer carrying member.

An image-forming device includes an extension tray and an engaging unit. The cover member is capable of opening and closing thereon. The extension tray is rotatably attached to an upper part of the cover member. The engaging unit engages the cover member with the main casing when the cover member is closed. The engaging unit includes an engagement part, an engaging part, and an operating part. The operating part disengages the engaging part from the engagement part when operated. The operating part is capable of being operated when the extension tray is closed.

Image forming device

Printer cartridge

A brush holder for use in a process cartridge is integrally formed with a brush attachment portion, an extended end portion, a central extended portion, a downward extended portion, an electrode connection portion, and an electrode portion. The brush holder is formed longer than a brush. A holder supporting wall is provided at a brush mounting portion. The brush holder is supported by fitting a recess defined between the brush attachment portion and the downward extended portion onto the holder supporting wall.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge includes an image holding member that is capable of holding a developing agent image thereon, a shaft that supports the image holding member, a bearing portion that receives the shaft, a charging device that is capable of charging the image holding member, and a first frame that supports the bearing portion and the charging device.

Process cartridge with a frame that supports an image holding member and an image forming apparatus

A developer cartridge including a frame, a developer supplying section, a developer housing section, and an extension portion is provided. The frame includes a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall and the second side wall extend substantially in a length direction. The developer supplying section supplies a developer to a photosensitive body cartridge, and the developer supplying section extends in a width direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction from the first side wall to the second side wall. The developer housing section houses the developer, and the developer housing section extends in the width direction between the first side wall and the second side wall. The developer housing section includes an open end at which the developer housing section adjoins the developer supplying section, and a closed end opposite from the open end. The closed end includes an exterior surface extending from a substantially bottommost portion of the developer housing section to a top portion of the developer housing section. The extension portion includes a first extension portion that extends away from the developer housing section in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the width direction and a second extension portion that extends away from the first extension portion in a second direction different from the first direction.

Developer cartridge with an extension portion

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Makoto Ishii