Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Masahiro Ueno

Hirofumi Tsuji

Hiroaki Ohashi

Hiroaki Takai

Akihiro Yamaguchi

Tomoyasu Yamada

Yasutaka Hashimoto

Tomohiko Yamakawa

Naoto Miyakoshi

Masaru Takagi

Masami Fuchi

Ryo Matsuyama

Yuzo Harada

Yuta Okuno

A developing device includes a developer container, a developer carrier, and a stirring/conveying member. The developer container includes: a lower housing having a first accommodating portion and a first edge portion formed in a top end portion of it; and an upper housing having a second accommodating portion and a second edge portion formed in a bottom end portion of it. The first edge portion has a depression extending along the first edge portion, a first contact face formed inward of the depression, and a first opposite face formed outward of the depression. The second edge portion has an elevation inserted in the depression, a second contact face making contact with the first contact face, and a second opposite face facing the first opposite face. When the first and second contact faces are in contact, the first and second opposite faces face each other across a predetermined interval.

Developing device and image forming apparatus therewith

The toner container includes a container body, a transmission gear, a cap member, and a seal member. The transmission gear is fitted to the container body under a circumferential-movement restricted condition, and transmits rotation driving force to the container body. The cap member covers an opening of the container body, and retains a rotation-halted state while the container body and the transmission gear are rotating. The seal member is placed between the container body and the cap member. The transmission gear has a large-diameter portion larger in outer diameter than the other portions. The cap member includes a body portion, and a cylindrical-shaped retaining portion protruded from the body portion in a rotational-axis direction. A fore end portion of the retaining portion is in contact with a step gap portion on one side of the large-diameter portion closer to the cap member.

Toner container and image forming apparatus including the toner container

A light guide device includes: a housing main body; a side member attached to a side portion in the housing main body; a light guide body supported by the housing main body and including a light incident surface to which light enters; a light source substrate held by the side member and including a light element that emits the light toward the light incident surface; and a positioning portion configured to position the light element to a reference position with respect to the light incident surface. The positioning portion includes: an abutting member provided in the housing main body and configured to abut on a mounting surface in the light source substrate on which the light element is mounted; and an elastic member held by the side member and configured to press the light source substrate toward the light guide body to position the light element to the reference position.

Light guide device, drum unit, image forming apparatus and image reading device including light guide device

An image carrying member unit includes an image carrying member, a flange member, a shaft member, and a grounding member. The grounding member has a first bottom plate portion electrically connecting to the shaft member, and a pair of flat spring portions. Each flat spring portion has a first spring segment and a second spring segment bent from the tip end of the first spring segment via a second bent portion outward in the radial direction of the image carrying member to extend to approach the first bottom plate portion. Before insertion in the image carrying member, the distance between the second bent portions of the flat springs is smaller than the inner diameter of the image carrying member and the distance between tip end parts of the second spring segments is larger than the inner diameter of the image carrying member.

Image carrying member unit and image forming apparatus therewith

A lighting device includes a light source, a light guide, a light guide cover, and a unit frame. The light guide is in a bar form and, while guiding light that has entered from the light source along the axial direction, sends forth the light. The light guide cover holds the light guide. The light guide cover is attached to a unit frame. The light guide cover includes a main body portion and a plurality of light guide holding portions provided along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion and holding the light guide at a plurality of places, and a plurality of guide engaging portions provided along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion. The unit frame has a cover fitting face to which the light guide cover is fitted and a plurality of cover guides with which a plurality of guide engaging portions engage respectively.

Lighting device, static eliminating device, and image forming apparatus therewith

A toner conveying device includes a case, a conveying screw, a film member and a supporting member. The conveying screw conveys a toner stored in the case in a predetermined direction inside the case. The film member includes a base part elongated in an axial direction of the conveying screw as a longitudinal direction and a plurality of protruding pieces formed so as to protrude in one direction intersecting the longitudinal direction from the base part, and has flexibility. The supporting member includes an attaching part elongated in the axial direction as the longitudinal direction to which the film member is attached, and an axis part being in parallel to the longitudinal direction. The film member and the supporting member are disposed at an upper side of the conveying screw so that the protruding pieces come into contact with the conveying screw, and are rotatable around the axis part.

Toner conveying device and image forming apparatus

A development device includes a rotational member and a housing. The rotational member rotates around an axis. In the housing, the rotational member and a toner are stored. The housing includes a lower housing and an upper housing. The lower housing has a concave first storage part having an opened upper face. The upper housing has a concave second storage part having an opened lower face. The first storage part has a first edge portion around the opened upper face. The first edge portion has a first contact face. The second storage part has a second edge portion around the opened lower face. The second edge portion has a second contact face coming into contact with the first contact face. The first contact face and the second contact face are contained in a single plane along respective entire circumferences.

Development device and image forming apparatus

A development device includes a rotational member and a housing. The housing includes a lower housing and an upper housing. The lower housing has an opened upper face. The upper housing has an opened lower face. A first edge portion around the opened upper face has a recess, a first contact face and a first opposite face. The first contact face is formed inside the recess. The first opposite face is formed outside the recess. A second edge portion around the opened lower face has a protrusion, a second contact face and a second opposite face. The protrusion is fitted into the recess. The second contact face comes into contact with the first contact face. The second opposite face opposes the first opposite face. The first and second contact faces are higher than the first and second opposite faces. The recess and the protrusion are adhered with an adhesive.

A cleaning device includes a cleaning roller, a bearing member, a guiding member and an energizing member. The cleaning roller includes a second gear meshed with a first gear of an image carrier. The cleaning roller is rotationally driven in an opposite direction to the image carrier by driving force transmitted from the first gear to the second gear. The bearing member supports a core metal of the cleaning roller. The guiding member has a placement face on which the bearing member is placed. The placement face is inclined with regard to a straight line passing through a rotation center of the first gear and a rotation center of the second gear so that a distance between the straight line and the placement face becomes larger, the closer to the first gear. The energizing member energizes the bearing member so as to press the cleaning roller to the image carrier.

Cleaning device and image forming apparatus

A belt driving device includes a plurality of rollers, an endless belt, a contact surface, and a non-contact surface. The rollers include a driving roller that is rotationally driven. The endless belt is stretched between the rollers such that a predetermined tension is applied to the endless belt, and the endless belt protrudes from opposite end portions of the rollers in an axis direction of each of the rollers. The contact surface is formed at a first end portion of at least one of the rollers and comes in contact with the endless belt. The first end portion is located on a meandering direction side of the endless belt. The non-contact surface is formed at each of second end portions of the rollers and doesn't come in contact with the endless belt. The second end portions are located on a side opposite to the meandering direction of the endless belt.

Belt driving device and image forming apparatus

A transfer unit includes an endless belt member, belt support rollers, a frame, a meandering detecting sensor, an alignment adjusting mechanism, and a conveyance guide disposed on a downstream side of the belt member with respect to a recording-medium conveyance direction. The alignment adjusting mechanism, based on a detection result of the meandering detecting sensor, causes one end portion of a downstream-side belt support roller of the belt support rollers which is adjacent to the conveyance guide to move along the recording-medium conveyance direction. The alignment adjusting mechanism causes a first end portion of the conveyance guide disposed on a same side as the one end portion of the downstream-side belt support roller to move following movement of the one end portion of the downstream-side belt support roller, and thereby maintains a distance between the belt member and the conveyance guide constant.

Transfer unit and image forming apparatus including same

A waste toner collecting device includes an intermediate collection box, a conveying path, a conveying screw, an exhaust path and a floating toner collection chamber. The conveying path is provided in the intermediate collection box. The conveying screw is rotatable in the conveying path. Through the exhaust path, air containing a floating toner is sucked and passed. The floating toner collection chamber is provided on a part of the exhaust path in the intermediate collection box. The floating toner collection chamber has a discharge opening opened to an inside of the intermediate collection box and a discharge door. Rotation of the conveying screw in a normal direction turns the discharge door into a storage position where the discharge opening is closed. Rotation of the conveying screw in a reverse direction turns the discharge door into a discharge position where the discharge opening is opened.

Waste toner collecting device and image forming apparatus including the same

A waste toner transporting device includes a waste toner passing passage, a waste toner collection container, a suction passage, a suction device, and a passing passage box. Through the waste toner passing passage, waste toner passes. The waste toner collection container collects the waste toner having passed through the waste toner passing passage. In the suction passage, suspended toner is sucked along with air inside a developing device. The suction device sucks the air inside the suction passage. Inside the passing passage box, the waste toner passing passage constituting part of the waste toner passing passage is formed. The suction passage constituting part of the suction passage is formed inside the passing passage box so as to be connected to the waste toner passing passage.

Waste toner transporting device and image forming apparatus therewith

A toner conveying device includes a housing, a screw, a discharging part and a removing member. The housing houses toner. The screw is formed by fixing a vane of a spiral shape to a circumferential face of a rotation axis rotatably supported in the housing. The discharging part is formed to be able to discharge the toner conveyed by the screw, to an outside of the housing. The removing member is elongated from the rotation axis to an outside in a radial direction, rotates with the screw and removes the toner remaining at the discharging part. The removing member is formed in a comb shape formed by continuously forming a recess and a protrusion at a free end part of the removing member.

Toner conveying device to prevent toner from remaining at discharging part and image forming apparatus including such toner conveying device

A fixing device includes a rotating member, a bearing and a heat insulating member. The rotating member fixes a toner image onto a recording medium. The bearing rotatably supports the rotating member. The heat insulating member is interposed between the rotating member and the bearing and rotated around a rotation axis. A notch part is arranged in a portion in a circumferential direction of the heat insulating member so as to continue from an end part at an inside to an end part at an outside in a direction of the rotation axis. At least one groove part is formed in a contact portion with the rotating member or the bearing in a circumference face of the heat insulating member.

Fixing device comprising heat insulating member interposed between rotating member and bearing and rotated around rotation axis and image forming apparatus including the same

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Osaka, Japan

Masahiro Ueno