Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Masatoshi Sakaguchi

Fumikazu Sato

Soichiro Nishimura

Mitsuru Horinoe

Isao Kishi

Yasunori Kitazawa

Osamu Sakaue

An image forming includes a main body, an exposing unit, a process cartridge, and a positioning unit. The exposing unit is fixed to the main body and includes an exposing member. The process cartridge is attachable to an attaching portion provided on at least one of the main body and the exposing unit, and includes a photosensitive drum. The positioning unit positions the process cartridge with respect to the exposing unit so that the photosensitive drum faces the exposing member in a first direction when the process cartridge is attached to the attaching portion, allowing the photosensitive drum to be exposed by the exposing member.

Image forming device

A cartridge includes: a casing having a wall defining a developer accommodating portion inside the casing, a filling port being formed through the wall in fluid communication with the developer accommodating portion; a cylindrical wall portion formed on the wall at a circumferential edge of the filling port and protruding from the wall outside the casing, the cylindrical wall portion having an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface, and an end surface positioned between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface; a closure member which is fitted in the cylindrical wall portion, while being in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion, to close the filling port; and a protruding portion that is provided on at least one of the end surface and the closure member at its contact portion between the end surface and the closure member and that protrudes toward the other one of the end surface and the closure member.

Developer cartridge including developer filling port cap and recycling method thereof

A developing device includes a holding chamber for holding developing agent, a port for accessing the holding chamber from outside the developing device, and a developing agent bearing member that bears developing agent from the holding chamber. After the developing device has been used until the holding chamber has run out of developing agent, the used developing device is refilled with developing agent. In the following manner. The port is opened to access the holding chamber. The type of previously-used developing agent that remains in the holding chamber from the preceding developing operation usage is determined. The previously-used developing agent is removed to an amount of 1.2 g or less per centimeter of the axial length of the developing agent bearing member. Then, a type of developing agent that has a lower fluidity characteristic, a lower melting characteristic, or both, than the previously-used developing agent is determined. Then, the holding chamber is refilled with the designated type of developing agent. Afterward, the port is closed.

Method of refilling used developing cartridge

A thermal head control device for a thermal printer counts the number of printing operations and spacing operations. The energization period for the printer heat elements is controlled in accordance with the counts obtained.

Thermal head control device

In accordance with a printing data, resistive thermo-generating elements in a thermal head are selectively heated to a relatively high temperature and a heat-fusible solid ink on an ink ribbon is thereby melted and the melted ink is transferred to a printing paper, thereby printing characters on a printing sheet. The printed characters can be erased by contacting to the printed portion of the printing sheet the ink ribbon heated by the thermal head to a relatively low temperature. In order to prevent the printing and erasing qualities from being deteriorated due to the change in the environmental temperature, the duration of current application to the resistive thermo-generating elements is compensated for individually for printing and erasing modes in response to the change in the environmental temperature.

Growing community of inventors

Gifu, Japan

Masatoshi Sakaguchi