Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Brother Kogyo Kabuhsiki Kaisha

Nao Itabashi

Naoya Kamimura

Hideshi Nishiyama

Junichi Yokoi

Ryuya Yamazaki

Yasuo Fukamachi

Fumikazu Sato

Kazuya Kamikawa

Hiroki Mori

Tadao Kyotani

Shuhei Hatano

Atsushi Fukaya

Tsubasa Kiriyama

Shougo Sato

Isao Kishi

Kenta Tosuji

Makoto Souda

Yohei Hashimoto

Kouji Watanabe

Takashi Suzuki

Kazuaki Ooka

Masashi Imai

Tsutomu Suzuki

Shota Shinoya

Kazutoshi Nakamura

Masamitsu Ukai

Shinya Kusuda

Tomoyasu Yabuki

Misato Osuka

Junichi Hashimoto

Takeyuki Takagi

Motoaki Mushika

Tomitake Aratachi

Tomoya Ichikawa

Masaaki Furukawa

Saya Minoshima

Takeshi Takami

Junya Sumida

Yasushi Okabe

Keita Shimizu

Yasumasa Fujii

Yuwen Wang

Masahiro Ishii

Hiromitsu Mizutani

Yoshinori Ito

Soichiro Nishimura

Tetsuya Okano

Keigo Nakajima

Toshiyuki Sano

Wataru Yamaguchi

Yuki Nagashima

Masahiko Hayakawa

Soichiro Mase

Kazuma Hinoue

Yukiko Nakaya

Masato Makino

Hiroya Fukuta

Hotaka Kakutani

Takahiro Nishimoto

Kazushi Fukuta

Ryosuke Hayashi

Takeshi Fuwazaki

Daisuke Maeta

Shingo Fujiwara

Shintaro Fukuoka

Yasuhiro Hosokawa

Kunihiko Kondo

Go Iwasa

Ikunobu Yoshiyama

Haruka Kizu

Sakiho Hayakawa

Yukiko Nakanishi

An image forming apparatus includes: a main housing including a main electrical contact; a process cartridge attachable to and detachable from the main housing; and a toner cartridge attachable to and detachable from the process cartridge attached to the main housing. The process cartridge includes: a first process electrical contact configured to contact the main electrical contact; and a second process electrical contact. The toner cartridge includes: a toner housing having a toner outlet port and configured to accommodate toner therein; a toner memory including a toner electrical contact; and a toner shutter. In a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the process cartridge, the toner electrical contact is in contact with the second process electrical contact; and the toner shutter is pivotally movable relative to the second process electrical contact and the toner electrical contact to open and close the toner outlet port.

Image forming apparatus including process cartridge, and toner cartridge having toner shutter pivotally movable in a state where toner cartridge is attached to process cartridge

A developing cartridge may include: a casing configured to accommodate developer therein, the casing extending in the first direction; a coupling rotatable about a first axis extending in the first direction, the coupling being positioned at one side of the casing in the first direction; a detection gear rotatable about a second axis extending in the first direction, the detection gear being positioned at another side of the casing in the first direction; and a storage medium including an electric contact surface, the electric contact surface being positioned at the one side of the casing in the first direction.

Developing cartridge capable of reducing size of image forming apparatus

In a cartridge, a housing has a developer accommodating portion and includes a first side wall and a second side wall. A coupling member is disposed at a position opposite to the developer accommodating portion with respect to the first side wall. A detection body is disposed at a position opposite to the developer accommodating portion with respect to the second side wall. A first driving force transmission member is positioned at the same side with the coupling member with respect to the first side wall, and transmits driving force from the coupling member to a rotating member. A second driving force transmission member is positioned at the same side with the detection body with respect to the second side wall, and transmits driving force from the rotating member to the detection body.

Developing cartridge having coupling and developing roller

A drum cartridge includes: a drum frame to which a developing cartridge is attachable; a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction; a memory having an electrical contact surface; and a resilient member positioned between the electrical contact surface and the drum frame. The resilient member is configured to expand and compress in a second direction crossing the electrical contact surface between a first state and a second state, the resilient member having a shorter length in the second state than in the first state. A distance between the drum frame and the electrical contact surface in the second direction when the resilient member is in the second state is smaller than a distance between the drum frame and the electrical contact surface in the second direction when the resilient member is in the first state.

Drum cartridge including electrical contact surface movable relative to drum frame

A developing cartridge may include: a casing for accommodating developer therein; a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction and positioned at one side of the casing in a second direction; a storage medium having an electric contact surface; and a holder movable relative to the casing in the second direction with the electric contact surface between a first position and a second position, the holder having an outer surface at which the electric contact surface is positioned.

Developing cartridge

Provided is a method for removing a first holder member from a second holder member in a cartridge. The cartridge includes: a housing; the first holder member holding an electrical contact surface; and the second holder member supported by the housing. The first holder member includes a pawl, and the second holder member includes a corner part engageable with the pawl of the first holder member. The electrical contact surface is held at one end surface of the first holder member in a first direction crossing the electrical contact surface. The method includes: disengaging the pawl from the corner part; and separating the housing and the second holder member from the first holder member in the first direction away from the one end surface of the first holder member.

Method for removing and attaching first holder member relative to second holder member supported by housing in cartridge

A cartridge includes: a housing; a storage medium; and a holder. The storage medium has an electrical contact surface. The holder is movable relative to the housing. The holder includes: a first holder member; and a second holder member. The first holder member has a pawl portion and is configured to hold the electrical contact surface. The second holder member includes a corner portion. The pawl portion is engageable with the corner portion. The second holder member has a through-hole. An engagement part of the pawl portion engaging with the corner portion is accessible from outside the second holder member through the through-hole in a state where the pawl portion engages with the corner portion.

Cartridge including holder for holding electrical contact surface and method of recycling cartridge

Provided is a layer transfer film cartridge, such that even if the layer transfer film cartridge is heavy in weight, the installation and removal of the layer transfer film cartridge can be performed with ease. The layer transfer film cartridge includes a supply reel on which a multilayer film having a transfer layer and a supporting layer supporting the transfer layer is wound, a supply case that houses the supply reel, and a take-up reel on which to take up the multilayer film, and a first handle supported by the supply case or the supply reel.

Layer transfer film cartridge, and layer transfer device

A developing cartridge may include: a casing to accommodate developer; a storage medium including an electric contact surface; an elastic member extending in a first direction crossing the electric contact surface, and configured to be compressed or stretched in the first direction between a first state and a second state; and a holder including an outer surface positioned toward a side of the holder in the first direction, the electric contact surface positioned at the outer surface, and movable between first and second positions in the first direction relative to the casing. A length of the elastic member in the first direction is greater in the first state than in the second state. The electric contact surface is in the first position when the elastic member is in the first state, and the electric contact surface is in the second position when the elastic member is in the second state.

A developing cartridge includes: a housing accommodating developing agent; a developing roller including a developing-roller shaft extending in a first direction; an electrode made of an electrically conductive resin; and a first collar made of an electrically non-conductive resin. The electrode is positioned at one end portion of the housing in the first direction. The electrode is electrically connected to the developing-roller shaft. The first collar covers one end portion of the developing-roller shaft in the first direction. The first collar includes: a first arm extending in the first direction; and a first pawl configured to engage with the electrode. The first pawl protrudes from the first arm in a direction away from the developing-roller shaft. The first pawl is movable between: a first position at which the first pawl is in engagement with the electrode; and a second position at which the first pawl is separated from the electrode.

Developing cartridge including electrically non-conductive collar covering end portion of developing-roller shaft

A drum unit includes: a frame; a first photosensitive drum; a second photosensitive drum; a charger; and a storage medium. The frame includes: a first frame plate; a second frame plate spaced apart from the first frame plate in a first direction; a third frame plate connecting one end of the first frame plate to one end of the second frame plate; and a fourth frame plate connecting another end of the first frame plate to another end of the second frame plate. The first photosensitive drum and the second photosensitive drum are rotatably supported by the frame. The second photosensitive drum is spaced apart from the first photosensitive drum and positioned closer to the third frame plate than the first photosensitive drum to the third frame plate in a second direction. The storage medium has an electrical contact surface positioned at an outer surface of the third frame plate.

Drum unit having electrical contact surface positioned at outer surface of frame and image forming apparatus provided with the same

An image forming apparatus includes a main body casing, a drum cartridge, a developing cartridge and an intermediate transfer belt. The drum cartridge is removably insertable into to the main body casing in a first direction. The developing cartridge is removably insertable into the main body casing in the first direction. The drum cartridge includes a first handle. The first handle has a first recess having a first hollow. The developing cartridge includes a second handle. The second handle has a second recess having a second hollow.

Image forming apparatus

A cartridge includes: a housing; a storage medium including an electrical contact surface; and a storage medium holder holding the storage medium and movable relative to the housing. The storage medium holder is positioned at one end portion of the housing in a first direction and includes: a first holder holding the electrical contact surface; a second holder positioned spaced away from the first holder in a second direction crossing the first direction; and an elastic member expandable and shrinkable in the second direction between the first holder and the second holder. The first holder has a first hole penetrating the first holder in the second direction. The first hole is positioned farther from the housing in the first direction than the second holder and the elastic member are from the housing in the first direction and is overlapped with the electrical contact surface as viewed in the second direction.

Cartridge including holder that holds electrical contact surface and has hole overlapped with the same

A drum cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction; a first drum frame to which a developing cartridge is attachable; and a second drum frame having an outer surface; and a memory having an electrical contact surface. The first drum frame is at one end portion of the drum cartridge in a second direction and the second drum frame is at another end portion of the drum cartridge in the second direction. The electrical contact surface is positioned at the outer surface of the second drum frame and is movable in a predetermined direction relative to the second drum frame.

Drum cartridge including movable electrical contact surface, and image-forming apparatus using the same

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Nagoya, Japan

Nao Itabashi