Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Riku Minamoto

Daisuke Eto

Takahisa Nakaue

Koichi Hayashi

Daichi Kawano

Sadanori Nakae

Takashi Kusukawa

Toner cartridge

A shutter lock mechanism moves an engaging portion from a released position to an engaged position when a toner container is removed from an attachment portion. A feeding portion formed with a feeding port or a shutter portion that closes the feeding port is a linking portion. When the engaging portion is at the engaging position, the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion in both a case where the linking portion is at the closed position, and a case where the linking portion is at a semi-closed position between the closed position and the open position. When the linking portion is at a region from the semi-closed position to the closed position, the shutter portion closes the feeding port.

Toner container with shutter portion lockable with removal of toner container from attachment portion, and image forming apparatus having same

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer belt and a plurality of image forming units. The image forming unit includes a photosensitive drum and a charge elimination part. The charge elimination part of a predetermined image forming unit irradiates a downstream area of the primary transfer position on the photosensitive drum of the predetermined image forming unit with post-transfer charge elimination light and irradiates an upstream area of a primary transfer position on the photosensitive drum of the other image forming unit disposed on a downstream side of the predetermined image forming unit in the conveyance direction. A slit part is provided between the predetermined image forming unit and the other image forming unit for narrowing an irradiation width of the pre-transfer charge elimination light in a circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum.

Charge elimination configuration for image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a toner container, a storage part, a cover and an opening/closing mechanism. The toner container includes a shutter. The cover is movable between a closed position for closing the storage part and an opened position for opening the storage part. The opening/closing mechanism closes a supply port by rotating the shutter in accordance with an opening operation for moving the cover to the opened position and opens the supply port by rotating the shutter in accordance with a closing operation for moving the cover to the closed position, in a state where the toner container is attached to the storage part. The toner container includes an interference portion which interferes with the opening/closing mechanism to prevent the toner container from being attached to the storage part in a case where the cover is not moved to the opened position normally.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a drum unit, a development unit, a supporting part, and a biasing part. The supporting part supports the development unit so as to be shiftable in directions close to and separate from the drum unit. The biasing part biases a development housing of the development unit toward the drum unit. The drum unit is attachable to and detachable from a main housing. When the drum unit is not attached to the main housing, the development unit is biased by the biasing part and is positioned closer to the drum unit than a predetermined position of the development unit when the drum unit is attached. When the drum unit is attached to the main housing, a drum frame of the drum unit pushes away the development housing against a biasing force of the biasing part to shift the development unit to the predetermined position.

Image forming apparatus including detachable drum unit and development unit

An image carrier unit includes an image carrier, a charging device including a charging member, a cleaning member, a pair of bearing members rotatably supporting the charging member and the cleaning member, a biasing member biasing the bearing members in an approaching direction to the image carrier, and a charging housing holding the charging member and the cleaning member, and a pair of separation members. The bearing members each include a first bearing portion supporting a first rotary shaft of the charging member, a second bearing portion supporting a second rotary shaft of the cleaning member, and an engaged portion. The first bearing portion has an elongated hole shape having a greater inner diameter in an approach/separation direction. The separation members are each inserted between the charging housing and the engaged portion, thus causing the bearing members to move in such a direction as to separate from the image carrier.

Image carrier unit and image forming apparatus including the same

A toner container includes a container body containing a toner, a rotating member, a moving member, and a restricting mechanism. The container body has a discharging port discharging the toner. The rotating member is at least partly installed in the container body, engaged with an inner face of the container body, and rotated around a rotation axis extended in one direction. The moving member is attached to the rotating member, moved in the one direction in accordance with rotation of the rotating member, and conveys the toner in the container body to the discharging port. The restricting mechanism is provided in an engaging part of the rotating member and an inner face of the container body. The restricting mechanism allows rotation of the rotating member in a first rotating direction, and restricts rotation of the rotating member in a second rotating direction opposite to the first rotating direction.

Toner container and image forming apparatus

A toner container includes a container body having a discharging port discharging a toner, a rotating member, a moving member, a transmitting member transmitting rotation to the rotating member, an agitating member agitating the toner in the container body, and a connecting member transmitting rotation to the agitating member. At least a part of the rotating member is at least partly installed in the container body. At least a part of the transmitting member is arranged outside the container body. The rotating member includes a following coupling facing to the outside of the container body. The transmitting member includes a transmitting coupling connected to the following coupling. The agitating member includes an agitating coupling facing to the outside of the container body. The connecting member includes a connecting coupling connected to the agitating coupling. The agitating coupling is arranged outside the outer circumference of the following coupling.

An image forming apparatus includes a housing in which a developing device is disposed, a cover member attached to the housing, a developer storage container to be detachably attached to the developing device, and a sensor unit. The developer storage container includes a container body having a storage space for storing a developer and a developer discharge port, and a moving wall configured to move in the container body. The sensor unit is arranged at a detection position where a detection sensor faces a specific area located above the developer discharge port on an outer peripheral surface of the container body when the cover member is in a closing posture, and arranged at a detection disable position where the detection sensor is distant from the specific area when the cover member is in an opening posture.

Image forming apparatus with sensor to detect developer in storage container and to detect position of cover for covering internal space where storage container is disposed

A toner case includes a case main body and an agitator. The case main body stores a toner. The agitator rotates around a rotation axis extending along one direction and agitates the toner stored in the case main body. The case main body includes a curve and a recess. The curve is curved in an arc shape around the rotation axis. The recess is recessed from the curve toward a side remote from the rotation axis. In a state where the agitator is in a first rotating position, a part of the agitator comes into contact with an inner circumferential face of the curve so that the part of the agitator is in a bent state. In a state where the agitator is in a second rotating position, the part of the agitator is inserted into the recess.

Toner case and image forming apparatus

A developer container includes a container main body having an internal space and a developer discharge port; a movable wall moving in the internal space toward the developer discharge port; a detection surface which is a part of an inner peripheral surface that divides a storage space of a developer in the container main body and which becomes a detection region of a first detection sensor which detects the developer in the storage space; and a rotating body arranged in the storage space and capable of rotating around a rotary shaft along the first direction. The rotating body is mounted with a cleaning member which cleans the detection surface, a stirring member which stirs a developer in the storage space, and a detection target member to be a detection target of a second detection sensor which detects presence of the container main body.

Developer container and image forming apparatus including the same

A developer storage container includes a container body, a shaft, a moving wall and a pressing member. The container body has an inner peripheral surface defining a tubular internal space extending along a first direction. The shaft is arranged to extend in the first direction in the internal space and rotatably supported. The moving wall is movable in the first direction in the internal space while conveying the developer in the internal space toward a developer discharge port. The pressing member moves integrally with the moving wall by pressing the moving wall when the shaft is rotated in a first rotating direction and relatively moves to an upstream side with respect to the moving wall according to the engagement of a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion when the shaft is rotated in a second rotating direction opposite to the first rotating direction.

Developer storage container and image forming apparatus including the same

An image forming apparatus includes a developer container having a movable wall therein, a determination unit, a movable wall driving unit, and a movable wall driving controller. The determination unit outputs first determination information when a number of outputs of a signal indicating that a detection sensor has detected a developer is less than a threshold value, and outputs second determination information when the number of outputs thereof is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The movable wall driving unit includes a first driving motor for moving the movable wall and a first driving circuit for controlling driving thereof. The movable wall driving controller includes a signal controller. The signal controller transmits a drive permission signal for the first driving motor when the first determination information is output, and transmits a drive non-permission signal for the first driving motor when the second determination information is output.

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Osaka, Japan

Riku Minamoto