Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Shinichi Ueda

Shuji Nishitani

Kazushi Nishikata

Satoshi Tsuda

Masato Tanabe

Takashi Kuwata

Kazushi Ino

Tsukasa Abe

Tamotsu Kaneko

Fumihiko Yamaya

Ken-ichi Tomita

Mitsuyoshi Arakawa

Satoshi Murasaki

Masaki Sato

Hiroshi Kawamura

Shuichi Gofuku

Kenichirou Isobe

Naonori Kayama

Kazushi Nishitaka

An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge, including a photosensitive drum and a cleaning member, and an apparatus main body to and from which the cartridge and a toner container are independently attached and detached The apparatus main body includes a toner conveying apparatus receive toner removed from the cartridge and convey the removed toner to the toner container. The toner conveying apparatus includes a first conveying portion to convey the removed toner received from the cartridge toward the toner container, and a second conveying portion to convey the removed toner conveyed by the first conveying portion to the toner container.

Toner conveying apparatus having toner conveying paths and image forming apparatus

A developer storage device that stores developer includes a frame having an internal space and an inlet, a partition portion for partitioning the internal space into first and second chambers, the partition portion including a communication port through which the first and second chamber communicate, a conveyance portion arranged in the internal space and configured to convey the developer, and a detection unit detecting an amount of the developer stored in the first chamber. When the amount of the developer in the first chamber is less than a predetermined value, the developer is conveyed to a far side portion of the first chamber by the conveyance portion. When the detection unit detects that the amount of the developer in the first chamber reaches the predetermined value or more, the conveyance portion conveys the developer to the second chamber.

Developer storage device and image forming apparatus to determine service life or replacement time of the developer storage device

A toner conveying apparatus conveying toner used for image forming includes a first conveying portion to convey the toner and having a first screw and a first conveying passage forming member that forms a first conveying space, and a second conveying portion to convey upward the toner and including a second screw and a second conveying passage forming member that forms a second conveying space. The second conveying passage forming member has a connecting port connected to the first conveying passage forming member. The second screw overlaps with the first screw viewed in a direction of a rotational axial line of the first rotation shaft. A cross-sectional area of the first conveying space orthogonal to the direction of the rotation axial line in a second region is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first conveying space orthogonal to the direction of the rotational axial line in a first region.

Toner conveying apparatus having orthogonal toner conveying paths and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an optical detecting device; a movable unit including a rotatable member having a first light-blocking surface and a second light-blocking surface; and a control unit. The movable unit rotates with rotation of the rotatable member so that the second light-blocking surface is movable to a first position where the optical detecting device is light-blocked and a second position where the optical detecting device is not light-blocked, and includes a locking member for locking the second light-blocking surface in the second position. When the first and second light-blocking surfaces pass through a detecting portion of the optical detecting device, the control unit discriminates a state of the movable unit on the basis of a detection result of the optical detecting device.

Image forming apparatus

An image heating apparatus includes a cylindrical film; a roller contacting the film; a nip forming member contacting an inner surface of the film and cooperating with the roller to form a nip for nipping a sheet carrying an image; an opposing member opposing an inner surface of an end portion of the film along generatrix direction the film. A lubricant is provided between the film and the nip forming member. The film is longer than the roller. At least a part of the curved surface portion is provided in a region outside a contact region of the film and the roller. A portion of the curved surface portion outside the contact region is provided with a groove extending in a rotational moving direction of the film, the groove having a wall effective to remove from the film the lubricant.

Image heating apparatus having lubricant between film and nip forming member

Image heating apparatus having lubricant between film and nip forming portion and a film-supporting-surface groove having lubricant entrance

A sheet feeding apparatus that can prevent changes at the time of mounting a sheet cassette, and deformation and changes of the sheets after the sheet cassette is mounted regardless of a sheet size are provided. A movable side regulating plate provided in a frame, regulates positions of width direction side ends of sheets is provided with sheet pressing portions and that press the side ends of the sheets to press the sheets against a fixed side regulating plate in a biasing manner. An indented configuration against which, when short sheets are pressed by the sheet pressing portion are stacked on a sheet stacking plate, upstream ends of the sheets do not abut is formed upward from a bottom end of the sheet pressing portion to a predetermined dimension at a sheet feeding direction center of the sheet pressing portion.

Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet accommodating unit which is detachably attached to an apparatus main body and configured to accommodate sheets, a sheet stacking unit which is provided in the sheet accommodating unit and can move while supporting the sheet, a sheet feeding unit configured to feed the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit, and a lift unit configured to move the sheet stacking unit toward the sheet feeding unit, wherein, before feeding of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit by the sheet feeding unit, the lift unit increases and then reduces press contact force between the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit and the sheet feeding unit.

A movable side regulating plate is provided on a frame body. The movable side regulating plate regulates side edges in a width direction of sheets stacked on a sheet stacking plate, and is movable in the width direction. A sheet pressing portion configured to press the side edges of the sheets and press the sheets onto a stationary side regulating plate is provided on the movable side regulating plate. The sheet pressing portion has a relief shape for reducing a pressing force exerted on the sheets when an amount of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking plate becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined amount. The relief shape is formed so that a downstream edge in a sheet feeding direction of a lower surface is located higher than an upstream edge in the sheet feeding direction of an upper surface.

Provided is an image forming apparatus, which includes: a pressing lever and a pressing arm for pushing up a sheet stacking plate so that sheets stacked on the sheet stacking plate are brought into pressure contact with a sheet feeding portion; a lifter driving mechanism for driving the pressing lever and the pressing arm; and a setting mechanism disposed between the pressing lever and the pressing arm, and the lifter driving mechanism. The setting mechanism is capable of setting a pressure contact force for bringing the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking plate into pressure contact with the sheet feeding portion, to be appropriate for a size of the sheets to be stacked and an amount of the sheets to be stacked.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Shinichi Ueda