Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Shinya Kusuda

Yasuo Fukamachi

Naoya Kamimura

Hideshi Nishiyama

Kazutoshi Nakamura

Junya Sumida

Nao Itabashi

Keita Shimizu

Tomonori Watanabe

Tomitake Aratachi

Masaaki Furukawa

Tomoya Yamamoto

Junichi Hashimoto

Takashi Shimizu

Saya Minoshima

Shogo Mori

Misato Osuka

Kouichi Sugimoto

Junichi Yokoi

Koji Abe

Atsushi Fukaya

Tomoya Ichikawa

Kentaro Mori

Kazuma Hinoue

Shuhei Hatano

Yutaka Kakigahara

Masataka Kamiya

Jun Mihara

Keita Hironaka

Satoshi Murata

Ryuji Noda

Mariko Mogi

Shunji Yoshimoto

A developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction; a first agitator; an agitator gear; a first protrusion; a developing memory; a first electrical contact surface; and a first holder holding the first electrical contact surface. The agitator gear includes a large diameter gear and a small diameter gear positioned between the large diameter gear and the casing in the first direction. The first protrusion protrudes outward from one end of the casing in the first direction, and is positioned between the casing and the large diameter gear in the first direction. The first protrusion is positioned away from the small diameter gear. The first holder is positioned farther from the first protrusion than the large diameter gear is in the first direction. The first holder and the first electrical contact surface are movable relative to the casing.

Developing cartridge including movable holder for holding electrical contact surface

Toner cartridge

A drum cartridge includes: a drum frame; a photosensitive drum; a first memory; and second memory. A developing cartridge including a developing roller is attachable to the drum frame. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction. The photosensitive drum is configured to contact the developing roller in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the drum frame. The first memory has a first electrical contact surface. The first memory stores therein information related to the drum cartridge. The second memory has a second electrical contact surface different from the first electrical contact surface. The second memory stores therein information related to the developing cartridge. The first electrical contact surface and the second electrical contact surface are positioned at an outer surface of the drum frame.

Drum cartridge including first memory having first electrical contact surface and second memory having second electrical contact surface and process cartridge including developing cartridge and the drum cartridge

A process cartridge includes: a drum cartridge; a developing cartridge; and a plate. The drum cartridge includes: a drum frame; a photosensitive drum; a first holder; and a first memory having a first electrical contact surface that is movably supported by the first holder. The developing cartridge is attachable to the drum frame. The developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller; a second holder; and a second memory having a second electrical contact surface that is movably supported by the second holder. The plate connects the first holder and the second holder to each other in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the drum frame. The second holder moves together with the plate in accordance with movement of the first holder in a state where the plate connects the first holder and the second holder to each other.

Process cartridge including drum cartridge having first holder, developing cartridge having second holder, and plate for connecting first holder and second holder to each other

A process cartridge includes: a drum cartridge; and a developing cartridge. The drum cartridge includes: a drum frame; a photosensitive drum rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction; and a first memory having a first electrical contact surface. The developing cartridge is attachable to the drum frame and includes: a casing; a developing roller rotatable about a second axis extending in the first direction; a second memory having a second electrical contact surface; and a developing holder holding the second electrical contact surface such that the second electrical contact surface is movable relative to the casing. The drum cartridge further includes an elastic member that can expand and contract in a second direction crossing the first direction. The developing holder is connected to the elastic member and is movable in the second direction in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the drum frame.

Process cartridge including developing cartridge having developing holder, and drum cartridge having elastic member that can be connected to developing holder

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 developing cartridge includes a casing, a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction, a developing memory having an electrical contact surface, an agitator, an agitator gear rotatable about an agitator axis together with the agitator, a holder holding the electrical contact surface, and a plate movable between a first position and a second position in a second direction crossing the first direction relative to the casing. The holder is movable relative to the casing in a third direction crossing the first and second directions between a retracted position and an advancing position. The holder is movable from the retracted position to the advancing position in response to a movement of the plate from the first position to the second position. The plate is positioned farther away from the developing roller than the agitator gear and the holder are in the second direction.

Developing cartridge including movable plate for moving holder holding electrical contact surface

A memory holder cover holds a memory holder so as to be movable with respect to the memory holder cover. An electrical contact contacts an electrical contact surface of a memory from above in a state where a cartridge is located at an attached position at which the cartridge is attached to a main housing. The main housing includes a guide groove having upper and lower guide surfaces. The upper guide surface guides movement of a memory holder from above when the cartridge is attached and detached. The lower guide surface guides movement of the memory holder from below when the cartridge is attached and detached. In a state where the cartridge is located at the attached position, the electrical contact surface is parallel to at least part of the upper guide surface or at least part of the lower guide surface.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction; a developing cartridge; a transfer unit; a solvent cartridge accommodating solvent for dissolving toner; an applicator applying the solvent to the toner on a sheet; and a cover movable between an open position and a closed position. The developing cartridge and the solvent cartridge are detachably attachable to the main casing independently of each other. The developing cartridge and the solvent cartridge are positioned between the applicator and the cover in a second direction crossing the first direction, and the solvent cartridge is positioned closer to the applicator than the developing cartridge is to the applicator in a state where the developing cartridge and the solvent cartridge are attached to the main casing and the cover is at the closed position.

Image forming apparatus to which solvent cartridge that can accommodate therein solvent is detachably attachable independently of developing cartridge

A process cartridge includes a developing cartridge and a drum cartridge. The developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller rotatable about a developing axis extending in a first direction; and a development-side IC chip having a development-side electrical contact surface. The drum cartridge includes: a drum frame; a photosensitive drum rotatable about a drum axis extending in the first direction; a drum-side IC chip having a drum-side electrical contact surface; and a lock lever configured to lock the developing cartridge to the drum frame. The development-side electrical contact surface and the drum-side electrical contact surface are positioned opposite to the lock lever with respect to the casing in the first direction in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the drum frame.

Process cartridge configured of developing cartridge including electrical contact surface, and drum cartridge including electrical contact surface and lock lever

An image forming apparatus includes: a casing having an opening; a developing cartridge configured to accommodate toner therein; and a drum cartridge to which the developing cartridge is attachable. The drum cartridge is attachable to the casing through the opening in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the drum cartridge. The drum cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; a charge roller; a cleaning blade configured to clean a circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum; a waste toner collecting unit having an internal space allowing waste toner removed from the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum by the cleaning blade to be collected therein; a waste toner accumulating unit having an internal space allowing the waste toner to be accumulated therein; and a waste toner conveying unit configured to convey the waste toner from the waste toner collecting unit to the waste toner accumulating unit.

Image forming apparatus including drum cartridge having waste toner accumulating unit in which waste toner is accumulated

A developing cartridge attachable to a drum cartridge includes: a casing configured to accommodate developing agent therein; a developing roller rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the first direction; a developing memory; and an electrical contact surface. The developing roller is positioned at one end of the casing in a second direction crossing the first direction. The electrical contact surface positioned at one end in the first direction of the casing and electrically connected to the developing memory. In a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the drum cartridge, the electrical contact surface of the developing cartridge is positioned between the developing roller and an electrical contact surface of the drum cartridge in the second direction.

Developing cartridge attachable to drum cartridge and having electrical contact surface electrically connected to developing memory

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Shinya Kusuda