Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Nippon Pillar Packing Co., Ltd.

Kyocera Documents Solutions Inc.

Takashi Morita

Teruhiko Nagashima

Tamotsu Shimizu

Takahisa Nakaue

Hiroaki Kitagawa

Koju Yamamoto

Masaki Hayashi

Yoshihiro Yamagishi

Eiji Nimura

Koji Kuramashi

Kenichi Tamaki

Ikuo Makie

Koichi Imanaka

Tatsuro Arata

Katsuya Tanaka

Shiro Nishimura

Taiichi Ohno

Provided is an image forming apparatus including: an image bearing member which is configured to bear a toner image; an intermediate transfer belt; a transfer roller; a drive roller; a driven roller; a meandering prevention pulley; and a meandering prevention belt. The meandering prevention pulley is arranged to face an end surface of the driven roller in an axial direction of the driven roller. The meandering prevention belt is arranged on an outside in the axial direction relative to the meandering prevention pulley, and protrudes from an inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The meandering prevention pulley has a guide surface which faces the meandering prevention belt in the axial direction, and which is formed to have a surface roughness (Ra) of 0.5 μm or more.

Image forming apparatus provided with an intermediate transfer belt and meandering prevention pulley

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carrying member units and an intermediate transfer unit. The image carrying member units include image carrying members and image carrying member support frames. The intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt. The image forming apparatus includes: a locating member; image carrying member-side guide rails that are formed on upper end portions of the image carrying member support frames and extend along a horizontal direction; and a main body-side guide rail that is formed as a bridge in the horizontal direction between the image carrying member-side guide rails. When the intermediate transfer unit is fitted to the main body of the apparatus, the intermediate transfer unit slides on the image carrying member-side guide rails and the main body-side guide rail and is guided by the locating member to be located in a fitting position.

Image forming apparatus adopting an intermediate transfer method

A cover opening and closing device () includes a cover section (), a rotary shaft (X), and a plurality of locking sections (). The cover section () covers an opening () of a main body section (). The rotary shaft (X) connects the cover section () to the main body section () in a manner that the cover section () is pivotal between a first position and a second position. The locking sections () lock the cover section () in the first position. The first position is a position in which the cover section () covers the opening (). The second position is a position in which the cover section () does not cover the opening (). When at least one of the locking sections () is not locking the cover section (), the cover section () pivots from the first position to the second position.

Cover opening and closing device and image forming apparatus

A control device permits execution of a print process on condition that an object sensor detects an object at a detection position. A switch mechanism, in accordance with a release operation, releases an interlock between a first displacement member and a closing operation of a cover portion. In a state where a second displacement member is located at an actuation position, a detected portion is located at the detection position. When the second displacement member is located at a retreat position, a first contact portion is not in contact with the cover portion. When the cover portion is closed, the cover portion displaces the second displacement member from a standard position to an actuation position. When the first displacement member is displaced from a first relay position to a second relay position, the first displacement member displaces the second displacement member from the standard position to the retreat position.

Image forming apparatus which prevents execution of a print process while an interlock with a cover portion is released

A shutter output portion is engaged with a shutter input portion of a developer container and supported to be displaced between an opening position and a closing position. The shutter output portion, when located at the opening position, opens a shutter of the developer container, and when located at the closing position, closes the shutter. A main interlocking mechanism causes the shutter output portion to move in conjunction with opening and closing operation of the cover portion such that the shutter output portion is displaced to the opening position when the cover portion is closed, and to the closing position when the cover portion is opened. The main interlocking mechanism includes a switch mechanism that releases an interlock between the shutter output portion and the closing operation of the cover portion in accordance with a release operation, and enables the interlock in accordance with an enabling operation.

Image forming apparatus with attached developer container, cover portion, shutter output portion, and interlocking mechanism

An image forming apparatus includes a first unit dismountably mounted on a main body frame and a locking mechanism releasably holding the first unit mounted. The locking mechanism has a handle portion, a lock member, and a preloading member. The handle portion is on the first unit, and is movable to and fro in the mounting and dismounting directions of the first unit. The lock member is swingably on the first unit, and has a hook portion engageable with an engaged portion formed on the main body frame. The preloading member preloads the lock member in a first direction in which the hook portion engages with the engaged portion. As the handle portion is moved in the dismounting direction, the lock member swings in a second direction opposite to the first direction against the preloading force of the preloading member to disengage the hook portion from the engaged portion.

Image forming apparatus having a locking mechanism for a unit

A filter unit () includes: a chassis () that has a suction portion () provided at a front side thereof, has an exhaust portion () provided at a rear side thereof, and is provided internally with an upstream filter (); a plurality of upstream first ribs () disposed parallel to sidewalls of the chassis () to rise from a bottom surface () of the chassis () and forming an upstream first airflow path (P); a plurality of upstream second ribs () disposed parallel to the sidewalls of the chassis () to rise from a ceiling surface () of the chassis () and forming an upstream second airflow path (P); an upstream first shield plate () raised from the ceiling surface () to cover up a front of the upstream filter () while forming an upstream first gap (S) with the bottom surface (); and an upstream second shield plate () raised from the bottom surface () to cover up a rear of the upstream filter () while forming an upstream second gap (S) with the ceiling surface ().

Filter unit capable of collecting scattered toner and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a toner container and an apparatus main body. The toner container contains a toner. To the apparatus main body, the toner container is attached in a detachable manner. The toner container includes a container main body and a shutter. The container main body has a toner discharge port. The shutter is rotatable between a close position where the shutter closes the toner discharge port and an open position where the shutter opens the toner discharge port. The apparatus main body includes a driving source and a connection mechanism connectable the driving source to the shutter. When the driving source is driven in a state where the connection mechanism connects the driving source to the shutter, a driving force of the driving source is transmitted to the shutter via the connection mechanism, and the shutter is rotated from the close position to the open position.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers, an intermediate transfer belt, a cleaning blade, a counter-roller, and a supporting member. The intermediate transfer belt is endless and, to it, toner images formed on the outer circumferential faces of the plurality of image carriers are transferred by being sequentially superposed on each other. The cleaning blade is arranged with its tip end portion in contact with the outer circumferential face of the intermediate transfer belt and removes deposits left on the outer circumferential face of the intermediate transfer belt. The counter-roller is arranged at a position opposite the cleaning blade across the intermediate transfer belt and is in contact with the inner circumferential face of the intermediate transfer belt. The supporting member supports the cleaning blade. The supporting member supports the cleaning blade rotatably about the rotation axis of the counter-roller.

Image forming apparatus having a cleaning blade supported by a supporting member

An intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of transfer rollers, a housing, and a filter unit. The intermediate transfer belt is mounted around a drive roller and a driven roller and capable of traveling in an endless path around the rollers. The housing holds the intermediate transfer belt and the transfer rollers. The filter unit includes: a suction portion; an exhaust portion; and a rectangular chassis provided internally with an upstream filter and a downstream filter both capable of collecting powder particles. The filter unit is disposed inside of the intermediate transfer belt so that a direction of length of the chassis is oriented parallel to a direction of width of the intermediate transfer belt perpendicular to a direction of travel of the intermediate transfer belt, and the filter unit is fixed to the housing.

Intermediate transfer unit and image forming apparatus that collect scattered toner

A sheet stacking unit of the disclosure includes a sheet stacking plate, a cursor, and a detection sensor. The cursor includes an alignment part for performing widthwise alignment of a document, and a rack extending along the widthwise direction. The detection sensor is placed opposite the rack, and has a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion. A plurality of detection-object parts placed in the rack along the widthwise direction have optical characteristics of different reflectivities or transmissivities from one another with respect to light emitted from the light-emitting portion. The controller detects a widthwise size of the document on a basis of output values from the detection sensor which detects light reflected or transmitted by the detection-object parts.

Sheet stacking unit, and sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus each including the sheet stacking unit

A toner receiving device includes a toner receiving port, a seal member, an opening/closing member, and an elastic member. The toner receiving port receives toner supplied from a toner case. The seal member is elastic and provided on a peripheral edge of the toner receiving port. The opening/closing member closes and opens the toner receiving port by moving between a closing position to close the toner receiving port while contacting the seal member and an opening position to open the toner receiving port. The opening/closing member moves from the closing position to the opening position when attaching the toner case to a predetermined attachment position. The elastic member applies to the opening/closing member an elastic biasing force that is obliquely downward in a closing direction in which the opening/closing member moves from the opening position to the closing position.

Toner receiving device, and image forming apparatus including the same

In a toner receiving device, an opening/closing member closes and opens the toner receiving port. The opening/closing member moves from a closing position to an opening position when attaching the toner case. The support mechanism includes a guide rail and a plurality of guide pieces and supports the opening/closing member. The guide rail includes a first rail portion and a second rail portion that are inserted between the plurality of guide pieces when the opening/closing member is at the closing position and the opening position, respectively. The first rail portion is thinner than the second rail portion so that a play in an up-down direction between the opening/closing member and the support mechanism is larger when the opening/closing member is at the closing position than when it is at the opening position.

Toner cartridge

A toner container includes a container main body having a toner replenishment port and a shutter mechanism. The shutter mechanism has a shutter member having a discharge port and a cover member supported by the shutter member so as to extend toward the replenishment port. The shutter member is movable in an opening direction from a closing position where the discharge port is retracted from the replenishment port to an opening position where the discharge port is communicated with the replenishment port and in a closing direction from the opening position to the closing position. The cover member has a tip end portion that extends toward the replenishment port as the shutter member moves in the closing direction, comes into contact with a downstream side edge portion of the replenishment port at the closing position and retracts from the replenishment port as the shutter member moves in the opening direction.

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Osaka, Japan

Takashi Morita