Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Yasuo Fukamachi

Motoaki Mushika

Kazuna Taguchi

Shougo Sato

Hideshi Nishiyama

Kazutoshi Nakamura

Shinya Kusuda

Nao Itabashi

Takuya Kanda

Koji Abe

Masaaki Furukawa

Naoya Kamimura

Fumikazu Sato

Keita Shimizu

Masamitsu Ukai

Takashi Shimizu

Tsutomu Suzuki

Hikaru Yoshizumi

Takahiro Nishimoto

Junya Sumida

Tomonori Watanabe

Fumio Morita

Masahiro Ishii

Tomitake Aratachi

Tomoya Yamamoto

Tatsuo Ogasawara

Junichi Hashimoto

Masatoshi Shiraki

Satoru Ishikawa

Keigo Nakajima

Saya Minoshima

Kenta Tosuji

Misato Osuka

Yasutada Kato

Kouichi Sugimoto

Shunji Yoshimoto

Kenjiro Nishiwaki

Satoru Hattori

Yuki Nagashima

Kazuma Hinoue

Yoshikatsu Kameyama

Shuhei Hatano

Masataka Kamiya

Yutaka Kakigahara

Keita Hironaka

Takehiro Masuda

Masateru Kawamura

Satoshi Murata

Takuya Amaike

Takanori Uno

Hirofumi Sato

Mariko Mogi

Marika Ozaki

Sakiho Hayakawa

Kasuma Hinoue

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 developing cartridge may include: a casing; a developing roller extending in a first direction; a developing-roller gear; a coupling including a coupling gear; a first idle gear; a second idle gear; an agitator; a first agitator gear; and a protrusion. The developing-roller gear, the coupling, the first idle gear, the second idle gear, the first agitator gear, and the protrusion may be positioned at an outer surface of the casing. The protrusion may be positioned between a first axis of the coupling and a third axis of the first agitator gear in a second direction connecting the first and third axes. The protrusion may be positioned outside an addendum circle of the developing-roller gear, an addendum circle of the coupling gear, an addendum circle of the first idle gear, and an addendum circle of the second idle gear. The first agitator gear may be spaced apart from the protrusion in the first direction.

Developing cartridge including protrusion positioned at outer surface of casing

An image forming apparatus includes a main housing, a movable drawer, and a process cartridge attachable to the drawer. The process cartridge includes a drum unit, and a developing unit. The drum unit includes a drum housing, and a photosensitive drum rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction. The photosensitive drum is positioned at one end portion of the drum housing at one side in a second direction. The developing unit includes a developing casing, a developing roller, and a developing handle for detaching the process cartridge from the drawer toward another side in the second direction. The developing roller is positioned at one end portion of the developing casing at the one side in the second direction. The developing handle is positioned apart from the drum unit toward the another side in the second direction.

Image forming apparatus including detachable process cartridge having handle on developing unit

An image forming apparatus includes: a housing; a drum cartridge as a first cartridge including a photosensitive drum; a second cartridge accommodating toner; and a drawer movable between an inside position where the drawer in its entirety is positioned inside the housing and an outside position where at least a part of the drawer is positioned outside the housing. The drum cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the drawer. The drawer includes: a side plate configured to receive the photosensitive drum; and a locking member supported by the side plate. The locking member is movable relative to the side plate between a locking position where the locking member locks the photosensitive drum to the side plate and an unlocking position where the locking member unlocks the photosensitive drum from the side plate in an attached state of the drum cartridge to the drawer.

Image forming apparatus including locking member configured to lock photosensitive drum relative to drawer

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

An image forming apparatus, including a process cartridge and a main body with an opening and a cartridge supporter is provided. The process cartridge includes a drum cartridge; a toner cartridge attachable to the drum cartridge; and a switching member switchable states in the process cartridge between a first state, wherein detachment of the toner cartridge is restricted, and a second state, wherein the toner cartridge is released from the restriction. The cartridge supporter is movable between a first position, wherein the cartridge supporter supports the process cartridge to be placed entirely in an inner space in the main body on an inner side of the opening, and a second position, wherein the cartridge supporter supports the process cartridge to be at least partly placed outside the inner space. When the cartridge supporter is in the second position, the switching member is at least partly placed outside the inner space.

Image forming apparatus

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 process cartridge mountable on an image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive drum, a developing unit including a developing roller and a toner storage unit. The toner storage includes a first toner storage chamber, a second toner storage chamber located above the first toner storage chamber, a first toner conveying member located in the first toner storage chamber and configured to convey the toner in the first toner storage chamber upward toward the second toner storage chamber in an area wider than the toner discharge outlet in the first direction, and a second toner conveying member located in the second toner storage chamber and configured to convey, in the first direction, the toner in the second toner storage chamber toward the toner discharge outlet.

Process cartridge, image forming apparatus and toner storage unit

An image forming apparatus includes a main casing, a drum cartridge and a developing cartridge. The drum cartridge may include a first handle positioned at a first end of a frame of the drum cartridge. The developing cartridge may include a second handle positioned at a first end of a developing casing the developing cartridge. The main casing may include a first edge surface in the axial direction and a second edge surface opposite the first edge surface in the axial direction. The second handle may extend farther from the second edge surface than the first handle extends from the second edge surface in the axial direction in a state where the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge are attached to the main casing.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a drawer, a drum cartridge, an exposure device, a fixing device, and a toner cartridge. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a cleaning member, a developing device, a waste toner conveying pipe, and a frame. The toner cartridge includes a toner container and a waste toner container. The cleaning member is located between the photosensitive drum and the fixing device in a vertical direction in the state where the drum cartridge is mounted to the drawer and the drawer is located at an inner position. The drum cartridge is capable of being mounted to the drawer. The toner cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the drum cartridge.

Image forming apparatus and toner cartridge

In a developing cartridge, a first supporting member is attached to a housing and has a first developing supporting portion and a driving-force-receiving-member supporting portion, the first developing supporting portion being configured to rotatably support a first part of a rotational shaft, the driving-force-receiving-member supporting portion being configured to rotatably support a driving-force-receiving member. The second supporting member is attached to the housing and has a second developing supporting portion and a detection-rotational-body supporting portion, the second developing supporting portion being configured to rotatably support a second part of the rotational shaft, the detection-rotational-body supporting portion being configured to rotatably support a detection rotational body.

Developing cartridge including developing roller and coupling

An image forming apparatus includes: a main body housing; a developing cartridge attachable to and detachable from the main body housing; a drum cartridge attachable to and detachable from the main body housing; and a developing guide for guiding attachment and detachment of the developing cartridge to and from the main body housing. The developing cartridge includes a developing roller and a developing memory for storing information. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum. The developing guide is movable together with the developing cartridge between a first position where the developing roller is in contact with the photosensitive drum and a second position where the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum. The developing guide includes a developing memory terminal configured to be in contact with the developing memory in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the main body housing.

Image forming apparatus including developing guide for guiding attachment and detachment of developing cartridge to and from main body housing

A developing device may include an auger or an agitator that is capable of supplying toner in a toner accommodation chamber to a developing chamber and is rotatable about an auger axis extending in an axial direction, a transporting gear that is rotatable together with the auger or the agitator, and a moving gear that is in mesh with a coupling gear and is rotatable both counterclockwise and clockwise. The moving gear is movable while being in mesh with the coupling gear between a first position where the moving gear is in mesh with the transporting gear and a second position where the moving gear is out of mesh with the transporting gear. The moving gear moves to the first position when the coupling gear rotates counterclockwise and to the second position when the coupling gear rotates clockwise.

Developing device

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Yasuo Fukamachi