Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Yoshiyuki Takashima

Hideki Kuge

Koichi Sato

Tomonori Sato

Nobumasa Furuya

Masakazu Shirai

Hibiki Sasaki

Hiroaki Yagi

Satoru Yugeta

Takuji Matsumoto

Hideaki Ozawa

Hiroki Ando

Atsushi Funada

Ryuji Hattori

Tsuneo Fukuzawa

Kiyohito Horii

Toshiyuki Matsui

Toyohiko Awano

Junichirou Sameshima

Satoshi Honobe

Koji Deguchi

Tatsuya Soga

Iori Togu

Tadashi Suto

Shigemi Murata

Junichi Hama

Taiyou Uehara

Masatoshi Yamada

Tomio Onuki

Fumiaki Maekawa

Yuichi Fujisawa

Kentaro Iwamoto

Sota Hara

Kohyu Shigemori

Junichiro Sameshima

Kouji Fukumuro

Keisuke Morita

Shingo Natsume

Youichi Seki

Yuta Hiramine

Teruaki Koizumi

A detachable container includes: a container body; and operation units on both sides of the container body attaching and detaching the container body. Each operation unit includes an outer gripping unit at an outer side of a respective one of both side walls of the container body, an inner gripping unit at an inner side of the respective one of both side walls of the container body in the width direction in an attachment and detachment operation side surface of the container body, and a cover projecting in an eave shape laterally from a respective one of both sides of the attachment and detachment operation side surface of the container body in the width direction, the cover covering the gap between the respective one of both side walls of the container body and a projecting end of the outer gripping unit when viewed from the attachment and detachment operation side.

Detachable container and container mounting apparatus using the same

A transfer unit includes a transfer target member, a first transfer device, and a holding member. The transfer target member has an image region to which an image is transferred and a non-image region to which the image is not transferred and which exists along an edge of the transfer target member. The transfer target member is transported in a path passing through a contact position where the transfer target member is brought into contact with an image holding body, which has a surface on which the image is held, so as to allow the image to be transferred to the transfer target member. The first transfer device transfers the image from the image holding body to the transfer target member. The holding member is brought into contact with the non-image region so as to hold the transfer target member without contact with the image region.

Transfer unit and image forming apparatus including a belt-shaped transfer target member

An opening/closing mechanism is provided between a powder transport container removably attached to an apparatus housing and a powder receiving container provided in the apparatus housing to receive powder in the powder transport container as a result of a connection port communicating with a discharging port of the powder transport container. The opening/closing mechanism opens and closes the discharging port along with attachment and detachment of the powder transport container, and includes an opening/closing lid that opens the discharging port by being stopped by a part of the powder receiving container when the powder transport container is attached to the apparatus housing, a seal member, and a covering material that is provided on a surface of the opening/closing lid opposed to the seal member and has a protruding piece in contact with an edge portion of the connection port when the powder transport container is attached.

Opening/closing mechanism, powder transport device using the same, and powder processing apparatus

Provided is an image forming apparatus including plural developing devices that are provided side by side in a direction that is defined by an image forming apparatus main body and respectively form insertion sections into or from which housings including photoreceptors are inserted or withdrawn in a longitudinal direction on one side in a direction in which the plural developing devices are arranged, an exit mechanism that is provided in the developing device, is disposed on an inlet side of the insertion section, and exits a developer on an inside of the developing device, and guide sections of at least two portions that are provided in at least one of the developing devices adjacent to the housing and guide the housing before a surface of the photoreceptor faces the exit mechanism in an insertion direction of the housing when the housing is inserted or withdrawn.

Image forming apparatus and installation or removal of housing including photoreceptors

Provided is a transfer device including a primary transfer roller that selectively takes a contact position where an intermediate transfer belt is brought into contact with an image holding member, and a separation position where the intermediate transfer belt is separated from the image holding member, a tension applying roller on which the intermediate transfer belt is wound thereon together with a driving roller and which is urged in a direction receding from the driving roller, and a relaxing member that is attached to a shaft portion of the tension applying roller, is urged by an urging unit in a direction approaching the driving roller, and relaxes an urging force of the tension applying roller in a direction receding from the driving roller when the primary transfer roller is at the separation position.

Transfer device and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge includes an image holding body assembly that includes an image holding body, a developing assembly that includes a developer holding body, an urging member, a contacting and separating mechanism, and a gap forming mechanism. The image holding body assembly is inserted into and pulled from an assembly receiving portion. The urging member urges the developing assembly so that the developer holding body is pressed against the image holding body. The contacting and separating mechanism is disposed on the front side and operated to separate the image holding body assembly and the developing assembly from each other against an urging force. The gap forming mechanism forms a gap between the image holding body and the developer holding body on the rear side against the urging force. The size of the gap is larger than that existing before the image holding body assembly is pulled.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus using the process cartridge

A developer transporting device includes a transporting device body having an inlet, an inlet cover member that opens and closes the inlet, a container having an outlet, an outlet cover member that opens and closes the outlet, a restraining member that restrains an opening movement of the inlet cover member, and a releasing member that is capable of releasing the inlet cover member from the state in which the opening movement is restrained. The restraining member restrains the opening movement of the inlet cover member when the outlet cover member is closed. The releasing member releases the inlet cover member from the state in which the opening movement is restrained when the outlet cover member is open.

Developer transporting device and image forming apparatus

A drive transmission structure includes a driven shaft, a drive shaft, and a bearing member. The driven shaft has a drive receiving gear attached thereto and a first shaft portion near the drive receiving gear, to which a rotational force is transmitted. The drive shaft has a drive transmitting gear attached thereto and a second shaft portion near the drive transmitting gear. The drive transmitting gear is engaged with the drive receiving gear so as to transmit the rotational force. The bearing member has a first bearing and a second bearing, which respectively support the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion. In the drive transmission structure, the axis of the drive shaft does not intersect and is non-parallel to the axis of the driven shaft, and the first and second bearings are integrally formed with the bearing member.

Drive transmission structure, developer transport device, and image forming apparatus

A developer transporting device includes a transporting device body including a transporting portion having an inlet, a developer container including a container portion having an outlet connected to the inlet and a cover member that is movable between positions for opening and closing the outlet, a first contact portion supported by the cover member, a guide portion including a passage portion and an inclined portion that is connected to the passage portion and that comes into contact with the first contact portion to move the cover member, and a second contact portion that is provided on the passage portion and extends toward the position for closing the outlet. The second contact portion comes into contact with the first contact portion and moves the cover member toward the position for closing the outlet when the first contact portion passes the second contact portion.

Disclosed is a developer transport device including a recovery chamber where a developer is recovered, an accommodation chamber that accommodates the developer, a transport unit that transports the developer into the accommodation chamber by rotation, a hollow guiding path that guides the developer in the recovery chamber into the accommodation chamber, and a transport assisting member disposed inside the hollow guiding path and deformed and restored by rotation of the transport unit to assist transport of the developer. The transport assisting member includes a first part extending along an inner wall of the hollow guiding path from a discharge port of the recovery chamber to a position for contact with the transport unit, and a second part intersecting with a front surface of the first part and extending from an intermediate position of the first part to a position for contact with the transport unit.

Developer transport device and image forming apparatus

A developer transporting device includes a transporting device body including a transporting portion in which developer is transported and which has an opening; a developer container that is detachably supported on the transporting device body and includes a containing portion for that contains the developer and has a connection hole connected to the opening, an opening-closing member that opens or closes the connection hole, and an opening-closing-member support unit that includes a guide portion that guides the opening-closing member; a movement restraining member supported on the transporting device body and restraining the opening-closing member from moving relative to the transporting device body when the developer container is attached to the transporting device body; and a releasing portion provided on the opening-closing-member support unit and releasing the opening-closing member when the opening-closing member is moved a position for closing the connection hole.

According to an aspect of the invention, a toner cartridge includes a container body, a first cover, and a second cover. The container body contains toner and that has an opening portion provided on an outer face of the container body and a guide piece provided on the outer face. The first cover opens and closes the opening portion. The second cover is supported by the guide piece and that is movable in an noncontact state with a bottom portion of the first cover to cover the first cover when the container body is pulled out from an image forming apparatus.

Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

A powder container includes: a cylindrical powder containing portion that contains a powder, and is able to be pulled out of an image forming apparatus; a covering member facing an outer surface of the powder containing portion, being provided to be movable on a movement route along an axial direction of the powder containing portion, the covering member, whose movement is regulated by a protruding portion of the apparatus, moving relative to the powder containing portion, thereby covering a specific portion on a lower side of the powder containing portion when the powder containing portion is pulled out of the apparatus; and a pressing portion provided between the outer surface of the powder containing portion and the movement route of the covering member, the pressing portion pressing the protruding portion when the powder containing portion is pulled out of the apparatus, thereby removing the regulation provided by the protruding portion.

Powder container and image forming apparatus

A powder container includes: a powder containing portion that has an opening formed thereon and contains powder inside thereof, the powder containing portion being attached to an image forming apparatus; a closing member, when the powder containing portion is attached to the image forming apparatus, whose movement is regulated by striking against a regulation member provided to the image forming apparatus to relatively move against the powder containing portion to open the opening, and the closing member, when the powder containing portion is detached from the image forming apparatus, whose movement is regulated by moving and making contact with the image forming apparatus to relatively move against the powder containing portion to close the opening; and a moving portion that moves the regulation member when the powder containing portion is detached from the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes: an accommodation portion accommodating a tubular powder container containing a powder; and a guide portion guiding a guided portion provided to the powder container. The guided portion includes: a base portion provided with one end portion at downstream side in an insertion direction of the powder container and the other end portion at upstream side, and a part of the one end portion provided along the axial direction and protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the powder container toward a radial direction; a first facing portion provided along the axial direction, protruding from the base portion in one direction and arranged to face the outer circumferential surface with a gap; and a second facing portion provided along the axial direction, protruding from the base portion in a direction opposite to the one direction and arranged to face the outer circumferential surface with a gap.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yoshiyuki Takashima