Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Yosuke Kuwata

Takashi Akaike

Shota Makita

Takafumi Wakai

Provided is an image forming unit contained in a flexible bag and held to allow a cushion member to absorb shock. The image forming unit includes: an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing device including a developing unit that is configured to develop the electrostatic latent image by turning around a turning center and coming into contact with the image carrier; and a developer accommodating portion that accommodates a developer for use in the developing device. The image forming unit also includes a restricting portion that is provided on an outermost portion of the developing device to come into contact with the cushion material so that rotation of the developing device is restricted.

Image forming unit and image forming apparatus having restricting portion to prevent rotation

A sensor holder includes a holder body that accommodates a sensor, a first snap fit that presses the sensor from a rear surface of the sensor, and two second snap fits that fix the holder body to the housing at at least two points.

Sensor holder and sensor housing unit

A developing device includes a developer storing unit that stores a developer before use of the developing device, a developer containing unit that contains, when the developing device is used, the developer stored in the developer storing unit such that the developer is capable of being stirred by the developer containing unit, a developer holding unit that is provided in a portion of the developer containing unit and that holds the developer contained in the developer containing unit and moves the developer in a rotation direction, a sealing unit including a sealing tape portion that seals a slit-shaped opening formed in the developer storing unit along a longitudinal direction of the developer storing unit while the sealing tape portion is capable of being pulled out and that seals the slit-shaped opening of the developer storing unit by being removably fixed onto an edge of the opening and an extended tape portion that is folded at an end of the sealing tape portion in a longitudinal direction of the sealing tape portion and that extends along the sealing tape portion in such a manner as to project outward beyond the sealing tape portion, a scraping unit that is disposed at an end portion of the developer storing unit in the longitudinal direction and that causes the extended tape portion of the sealing unit to move while making frictional contact with the scraping unit so as to scrape off developer powder deposited on the extended tape portion and on the sealing tape portion, which follows movement of the extended tape portion, and a holding unit that is disposed outside the scraping unit in the longitudinal direction of the developer storing unit with a space formed between the holding unit and the scraping unit and that holds the extended tape portion and the sealing tape portion such that the extended tape portion and the sealing tape portion are capable of moving.

Developing device with sealing unit, process cartridge using developing device, and image forming apparatus

An image forming unit includes an image carrier, a developer carrier, a development housing, and a guide member. The image carrier forms an electrostatic latent image. The developer carrier is in contact with the image carrier while rotating about a rotation axis and facing the image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image. The development housing accommodates a developer and rotatably supports the developer carrier at one end with an opening portion that is open to the image carrier. The development housing includes an agitation path in which the developer is agitated and a feed path through which the developer is fed to the developer carrier. The guide member is disposed below the opening portion and includes an inner surface opposing the development housing to form a flow path that guides a current of air produced with rotation of the developer carrier in a direction away from the developer carrier, and to guide a recording medium to the image carrier with an outer surface opposite to the inner surface. Dust contained in the current of air is deposited on the inner surface of the guide member.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yosuke Kuwata