Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yuhsuke Yoshimoto

Yoshihiro Yoshikawa

Takeshi Nishiyama

Jun Yamaguchi

Yasuyuki Ishiguro

Masanobu Deguchi

Takeshi Wakabayashi

Hiroshi Kawahito

Hiroshi Kubota

Koichi Mihara

Kiyofumi Morimoto

Kazuya Koyama

Hiroo Naoi

Takeshi Takayama

Kohichi Takenouchi

A process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a charge roller unit, and a storage recess. The photosensitive drum is disposed on a body frame. The charge roller unit includes a charge roller and is separate from the body frame. The storage recess stores the charge roller unit. The charge roller unit includes a storage frame and a support. The support supports the charge roller and is movably held on the storage frame. The support includes an operation portion that switches between a remote position and a contact position while the charge roller unit is stored in the storage recess. In the remote position, the charge roller is separated from the photosensitive drum. In the contact position, the charge roller is in contact with the photosensitive drum.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge includes a photoreceptor drum that is disposed in a main body frame, and a charging roller unit that includes a charging roller disposed in parallel with an axial direction of the photoreceptor drum and is a separate body from the main body frame. The charging roller unit includes a protrusion. The main body frame includes a guide into which the protrusion is inserted in a state where the charging roller is spaced apart from the photoreceptor drum, and a positioner that is continuously formed at an end part of the guide on an opposite side to an insertion side of the protrusion and positions the charging roller at a position where the charging roller is in contact with the photoreceptor drum.

Provided is an image forming apparatus configured to form a toner image on a photoreceptor drum, transfer the toner image to a recording medium, and output the recording medium, and the image forming apparatus includes a cleaning device including a cleaning blade that abuts against the photoreceptor drum and removes residual developer, a cleaning blade supporter that rotatably supports the cleaning blade, a cleaning blade movement restrictor that restricts a movement range of the cleaning blade, and a spring member that urges an end of the cleaning blade to abut against the photoreceptor drum.

Cleaning device having function that restricts movement range of cleaning blade and image forming apparatus having cleaning device

A corona discharge device including a corona electrode provided with multiple sharpened tip portions in a row includes a cleaning member which cleans the tip portions of the corona electrode while reciprocating along a predetermined movement direction set in advance with the tip portions biting into the cleaning member. A cleaning position at a surface of the cleaning member is different in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the corona electrode between when the cleaning member moves toward one side in the movement direction and when the cleaning member moves toward another side in the movement direction.

Corona discharge device and image formation apparatus including the same

An electrifier cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning member which makes contact with part of a long discharge member, a ball screw arranged in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the discharge member and rotatably supported, a drive source which rotates the ball screw in both of forward and reverse directions, a holding member which holds the cleaning member and has a screw hole in which a screw part of the ball screw is screwed, and rotation of which in a circumferential direction of the ball screw is regulated, and a pressing member which presses the holding member from a first end side of the discharge member toward a second end side thereof in the longitudinal direction.

Electrifier cleaning mechanism and image forming apparatus

A process unit includes a photoreceptor drum, a frame and seal members. The photoreceptor drum has drum flanges protruded outwardly from both end surfaces of a substrate. The frame supports the photoreceptor drum rotatably. The seal members are provided between both end surfaces of the photoreceptor drum and the frame, and support the drum flanges. Each of the seal members includes an elastic member and a hard member. The elastic member and the hard member are adhered and laminated with each other in an axial direction of the photoreceptor drum. Furthermore, the hard member is arranged so as to be brought into contact with the photoreceptor drum.

Process unit and image forming apparatus provided with the same

A toner cartridge has a toner storage chamber, a discharge outlet, a conveying screw, and a blocking wall. The discharge outlet serves to send out toner stored in the toner storage chamber, and the conveying screw serves to convey the toner stored in the toner storage chamber. Further, before the toner cartridge mounted into an image forming apparatus, the blocking wall is located in a space between a toner area, which is an area in the toner storage chamber where the toner exists, and the discharge outlet, thereby putting the space in a blocked state. The toner cartridge further includes a driving mechanism for, when the toner cartridge has been mounted into the image forming apparatus, driving the conveying screw by power transmitted from the image forming apparatus, so as to cancel the blocked state.

Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

A toner feed unit includes: a first feed portion having a first feed pipe for forming a first toner feed passage having a rectangular section and a first shutter member constructed so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the feed direction of the first toner feed passage and open and close the toner output end of the first toner feed passage; and a second feed portion having a second feed pipe for forming a second toner feed passage having a rectangular section and a second shutter member constructed so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the feed direction of the second toner feed passage and open and close the toner input end of the second toner feed passage.

Toner feed unit with shutter assembly and image forming apparatus equipped with the same

A toner carrying device includes a flexible sheet, and a sheet moving mechanism for allowing the flexible sheet to move back and forth by pulling the flexible sheet. In the flexible sheet, a toner passage hole for leaving a first opening section of a toner carrying pipe to open is provided. In a case where the toner passage hole is divided into first through three areas in such a manner that (i) the first area is provided on a side of one end of the flexible sheet in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the flexible sheet; (ii) the second area is provided on a side of the other end of the flexible sheet in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction; and (iii) the third area is provided between the first area and the second area, the third area extends broader in the moving direction than respective of the first and second areas. This allows the flexible sheet partially having the toner passage hole in its area to move smoothly.

Toner carrying device and image forming apparatus

A developing unit includes a developing hopper for storing a dual-component developer. In the developing hopper, an opening portion is formed at the position opposing the outer peripheral surface of a photoreceptor drum. A developing roller for supplying the developer to the photoreceptor drum to develop an electrostatic latent image is provided inside the developing hopper. The developing roller has a multi-pole magnetic member having a multiple magnetic poles and a non-magnetic sleeve. The multi-pole magnetic member has a multiple number of magnetic poles radially arranged apart from each other. The photoreceptor drum incorporates an opposing magnetic pole formed of a bar magnet having a rectangular section, disposed at a position opposing the magnetic pole across a photosensitive layer. The opposing magnetic pole has a polarity dissimilar to that of the main magnetic pole.

Image forming apparatus

A waste developer collecting device ejects and collects a waste developer used in a developing unit employing a two-component developing system in which a developer that contains toner and carrier is used. The waste developer collecting device includes: an opening and closing section for opening and closing a developer ejection opening formed on a bottom portion of the developing unit; an opening operation prohibiting section for prohibiting the opening operation of the opening and closing section; a collecting container for collecting the developer ejected through the developer ejection opening; and a collecting container fixing section for fixing the collecting container at a position where the developer ejected from the developing unit is collected. The opening operation prohibiting section allows the opening operation of the opening and closing section when the collecting container is coupled to the collecting container fixing section.

Waste developer collecting device and image forming apparatus provided therewith

By rotating a first and a second screw axle, developer is repeatedly cyclically carried from a first developer path, via an opening portion, a second developer path and an opening to return to the first developer path. While being recirculated and carried, the developer is stuck to an external peripheral face of a development roller, and is carried to a development region between the development roller and a photosensitive drum, wherein an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum is developed by the toner. Furthermore, a first cut-out portion is formed on the first screw axle, and a second and third cut-out portions are formed on the third screw axle, and thus by allowing the developer to back flow from the recycle transport path to the toner supply path, the developer can mix with the toner in the toner supply path, and it is possible to prevent solidification of the toner in the toner supply path.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Yuhsuke Yoshimoto