Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Yuki Uohashi

Mitsuhiro Tahara

Hironori Takahashi

Masahiko Mizuno

Daisuke Fujiwara

Rei Yamagishi

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a body housing and a temporarily placement part. The image forming forms an image. The image forming unit is attached to and detached from the body housing. The temporarily placement part is deployed outside the body housing, and the image forming unit can be temporarily placed on the temporarily placement part. The temporarily placement part includes an upper cover which coves an upper portion of the image forming unit placed on the temporarily placement part.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a drum unit, and a developing unit. The developing unit includes a developing unit projection projecting out from opposite sides of the developing unit along an extension line of a rotation shaft of a developing roller. The apparatus main body includes a first developing projection guide portion configured to guide the developing unit projection from a first start position to a relay position in the apparatus main body, the relay position located closer to the photoconductor drum than the first start position. The drum unit includes a second developing projection guide portion configured to, succeeding from the first developing projection guide portion, guide the developing unit projection from the relay position to a first end position, the first end position located closer to the photoconductor drum than the relay position.

Image forming apparatus with detachable drum unit and developing unit

An image forming apparatusincludes a cassette fitting portionwhich is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatusand a paper feed cassettewhich includes a sheet storage portion S. In the cassette fitting portion, a lift plateis provided which raises and lowers a sheet. In the cassette baseof the sheet storage portion S, an opening portionis formed in a position opposite the lift plate. The lift plateis arranged selectively either in a lowered position in which the lift plateis arranged below the cassette baseor in a raised position in which the lift plateis protruded above the cassette basethrough the opening portionso as to allow the sheetto be fed.

An image forming apparatus includes a conveying unit, a boss, a hook member and an auxiliary pressing member. The conveying unit is provided at an apparatus main body in a turnable manner and configured to form or open a nip area. The boss is provided at the apparatus main body. The hook member is provided at the conveying unit in a turnable manner and configured to be engaged with the boss when the conveying unit is turned to a position where the nip area is formed. The auxiliary pressing member is configured to press the hook member in a direction in which the hook member is engaged with the boss after the hook member is engaged with the boss. A direction in which the auxiliary pressing member presses the hook member is different from a turning direction of the conveying unit.

A transfer unit includes a transfer roller, a guide, a holder and a lever. The transfer roller is configured to be pressed against an image carrier to form a transferring nip and to transfer a toner image from the image carrier to a sheet at the transferring nip. The guide is configured to guide the sheet to the transferring nip. The holder is configured to support a rotating shaft of the transfer roller in a rotatable manner and to support the guide. The lever is configured to support the holder in a turnable manner around the rotating shaft so as to press the transfer roller against the image carrier. The guide has an engaged part. The lever has an engagement part which is engaged with the engaged part. An engagement of the engagement part with the engaged part prevents a turning of the guide with respect to the lever.

Transfer unit and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a cover unit, a boss, a hook member, a biasing member and a pressing member. The cover unit is turnably provided on an apparatus main body to form and open a conveying path. The boss is provided on the apparatus main body. The hook member is turnably provided on the cover unit and engaged with the boss when the cover unit is turned to a position where the conveying path is formed. The biasing member is provided on the cover unit and biases the hook member in a direction in which the hook member is engaged with the boss. The pressing member is provided on the cover unit in an elastically deformable manner and abuts on the hook member from an upstream side of a turning direction of the hook member to a position where the hook member is engaged with the boss.

Image forming apparatus including cover unit provided on apparatus main body in a turnable manner

A sheet feeding device includes a pickup roller, a feed roller, a feed holder and a mounting part. The pickup roller rotates around a first rotating shaft and then to feed a sheet. The feed holder supports the first rotating shaft. To the mounting part, the feed holder is mounted and dismounted. The mounting part has a pair of guide grooves. The feed holder has a pair of guide shafts protruding in a direction parallel to the first rotating shaft. The pair of guide shafts are guided along the pair of guide grooves. The pair of guide shafts are formed on an axis line different from an axis line of the first rotating shaft.

Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus

A roller drive transmission device includes a drive input gear, a drive transmission gear, a roller unit and a ratchet mechanism. When a rotational drive force is input to the drive input gear and the drive transmission gear is slid to a first position, the drive input gear, the drive transmission gear and the roller unit are integrally rotated in a first rotational direction. When the input of the rotational drive force to the drive input gear is cut off and the roller unit is rotated, following a sheet, the drive transmission gear is slid to a second position and the roller unit and the drive transmission gear are decoupled. The ratchet mechanism includes a load adjustment mechanism configured to make a rotational load in the first rotational direction of the drive transmission gear arranged at the second position larger than a movement load in an axial direction.

Roller drive transmission device and automatic document feeder and image forming apparatus provided with same

An image forming apparatus includes a cover member, an opening/closing detecting device and an elastic member. The cover member is supported so as to open and close an opening formed in an apparatus main body. The opening/closing detecting device is configured to be switched into OFF state to detect that the cover member is in opening state where the opening is opened and into ON state to detect that the cover member is in closing state where the opening is closed. The elastic member is interposed between the opening/closing detecting device and the cover member. The elastic member is configured to be deformed when the cover member closes the opening and then to switch the opening/closing detecting device from the OFF state into the ON state.

Image forming apparatus including detecting device detecting opening/closing state of cover

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an outer cover, a conveyance unit, a movable roller, and an interlock mechanism. The outer cover is provided turnably between an outer closing position forming one surface of the apparatus body and an outer opening position in which the one surface of the apparatus body is set openable. The conveyance unit is provided turnably between an inner closing position in which an inside of the apparatus body is set closable and an inner opening position in which the inside of the apparatus body is set openable. The movable roller is pressed by a fixed roller pivotally supported inside of the apparatus body when the conveyance unit is displaced to the inner closing position. The interlock mechanism interlocks an operation of opening the outer cover with an operation of opening the conveyance unit.

Outer cover and image forming apparatus comprising the same

A sheet feeding device includes a feed roller, a feed holder, a supporting frame and a driving shaft. The feed roller is configured to rotate around a rotating shaft. The feed holder is configured to support the feed roller. The supporting frame has a storage recessed part in which the feed holder is attachable and detachable along a direction crossing an axial direction of the rotating shaft. The driving shaft is supported to the supporting frame on one side of the storage recessed part in the axial direction. The storage recessed part has a guide part and a positioning part. The guide part is configured to guide the feed holder. The rotating shaft is coupled to the driving shaft by sliding the feed holder positioned at the aligning position by the positioning part in the axial direction.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a sheet feeding cassette, an image forming section, a delivery member, a conveying member, a lift plate, a driving section, a first switching section, a second switching section, and a driving control section. The conveying member is disposed in the reverse conveying path. The lift plate is enabled to change a position thereof between a sheet feeding position and a retracting position. The first switching section transmits the driving force to the delivery member and the conveying member. The second switching section transmits the driving force to the lift plate. The driving control section controls the first switching section, with the lift plate being placed in the sheet feeding position, to rotate the delivery member, and when the sheet is conveyed through the reverse conveying path, moves the lift plate from the sheet feeding position to the retracting position.

An image forming apparatus includes a body, a paper feed cassette, a rotary operating member, an engaging portion, engaged portions, and a size detection switch. The rotational operating member is rotatable. The engaging portion engages the rotary operating member with the paper feed cassette. Any one of the engaged portions is engaged by the engaging portion. The size detection switch is used to detect the size of a recording medium stored in the paper feed cassette. The rotational operating member includes a pressure portion that activates the size detection switch. The rotational force in the first direction necessary for causing the engagement to be released is greater than the rotational force in the second direction necessary for causing the engagement to be released.

Image forming apparatus and paper feed cassette

A sheet feeding cassette is capable of being mounted to and removed from an apparatus body along a specified mounting direction. The sheet accommodated within a sheet accommodating portion is conveyed through a sheet conveyance path in a sheet conveyance direction extending along the mounting direction. A sheet feeding roller is disposed at an inlet side of the sheet conveyance path so as to face the sheet accommodating portion. A retard roller is disposed so as to face the sheet feeding roller. The sheet feeding roller forms a sheet feeding nip between the sheet feeding roller and the retard roller. A lock mechanism locks drawing-out of the sheet feeding cassette from the apparatus body or releases the lock. A separator moves the retard roller away from the sheet feeding roller prior to or simultaneously with the lock being released by the lock mechanism.

Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus provided with the sheet feeding device

A sheet feeder includes a sheet accommodating section, a sheet loading plate, an operating plate, a sector gear, and a pressing member. The sheet loading plate is turnably supported on a bottom surface of the sheet accommodating section. The operating plate lifts up and down the sheet loading plate. The sector gear transmits drive power from a main body of an image forming apparatus to the operating plate. The pressing member is located at a first location when the sheet loading plate is positioned at the lying down position, and moves to a second location by rotation of the sector gear by a predetermined amount. The first location is a location where the pressing member comes in contact from above with the sheet loading plate at the lying down position, and the second location is a location where the pressing member retreats from the sheet loading plate.

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Osaka, Japan

Yuki Uohashi