Minolta Company, Ltd.

Yuzuru Sugimoto

Hiroshi Mizuno

Narutaka Yoshida

Nobuhiko Kita

Yasushi Tsuda

In the present invention, a winder shaft of a toner supplying device and that of an imaging cartridge are coupled with gears, and a lock lever for locking rotation of gears is provided with the toner supplying device. Moreover, only when the imaging cartridge is attached to the toner supplying device, the lock lever is set released by a rib disposed for the imaging cartridge, whereby removals of seals for the toner supplying device and the imaging cartridge is made feasible. Thus, without accompanying fear that the seals are removed during storage, toner supplying device can be attached so as to supply toner when a toner in the imaging cartridge is used up.

Replaceable developer supplying device and replaceable imaging cartridge

A fixed frame includes a photosensitive drum and a developing unit, and a movable frame is openable with respect to the fixed frame. The developing unit, which has two pairs of protrusions thereon, is detachably mounted to the fixed frame by engaging the protrusions with two pairs of guides provided on the fixed frame. One pair of guides includes a portion for momentarily catching one pair of the protrusions as the developing unit is being mounted to the apparatus, and each of the other pair of guides includes a inclined portion having the shape of an arc centered on the momentarily catching portion, whereby an impact to the developing unit is alleviated. The developing unit has a shutter which moves to a position for covering a peripheral surface of a developing sleeve when the developing unit is being dismounted, and which retracts from the developing sleeve covering position and moves to a position for covering the photosensitive drum when the developing unit is being mounted. The movable frame accommodates a fixing device to move the fixing device rearwardly together with the movable frame when the movable frame is opened, whereby the danger of an operator touching the fixing device when the apparatus is opened is reduced.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Yuzuru Sugimoto