The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 01, 2014
Filed:
Nov. 07, 2011
Manabu Hamada, Osaka, JP;
Tomofumi Yoshida, Osaka, JP;
Hirobumi Ooyoshi, Osaka, JP;
Yoshiyuki Shimizu, Hyogo, JP;
Takeru Muramatsu, Osaka, JP;
Tomohiro Kubota, Osaka, JP;
Shinichi Arasawa, Osaka, JP;
Shoh Tsuritani, Osaka, JP;
Masanari Fujita, Osaka, JP;
Tatsuo Fukushima, Osaka, JP;
Nobuhiko Kita, Osaka, JP;
Haruo Hashimoto, Osaka, JP;
Manabu Hamada, Osaka, JP;
Tomofumi Yoshida, Osaka, JP;
Hirobumi Ooyoshi, Osaka, JP;
Yoshiyuki Shimizu, Hyogo, JP;
Takeru Muramatsu, Osaka, JP;
Tomohiro Kubota, Osaka, JP;
Shinichi Arasawa, Osaka, JP;
Shoh Tsuritani, Osaka, JP;
Masanari Fujita, Osaka, JP;
Tatsuo Fukushima, Osaka, JP;
Nobuhiko Kita, Osaka, JP;
Haruo Hashimoto, Osaka, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an exposure device as a light source, a developer container storing developer and attached to a main body of the image forming apparatus perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the photoconductor, a developing unit and a photoconductor unit having a photoconductor for bearing a latent image thereon each detachably attached to the main body substantially in the same direction as the developer container. An exposure device displacing mechanism displaces the exposure device between a first position enabling the exposure device to function as the light source and a second position disabling the exposure device to function as the light source. The photoconductor unit is detached when the developer container is either displaced from an initially attached position or is removed from the main body and the exposure device displacing device has displaced the exposure device to the second position.