IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,809,123

Granted Patent B2

US 11,809,123 · App. 17/751,790 · Granted Nov 7, 2023

Image forming apparatus and image forming unit

Inventors: Kazutaka Sueshige (Susono, JP); Tatsuro Harada (Mishima, JP); Takayuki Yada (Suntou-gun, JP); Akinobu Hirayama (Susono, JP)

Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

G03G21/1647 G03G21/0005 G03G21/105 G03G21/186 G03G21/1825

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 11,809,123
App. No.: 17/751,790
Granted: Nov 7, 2023
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

An image forming unit to be attached to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus includes a first cartridge including a driven portion configured to rotate on a first rotational axis; and a second cartridge configured separable from the first cartridge. The second cartridge includes an input portion configured to receive driving force from the apparatus body; and a drive transmission portion configured to rotate on a second rotational axis and to transmit the driving force to the driven portion.

Claims (54)

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

a first attached portion supported by the apparatus body and configured to be movable with respect to the apparatus body between a first position and a second position in which the first attached portion is projected out of the apparatus body;

a first cartridge including a toner discharge portion, the first cartridge being detachably attached to the first attached portion in a state in which the first attached portion is in the second position; and

a second cartridge including a developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image into a toner image and a toner receiving portion configured to receive toner discharged from the toner discharge portion, the second cartridge being detachably attached to the second attached portion in a state in which the second attached portion is in the fourth position,

wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to perform an image forming operation to form an image on a sheet in an operable state in which the first attached portion to which the first cartridge is attached is in the first position and the second attached portion to which the second cartridge is attached is in the third position, and

wherein in the operable state the first cartridge is positioned above the second cartridge.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first cartridge further includes a conveyance portion configured to convey the toner.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the conveyance portion includes a screw configured to convey the toner to the toner discharge portion.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is configured to be driven by receiving driving force from the apparatus body.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first attached portion to which the first cartridge is attached is moved between the first position and the second position in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the developing roller, and

wherein the second attached portion to which the second cartridge is attached is moved between the third position and the fourth position in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the developing roller.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second cartridge is configured to accommodate waste toner that is not transferred to the sheet.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

a second attached portion supported by the apparatus body and configured to be movable with respect to the apparatus body between a third position and a fourth position in which the second attached portion is projected out of the apparatus body, wherein the fourth position is a position in which, when viewed in a gravity direction, the second attached portion is projected out of the apparatus body in a direction in which a sheet on which an image has been formed is discharged from the apparatus body;

wherein in the operable state the first cartridge is positioned above the second cartridge.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first attached portion to which the first cartridge is attached is moved between the first position and the second position in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the developing roller.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first cartridge further includes a conveyance portion configured to convey the toner.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the conveyance portion includes a screw configured to convey the toner to the toner discharge portion.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein each of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is configured to be driven by receiving drive from the apparatus body.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the second cartridge is configured to accommodate waste toner that is not transferred to the sheet.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

a second cartridge including a toner receiving portion configured to receive toner discharged from the toner discharge portion, the second cartridge being detachably attached to the second attached portion in a state in which the second attached portion is in the fourth position,

wherein in the operable state, the first cartridge is positioned above the second cartridge, and

wherein the first cartridge includes a screw configured to convey the toner to the toner discharge portion.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein each of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is configured to be driven by receiving driving force from the apparatus body.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the second cartridge further includes a developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image into a toner image,

wherein the first attached portion to which the first cartridge is attached is moved between the first position and the second position in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the developing roller, and

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the second cartridge is configured to accommodate waste toner that is not transferred to the sheet.

17. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

wherein in the operable state, the first cartridge is positioned above the second cartridge and

wherein the first cartridge includes a screw configured to convey the toner to the toner discharge portion.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein each of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is configured to be driven by receiving drive from the apparatus body.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the second cartridge further includes a developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image into a toner image,

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the second cartridge is configured to accommodate waste toner that is not transferred to the sheet.

Priority Claims (2)

JP 2019-032129 · Feb 25, 2019 · national

JP 2019-189732 · Oct 16, 2019 · national

Continuity (3)

Continuation 17201148 · Mar 15, 2021

Continuation 16798618 · Feb 24, 2020

Related Publication 20220283535A1 · Sep 8, 2022

Cited By (2)

US 12,602,006 US 12,699,337