US 10,520,886 B2Granted

Image forming apparatus and cartridge

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsMasaaki Sato, Masatoshi Yamashita, Toshiharu Kawai

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material includes a main assembly and a supporting member for supporting a plurality of cartridges. The supporting member is movable to an outside position, a first inside position where the cartridges are positioned inside of the main assembly, and a second inside position where the supporting member is movable to the outside position and the first inside position. A first positioning portion positions an associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the first inside position, and a first preventing portion prevents rotation of the associated cartridge about the first positioning portion. In addition, a second positioning portion positions the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the second inside position, and the second positioning portion is spaced from the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the first inside position.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material, comprising:

a main assembly;
a supporting member, to be received in the main assembly, for supporting a plurality of cartridges, wherein the supporting member is movable to (i) an outside position to which the supporting member is capable of being pulled out of the main assembly and where the cartridges are detachably mountable to the supporting member, (ii) a first inside position where the cartridges are positioned inside of the main assembly, and (iii) a second inside position where the supporting member is movable to the outside position and the first inside position inside of the main assembly;
a first positioning portion, provided in the main assembly, positioning an associated cartridge of the cartridges when the supporting member is located at the first inside position;
a first preventing portion, provided in the main assembly, preventing rotation of the associated cartridge, the first positioning portion and the first preventing portion being spaced from the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the second inside position;
and
a second positioning portion positioning the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the second inside position,
wherein the second positioning portion is spaced from the associated cartridge, when the supporting member is located at the first inside position.

4 more elements

A cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material, wherein the image forming apparatus includes:

a supporting member supporting a plurality of cartridges, and the supporting member is movable to (i) an outside position to which the supporting member is capable of being pulled out of a main assembly of the image forming apparatus and where the cartridges are detachably mountable to the supporting member, (ii) a first inside position where the cartridges are positioned inside of the main assembly, and (iii) a second inside position where the supporting member is movable to the outside position and the first inside position in the inside of the main assembly;
a first positioning portion, provided in the main assembly, positioning an associated cartridge of the cartridges when the supporting member is located at the first inside position;
a first preventing portion, provided in the main assembly, preventing rotation of the associated cartridge, the first positioning portion and the first preventing portion being spaced from the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the second inside position;
and
a second positioning portion positioning the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the second inside position, the cartridge comprising:
a first portion-to-be-positioned engaging with the first positioning portion;
a first portion-to-be-prevented engaging with the first preventing portion;
and
a second portion-to-be-positioned engaging with the second positioning portion,
wherein the second positioning portion is spaced from the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the first inside position.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/971,287Filed 4 May 2018 · division
Priority: JP 2011-2402261 Nov 2011
Published: US 2018/0253059 A16 Sep 2018
Granted: 31 Dec 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G03G 21/1842
Means for handling the process cartridge in the apparatus body: for guiding and mounting the process cartridge, positioning, alignment, locks
G03G 15/0216
By contact, friction or induction, e.g. liquid charging apparatus: by bringing a charging member into contact with the member to be charged, e.g.…
G03G 21/1647
For connecting the different parts of the apparatus: mechanical connection means
G03G 21/1676
Means for handling parts of the apparatus in the apparatus: for the developer unit

Family

Application13/650,453Parent of this division · filed 12 Oct 2012
Application14/493,691Parent of this division · filed 23 Sep 2014
Application14/877,029Parent of this division · filed 7 Oct 2015
US 8,862,022 B2Parent of this division · filed 14 Oct 2015
Application15/292,401Parent of this division · filed 13 Oct 2016
US 9,494,915 B2Parent of this division · filed 15 Nov 2016
US 2018/0253059 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Sep 2018
US 9,996,051 B2Parent of this division
US 2013/0108316 A1Published application
US 2015/0010325 A1Published application
US 2016/0026151 A1Published application
US 2017/0031313 A1Published application
US 10,520,886 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.