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US 10,948,841 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus
AssigneeOki Data Corporation
InventorKohei Otomo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, a driving unit and an operation unit. The image forming section includes one or more image forming units. The driving unit generates driving force. The operation unit selectively performs a first operation and a second operation. The first operation is an operation to change over from a coupled state of the one or more image forming units and the driving unit, which the driving force is transmitted to the one or more image forming units, to a released state of the one or more image forming unit and the driving unit, which the driving force from the driving unit is not transmitted to the one or more image forming units. When the second operation is performed, the released state is maintained.
Claims11
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image forming section that includes one or more image forming units;
- a driving unit that generates driving force;
- an operation unit that selectively performs a first operation and a second operation, the operation unit including an opening and closing member;
- and in
- a casing that is provided with the opening and closing member and accommodates the image forming section, wherein
- the first operation is an operation of opening the opening and closing member with respect to the casing to change over from a coupled state to a released state of the one or more image forming units and the driving unit wherein the driving force from the driving unit is transmitted to the one or more image forming units in the coupled state, and the driving force from the driving unit is not transmitted to any of the one or more image forming units in the released state,
- the second operation is an operation of closing the opening and closing member with respect to the casing with the released state maintained,
- the image forming apparatus further includes
- a slider that
- moves from a first position to a second position by the first operation and remains at the second position when the second operation is performed, or
- moves from the second position to a third position by the second operation while maintaining the released state, and
- a coupler that is at a coupled position when the slider is at the first position in the coupled state, and that is at a released position when the slider is at the second position in the released state,
- the slider includes a first contacting portion and a guide portion,
- the operation unit includes a second contacting portion that is in contact with the first contacting portion,
- when the first operation is performed, the slider moves from the first position to the second position while maintaining in a state where the second contacting portion is in contact with the first contacting portion,
- when the second operation is performed, the second contacting portion is separated from the first contacting portion and the slider either
- remains at the second position, or
- moves from the second position to the third position,
- the guide portion of the slider includes
- a coupled position holding portion that holds the coupler at the coupled position when the slider is at the first position,
- a released position holding portion that holds the coupler at the released position when the slider is at the second position, and that protrudes from the coupled position holding portion to a side opposite of the image forming section, and
- an inclined portion that connects the coupled position holding portion and the released position holding portion.
19 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image forming section that includes one or more image forming units;
- a driving unit that generates driving force;
- an operation unit that selectively performs a first operation and a second operation, the operation unit including an opening and closing member;
- and
- a casing that is provided with the opening and closing member and accommodates the image forming section, wherein
- the first operation is an operation of opening the opening and closing member with respect to the casing to change from a coupled state to a released state, and the second operation is an operation of closing the opening and closing member with respect to the casing to remain in the releases state,
- the coupled state is a state in which the one or more image forming units are coupled to the driving unit such that the driving force from the driving unit is transmitted to the one or more image forming units, and
- the released state is a state in which the one or more image forming units are not coupled to the driving unit such that the driving force from the driving unit is not transmitted to the one or more image forming units
- the image forming apparatus further includes
- a slider that moves from a first position to a second position by the first operation and remains at the second position when the second operation is performed, and
- a coupler that is in the coupled state when the slider is at the first position, and that is in the released state when the slider is at the second position, the coupler being at a coupled position when in the coupled state, and being at a released position when in the released state,
- the slider includes a first contacting portion and a guide portion,
- the operation unit includes a second contacting portion that is in contact with the first contacting portion,
- when the first operation is performed, the slider moves from the first position to the second position while maintaining in a state where the second contacting portion is in contact with the first contacting portion, and
- when the second operation is performed, the second contacting portion is separated from the first contacting portion and the slider remains at the second position,
- the guide portion of the slider includes
- a coupled position holding portion that holds the coupler at the coupled position when the slider is at the first position,
- a released position holding portion that holds the coupler at the released position when the slider is at the second position, and that protrudes from the coupled position holding portion to a side opposite of the image forming section, and
- an inclined portion that connects the coupled position holding portion and the released position holding portion.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.