US 11,144,006 B2Granted

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsTomomichi Kawashima, Takayuki Miyamoto

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes image forming stations including respective electrophotographic photosensitive drums; an image transfer belt contactable to the drums; image transfer rollers, contactable to the transfer belt to urge the belt to the drums for transferring the toner images from the drums onto the belt, the rollers being provided with respective rotational shafts about an axis of which the rollers are rotatable; and a slidable member slidable in a direction in which the stations are arranged to retract the rollers away from the corresponding drums, the slidable member being provided with inclined surfaces contactable to the shafts, the inclined surfaces being disposed at such positions that the rollers are retracted from respective drums sequentially with the movement of the slidable member in the direction.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A cartridge detachably mountable to an apparatus main assembly of an image forming apparatus that includes an engaging portion provided on the apparatus main assembly, the engaging portion being rotatable about a rotational axis thereof by power from a driving source, the cartridge comprising:

a coupling, provided on the cartridge, for being rotated about a rotational axis thereof by engagement with the engaging portion, the coupling including a projection that projects from a part of the coupling, with the projection of the coupling being engageable with the engaging portion, and the coupling being movable in a direction of the rotational axis of the coupling,
wherein the coupling includes a surface inclined relative to the rotational axis direction of the coupling,
wherein the cartridge is disengageable from the main assembly in a direction that is perpendicular to the rotational axis of the engaging portion,
wherein the rotational axis of the coupling is movable relative to the rotational axis of the engaging portion in the direction of disengagement of the cartridge by a force exerted in the direction of disengagement of the cartridge, and
wherein, as the cartridge begins to be disengaged from the apparatus main assembly in the disengaging direction, the coupling starts moving (i) in the direction of the rotational axis of the coupling and (ii) toward inside of the cartridge, by the inclined surface receiving force from the engaging portion.

2 more elements

a coupling, provided on the cartridge, for being rotated about a rotational axis thereof by engagement with the engaging portion, the coupling including a projection that projects from a part of the coupling, with the projection of the coupling being engageable with the engaging portion, and the coupling being movable in a direction of the rotational axis of the coupling,
wherein the coupling includes a surface inclined relative to the rotational axis direction of the coupling,
wherein the cartridge is disengageable from the main assembly in a direction that is perpendicular to the rotational axis of the coupling,
wherein the rotational axis of the coupling is movable relative to the rotational axis of the engaging portion in the direction of disengagement of the cartridge by a force exerted in the direction of disengagement of the cartridge, and
wherein, as the cartridge begins to be disengaged from the apparatus main assembly in the disengaging direction, the coupling starts moving (i) in the direction of the rotational axis of the coupling and (ii) toward inside of the cartridge by the inclined surface receiving force from the engaging portion.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/826,386Filed 23 Mar 2020 · division
Priority: JP 2007-28183030 Oct 2007
Published: US 2020/0218196 A19 Jul 2020
Granted: 12 Oct 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G03G 21/1647
For connecting the different parts of the apparatus: mechanical connection means
G03G 15/1605
Of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer: using at least one intermediate support
G03G 15/1615
Using at least one intermediate support: relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning
G03G 21/168
Means for handling parts of the apparatus in the apparatus: for the transfer unit

Family

PCT/JP2008/070243Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Oct 2008
Application12/754,732Parent of this division · filed 6 Apr 2010
Application13/408,194Parent of this division · filed 29 Feb 2012
US 8,165,499 B2Parent of this division · filed 24 Apr 2012
Application13/969,644Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 Aug 2013
US 8,532,528 B2Parent of this division · filed 10 Sep 2013
Application14/707,185Parent of this division · filed 8 May 2015
Application14/925,264Parent of this division · filed 28 Oct 2015
US 9,261,821 B2Parent of this division · filed 16 Feb 2016
Application15/497,550Parent of this division · filed 26 Apr 2017
Application16/251,585Parent of this division · filed 18 Jan 2019
US 2020/0218196 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Jul 2020
US 10,613,470 B2Parent of this division
US 10,197,966 B2Parent of this division
US 9,651,914 B2Parent of this division
Application14/707,185Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application13/969,644Parent of this division
Application12/754,732Parent of this continuation
US 2010/0189462 A1Published application
US 2012/0213548 A1Published application
US 2014/0023394 A1Published application
US 2015/0241818 A1Published application
US 2016/0048104 A1Published application
US 2017/0227921 A1Published application
US 2019/0155205 A1Published application
US 11,144,006 B2This patent

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