Image-forming apparatus
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorSoichiro Nishimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image-forming apparatus that includes a drum cartridge, a developer cartridge, a coupling mechanism for interlocking the drum cartridge and the developer cartridge, a releasing cam for releasing the interlock provided by the coupling mechanism, and a toner accommodating chamber for accommodating toner. When the amount of toner accommodated in the toner accommodating chamber is greater than or equal to a prescribed amount, the drum cartridge and the developer cartridge are interlocked by the coupling mechanism. When the amount of toner drops below the prescribed amount so that the chamber is empty, the releasing cam releases the interlock provided by the coupling mechanism.
Claims20
An image-forming apparatus comprising:
- a main body;
- an image-carrying member cartridge disposed inside the main body and having an image-carrying member;
- a developer cartridge disposed inside the main body and supplying a developer to the image-carrying member;
- and
- a removal preventing unit disposed inside the main body;
- wherein the developer cartridge can selectively be mounted into or removed from the main body together with the image-carrying member cartridge, or mounted into or removed from the main body alone while the image-carrying member cartridge remains mounted in the main body;
- wherein the removal preventing unit detects a state in which only the developer cartridge need be removed and prevents the removal of the image-carrying member cartridge from the main body based on the detection.
An image-forming apparatus comprising:
- a main body;
- an image-carrying member cartridge disposed inside the main body and having an image-carrying member;
- a developer cartridge disposed inside the main body and supplying a developer to the image-carrying member;
- and
- a cover member disposed on the main body;
- wherein the developer cartridge can selectively be mounted into or removed from the main body together with the image-carrying member cartridge, or mounted into or removed from the main body alone while the image-carrying member cartridge remains mounted in the main body;
- wherein the cover member allows the mounting and removal of only the developer cartridge while the image-carrying member cartridge remains mounted in the main body.
An image-forming apparatus comprising:
- a main body;
- a first cartridge that is mountable to or removable from the main body;
- a second cartridge including a chamber that accommodates a developing agent, the second cartridge being mountable to or removable from the first cartridge;
- and
- a removal preventing unit disposed inside the main body;
- wherein the second cartridge can selectively be mounted into or removed from the main body together with the first cartridge, or mounted into or removed from the casing alone while the first cartridge remains mounted in the main body;
- wherein the removal preventing unit detects a state in which only the second cartridge need be removed and prevents the removal of the first cartridge from the casing based on the detection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.