Process Cartridge
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShougo Sato
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process cartridge includes: a drum cartridge including a photosensitive drum; and a toner cartridge which is mountable on the drum cartridge and stores toner, wherein the drum cartridge includes: a cleaner configured to collect waste toner on the photosensitive drum; a waste toner conveyance tube configured to convey the waste toner collected by the cleaner; and a developing unit which includes a developing roller configured to supply toner to the photosensitive drum and is swingable about a swing axis with respect to the photosensitive drum, and wherein the toner cartridge has a waste toner storing chamber for storing the waste toner conveyed by the waste toner conveyance tube.
Claims14
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a drum cartridge attachable to and detachable from the housing in a first direction, the drum cartridge comprising:
- a photosensitive drum;
- a developing roller;
- a developing frame having a developing chamber for storing toner to be supplied to the photosensitive drum;
- a first wall having a toner receiving opening;
- a cleaner for collecting waste toner from the photosensitive drum;
- and
- a waste toner conveyance tube for conveying the waste toner collected by the cleaner, the waste toner conveyance tube having a waste toner exhausting opening;
- and
- a toner cartridge attachable to and detachable from the housing, the toner cartridge comprising:
- a toner frame comprising:
- a toner chamber for storing toner, the toner chamber communicating with the developing chamber in a state where the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached to the housing;
- a waste toner chamber for storing the waste toner to be conveyed by the waste toner conveyance tube;
- and
- a waste toner receiving opening communicating with the waste toner exhausting opening in a state where the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached to the housing;
- a second wall having a toner supply opening communicating with the toner chamber and the toner receiving opening in a state where the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached to the housing;
- a toner shutter rotatable between a first closed position at which the toner shutter closes the toner supply opening and a first opened position at which the toner supply opening is opened;
- and
- a lever movable between a first position at which the toner shutter is positioned at the first closed position and a second position at which the toner shutter is positioned at the first opened position,
- wherein, in a state where the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached to the housing, the waste toner receiving opening is located at a position between the toner supply opening and a part of the lever in the first direction.
A toner cartridge attachable to and detachable from a drum cartridge in a first direction, the toner cartridge comprising:
- a toner frame comprising:
- a toner chamber for storing toner;
- a waste toner chamber for storing waste toner to be collected by a cleaner of the drum cartridge, the cleaner collecting the waste toner from a photosensitive drum of the drum cartridge;
- and
- a waste toner receiving opening, in a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the drum cartridge, communicating with a waste toner exhausting opening of a waste toner conveyance tube provided in the drum cartridge, the conveyance tube conveying the waste toner collected by the cleaner;
- a wall having a toner supply opening communicating with the toner chamber and a toner receiving opening of the drum cartridge in a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the drum cartridge, the toner receiving opening communicating with a developing chamber of the drum cartridge;
- a toner shutter rotatable between a closed position at which the toner shutter closes the toner supply opening and an opened position at which the toner supply opening is opened;
- and
- a lever movable between a first position at which the toner shutter is positioned at the closed position and a second position at which the toner shutter is positioned at the opened position,
- wherein, in a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the drum cartridge, the waste toner receiving opening is located at a position between the toner supply opening and a part of the lever in the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.