US 2022/0091556 A1Published application

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorsYasunobu SHIMIZU, Hiroshi HOSOKAWA, Hiroshi FUJIWARA, Kazuki MATSUMOTO

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body and a detachable unit to be attached to the apparatus body in an attachment direction and detached from the apparatus body in a detachment direction. The detachable unit includes a rotary body and a unit drive gear. The apparatus body includes an apparatus-body drive gear to engage with the unit drive gear of the detachable unit attached in the apparatus body, at an engageable position on a downstream side of the apparatus-body drive gear in the attachment direction. One or each of the unit drive gear and the apparatus-body drive gear moves to a retracted position at which the one or each of the unit drive gear and the apparatus-body drive gear does not engage with the other of the unit drive gear and the apparatus-body drive gear and does not interfere with attachment and detachment operations of the detachable unit.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an apparatus body;
and
a detachable unit configured to be attached to the apparatus body in an attachment direction and detached from the apparatus body in a detachment direction, the detachable unit including:
a rotary body;
and
a unit drive gear configured to transmit a driving force to the rotary body,
wherein the apparatus body includes an apparatus-body drive gear configured to engage with the unit drive gear of the detachable unit attached in the apparatus body, at an engageable position on a downstream side of the apparatus body drive gear in the attachment direction, and
wherein one or each of the unit drive gear and the apparatus-body drive gear is configured to move to a retracted position at which the one or each of the unit drive gear and the apparatus-body drive gear does not engage with the other of the unit drive gear and the apparatus-body drive gear and does not interfere with an attachment operation and a detachment operation of the detachable unit with respect to the apparatus body.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/475,348Filed 15 Sep 2021
Priority: JP 2020-15726618 Sep 2020
Published: 24 Mar 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G03G 21/1647
For connecting the different parts of the apparatus: mechanical connection means
G03G 15/0891
Arrangements for conveying and conditioning developer in the developing unit, e.g. agitating, removing impurities or humidity: for conveying or…
G03G 21/1676
Means for handling parts of the apparatus in the apparatus: for the developer unit
G03G
Electrography