Unit for an image formation apparatus and image formation apparatus provided with the same unit
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHatsuo Tajima, Tohru Takahashi, Nagao Hosono
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A unit removably mountable to the body of an image formation apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying apparatus or an information recording apparatus. An image formation apparatus provided with such unit. The unit has an image bearing member, and a developer containing portion having a volume capable of containing the total amount of developer consumed by developing device for developing images formed on the image bearing member, during the durability period of the unit.
Claims33
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer medium, said apparatus comprising:
- An expendable interchange unit detachably mounted to said image forming apparatus and including at least a non-refillable supply means for storing a predetermined amount of developer and an image bearing member having a service life corresponding essentially to the developer capacity of said supply means;
- means for forming an image on said image bearing member;
- means for developing the image formed on said image bearing member with developer from said supply means;
- and
- means for transferring the developed image to a transfer medium;
- wherein said interchange unit is discardable and replaceable with another unit upon the substantial consumption of the predetermined amount of developer in said supply means, thereby avoiding periodic replenishment of developer during the service life of said image bearing member.
An expendable interchange unit for attachment to and detachment from an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer medium, said unit comprising:
- non-refillable supply means for storing a predetermined amount of developer;
- and
- an image bearing member for bearing an image to be developed and transferred to the transfer medium, said image bearing member having a service life corresponding essentially to the developer capacity of said supply means;
- wherein the entire interchange unit is discardable and replaceable with another unit upon the substantial consumption of the predetermined amount of developer, thereby avoiding periodic replacement of developer during the service life of said image bearing member.
An image forming method comprising the steps of:
- attaching an expendable interchange unit to an image forming apparatus for forming a developed image on a transfer medium, said unit including a non-refillable developer supply for storing a predetermined amount of developer and an image bearing member having a service life corresponding essentially to the developer capacity of the developer supply;
- forming an image on the image bearing member;
- developing the formed image with developer from the developer supply;
- transferring the developed image to the transfer medium;
- repeating the image formation, development and transfer steps to form additional images on transfer mediums;
- and
- detaching and discarding the expendable interchange unit when the predetermined amount of developer in the developer supply is substantially exhausted.
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a tranfer medium, said apparatus comprising:
- an expendable interchange unit detachably mounted to said image forming apparatus and including collecting means for collecting a predetermined amount of waste developer and an image bearing member having a service life corresponding essentially to the waste developer capacity of said collecting means;
- means for forming an image on said image bearing member;
- means for developing the image formed on said image bearing member;
- means for transferring the developed image to a transfer medium;
- and
- cleaning means for removing waste developer from said image bearing member after transfer of the developed image;
- wherein said interchange unit is discardable and replaceable with another unit when said collecting means becomes substantially full of waste developer removed by said cleaning means, thereby avoiding periodic disposal of waste developer during the service life of said image bearing member.
An expendable interchange unit for attachment to and detachment from an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer medium, said unit comprising:
- collecting means for collecting a predetermined amount of waste developer;
- and
- an image bearing member for bearing an image to be developed and transferred to the transfer medium and from which waste developer is removed after transfer, said image bearing member having a service life corresponding essentially to the waste developer capacity of said collecting means;
- wherein the entire interchange unit is discardable and replaceable with another unit when said collecting means becomes substantially full of waste developer, thereby avoiding periodic disposal of waste developer during the service life of said image bearing member.
An image forming method comprising the steps of:
- attaching an expendable interchange unit to an image forming apparatus for forming a developed image on a transfer medium, said unit including collecting means for collecting a predetermined amount of waste developer and an image bearing member having a service life corresponding essentially to the waste developer capacity of the collecting means;
- forming an image on the image bearing member;
- developing and transferring the image to the transfer medium;
- collecting waste developer from the image bearing member in the collecting means after image transfer;
- repeating the forming, developing, transferring and collecting steps to form additional developed images on transfer mediums;
- and
- detaching and discarding the expendable interchange unit when the collecting means becomes substantially full of waste developer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.