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US 5,367,363 AGranted
Image forming apparatus having rotatable electrophotographic process unit
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsTsukuru Kai, Masayuki Ohtani, Takaaki Yanagisawa, Hisashi Ishijima, Masaaki Nagano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus has two units which are engageable with a photoconductive element and provided with a substantially identical configuration. Various electrophotographic process devices including a developing device and a cleaning device and to be arranged around the photoconductive element are selectively arranged in the two units. The photoconductive element is passed over two rollers such that part of the element forms parallel flat portions. The two units and the photoconductive element are rotatable integrally with each other.
Claims35
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means arranged around said image carrier;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that said image carrier and said two units are rotatable together as a unit;
- said two units having a substantially identical configuration, and wherein said two units are shaped and positioned such that as said image carrier and said two units rotate together each of said two units are disposed inside of a locus of rotation of said image carrier, and wherein said locus of rotation is defined as a path of radially outermost points of said image carrier as said image carrier and said two units rotate together.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;.
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that said image carrier and said two units are rotatable together as a unit;
- said two units having a substantially identical configuration;
- wherein one of said two units comprises any of said electrophotographic process means whose life is comparatively long, the other of said two units comprising any of said process means whose life is comparatively short;
- and
- wherein said electrophotographic process means whose life is comparatively long comprises a developing device while said electrophotographic process means whose life is comparatively short comprises a cleaning device.
5 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that said image carrier and said two units are rotatable together as a unit;
- said two units having a substantially identical configuration;
- wherein one of said two units comprises any of said electrophotographic process means whose life is comparatively long, the other of said two units comprising any of said process means whose life is comparatively short;
- and
- wherein a body of said apparatus comprises a housing through which an opening is formed, said opening allowing only one of said two units to pass therethrough into or out of said body at a time.
5 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that said image carrier and said two units are rotatable together as a unit;
- said image carrier being implemented as an endless belt and passed over two rotatable support means such that part of said belt forms two flat portions, said electrophotographic process means of said two units being arranged in such a manner as to face said flat portions of said belt respectively;
- said two units each comprising a casing, the outer periphery of said casing forming, when each of said two units is engaged with said image carrier, part of a circumcircle of said image carrier.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that said image carrier and said two units are rotatable together as a unit;
- and
- discriminating means for determining at least one of:
- (1) a kind of each of said two units;
- and (2) a position of each of said two units.
4 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- and
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that said image carrier and said two units are rotatable together as a unit;
- handle means provided on an outer periphery of each said two units to be selectively raised or lowered and, when raised, having support portions thereof lying in a vertical plane containing a center of gravity of said unit.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself having said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus;
- wherein said two units comprise respective casings having a substantially identical configuration, said casings each being formed with a notch at a particular position, a body of said apparatus comprising a housing through which an opening capable of passing only one of said casings at a time is formed and an engaging member which mates with said notch when one of said casings is mounted or dismounted.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself having said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus;
- the apparatus further comprising display means, and discriminating means for determining a kind of said two units being mounted, said display means displaying a guidance matching the kind of said two units.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself having said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus;
- the apparatus further comprising detecting means for detecting a paper jam occurring in a transport path, and control means for controlling the operation of said apparatus such that when said detecting means detects a paper jam, said two units are moved away from said image carrier.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself having said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus;
- the apparatus further comprising:
- support means for supporting said two units and said image carrier such that said two units and said image carrier are rotatable integrally;
- first detecting means for detecting an end of a rotary motion of said two units and said image carrier;
- second detecting means for detecting that said two units are mounted on a body of said apparatus;
- and
- means for causing, among said plurality of electrophotographic process means, a cleaning device to operate and for rotating said image carrier in response to detection outputs of said first and second detecting means.
7 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means arranged around said image carrier;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself including said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus, wherein a closed space is defined within said image carrier, and said axis is located in said closed space;
- the apparatus further including first support means for supporting said two units and said image carrier such that said two units and said image carrier are rotatable integrally;
- second support means for supporting said two units such that said two units each move into or out of contact with said image carrier in interlocked relation to the rotation of said two units and said image carrier;
- and
- said second support means causing said two units to move away from said image carrier only at a position where said two units may be mounted or dismounted.
5 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- and
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means arranged around said image carrier;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself including said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus, wherein a closed space is defined within said image carrier, and said axis is located in said closed space, and further wherein said two units comprise a developing unit and a cleaning unit.
1 more element
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrier;
- a plurality of electrophotographic process means arranged around said image carrier;
- at least part of said plurality of electrophotographic process means being constructed into two units each being engageable with said image carrier and rotatable integrally with said image carrier, such that the integral arrangement itself including said image carrier and said two units are bodily rotatable together as a unit about an axis in a body of said image forming apparatus, wherein each of said two units include a contour which coincides with a locus of rotation of the image carrier, and wherein said locus of rotation is defined as a path of radially outermost points of said image carrier as said image carrier and said two units rotate together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.