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US 5,663,787 AGranted
Electrophotographic color image forming apparatus with image exposure means inside of photoreceptor drum
AssigneeKonica Corporation
InventorsSatoshi Haneda, Masakazu Fukuchi, Tadayoshi Ikeda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A color image forming apparatus wherein an image forming body has a inner surface and a outer surface, a charging device electrically charges the outer surface, and an exposure device imagewise exposes the inner surface. A developing device is used to form a first toner image on the outer surface. A unit is detachablly mounted in a housing of the apparatus, wherein the image forming body and a plurality of the exposure devices are provided in the unit.
Claims31
An apparatus for forming a toner image, comprising:
- a photoreceptor drum provided with a disk which closes one end thereof so that the photoreceptor drum has a closed drum end and an open drum end;
- charger means for charging an outer surface of the photoreceptor drum;
- image exposure means for exposing the photoreceptor drum from an inside of the photoreceptor drum so as to form a latent image thereon;
- developing means for developing the latent image so as to form a toner image on an outer surface of the photoreceptor drum;
- an image exposure means supporting member on which the image exposure means are mounted, the image exposure means supporting member being inserted together with the image exposure means through the open drum end into the inside of the photoreceptor drum, the image exposure means supporting member having a first end and a second end corresponding in position in an inserted condition to the closed end and the open end, respectively;
- a shaft, one end of which is attached to the first end of the image exposure means supporting member and an opposite end of which is engageable with a center of the disk of the photoreceptor drum so that the closed drum end of the photoreceptor drum is rotatable around the shaft;
- a photoreceptor drum supporting member engageable with the open drum end of the photoreceptor drum so that the open drum end of the photoreceptor drum is rotatable around the photoreceptor drum supporting member, the photoreceptor drum supporting member being provided in a vicinity of the second end of the image exposure means supporting member so that when the photoreceptor drum is shifted from the first end to the second end of the image exposure means supporting member, the image exposure means supporting means is inserted through the open drum end into the inside of the photoreceptor drum, the closed drum end of the photoreceptor drum is engaged with the opposite end of the shaft and the open drum end of the photoreceptor drum is engaged with the photoreceptor drum supporting member.
4 more elements
An apparatus for forming a toner image, comprising:
- a photoreceptor drum having an open end;
- charger means for charging an outer surface of the photoreceptor drum;
- image exposure means for exposing the photoreceptor drum to form a latent image thereon;
- developing means for developing the latent image so as to form a toner image on an outer surface of the photoreceptor drum;
- an image exposure means supporting member on which the image exposure means are mounted, the image exposure means supporting member having a first end and a second end;
- a first supporting member provided in a vicinity of the second end of the image exposure means supporting member so that when the image exposure means supporting member is inserted through the open drum end into the inside of the photoreceptor drum and assembled with the photoreceptor drum, the first supporting member supports the open drum end of the photoreceptor drum so as to allow the rotation of the photoreceptor drum around the image exposure means;
- a second supporting member having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is attached to an end of the photoreceptor drum opposite to the open drum end, and when the image exposure means supporting member is inserted through the open drum end into the inside of the photoreceptor drum and assembled with the photoreceptor drum, the second portion is engaged with the first end of the image exposure means supporting member so as to allow the rotation of the photoreceptor drum around the image exposure means.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.