US 6,101,349 AGranted

Image-forming machine having an image forming unit movable from an acting position to a non-acting position

AssigneeKyocera Mita Corporation

InventorsHiroaki Ohashi, Kiyoaki Miyamoto, Kazuya Kamidaira, Tadakazu Ohgiri, Hideki Ishida, Hironobu Kohno

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Abstract

An image-forming machine which has an image-forming unit that moves substantially horizontally between an acting position in a housing and a non-acting position that is drawn out forward. The image-forming unit has a frame having a front wall member and a rear wall member, and a plurality of image-forming devices mounted on the frame. The front wall has a pair of receiving holes arranged at a distance in the transverse direction and the rear wall has a pair of pins located at a distance in the transverse direction. In a preferred embodiment, the housing has a pair of pins located in the front and a pair of receiving holds in the rear such that when the image-forming unit is brought to the acting position, the receiving holes of the front wall engage the front pins of the housing and the pins on the rear wall engage the receiving holes in the rear of the housing. Each of the image-forming devices includes a rotary shaft, a rotary drum mounted on the rotary shaft, and bearing members fitted to both ends of the rotary shaft. The bearing members have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface. Both the front and rear wall members have a mounting plate with mounting notches that are opened upward. The mounting notches have two support edges which, when the bearing members of the image-forming devices are introduced therein from the upper side, support the bearing members. Releasable locking members are also provided to lock the image-forming devices in position.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An image-forming machine comprising a housing and an image-forming unit allowed to freely move substantially horizontally between an acting position in said housing and a non-acting position drawn forward from said acting position,

said image-forming unit including a frame that has a front wall member and a rear wall member arranged at a distance in a back-and-forth direction;
wherein a pair of position-limiting means are arranged at a distance in a direction transverse to the back-and-forth direction on each of said front wall member and said rear wall member of said frame in said image-forming unit, and
said housing includes a pair of front stationary position-limiting means and a pair of rear stationary position-limiting means, and when said image-forming unit is brought to said acting position, said pair of position-limiting means of said front wall member work in cooperation with said pair of front stationary position-limiting means and said pair of position-limiting means of said rear wall member work in cooperation with said pair of rear stationary position-limiting means, so that said image-forming unit is limited to said acting position, and
wherein, amongst said pair of position-limiting means of said front wall member and said pair of front stationary position-limiting means, there is included a first pair of receiving holes that extend substantially horizontally, and a first pair of pins that extend substantially horizontally;
and, amongst said pair of position-limiting means of said rear wall member and of said pair of rear stationary position-limiting means, there is included a second pair of pins that extend substantially horizontally and a second pair of receiving holes that extend substantially horizontally, and
wherein annular shoulder surfaces are formed on said first pair of pins, and front ends of said first pair of receiving holes come into contact with said annular shoulder surfaces thereby to limit the position of said image-forming unit in the back-and-forth direction.

3 more elements

said image-forming unit including a frame that has a front wall member and a rear wall member arranged at a distance in a back-and-forth direction;
wherein a pair of position-limiting means are arranged at a distance in a direction transverse to the back-and-forth direction on each of said front wall member and said rear wall member of said frame in said image-forming unit, and
said housing includes a pair of front stationary position-limiting means and a pair of rear stationary position-limiting means and when said image-forming unit is brought to said acting position, said pair of position-limiting means of said front wall member work in cooperation with said pair of front stationary position-limiting means and said pair of position-limiting means of said rear wall member work in cooperation with said pair of rear stationary position-limiting means, so that said image-forming unit is limited to said acting position, and
wherein, amongst said pair of position-limiting means of said front wall member and said pair of front stationary position-limiting means, there is included a first pair of receiving holes that extend substantially horizontally, and a first pair of pins that extend substantially horizontally;
and, amongst said pair of position-limiting means of said rear wall member and of said pair of rear stationary position-limiting means, there is included a second pair of pins that extend substantially horizontally and a second pair of receiving holes that extend substantially horizontally, and
wherein annular shoulder surfaces are formed on said second pair of pins, and front ends of said second pair of receiving holes come into contact with said annular shoulder surfaces thereby to limit the position of said image-forming unit in the back-and-forth direction.

3 more elements

An image-forming machine comprising a housing and an image-forming unit allowed to freely move between an acting position in said housing and a non-acting position drawn out from said acting position,

said image-forming unit including a frame that has a front wall member and a rear wall member arranged at a distance in a back-and-forth direction, and at least one image-forming means detachably mounted on said frame, and
said at least one image-forming means including a rotary shaft, a rotary drum mounted on said rotary shaft, and bearing members fitted to both ends of said rotary shaft, said bearing members having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface;
wherein each of said front wall member and said rear wall member of said frame includes a mounting plate having mounting notches that are opened upward, and said mounting notches have two support edges which, when said bearing members of said image-forming means are introduced into said mounting notches from an upper side, support said bearing members at two positions which maintain a distance in a circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surfaces of said bearing members.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.