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US 6,738,590 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus with detachable image forming unit assembly
AssigneeFuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
InventorsNaomasa Okimura, Takeshi Okoshi, Hiromitsu Koizumi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A print head device, which includes a plurality of image carrying bodies, a plurality of developing units, a plurality of charging units, and at least one intermediate transfer unit, is constructed as a unit assembly, and the unit assembly is inserted into and removed from image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus contains a mechanism that the image carrying bodies are minutely movably supported by a frame of the unit assembly with a gap being located therebetween, and are positioned and fixed to a housing of the image forming apparatus main body.
Claims31
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- and
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus and the unit assembly is disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus by downwardly moving the unit assembly.
1 more element
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- and
- wherein a positioning member for positioning the unit assembly when the unit assembly is disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus is integrally molded.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the plurality of image carrying bodies are supported by a plurality of image carrying body supporting members;
- wherein at least one of the plurality of image carrying body supporting members is minutely movably supported by a frame of the unit assembly with a gap;
- and
- wherein when the unit assembly is disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus, at least one of the plurality of image carrying body supporting members is positioned and fixed to a housing of the main body of the image forming apparatus.
4 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the unit assembly includes a plurality of developing units;
- and
- wherein the developing units are pressed against surfaces of the plurality of image carrying bodies to be positioned so that predetermined gaps are present between the developing units and the surfaces of the plurality of image carrying bodies.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the unit assembly includes a plurality of developing units;
- wherein the developing units receive drive forces from a developing-unit driving device located in the main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the developing-unit driving device is different from an image carrying body driving device;
- and
- wherein in the developing units, gears are arranged such that a tangential load of the gear, which operates when the developing-unit driving device is driven, does not produce such a component of force as to cancel a pressing force applied to a drum surface of each of the developing units.
5 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the unit assembly includes a plurality of charging units positioned and fixed to shafts of the plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the charging units have mechanisms which are minutely movably supported on a frame of the unit assembly with a gap;
- and
- wherein the mechanisms prevent the charging units from turning in a circumferential direction of the plurality of image carrying bodies.
4 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- and
- wherein the plurality of image carrying bodies are earthed and include ground lines, which interconnect shafts of the plurality of image carrying bodies by way of electrically conductive elastic members.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises a charging device which feeds electric power to a charging unit from outside of the unit assembly by way of a frame of the unit assembly,
- wherein the charging device includes an electrically conductive elastic member which couples a conductive member for feeding electric power to the charging unit located on a frame of the unit assembly and a charging-unit supporting member.
2 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is formed to be detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein the plurality of image carrying bodies are a plurality of cylindrical intermediate transfer drums;
- supported by shafts
- wherein at least one of the shafts is minutely movably supported by a frame of the unit assembly with a gap;
- and
- wherein the at least one of the shafts has mechanisms for positioning and fixing the shafts of the intermediate transfer drums to a housing of the main body of the image forming apparatus when the unit assembly is installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus.
5 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit,
- wherein the image forming unit includes a plurality of image carrying bodies;
- wherein the image forming unit is a unit assembly;
- wherein the unit assembly is an assembly in which axial lines of the plurality of image carrying bodies are arranged parallel to one another in a plane containing the axes;
- and
- wherein the unit assembly is detachable from a main body of the image forming apparatus in a direction of a line perpendicular to the axes in the axes-contained plane.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.