Image forming device and detachably loaded process unit
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYasushi Okabe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A developing unit is detachably mounted on a photosensitive unit to form a combined unit called a process unit. In use, the process unit is loaded into an electrophotographic image forming device. A rotational shaft of a photosensitive drum projects out from the photosensitive unit. When the process unit is loaded into the image forming device from a top open space, both ends of the rotational shaft are engaged with a pair of guides formed in side walls of the image forming device and guided down along the guides. The process unit is accommodated in an accommodating section when both ends of the rotational shaft have been brought into abutment with stops at the ends of the guides and a trailing end of the process unit is rotated downward about the rotational shaft.
Claims18
A photosensitive unit, comprising:
- a pair of side walls apart from each other by a predetermined distance, each side wall including a guide groove;
- a photosensitive drum having a shaft, the shaft being supported by the pair of side walls;
- a bridging frame bridged between the pair of side walls;
- and
- a locking mechanism provided in an outer surface of the bridging frame;
- wherein a developing unit is capable of being mounted to the photosensitive unit along the guide groove, and
- the locking mechanism includes a locking lever configured to engage a locking protrusion formed in a rear end of the developing unit when the developing unit is mounted to the photosensitive unit.
A process unit, comprising:
- a photosensitive unit comprising:
- a pair of side walls apart from each other by a predetermined distance, each side wall including a guide groove;
- a photosensitive drum having a shaft, the shaft being supported by the pair of side walls;
- a bridging frame bridged between the pair of side walls;
- and
- a locking mechanism that includes a locking lever provided in an outer surface of the bridging frame;
- and
- a developing unit comprising:
- a pair of side walls apart from each other by a predetermined distance;
- a rear wall extending between the pair of side walls;
- and
- a locking protrusion formed at a rear surface of the rear wall, wherein:
- the developing unit is mounted to the photosensitive unit along the guide groove,
- the locking lever engages the locking protrusion, and
- the developing unit is capable of being separated from the photosensitive unit along the guide groove.
An image forming device, comprising:
- a housing with an accommodating section;
- and
- a process unit mounted in the accommodating section, the process unit comprising:
- a photosensitive unit comprising:
- a pair of side walls apart from each other by a predetermined distance, each side wall including a guide groove;
- a photosensitive drum having a shaft, the shaft being supported by the pair of side walls;
- a bridging frame bridged between the pair of side walls;
- and
- a locking mechanism that includes a locking lever provided in an outer surface of the bridging frame;
- and
- a developing unit comprising:
- a pair of side walls apart from each other by a predetermined distance;
- a rear wall extending between the pair of side walls;
- and
- a locking protrusion formed at a rear surface of the rear wall, wherein:
- the developing unit is mounted to the photosensitive unit along the guide groove,
- the locking lever engages the locking protrusion, and
- the developing unit is capable of being separated from the photosensitive unit along the guide groove when the process unit is mounted in the accommodating section and when the process unit is separated from the accommodating section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.