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US 8,265,523 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus having replaceable developer cartridges
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorSusumu Sakuma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An arrangement for providing developer to process cartridges is described. Developer agent storing members may be insertable into a body containing the process cartridges through a front of the body. The developer agent storing members may be provided on two sides to reduce the stacked height of the developer agent storing members in the body.
Claims31
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a body case;
- a plurality of image carriers arranged in a horizontal direction relative to one another in the body case and each configured to carry an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a corresponding one of the image carriers;
- an exposure unit configured to expose surfaces of the image carriers and form latent images on the surfaces of the image carriers;
- and
- a plurality of developing agent storing members configured to store developing agents therein respectively, the developing agent storing members configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via a side of the body case toward which an operation unit faces and in the horizontal direction in which the image carriers are arranged,
- wherein at least one of the developing agent storing members is disposed on a first side of the exposure unit and at least another one of the developing agent storing members is disposed on a second side of the exposure unit, wherein the at least one of the developing agent storing members and the at least another one of the developing agent storing members sandwich the exposure unit therebetween in the horizontal direction in which the image carriers are arranged.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a body case;
- a plurality of image carriers arranged in a horizontal direction relative to one another in the body case in a tandem arrangement, each configured to carry an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a corresponding one of the image carriers;
- a plurality of developing agent storing members configured to store developing agents therein respectively, the developing agent storing members configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via a front side of the body case, wherein the front side of the body case extends downward from a top side of the body case;
- and
- a plurality of process cartridges, each corresponding to a respective one of the image carriers,
- wherein at least one of the process cartridges is disposed such that at least one of the developing agent storing members is located on a first side of the at least one of the process cartridges and another one of the developing agent storing members is located on a second side of the at least one of the process cartridges, where the first and second sides are opposite each other.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a body case;
- a plurality of process cartridges arranged in a direction in the body case, each including a developing roller;
- and
- a plurality of developing agent storing members configured to store developing agents therein respectively, and to supply the developing agents to the process cartridges, the developing agent storing members configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via a front side of the body case, wherein at least two of the developing agent storing members are disposed one above the other and horizontally displaced from each other.
1 more element
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a body case;
- a plurality of process cartridges arranged in a direction in the body case, each including a developing roller;
- and
- a plurality of developing agent storing members configured to store developing agents therein respectively, and to supply the developing agents to the process cartridges, the developing agent storing members configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via a front side of the body case,
- wherein the body case includes a first door and a second door,
- wherein at least one of the developing agent storing members is configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via the first door of the body case,
- wherein the plurality of process cartridges are configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via the second door,
- wherein the first door and the second door are on the front face of the body case, and
- wherein at least one of the process cartridges is disposed such that at least one of the developing agent storing members is located on a first side of the at least one of the process cartridges and another one of the developing agent storing members is located on a second side of the at least one of the process cartridges, where the first and second sides are opposite each other.
6 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a body case;
- first and second image carriers, each configured to carry an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a corresponding one of the first and second image carriers, the first and second image carriers being disposed in the body case and arranged in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the first and second image carriers;
- an exposure unit configured to expose surfaces of the first and second image carriers and form latent images on the surfaces of the first and second image carriers;
- and
- first and second developing agent storing members configured to store developing agents therein respectively, the first and second developing agent storing members being configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via a side toward which an operation unit faces, the first and second developing agent storing members being configured to be attached to and removed from the body case in the direction in which the first and second image carriers are arranged,
- wherein the first developing agent storing member is disposed on a first side of the exposure unit and at least partially overlaps the exposure unit, when viewed from the axial direction.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a body case;
- first and second image carriers, each configured to carry an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a corresponding one of the first and second image carriers, the first and second image carriers being disposed in the body case and arranged in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the first and second image carriers;
- an exposure unit configured to expose surfaces of the first and second image carriers and form latent images on the surfaces of the first and second image carriers;
- and
- first and second developing agent storing members configured to store developing agents therein respectively, the first and second developing agent storing members being configured to be attached to and removed from the body case via a side toward which an operation unit faces, the first and second developing agent storing members being configured to be attached to and removed from the body case in the direction in which the first and second image carriers are arranged,
- wherein the first and second developing agent storing members are disposed one above the other on a first side of the exposure unit, and
- wherein the exposure unit at least partially overlaps the first and second developing agent storing members, when viewed from the axial direction.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.