Image forming apparatus and developing agent cartridge
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShougo Sato
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus may include a casing, and a plurality of image carriers arranged in parallel along one direction in the casing and formed with an electrostatic latent image. The apparatus can further include a plurality of developing agent carriers opposed to the image carriers, for visualizing the electrostatic latent image by feeding a developing agent to the image carriers, and a plurality of developing agent cartridges, arranged in parallel in the one direction to be opposed to the developing agent carriers in the longitudinal direction of the developing agent carriers, and configured to be together attachable/detachable to/from the casing along the one direction, for accommodating the developing agent fed to the developing agent carriers.
Claims31
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of photosensitive drums arranged in a first direction, each of the plurality of photosensitive drums being configured to have an image formed thereon and to rotate about an axis extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- a plurality of developing rollers each of which configured to feed a developing agent to a corresponding one of the plurality of photosensitive drums;
- an intermediate transfer belt and a secondary transfer roller which are configured to transfer the image on each of the plurality of photosensitive drums onto a sheet;
- a plurality of developing agent cartridges each of which containing a developing agent to be supplied to a corresponding one of the plurality of developing rollers;
- and
- a frame member including:
- a plurality of accommodating portions each of which configured to accommodate a corresponding one of the plurality of developing agent cartridges;
- and
- a plurality of sectioning wall portions each of which extending vertically and defining a boundary between corresponding two of the plurality of accommodating portions next to each other, such that the plurality of developing agent cartridges accommodated in the plurality of accommodating portions is arranged in the first direction in which the plurality of photosensitive drums is arranged,
- wherein each of the plurality of sectioning wall portions has a first surface which faces and is exposed to one of the plurality of developing agent cartridges and a second surface which faces and is exposed to another of the plurality of developing agent cartridges.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of photosensitive drums arranged in a first direction, each of the plurality of photosensitive drums being configured to have an image formed thereon and to rotate about an axis extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- a plurality of developing rollers, each of which configured to feed a developing agent to a corresponding one of the plurality of photosensitive drums;
- an intermediate transfer belt and a secondary transfer roller which are configured to transfer the image on each of the plurality of photosensitive drums onto a sheet;
- a frame member configured to accommodate a plurality of developing agent cartridges each of which containing a developing agent to be supplied to a corresponding one of the plurality of developing rollers, the frame member including:
- a plurality of accommodating portions each of which configured to accommodate a corresponding one of the plurality of developing agent cartridges;
- and
- a plurality of separation wall portions each of which extending vertically and separating corresponding two of the plurality of accommodating portions next to each other, such that, when the plurality of developing agent cartridges is accommodated in the plurality of accommodating portions, the plurality of developing agent cartridges is arranged in the first direction in which the plurality of photosensitive drums is arranged,
- wherein each of the plurality of sectioning wall portions has a first surface which faces and is exposed to one of the plurality of developing agent cartridges and a second surface which faces and is exposed to another of the plurality of developing agent cartridges.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.