Image forming apparatus
AssigneeKYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
InventorKoichi Imanaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a waste toner accommodating unit, a movement member, and a driving mechanism. The image forming unit forms an image by using a toner. The waste toner accommodating unit accommodates a waste toner after being used in the image forming unit. The movement member is supported so as to move in a direction parallel with a falling direction of the waste toner in a toner falling path, through which the waste toner falls, of a movement path of the waste toner that moves from the image forming unit to the waste toner accommodating unit. The driving mechanism reciprocates the movement member in the direction parallel with the falling direction of the waste toner.
Claims5
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image forming unit that forms an image by using a toner;
- a waste toner accommodating unit that accommodates a waste toner after being used in the image forming unit;
- a screw having a blade and conveying the waste toner, which is discharged from the image forming unit, in a horizontal direction;
- a waste toner conveying room accommodating the screw;
- a movement member supported movably in a direction parallel with a falling direction of the waste toner in a toner falling path, which is connected to the waste toner conveying room, and through which the waste toner falls, of a movement path of the waste toner that moves from the image forming unit to the waste toner accommodating unit;
- and
- a driving mechanism that reciprocates the movement member in the direction parallel with the falling direction of the waste toner, wherein
- the driving mechanism includes:
- an engaging portion that is provided at a position offset from a rotation center of the screw and displaces together with rotation of the screw;
- a first arm portion that engages with the engaging portion, and receives force from the displacing engaging portion to be swingable around a predetermined swing shaft parallel with the rotation center of the screw;
- and
- a second arm portion that is swingable around the swing shaft together with the first arm portion, and supports the movement member, and
- the driving mechanism is configured to convert rotative power of the screw, which is rotationally driven, into power in the direction parallel with the falling direction of the waste toner, and transmit the power to the movement member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.