Image forming apparatus main body and image forming system using an electrophotographic image forming process to form an image on a medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10025268-B2
Application number	US-201515128086-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 24, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A main body includes a second movable member that is movable and that has a first recess portion. The second movable member is moved from a first position where a first projecting portion of a first cartridge can enter the first recess portion to a second position by a movement of the first projecting portion, thereby allowing a second cartridge to be moved to an attachment position of the main body. The second movable member also allows a third projecting portion of the second cartridge to enter the first recess portion at the first position. The second movable member is moved to the second position when the third projecting portion enters the first recess portion, thereby allowing the second cartridge to be moved to the attachment position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus main body that allows a first cartridge and a second cartridge to be inserted into an attachment position thereof, the first cartridge including a first projecting portion and a second projecting portion, the second cartridge including a third projecting portion, which has a shape different from that of the first projecting portion, and a fourth projecting portion, the image forming apparatus main body comprising:
a movable member that has a first portion, a second portion and has a first recess portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion,
wherein, during attachment of the first cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body, the first portion is moved from a first position where the first projecting portion is allowed to enter the first recess portion to a second position by a movement of the first projecting portion in the first recess portion toward a downstream side in an insertion direction of the first cartridge, and allows the second projecting portion to pass through an upstream side of the second portion in a movement direction in which the second portion is moved with the movement of the first portion from the first position to the second position so as to allow the first cartridge to be moved to the attachment position of the image forming apparatus main body, and
wherein, during attachment of the second cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body, the first portion at the first position allows the third projecting portion to enter the first recess portion, and, when the third projecting portion enters the first recess portion, the first portion at the second position allows the fourth projecting portion to pass through the upstream side of the second portion in the movement direction so as to allow the second cartridge to be moved to the attachment position of the image forming apparatus main body.

2. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first inclined portion is provided on a downstream side of the first recess portion in the movement direction, and
wherein, the first inclined portion is brought into contact with the first projecting portion and the third projecting portion so as to receive a force to move the first portion from the first position to the second position.

3. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 2 , wherein, in the first recess portion, a width of an inside of the first recess portion in a direction perpendicular to the first inclined portion is greater than a width of the inside of the first recess portion in the movement direction at an end portion of the first inclined portion on the downstream side in the insertion direction.

4. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 2 , wherein, in the insertion direction of the first cartridge, a length of part of the first inclined portion brought into contact with the first projecting portion is less than a distance between the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion, and, in the insertion direction of the second cartridge, a length of part of the first inclined portion brought into contact with the third projecting portion is less than a distance between the third projecting portion and the fourth projecting portion.

5. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 4 ,
wherein, for the first recess portion, a first flat portion is provided so as to be connected to a downstream portion of the first inclined portion in the insertion direction, and
wherein, a sum of a distance of the first flat portion and a distance of the first inclined portion brought into contact with the first projecting portion in the insertion direction of the first cartridge is greater than the distance between the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion in the insertion direction of the first cartridge, and a sum of a distance of the first flat portion and a distance of the first inclined portion brought into contact with the third projecting portion in the insertion direction of the second cartridge is greater than the distance between the third projecting portion and the fourth projecting portion in the insertion direction of the second cartridge.

6. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 2 , wherein the first inclined portion, a second inclined portion, which is inclined toward the downstream side in the movement direction as the second inclined portion extends toward the downstream side in the insertion direction of a third cartridge not operable with the image forming apparatus main body, and a first regulating portion, which blocks entrance of the third cartridge into the attachment position, are provided in this order from an upstream side in the insertion direction of the third cartridge for the first recess portion on a surface on the downstream side of the first recess portion in the movement direction.

7. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 2 , wherein the second portion is urged toward the upstream side in the movement direction by an urging member.

8. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 2 , wherein the second portion is urged toward the upstream side in the movement direction by gravity.

9. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 1 ,
wherein, during removal of the first cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body, the first portion is moved from the first position to the second position by a movement of the second projecting portion toward an upstream side in the insertion direction of the first cartridge, thereby allowing the first projecting portion to enter the first recess portion so as to allow the first cartridge to be removed from the image forming apparatus main body, and
wherein, during removal of the second cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body, the first portion is moved from the first position to the second position by a movement of the fourth projecting portion toward the upstream side in the insertion direction of the second cartridge, thereby allowing the third projecting portion to enter the first recess portion so as to allow the second cartridge to be removed from the image forming apparatus main body.

10. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 1 , wherein the movable member has a third portion and a second recess portion disposed between the second portion and the third portion, and the second recess portion allows entrance of the second projecting portion and the fourth projecting portion thereinto.

11. The image forming apparatus main body according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a guide portion that guides the first cartridge and the second cartridge in the insertion direction from a position where the first cartridge and the second cartridge are present before the movable member acts on the first cartridge and the second cartridge to the attachment position of the image forming apparatus main body.

12. An image forming system comprising:
a first cartridge that includes a first projecting portion and a second projecting portion;
a second cartridge that includes a third projecting portion, which has a shape different from that of the first projecting portion, and a fourth projecting portion; and a first image forming apparatus main body that allows the first cartridge and the second cartridge to be inserted into an attachment position thereof,
wherein the first image forming apparatus main body includes a first movable member that has a first portion, a second portion and a first recess portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion,
wherein, during attachmen

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Makiguchi Daisuke
• Tanabe Masato
• Shimizu Hiroki
• Ueno Takahito
• Takeuchi Toshiaki

Classifications

• G03G21/1896

  mechanical or optical identification means, e.g. protrusions, bar codes · CPC title

• G03G21/1647 Primary

  Mechanical connection means · CPC title

• G03G21/1842 Primary

  for guiding and mounting the process cartridge, positioning, alignment, locks (G03G21/1864 and G03G21/1871 take precedence) · CPC title