Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016378018-A1
Application number	US-201615190242-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2016
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a body, a photoreceptor unit, and a developing unit. The developing unit includes a first attaching/detaching lever that moves a developing sleeve from a first position to a second position by lifting the first attaching/detaching lever. The photoreceptor unit includes a second attaching/detaching lever that moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position by lifting the second attaching/detaching lever. The photoreceptor unit and the developing unit move the developing sleeve to the second position by lifting the first or second attaching/detaching lever so that the photoreceptor unit and the developing unit are individually detached from the body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a body; a photoreceptor unit including a photoreceptor having a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, the photoreceptor unit being detachably mounted on the body; and a developing unit configured to be detachably mounted on the body, including a developing sleeve for supplying a developer to the photoreceptor, and the developing sleeve is movable to a first position at which the developing sleeve is allowed to supply the developer to the photoreceptor and a second position at which the photoreceptor and the developing sleeve are separated from each other to avoid contact between the photoreceptor and the developing sleeve, wherein the developing unit includes a first attaching/detaching lever that moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position by lifting the first attaching/detaching lever, the photoreceptor unit includes a second attaching/detaching lever that moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position by lifting the second attaching/detaching lever, and the photoreceptor unit and the developing unit move the developing sleeve to the second position by lifting the first attaching/detaching lever or the second attaching/detaching lever so that the photoreceptor unit and the developing unit are individually detached from the body.

2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the developing unit includes a first releasing member that moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position, and the photoreceptor unit includes a second releasing member that moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position.

3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the first releasing member is in contact with the first attaching/detaching lever, and the second releasing member is in contact with the second attaching/detaching lever.

4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the first releasing member moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first position in cooperation with up-and-down movement of the first attaching/detaching lever, and the second releasing member moves the developing sleeve from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first position in cooperation with up-and-down movement of the second attaching/detaching lever.

5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the second releasing member is in contact with the first releasing member, and when the second attaching/detaching lever is lifted, the second releasing member moves the first releasing member in a direction in which the developing sleeve moves the second position.

6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the first releasing member is in contact with a developing sleeve releasing lever for moving the developing sleeve.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Goda Mitsuhiro
• Hanano Susumu

Classifications

• G03G15/0808 Primary

  characterised by the developer supplying means, e.g. structure of developer supply roller · CPC title

• G03G2221/1654

  Locks and means for positioning or alignment · CPC title

• G03G15/0806 Primary

  on a donor element, e.g. belt, roller (complete developer unit G03G15/0896) · CPC title

• G03G21/1842

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