Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417604-B2
Application number	US-201514718451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2014
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

An image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge is removably mountable to a main body of the image forming apparatus, including: a containing member configured to contain the process cartridge, movable between an outside position outside the main body and an inside position inside the main body, and provided with a guided portion to be guided from an outside; and a guiding portion provided in the main body and configured to guide the guided portion, wherein the guiding portion includes: a first guiding part configured to guide the guided portion when the containing member is moved from the outside position to the inside position by being inserted into the main body; and a second guiding part having a shape to return the guided portion toward the inside position when the containing member is further moved downstream of the inside position in an inserting direction of the containing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus in which a cartridge is removably mountable to a main body of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a containing member configured to contain the cartridge and movable between an outside position outside the main body and an inside position inside the main body in a state of containing the cartridge, the containing member being moved from the outside position in an inserting direction so as to be moved to the inside position, the containing member being movable from the inside position in a first direction different from the inserting direction and movable from the inside position in a second direction different from the first direction, the containing member being moved from the inside position in the first direction so as to move the cartridge to an image forming position for an image formation, the containing member being moved from the inside position in the second direction so as to be moved to a downstream side of the inside position in the inserting direction, and the containing member being provided with a guided portion; and
a guiding portion provided in the main body and configured to guide a movement of the guided portion,
wherein the guiding portion includes:
a first guiding part configured to guide the guided portion while the containing member is moved between the outside position and the inside position in the inserting direction; and
a second guiding part which comes into contact with the guided portion when the containing member is moved in the second direction, the second guiding part having a shape to return the containing member toward the inside position when the second guiding part comes into contact with the guided portion.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second guiding part is extended downstream of the first guiding part in the inserting direction of the containing member, and is provided on an upper side of the first guiding part with respect to a gravity direction.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second guiding part is extended downstream of the guided portion in the inserting direction of the containing member when the containing member is located in the inside position.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guiding portion includes a first positioning portion configured to position the containing member when the containing member is located in the inside position.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first positioning portion includes a recessed portion provided on a lower side of the guiding portion with respect to a gravity direction, and
wherein a part of the guided portion enters the recessed portion to position the containing member.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressing member configured to press the containing member toward the inside position when the containing member is further moved to the downstream side of the inside position in the inserting direction of the containing member.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an abutting member configured to abut against the containing member so as to limit a movement of the containing member when the containing member is further moved to the downstream side of the inside position in the inserting direction of the containing member.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main body includes:
an insertion opening through which the containing member is inserted;
a door configured to close the insertion opening after the containing member is inserted; and
a pressing mechanism configured to interlock with an operation of closing the door so that the pressing mechanism presses the containing member toward the inside position when the containing member is further moved to the downstream side of the inside position in the inserting direction of the containing member.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a moving unit configured to move the containing member in the first direction so that the cartridge contained in the containing member comes to the image forming a position at a time of the image formation of the image forming apparatus,
wherein the guiding portion includes a positioning portion configured to position the containing member so that the cartridge comes to the image forming position when the containing member is moved by the moving unit.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the positioning portion includes a recessed portion provided on an upper side of the guiding portion with respect to a gravity direction, and
wherein a part of the guided portion enters the recessed portion to position the containing member.

11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guided portion is lowered along the second guiding part by weights of the containing member and the cartridge so that the containing member is moved from a position on the downstream side of the inside position toward the inside position.

12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a belt,
wherein the cartridge comprises a photosensitive member, and
wherein when the containing member is located at the inside position, the photosensitive member is out of contact with the belt, and when the cartridge is located at the image forming position, the photosensitive member is in contact with the belt.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Matsumaru Naoki
• Komatsu Noriyuki
• Numata Tetsuya
• Anan Osamu

Classifications

• G03G21/1825

  Pivotable subunit connection · CPC title

• G03G21/1623

  Means to access the interior of the apparatus · CPC title

• G03G2221/1684

  using extractable subframes, e.g. on rails or hinges · CPC title

• G03G21/1842 Primary

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

• G03G21/1853

  the process cartridge being mounted perpendicular to the axis of the photosensitive member · CPC title