US 12,216,416 B2
Image forming apparatus
Masaki Ueji, Nagoya (JP); and Shougo Sato, Seto (JP)
Assigned to BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed by BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed on Aug. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/454,955.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-151722 (JP), filed on Sep. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0103402 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/0886 (2013.01) 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a main-body housing;
a drum unit located inside the main-body housing; and
a toner cartridge mountable in and demountable from the main-body housing,
wherein the drum unit includes:
a photosensitive drum;
a drum frame supporting the photosensitive drum rotatably;
a developing roller configured to supply toner to the photosensitive drum;
a toner-inlet shutter configured to open and close a toner-inlet opening through which the toner to be supplied to the photosensitive drum is receivable from the toner cartridge;
a cleaning member configured to clean a circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum; and
a collected-toner outlet shutter configured to open and close a collected-toner outlet opening through which collected toner being the toner collected from the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum by the cleaning member is dischargeable,
wherein the toner cartridge includes:
a toner casing including:
a toner container configured to contain the toner to be supplied to the photosensitive drum; and
a collected-toner container configured to contain the collected toner; and
a shutter-driving member configured to, in a state where the toner cartridge is mounted in the main-body housing, drive the toner-inlet shutter and the collected-toner outlet shutter, the shutter-driving member including:
a transmission device configured to, in the state where the toner cartridge is mounted in the main-body housing, transmit power input thereto to the toner-inlet shutter and the collected-toner outlet shutter, the transmission device being movable between a first position, at which the transmission device locates the toner-inlet shutter at a position to close the toner-inlet opening and the collected-toner outlet shutter at a position to close the collected-toner outlet opening, and a second position, at which the transmission device locates the toner-inlet shutter at a position to open the toner-inlet opening and the collected-toner outlet shutter at a position to open the collected-toner outlet opening; and
an operable device located on a side of the toner casing opposite to the transmission device, the operable device being configured to move the transmission device between the first position and the second position.