Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided having a developing unit including a handle. The developing unit of the image forming apparatus includes at least one of a photosensitive body and a developing roller developing a developer on the photosensitive body. A case protects the image forming unit and a handle is installed on the case to handle the developing unit. The handle pivots to a first position attached to the case and a second position opposite to the first position.

Abstract: A driving apparatus of a detachable developing apparatus, and the detachable developing apparatus using the driving apparatus. The driving apparatus includes: a coupling member including a coupling drive which is connected to a driving element and to which driving power is transferred from the driving element, a coupling gear to which driving power is transferred from the coupling drive, and a coupling disc positioned between the coupling drive and the coupling gear for flexibly connecting the coupling drive and the coupling gear; and a power transferring portion including a plurality of gears to transfer driving power from the coupling member to the developing element and the toner supply element. At least one of the plurality of gears is a reduction gear for reducing a load applied to the coupling member from the developing element and the toner supply element.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a developing unit including a plurality of units. An image forming apparatus includes: a main body having a mounting portion; and a developing unit detachably mounted in the mounting portion and having a first unit separated from the main body, a second unit laterally separated from the first unit, and a holding member for preventing the second unit from being dismounted from the mounting portion prior to the first unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body frame having a cover to open or close the body frame, a process cartridge in which an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum to form an electrostatic latent image is unitized to be removably mounted in the body frame, and a guide rail formed in the body frame to guide a movement of the process cartridge, the guide rail has a process cartridge mounting position and a process cartridge removing position which is backwardly apart from the cartridge mounting position at a desired distance, and the process cartridge mounting position is located at a higher place than the process cartridge removing position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main frame; a developing unit, the developing unit including a photosensitive drum to form an electrostatic latent image on an outer surface thereof, a developing roller installed at one side of the photosensitive drum to develop the formed electrostatic latent image, and a developer plate having a drum shaft support groove to support both ends of a photosensitive drum shaft supporting the photosensitive drum and a roller shaft support groove to support both ends of a developing roller shaft supporting the developing roller; and a gap regulating mechanism to vary a gap between the photosensitive drum and developing roller in response to attachment/detachment of the developing unit to/from the main frame. Such image forming apparatus can promote preventing a migration phenomenon that low molecular weight elements leak out from particles constituting the developing roller or photosensitive drum, or that the rollers are squeezed.

Abstract: A doctor blade and a development unit having the same are disclosed. The doctor blade includes: an elastic blade having one edge contacting a developer roller with a predetermined pressure to control a toner layer formed on the developer roller; and a supporting member supporting the other edge portion of the elastic blade, wherein a middle portion of the supporting member is larger than each end portion of the supporting member. Accordingly, contact pressure between the elastic blade and the developer roller is uniformly distributed along a length direction of the elastic blade.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a developing unit including an OPC (organic photoconductor), a cleaning member disposed at a cleaning position in a predetermined radial direction of the OPC to clean the OPC, and a frame on which the OPC and the cleaning member are mounted. The method includes mounting the OPC on the frame to rotate in a predetermined operating direction, and mounting the cleaning member on the frame so that the cleaning member is moved toward and disposed at the cleaning position in a direction that is substantially the same as the operating direction of the OPC in a vicinity of the cleaning position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a pickup roller for picking up paper from a paper supply part and supplying the paper directly to a transfer nip (that is, the contact formed between a photoconductive drum and a transferring roller), a laser scanning unit for scanning a certain light onto the photoconductive drum, a paper sensor for detecting the top end of the paper being picked up and supplied by the pickup roller, a paper entry sensor for detecting the entry of the paper into the transfer nip, and a controller for updating a scanning point of the laser scanning unit based on the time from the detection of the top end of the paper by the paper sensor to the time the paper entry sensor detects entry of the top end of the paper into the transfer nip.

Abstract: A photoconductive drum driving gear usable with an image forming apparatus includes a driving shaft, a driving gear to rotate with the driving shaft in connection with the driving shaft and meshed with a photoconductive drum gear of a process cartridge of the image forming apparatus, and a connection unit to connect the driving gear and the driving shaft so that the driving gear rotates with respect to the driving shaft by a predetermined angle when mounting the process cartridge to a main body of the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus feeds a paper picked up by a pickup roller directly to a photoconductive drum and controls a linear velocity of the pickup roller so that it is slower than that of the photoconductive drum. The different linear velocities of the pickup roller and the photoconductive drum produces different velocities at the transfer nip (the area of contact between the photoconductive drum and a transferring roller) and the point where paper is picked up by the pickup roller. To compensate for the different velocities, the pickup roller can be rotated faster than the photoconductive drum for an angle that corresponds to the velocity difference. Additionally, when a velocity difference occurs between two rollers for feeding the paper, one of the rollers can be further rotated to compensate for the velocity difference.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the same. The cleaning apparatus includes: a developing unit to supply toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive body, a cleaning blade installed above the photosensitive body and the developing unit to contact a circumference of the photosensitive body along a lengthwise direction thereof with a predetermined force, to remove waste toner remaining on the photosensitive body, and having a surface along which the removed waste toner is transported, and a waste toner reservoir unit to store the waste toner transported along the surface after being removed by the cleaning blade, wherein the surface slopes upward at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane. The cleaning apparatus efficiently utilizes space in the image forming apparatus and can protect the photosensitive body and the developing unit from being deformed by external impact.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided having a developing unit including a handle. The developing unit of the image forming apparatus includes at least one of a photosensitive body and a developing roller developing a developer on the photosensitive body. A case protects the image forming unit and a handle is installed on the case to handle the developing unit. The handle pivots to a first position attached to the case and a second position opposite to the first position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which at least one of image forming means such as a photosensitive medium, a developing means and a cleaning means are unitized. The image forming apparatus includes a body frame having a cover to open or close the body frame; a process cartridge in which an image forming means including a photosensitive drum to form an electrostatic latent image is unitized so as to be removably mounted in the body frame; and a guide rail formed in the body frame so as to guide a movement of the process cartridge, wherein the guide rail has a process cartridge mounting position and a process cartridge removing position which is backwardly apart from the cartridge mounting position at a desired distance, and the process cartridge mounting position is located at a higher place than the process cartridge removing position. The process cartridge can be stably and conveniently mounted or removed, thereby improving a convenience of a user.

Abstract: A detachable developer in which a photosensitive unit and a development unit are separately and independently installed in a main body. The detachable developer includes a first axis connection member extending from one end portion of the photosensitive unit toward a rotation axis of a developing roller and having a first guide slot formed therein in which one end portion of the rotation axis of the developing roller is inserted, and a second axis connection member extending from the other end portion of the development unit toward a rotation axis at the other end portion of a photosensitive drum and having a second guide slot formed therein in which the other end portion of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum is inserted. The first axis connection member and the second axis connection member extend parallel to each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a developing unit which comprises a plurality of units. An image forming apparatus includes: a main body having a mounting portion; and a developing unit detachably mounted in the mounting portion and having a first unit separated from the main body, a second unit laterally separated from the first unit, and a holding member for preventing the second unit from being dismounted from the mounting portion prior to the first unit.

Abstract: A driving apparatus of a detachable developing apparatus, and the detachable developing apparatus using the driving apparatus. The driving apparatus includes: a coupling member including a coupling drive which is connected to a driving element and to which driving power is transferred from the driving element, a coupling gear to which driving power is transferred from the coupling drive, and a coupling disc positioned between the coupling drive and the coupling gear for flexibly connecting the coupling drive and the coupling gear; and a power transferring portion including a plurality of gears to transfer driving power from the coupling member to the developing element and the toner supply element. At least one of the plurality of gears is a reduction gear for reducing a load applied to the coupling member from the developing element and the toner supply element.

Abstract: An apparatus to drive a roller used in an electrophotographic printer, which includes: a drum gear coaxially installed on the photoconductive drum to be rotated; a first passive roller gear coaxially installed on a first passive roller and in contact with and rotated by the photoconductive drum, and connected with the drum gear to be passively rotated, wherein the first passive roller gear is made of a material having a lower hardness than the drum gear to be able to absorb impulses due to a pitch error from gear teeth of the drum gear and the first passive roller gear.

Abstract: A coupling apparatus capable of being connected by sliding and transferring power when being connected. The apparatus has a first coupler having a plurality of first ribs protruding at an outer circumference of a body at a regular interval and a second coupler having a connection portion to embrace and be separated from the body of the first coupler, and a plurality of second ribs protruding at an inner circumference of the connection portion, the plurality of second ribs being connected between the plurality of first ribs, wherein each of front ends of the first ribs and the second ribs have sloping sides sloped in a predetermined direction, and the first ribs include a rib having a relatively longer length than the other ribs.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a power transmitting gear, which is meshed with a photosensitive drum gear and is connected to a developing roller through a belt, and an idler gear, which is provided between the power transmitting gear and a feeding roller gear, to indirectly transmit driving force from the photosensitive drum gear to the feeding roller and to the developing roller gear. Accordingly, a predetermined nip is maintained between the respective rollers, and the rollers are operated at a constant velocity.