Abstract: A sheet feeding unit has a main body, a sheet stack portion attached to the main body to accommodate a stack of sheets, a sheet feeding device disposed substantially above the sheet stack portion to feed the sheet onward, movable between a sheet feeding position at which the sheet feeding device contacts the sheet and feeds the sheet onward and a separating position at which the sheet feeding device separates from the sheet and does not feed the sheet onward, a separation unit to separate the sheets, a restriction member disposed between the sheet feeding device and the separation unit and switchable between a sheet feeding state when the sheet feeding device is at the sheet feeding position and a sheet restriction state when the sheet feeding device is at the separation position, and a cover openably closable relative to the main body and constituted as an independent member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a carrier unit including an intermediate transfer member, a detachable waste toner container, and a recording-medium directing member provided to the carrier unit. The recording-medium directing member guides a recording medium, and also prevents the waste toner container from contacting the intermediate transfer member when the waste toner container is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A transfer device including an intermediate transfer belt provided to extend in an arranged direction of a plurality of photosensitive drums, and primary transfer rollers each transferring a toner image formed on a corresponding one of the plurality of photosensitive drums to the intermediate transfer belt, each of the primary transfer rollers being moved between a position causing the intermediate transfer belt to be in contact with the photosensitive drums and a position causing the intermediate transfer belt to be separated from the photosensitive drums, each of the primary transfer rollers being rotatably supported by a movable member which includes an abutting portion which regulates a position of the primary transfer roller, the abutting portion abutting on an abutted member whose positional relationship with the photosensitive drum is defined such that the position of the abutted member causes the intermediate transfer belt to be in contact with the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including a toner feed unit used in a developing device and provided near a top surface of a body casing. The toner feed unit includes a frame that includes a toner container storage space portion including a curved concave portion formed of a material different from a material constituting the body casing, and has supporting surfaces, in a part of a top surface of the space, that support side portions of a device mounted on the body casing and a rear portion of the device connected to the side portions by surface contact. The frame has legs that extend from a position, which is located opposite to the device to be mounted, toward an installation surface of the body casing. The frame is built in the body casing.

Abstract: A transfer device transfers an image formed on each of image-carrier rotating members onto a transfer belt by applying a bias voltage to the image-carrier rotating members. A rotation axis of one of image-carrier rotating member located the most upstream is positioned closer to the transfer belt than those of the other image-carrier rotating members. Each of the bias-applying rotating members is displaced downstream of the corresponding image-carrier rotating member, and a line on which a rotation axis of the bias-applying rotating member and that of the corresponding image-carrier rotating member fall is orthogonal to a moving direction of the transfer belt.

Abstract: A shutter is rotatably supported by a first powder guiding member. When the first powder guiding member and a second powder guiding member occupy powder guiding positions, the shutter takes an open position. At this moment, a rear end of an upper surface of an open/close plate of the shutter is positioned on an inner side of an upper opening of the second powder guiding member.

Abstract: In an automatic original conveying device, a motor rotates in a single direction and a driving force transmission mechanism transmits the driving force of the motor from a sheet feeding roller to a switchback roller. The sheet feeding roller conveys an original that stands by in a switchback conveying path to a second conveying path. A sorting unit sorts the original conveyed from a paper delivery path to an original delivery table or to the switchback conveying path. The switchback roller is provided between the sorting unit and the switchback conveying path and it is rotatable in a normal direction or a reverse direction.

Abstract: A dust container includes a container body, an inlet, a dust detector, and a dust-conveying unit. The dust-conveying unit conveys the dust from the inlet to the interior of the container body. The dust-conveying unit includes a plurality of conveying members that are arranged at different positions in the dust conveying unit. A direction in which the dust is conveyed and an amount of the dust conveyed by at least one of the conveying members is different from those of the other conveying members. As the dust accumulates in the container body, the dust detector detects whether the container body is substantially full with the dust.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a first sheet stack portion, a sheet output section, and a post processing unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The first sheet stack portion is provided at an upper face of the image forming unit. The sheet output section outputs the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit from one side of the image forming apparatus to the first sheet stack portion. The post processing unit is provided adjacent to a lateral side of the image forming unit at an upstream side of the sheet output section to execute post processing on the sheet. A sheet subjected to post-processing by the post-processing unit is output to the first sheet stack portion from the same direction as a sheet not subjected to post-processing by the post-processing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a cover section, an image reading device including a document hold member and a document hold member cover, and a lock mechanism. When the document hold member cover is not in close contact with the document hold member, the lock mechanism prevents opening of the cover section or sliding of the image reading device.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, when a first sheet discharger discharges a sheet bearing an image in a first direction from a proximal end to a distal end of the image forming apparatus, a post-processing device performs post-processing including at least one of stapling, punching, stamping, and sorting of the sheet discharged from the first sheet discharger. After a second sheet discharger discharges the processed sheet in a second direction opposite to the first direction in which the first sheet discharger discharges the sheet bearing the image, a sheet stacker stacks the sheet discharged from the second sheet discharger. A sheet conveyance path is provided between the first sheet discharger and the second sheet discharger. An opening is provided between the sheet stacker and an image reader so that the sheet discharged from the second sheet discharger can be retrieved from the sheet stacker in the second direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming section; an upper unit located over the image forming section with a space therebetween and slidable in a direction of from the front side to the rear side of the apparatus and the opposite direction; a sheet discharger configured to discharge a sheet bearing an image in the first or opposite direction; a sheet stacker receiving the sheet from the sheet discharger; a support arranged outside of both side ends of the sheet stacker in the first direction and slidably supporting the upper unit; and at least one of a release preventing member for preventing releasing of the upper unit from the support, and a covering member movable from a first position to a second position in conjunction with sliding of the upper unit and covering an opening formed at an end portion of the support when acquiring the first position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that includes an image reading part to read an image of an original, an image recording part to record the image read by the image reading part on a sheet, a sheet discharge part to discharge the sheet recorded by the image recording part from front to rear of a main body of the image forming apparatus, a sheet stack part to stack the sheet discharged by the sheet discharge part between the image reading part and the image recording part, first and second supporters provided outside the sheet stack part along a discharge direction of the sheet to form a space between the sheet stack part and the image reading part, and a lock mechanism to lock the image reading part. The image reading part slides relative to the first and second supporters in the discharge direction.

Abstract: A belt unit includes a belt, a contact member, a movable member, an eccentric cam, a contact-separation mechanism, and a braking unit. The contact member is configured to come into contact with the belt. The contact-separation mechanism allows the movable member to move according to the rotation of the eccentric cam to control contact and separation between the contact member and the belt. The braking unit controls the rotation of the eccentric cam by a predetermined angle.

Abstract: A powder conveying unit conveys powder input from a powder inlet of a powder containing chamber into the powder containing chamber. A powder detecting unit detects a full state of the powder conveyed by the powder conveying unit in the powder containing chamber. A sensor chamber is provided outside the powder containing chamber connected with each other. The powder detecting unit is provided in the sensor chamber, a bottom surface of the sensor chamber is at higher level than a bottom surface of the powder containing chamber, and the bottom surface of the sensor chamber is inclined downward toward the powder containing chamber.

Abstract: A powder housing unit includes a plate-shaped agitating unit that is horizontally arranged inside of a casing to accommodate a powder, a rotating shaft that causes the agitating unit to slide back and forth, and a powder conveying unit that conveys the powder in a horizontal direction during the sliding. The rotating shaft is supported by a shaft supporting unit in a rotatable manner such that a space is formed between the rotating shaft and the shaft supporting unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that includes an image reading part, an image forming part, a sheet discharge part, and a sheet stack part. The image reading part has a front surface located on a downstream side in a discharge direction of a sheet relative to a front of the sheet stack part. The sheet stack part includes a first stacker surface provided on an upstream side in the discharge direction and including a surface having a slope extending upward in the discharge direction and a second stacker surface formed adjacent to the first stacker surface and sloping less steeply upward in the discharge direction than the slope of the first stacker surface with a boundary between the first stacker surface and the second stacker surface located at a rear of the front surface of the image reading part.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that includes an image reading part, an image forming part to form an image on a sheet, a sheet discharge part to discharge the sheet from front to rear of the image forming apparatus, a sheet stack part to stack the sheet between the image reading part and the image forming part, a supporter provided outside the sheet stack part along a discharge direction of the sheet to form a space between the sheet stack part and the image reading part, a connector to electrically connect the image forming part with the image reading part, a bending unit provided between the image reading part and the supporter to bend back the connector in a sliding direction of the image reading part, and a bend limiter provided at a rear position of the image reading part in the sliding direction to limit bending of the connector.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading part configured to read image information on an original document, an image forming part configured to form an image on a sheet according to the image information, a sheet discharge part configured to discharge the sheet on which the image is formed from a front side to a backside of a main body, a sheet stack part onto which the sheet is discharged, and first and second supporters located outside the sheet stack part along a sheet discharge direction. The sheet stack part is located between the image reading part and the image forming part. The first and second supporters form a space between the sheet stack part and the image reading part. The second supporter is smaller than the first supporter in the sheet discharge direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an upper cover attached to a main body, an image forming part provided in the main body and configured to record an image on a sheet, an image reading part having a document press member, and a lock mechanism. The upper cover is configured to be pivotable on a support axis with respect to the main body. The image reading part is slidably mounted on the upper cover. The document press member is configured to open and close with respect to a housing of the image reading part in a direction similar to a direction in which the upper cover opens and closes. The lock mechanism is configured to prevent the document press member from opening over a slidable range of the image reading part when the upper cover is opened.