Abstract: A photosensitive drum extends in an axial direction. An irradiating unit includes a first reacting portion and a second reacting portion spaced from each other in the axial direction. A moving member includes a first acting portion and a second acting portion spaced from each other in the axial direction. The first acting portion and the second acting portion of the moving member act on the first reacting portion and the second reacting portion respectively, in response to attachment of the developing unit to a main body, such that the irradiating unit moves from the retracted position to the proximate position with respect to the photosensitive drum, and cancel the actions on the first reacting portion and the second reacting portion respectively, in response to removal of the developing unit from the main body, such that the irradiating unit moves from the proximate position to the retracted position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main frame; a drawer; a plurality of cartridges; a contact member; and an urging member. The main frame includes a cover and a positioning portion. The cover is movable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position exposing an opening of the main frame. The drawer is movable relative to the main frame in a prescribed direction. The plurality of cartridges is detachably mounted in the drawer. The contact member is configured to contact the drawer in response to the movement of the cover to the closed position. The urging member is disposed between the cover and the contact member. The urging member is configured to urge the contact member toward the drawer in response to the movement of the cover to the closed position such that the drawer is pressed against the positioning portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main body; a photosensitive drum rotatably supported in the main body; a developing unit detachably accommodated in the main body in a direction along an axis of the photosensitive drum in a state where the photosensitive drum is disposed in the main body. The developing unit includes: a developer carrying member configured to carry developer for supplying the developer to the photosensitive drum; a developing frame supporting the developer carrying member; and a supporting assembly configured to support the developing frame such that, in a state where the developing unit is accommodated in the main body, the developing frame is movable between a proximity position where the developer carrying member and the photosensitive drum being positioned adjacent to or in contact with each other and a separation position where the developer carrying member and the photosensitive drum being separated from each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body, an image forming unit having a plurality of photosensitive drums arranged in an arrangement direction, and a changing member disposed outside the image forming unit in an axial direction of the plurality of photosensitive drums and configured to move in the arrangement direction and move at least a part of the image forming unit between a first position and a second position. The main body includes a metal frame made of a metal sheet and disposed on a same side in the axial direction that the changing member is disposed. The metal frame includes a support portion configured to support the image forming unit and a guide portion configured to guide movement of the changing member. The guide portion is integrally formed with the support portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit, a resin-made first frame, a first beam, and a second beam, is provided. The first frame is formed in a shape of a plate. The first beam is formed in an elongated shape. The first beam is arranged along and fixed to a planar face of the first frame. The second beam is formed in an elongated shape and arranged along the planar face of the first frame to intersect with the first beam when viewed along an axial direction of a photosensitive drum. The first beam and the second beam are arranged on an opposite side from the image forming unit across the first frame. The first beam and the second beam are fixed to each other at a mutual intersection, where the first beam and the second beam overlap each other when viewed along the axial direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit, a first frame, and a first beam, is provided. The image forming unit includes a photosensitive drum. The first frame is made of resin and is arranged on one end, along an axial direction of a rotation axis of the photosensitive drum, of the image forming unit. The first beam is formed in an elongated shape. The first beam is arranged along a planar face of the first frame. The first beam is fixed to the first frame by a fixing member at a first portion, which is in a position closer to a first longitudinal end of the first beam, and is loose from the first frame to be movable at least along the axial direction at a loose part, which is in a position closer to a second longitudinal end of the first beam than the first portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit, a first frame, and a first beam, is provided. The image forming unit includes a photosensitive drum which is rotatable about a rotation axis and a developer device which supplies a developer agent to the photosensitive drum. The first frame is made of resin and formed in a shape of a plate. The first frame is arranged on one end, along an axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum, of the image forming unit. The first beam is formed in an elongated shape. The first beam is arranged along and fixed to a planar face of the first frame. The first beam includes a resilient part configured to be resiliently deformable in a direction orthogonal to the planar face of the first frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit, a first frame, and a first beam, and a second beam is provided. The first frame is made of resin and formed in a shape of a plate. The first beam is formed in an elongated shape. The first beam is arranged along and fixed at least partly to a planar face of the first frame. The second beam is formed in an elongated shape and arranged along the planar face of the first frame to intersect with the first beam when viewed along an axial direction of a photosensitive drum. The second beam is fixed at least partly to the planar face of the first frame. The first beam and the second beam are arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the axial direction on an opposite side from the image forming unit across the first frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body including an image forming unit including an image carrying member, a drive force transmission mechanism configured to transmit a drive force to the image carrying member, and a main body configured to support the image forming unit. The main body includes a first frame disposed on a first side of the image carrying member in an axial direction of the image carrying member, a second frame disposed on a second side of the image carrying member opposite to the first side thereof, a first connecting member extending in the axial direction of the image carrying member and connecting the first frame and the second frame, and a second connecting member spaced apart from the first connecting member and connecting the first frame and the second frame. The first frame is made of metal and the second frame is made of resin.

Abstract: An electrode for an image forming apparatus, the electrode including: an elastically deformable spring portion that is formed in a cylindrical shape by spirally winding a wire; a ring portion that is an electrical contact portion having an annular shape and provided to one end side of the spring portion in an axial direction of the spring portion, the ring portion being formed by winding the wire around a center line, which intersects with the axial direction of the spring portion, at least twice; an inner portion that is formed by the wire forming the ring portion and is positioned at an inside of the ring portion; and an outer portion that is formed by the wire forming the ring portion and is positioned at an outside of the ring portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a plurality of image forming units arranged to align along a direction orthogonal to rotation axes of photosensitive drums; a first frame made of resin and arranged on one side of the photosensitive drums along the direction of rotation axes to support the plurality of image forming units; a first beam made of metal, formed in an elongated shape longitudinally along a direction to intersect with the aligning direction, and arranged along and fixed to a planar face of the first frame; and a second beam formed in an elongated shape extending along the aligning direction, arranged along the planar face of the first frame to intersect with the first beam, and fixed to the planar face of the first frame, is provided. Rigidity of the first beam is higher than rigidity of the second beam.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming units in an arrangement direction orthogonal to a rotary axis thereof; a support member configured to support the plurality of image forming units; a frame, which is configured to support the support member, and a plurality of electrodes, which is supported to the frame and is configured to supply power to the plurality of image forming units, wherein the frame comprises: a plurality of support projections, which is protruding inwardly to support the plurality of electrodes, and a projection part, which is arranged at an outer position of the plurality of support projections, at which the projection part overlaps with the support member, as viewed from the direction of the rotary axis, and is contactable to the support member in a case where the support member is moved towards the frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main body; a photosensitive drum rotatably supported in the main body; a developing unit detachably accommodated in the main body in a direction along an axis of the photosensitive drum in a state where the photosensitive drum is disposed in the main body. The developing unit includes: a developer carrying member configured to carry developer for supplying the developer to the photosensitive drum; a developing frame supporting the developer carrying member; and a supporting assembly configured to support the developing frame such that, in a state where the developing unit is accommodated in the main body, the developing frame is movable between a proximity position where the developer carrying member and the photosensitive drum being positioned adjacent to or in contact with each other and a separation position where the developer carrying member and the photosensitive drum being separated from each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a housing. Inside the housing, there are provided an image carrying member, a developing unit, a driving force transmission unit, a contact/separation mechanism, a transmission enable/disable mechanism, a cover movably supported by the housing, and a single link member configured to move in association with an opening/closing movement of the cover. When the link member moves in association with the opening movement of the cover, the contact/separation mechanism moves the developing unit to a detachable position, and the transmission enable/disable mechanism moves the driving force transmission unit to the transmission cutoff position.

Abstract: An electrode for an image forming apparatus, the electrode including: an elastically deformable spring portion that is formed in a cylindrical shape by spirally winding a wire; a ring portion that is an electrical contact portion having an annular shape and provided to one end side of the spring portion in an axial direction of the spring portion, the ring portion being formed by winding the wire around a center line, which intersects with the axial direction of the spring portion, at least twice; an inner portion that is formed by the wire forming the ring portion and is positioned at an inside of the ring portion; and an outer portion that is formed by the wire forming the ring portion and is positioned at an outside of the ring portion.

Abstract: A photosensitive drum extends in an axial direction. An irradiating unit includes a first reacting portion and a second reacting portion spaced from each other in the axial direction. A moving member includes a first acting portion and a second acting portion spaced from each other in the axial direction. The first acting portion and the second acting portion of the moving member act on the first reacting portion and the second reacting portion respectively, in response to attachment of the developing unit to a main body, such that the irradiating unit moves from the retracted position to the proximate position with respect to the photosensitive drum, and cancel the actions on the first reacting portion and the second reacting portion respectively, in response to removal of the developing unit from the main body, such that the irradiating unit moves from the proximate position to the retracted position.

Abstract: A photosensitive drum is rotatably supported in a main body. A developing cartridge is detachably mountable on the main body in a state where the photosensitive drum is supported in the main body. The developing cartridge includes a developing device and a frame. The developing device includes a developing roller disposed in confrontation with the photosensitive drum to supply developer to the photosensitive drum when the developing cartridge is mounted in the main body, and a developer-accommodating portion configured to accommodate developer. The frame includes a waste-developer-accommodating portion configured to accommodate waste developer and supports the developing device that is movable relative to the frame. The frame is disposed on an opposite side of the developing roller from the photosensitive drum. An urging member is disposed between the frame and the developing device to urge the developing roller toward the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit having a photosensitive drum and a developer device; a first frame made of a resin, formed in a shape of a plate, and arranged on one end, along an axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum, of the image forming unit; a first beam formed in an elongated shape, arranged along and fixed to a planar face of the first frame; and a second beam formed in an elongated shape, arranged along the planar face of the first frame to intersect with the first beam, and fixed to the first frame, is provided. The first beam and the second beam are unfixed to each other at a mutually intersecting part thereof.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming unit comprising a photosensitive drum configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis and a developer device configured to supply a developer agent to the photosensitive drum; a first frame made of a resin and formed in a shape of a plate, while the first frame is arranged on one end, along an axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum, of the image forming unit; and a first beam made of a metal and formed in an elongated shape, while the first beam is arranged along and fixed to a planar face of the first frame, is provided. The first beam is arranged to overlap the image forming unit at a longitudinal central part thereof, when projected along the axial direction, while longitudinal ends of the first beam are arranged on outer sides of the image forming unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including image forming units, a pair of frames, an optical scanner, a metal-made first connecting frame, a resin-made second connecting frame, is provided. The first and second connecting frames are formed to be hollow and are coupled to the paired frames at both ends thereof along an axial direction of rotation axes of photosensitive drums contained in the image forming units. The first connecting frame accommodates the optical scanner in the hollow space.