IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• Main Authors: AMAMIYA MASARU, HONJO KENJI, NAGASHIMA HIROYASU, AKAFUJI MASAHIKO, KOIKE TOSHIO, KUWABARA NOBUO, ARAI YUJI, ONO HIROSHI, TANAKA HIDEKI, OKAMOTO MICHIYA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2009
• Subjects: CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which is excellent in the removability of a process cartridge, without increasing the size of the apparatus. SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging device which uniformly electrifies the surface of the image carrier; an exposure device which forms the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a developing device which supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, to form a toner image; a cleaning device which removes the toner remaining on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred to a member to be transferred; a waste toner conveying means which conveys the toner removed by the cleaning device; and a waste toner recovery container 20 which stores the toner conveyed from the cleaning device by the waste toner conveying means. In the image forming apparatus, the outer wall surface of the waste toner recovery container 20 has a guide portion 20a for attaching and detaching the process cartridge 10 having at least one of the charging device, the exposure device, the developing device and the cleaning device along a prescribed direction. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT