WO2009087945A1

WO2009087945A1 - Image forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2009087945A1
Application number: PCT/JP2008/073929
Authority: WO
Inventors: Masaki Kakitani; Shinjiro Toba; Atsushi Numagami
Original assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2008-01-09
Filing date: 2008-12-25
Publication date: 2009-07-16
Also published as: JP2009186999A

Abstract

An image forming apparatus which permits a process cartridge to be easily replaced and is more convenient. The image forming apparatus comprises a cartridge tray which can move in one direction for the printer main body while containing the process cartridges so as to be arranged removably in parallel in the one direction, and a latching mechanism (recess, roller) for latching the cartridge tray to the printer main body under a state where the cartridge tray is moved from the printer main body. At least one latching position where the cartridge tray is to be latched to the printer main body by the latching mechanism is provided between a position where the cartridge tray is attached to the printer main body and a position where the cartridge tray is drawn out to the maximum from the printer main body.

Description

Technical field of image forming equipment

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a function of forming an image on a recording medium such as a sheet, such as a copying machine or a printer. Background art

Conventionally, the following are the mainstream electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers. It includes a developing device that develops a latent image drawn on a photosensitive drum (electrophotographic photosensitive drum) with laser light, a transfer unit that transfers the developed toner image onto a sheet, and a transferred toner image on the sheet. It is a device equipped with a fixing device for fixing to.

As a cartridge, a developing means for developing a latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging means, and the like are integrally formed as a cartridge. This cartridge is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus and is provided so as to be replaceable by the user. Such a configuration facilitates maintenance of the main body of the apparatus.

Regarding the cartridge attachment / detachment configuration, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2 0 3-3 1 6 1 0 5, there is a system in which the intermediate transfer belt unit is a drawer configuration and the cartridge is pulled out and the cartridge is attached / detached. There is also a method for replacing the cartridge by opening the upper unit of the main unit as the upper unit. Disclosure of the invention

However, there are concerns that the following problems may occur in the case of the above-described conventional technology. In general, it is not always the case that all the multicolored process cartridges are replaced at the same time. Instead, the process cartridges that are frequently used are replaced, but all process cartridges including those that do not require replacement are replaced. It was necessary to withdraw, and the exchange was complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus with improved convenience, in which a cartridge can be easily replaced.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, an apparatus main body having a transfer member for transferring a developer image to the recording medium, an electrophotographic photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and A plurality of cartridges each including at least one of a developing roller that forms the developer image by developing the electrostatic latent image;

Each of the plurality of cartridges is detachably supported, and an inner position where all of the plurality of cartridges are positioned inside the apparatus main body, and an outer position where all of the plurality of force sheets are positioned outside the apparatus main body. And a support member attached to the apparatus main body so as to be movable along the arrangement direction of the cartridge between

When the support member moves from the inner position to the outer position, the support member is locked to the apparatus body each time the cartridges of the plurality of cartridges are exposed to the outside of the apparatus body. A stop mechanism;

It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus with improved convenience in which the cartridge can be easily replaced. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating replacement of the process cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating replacement of the process cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating replacement of the process cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6A and 6B are views for explaining a retracting mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the cartridge tray of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views for explaining the cartridge tray and the roller portion of the tray holding member according to the embodiment of the present invention, and are schematic perspective views seen from the direction A shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an image forming apparatus provided with process cartridges having different capacities. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the following embodiments.

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a cartridge. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. And as an example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus Examples include electrophotographic copying machines, electrophotographic printers (eg, laser beam printers, LED printers, etc.), facsimile machines and word processors.

The cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of process means such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a developing means is integrally formed.

Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

(Example)

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a laser beam printer as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The overall configuration and function of the laser beam printer (hereinafter referred to as printer) 50 will be described below.

Inside the printer 50, there are a laser scanner 51, a photosensitive drum 1 (la, lb, lc, ld) as an image carrier, a developing roller 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 1◦d), a transfer An intermediate transfer belt 52, a fixing unit 53, a discharge roller 54, and the like are installed as members.

The photosensitive drum 1 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and an electrostatic latent image is sequentially formed on the outer peripheral surface by the laser light from the laser scanner 51, and then the electrostatic latent image is developed on the developing roller. The toner is developed at 10 to form a toner image (developer image).

The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52 side (transfer member side) at the nip formed by the contact between the photosensitive drum 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 52. When forming a color image, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are developed on the photosensitive drums 1 a, 1 b, lc, and 1 d, and the toner images formed on the respective photosensitive drums are The images are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 52 in a superimposed manner.

Next, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 52 is recorded on a recording material (recording medium, eg, For example, paper) is transferred to X.

Further, the recording material X onto which the toner image has been transferred is sent to the nip portion of the fixing unit 53 where it is heated and pressed to fix the toner image on the recording material X.

The recording material X on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to a discharge portion 55 by a discharge roller 54.

The photosensitive drum 1 (1 a, lb, 1 c, 1 d) is integrated with the developing roller 10 (1 0 a, 10 b, 10 c, 10 d) etc. , 100 b, 100 c, 100 d) are detachable from the printer body. As shown in FIG. 1, the process cartridges 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d are arranged in parallel in one direction (D2 direction in FIG. 2) in the printer 50.

[Process cartridge]

Next, the process cartridge 100 (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing the process cartridge 100 of the present embodiment.

Here, the configurations of the process cartridges 100 a, 100 b, 100 c, and l OO d are the same except that the cartridges with different colors are accommodated. A plurality of process cartridges are arranged in parallel in one direction in the printer 50.

As shown in FIG. 5, the process cartridge 100 includes a charging roller 3 as a charging means, a developing roller 10 as a developing means, and a cleaning blade as a cleaning means for removing transfer residual toner on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum. 2 and are arranged in one piece. Further, the process cartridge 100 includes a developing unit 9 provided with a developing roller 10 and a cleaning unit 5 provided with a cleaning blade 2. Here, the charging roller 3 and the developing roller 10 constitute process means for forming a toner image on the photosensitive drum 1. Then, toner as a developer is accommodated in a developing frame (container) 8 as a developer accommodating portion provided in the developing unit 9, and developed by a developer supply roller 6 (rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5). Apply toner to roller 10.

The developing roller 10 is composed of a coasting rubber roller, and rotates clockwise in FIG. 5 so that the toner on the developing roller 10 is regulated to a certain thickness by the developing blade 7 and developed at a position close to the photosensitive drum. The toner remaining on the developing roller 10 after development is removed by the developer supply roller 6. Thereafter, the toner is again supplied to the developing roller 10 by the developer supply roller 6.

A cleaning blade 2 is disposed in the cleaning unit 5, and the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum 1 is removed and accommodated in the cleaning frame 4. A developing unit 9 is rotatably provided in the process cartridge in order to stably contact the developing roller 10 with the photosensitive drum 1.

[Overview of process cartridge replacement method]

2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining the process cartridge replacement method of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the door 58 as an opening / closing member is opened with respect to the printer 50 main body in order to replace the process cartridge in the printer 50. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the process cartridge 100 0 d can be replaced in the printer 50. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the process cartridge 100 0 a can be replaced in the printer 50.

In the following, the process cartridge replacement method of the laser beam printer will be described.

As a moving unit (drawer unit), a means for moving while holding the process cartridge will be referred to as a cartridge tray 56 in the following description, and the force cartridge tray 56 will be described first. Here, the cartridge tray 56 functions as a support member for supporting the process cartridge. Figure 7 shows the car 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a trough tray 56. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge tray 56 includes storage portions 62a, 62b, 62c, and 62d that store process cartridges in parallel in one direction. The process cartridges 100 a, 100 b, 100 c, and 100 d are detachably accommodated in the accommodating portions 62 &, 621>, 620, 62 (1 respectively).

The cartridge tray 56 is supported with respect to the printer 50 by a tray holding member 57. When the door 58 is open as shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge tray 56 is in the direction of arrows Dl and D2 (cartridge arrangement direction) with respect to the printer 50. It can be moved along (can be pulled out). Here, the process cartridges 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d contain, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners (developers), respectively.

Here, the directions Dl and D2 are directions in which a plurality of process cartridges 100 are arranged in parallel in the cartridge tray 56. The direction D2 (one direction) is a moving direction in which the intermediate transfer belt 52 moves when the toner images are sequentially superimposed and transferred, and more specifically, the intermediate transfer belt 52 is sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 52 and transferred. This is the direction in which the toner image moves when being copied. The direction D2 is the direction toward the front (front) when the printer 50 is installed. The direction D2 is a pulling direction (moving direction) in which the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out from the printer 50 main body. In addition, the direction in which the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out is provided such that the recording material transport path is not provided. In FIG. 2, the arrow Y1 direction is the upward direction when the printer 50 main body is installed, and the arrow Y2 direction is the downward direction when the printer 50 main body is installed. Next, the operation of the cartridge tray 56 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6A and 6B.

The tray holding member 57 operates in conjunction with the movement of the door 58 as an opening / closing member, and the door 58 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the printer 50 main body. When removing the process cartridge 10 0 from the printer 50, open the door 5 8 as shown in Fig. 2 and the tray holding member 5 7 will be linked to the opening and closing of the door 5 8 to open the Y position from Fig. 1. Moves in one direction, and the cartridge tray 5 6 also moves in the Y1 direction in conjunction with the movement. As a result, the photosensitive drum 1 is retracted from the intermediate transfer belt 52 and floated. Here, the tray holding member 57 and the moving means provided on the main body of the printer 50 for moving (retracting) the tray holding member 57 constitute a retraction mechanism.

Next, the retracting mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams in which the cartridge tray 56 and the process cartridge 100 are removed from the printer 5 ° in order to explain the retracting mechanism. FIG. 6A shows the door 58 closed. At this time, on the front side of the tray holding member 57, the supported portion 5 71 1 force S provided on the tray holding member 57 is supported by the first supporting portion 50 2 fixed to the printer 50 main body. Yes. Further, on the back side of the tray holding member 5 7, the tray holding member 5 7 and the printer 50 main body are rotatably coupled by a link mechanism 5 0 1, and the link mechanism is connected to the second support portion 5 0 3. It is supported by. Thus, the tray holding member 57 is positioned in the printer 50 main body.

When the door 58 is opened from this state, the state shown in FIG. 6B is obtained. That is, the urging portion 5 8 1 force S provided on the door 5 8 and the tray holding member 5 7 are lifted to the near side (D 2 direction) and upward (Y 1 direction). As a result, the link mechanism 5 0 1 also rotates, and the entire tray holding member 5 7 is lifted forward and upward.

As the photosensitive drum 1 is lifted from the intermediate transfer belt 52 in this way, the photosensitive drum 1 is guided by the tray holding member 57, and the photosensitive drum 1 is intermediate when the cartridge tray 56 is slid in the D1 and D2 directions. This prevents sliding with the transfer belt 52. Then, with the cartridge tray 5 6 moved in the Y1 direction, pull it out in the D2 direction (the movement trajectory at this time is indicated by the arrow Y3 in Fig. 2), so that the cartridge tray 5 6 Can be pulled out. Conversely, the case where the process cartridge 100 is mounted on the printer 50 will be described.

The cartridge tray 56 holds the process cartridge 100 (100 a, 10 O b, 100 c, 100 d) roughly. When the cartridge 58 is received in the printer 50 and the door 58 is closed, the tray holding member 57 and the cartridge tray 56 moves in the Y2 direction in Figure 2. Thereafter, the position of the process cartridge 100 is determined from above by being pressed against a positioning portion provided on a side plate (not shown) of the printer 50, and the photosensitive drum 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 52 come into contact with each other. In this way, the process cartridge 100 is returned to the mounted state (the cartridge tray 56 is mounted) as shown in FIG. That is, the cartridge tray 56 returns to the internal position (inside position) for positioning the process cartridge 100 in the printer 50 main body (inside the apparatus main body).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge tray 56 is provided with partition plates 61 (61 a, 61 b, 61 c) between the process cartridges. Concave portions 59 (59 a, 59 b, 59 c) are provided at predetermined intervals on both ends.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tray holding member 57 is rotatably provided with a roller 60 as a rotating member in order to make the movement of the cartridge tray 56 smooth.

When the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out, the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out while sliding on the roller 60 provided on the tray holding member 57, and the recess 59 (59a, 59b, 59c) is applied to (engaged with) the roller 60. In this configuration, the cartridge tray 56 stops. That is, each time the process cartridge is exposed to the outside of the printer 50 main body, the cartridge tray 56 is locked to the printer 50 main body. Here, the concave portion 59 (59 a, 59 b, 59 c) and the roller 60 are arranged so that the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out from the printer 50 main body. P2008 / 073929

In 10 state, it forms a locking mechanism that locks the cartridge tray 56 to the printer body.

A configuration in which the cartridge tray 56 stops will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. 8A and 8B are schematic perspective views showing the mouth 60 viewed from the direction A (the lower side of the tray) in FIG. 3, and FIG. 8A shows that the cartridge tray 56 is moving. FIG. 8B shows a state where the cartridge tray 56 is stopped.

A state in which the cartridge tray 56 stops at the position of the recess 59c to replace the process cartridge 100d will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the cartridge tray 5 6 is pulled out along the tray holding member 5 7 in the direction of arrow B 1 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B (corresponding to the direction D 2 shown in FIG. 2). Then, the cartridge tray 56 moves while sliding on the follower rotating roller 6◦. By providing the roller 60, the cartridge tray 56 can be smoothly inserted and removed.

After that, when the concave portions 59 c provided at both ends of the cartridge tray 56 reach the position of the roller 60, the concave portion 59 c rides on the roller 60, and then the cartridge tray 56 is shown in FIG. It falls in the direction indicated by arrow B 3 (corresponding to the direction Y 2 shown in Fig. 2). In this way, the roller 60 is sandwiched (engaged) by the recess 59c, whereby the movement operation of the cartridge tray 56 is stopped. In this way, the cartridge tray 56 is locked to the printer 50 main body. When the movement operation of the cartridge tray 56 stops, the cartridge tray 56 falls in the direction of arrow B3 shown in FIG. 8B, so that the user can obtain a click feeling (operation feeling).

In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the process cartridge 100 d can be removed upward from the printer 50, and the process cartridge 100 d can be replaced.

After that, when you continue to remove the process cartridge 1 0 0 c, 8B, when further pulled out in the direction of arrow B 1, the recess 59c provided in the cartridge tray 56 passes over the roller 60. When the concave portion 59b reaches the position of the roller 60, the cartridge tray 56 stops with the same movement as that of the concave portion 59c. In this state, the process cartridge 100 c can be replaced. The same applies to the process cartridge 1 0 0 b.

Regarding the replacement of the process cartridge 1 0 0 a located on the farthest side (upstream) in the pull-out direction (D 2 direction), it can be taken out and replaced as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the cartridge tray 56 is pulled in the direction of arrow D2 shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge tray 56 is stopped by a stopper (regulator) (not shown) provided in the printer 50. It will be. In this state, the process cartridge 100 0 a can be taken out and replaced with respect to the cartridge tray 56. Here, the stopper is the position where the cartridge tray 5 6 is fully pulled out from the printer 50 (this position is referred to as “detaching position” = “outside position”). The printer 50 is provided so as to be locked to the main body (stopping or restricting the movement operation).

Further, regarding the replacement of the process cartridge 100, for example, a case of replacing only 100 c will be described.

Similarly, when replacing only one process cartridge 100c, pull out the force cartridge tray 56 in the direction of arrow D2 shown in FIG. Then, the concave portion 5 9 c of the cartridge tray 56 is first applied to the roller 60 provided on the tray holding member 57, and the cartridge tray 56 stops. In this state, when the cartridge tray 56 is further pulled in the direction of the arrow D2, the recess 59c gets over the roller 60, and the cartridge tray 56 can be further pulled out. Then, the process cartridge 100c can be replaced while the recess 59b is at the position of the roller 60 and the cartridge tray 56 is stopped.

When installing the process cartridge 10 0 into the printer 50 PT / JP2008 / 073929

The opposite of 12 will be around 1.

For example, when the process cartridge 10 0 d is installed, the cartridge tray 5 6 is pulled out to the position where the roller 60 of the tray holding member 5 7 and the recess 59 c are engaged (the state shown in FIG. 3). ) Place process cartridge 1 0 0 d on cartridge tray 5 6.

After that, by pushing the cartridge tray 56 in the direction of arrow D 1 shown in FIG. The

Then, by closing the door 58, the tray holding member 57 and the cartridge tray 56 move in the direction of the arrow Y2 shown in FIG. 2, and then a pressing member (not shown) provided in the printer 50 As a result, the photosensitive drum 1 is positioned at a positioning portion (not shown) of the image forming apparatus. As a result, the photosensitive drum 1 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 5 2.

Here, market research results show that black process cartridges are most frequently used.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the process cartridge 10 0 0 d containing black toner at the top (downstream) in the direction of pulling out the cartridge tray 56, that is, in the direction of arrow D 2 (one direction) shown in FIG. It is arranged. In other words, a process cartridge with a high replacement frequency is arranged at the head in the direction of pulling out the cartridge tray 56, and the cartridge tray 56 is locked when the process cartridge with a high replacement frequency is pulled out from the printer 50 main body. Yes. This configuration eliminates the need for the user to pull out the cartridge tray 5 6 when replacing the topmost process cartridge (process cartridge 10 0 0 d) in the direction of pulling out the cartridge tray 56. The complexity associated with the exchange can be reduced. In this way, the black process cartridge tends to be replaced more frequently than other process cartridges due to the highest consumption. It is easy to replace the wedge.

On the other hand, for example, when the innermost side of the cartridge tray 56 (the inside of the printer) is a black process cartridge, the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out every time in order to replace the black process force. There is a need. In such a case, there is a concern that the burden on the user will increase due to the weight.

As described above, in this embodiment, there is provided a configuration in which the process cartridge 100 is accommodated in the cartridge tray 56 that can be pulled out from the printer 50 body, and the process cartridge is exchanged by the front access. And when exchanging a predetermined process cartridge, the cartridge tray 56 stops at a predetermined position where it can be easily exchanged, and the process cartridge can be easily replaced. As a result, it is possible to improve user patience (convenience).

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a printer provided with a process cartridge 100 d having a large toner storage amount with respect to the printer shown in FIG. 1 as another embodiment.

As another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the maximum storage of toner from other process cartridges 1 0 0 (1 0 0 a, 1 0 0 b, 1 0 0 c) out of process cartridges 1 0 0 It is also possible to arrange a large amount of process cartridge 100 d as follows. That is, the process cartridge 100 0 d is arranged in the direction in which the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out, that is, in the direction of the arrow D 2 shown in FIG.

At this time, it is assumed that the black toner is contained in the process cartridge 100 0 d having a larger toner capacity than the others. In this way, the replacement frequency of black process cartridges increases due to high consumption. Reduce the replacement frequency of black process cartridges by increasing the toner capacity of OO d. Is possible.

Here, if one process cartridge has a larger toner capacity than other process cartridges, the cartridge tray 56 will be heavier. In such a case, a large load is applied to the cartridge tray 56 when the process cartridge is replaced. Therefore, when a process cartridge with a large amount of toner is placed at the back of the cartridge tray 56, it is necessary to pull out the cartridge tray 56 every time to replace the cartridge. There is concern that the burden will increase. In that sense, the burden on the user can be reduced by placing the black process cartridge 100 d with a large capacity toner storage at the top of the cartridge tray 56 in the pulling out direction. User convenience is improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the position where the cartridge tray 56 is locked to the printer 50 main body is such that the roller 60 of the tray holding member 57 is a recess 59 9 a, provided in the cartridge tray 56. The positions were engaged with 5 9 b and 5 9 c, respectively. Also in this case, as described above, the process cartridge that is more frequently replaced than other process cartridges because it is the most consumed at the top of the direction in which the cartridge tray 56 is pulled out (direction of arrow D2 shown in FIG. 2). It is good to provide. With such a configuration, only the process cartridge with a high replacement frequency is pulled out from the printer 50 main body, and the cartridge tray 56 is engaged with the printer 50 main body by the engagement between the recess 59c and the roller 60. It will be stopped. This facilitates replacement of process cartridges that are frequently replaced.

In the above embodiment, the case where the roller 60 is attached to the tray holding member 57 and the force cartridge tray 56 has the recess 59 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the roller 60 is arranged in the cartridge tray 56 and the corresponding recess 59 is provided in the tray holding member 57, the same as in the above embodiment. An effect is obtained. In this embodiment, the process cartridge has been described using the photosensitive drum 1. However, the present invention can be applied to a cartridge that does not have the photosensitive drum 1. In the above embodiment, the intermediate transfer member is used as the transfer member. However, the transfer member may be a recording medium conveying member that conveys the recording medium and transfers the image agent image onto the recording medium. .

In the above embodiment, as a means for stopping the cartridge tray 56, the roller 60 engaged with the concave portion 59 of the cartridge tray 56 is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the tray holding member 5 7 is provided with a convex portion instead of the roller 60, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, in the above embodiment, the cartridge tray 56 is provided with a plurality of recesses 59 (59a, 59b, 59c), and the rollers 60 that engage with the recesses are attached to the tray holding member 57. Although only one is provided, it is not limited to this. In order to make the movement of the cartridge tray 56 more smooth as the roller 60 engaging with the recess, for example, a plurality of rollers may be arranged. In such a case, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained by making the interval between the plurality of rollers 60 and the interval between the plurality of recesses 59 the same. It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of implementation in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited way by these embodiments. . In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2 0 0 8-0 0 2 3 9 5 filed on Jan. 9, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As part of the application.

Claims

16 Scope of request

1. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, an apparatus main body having a transfer member for transferring a developer image to the recording medium, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed A plurality of cartridges each including at least one of a developing roller that forms the developer image by developing the electrostatic latent image; and

The plurality of cartridges are detachably supported, an inner position where all of the plurality of cartridges are located inside the apparatus main body, and an outer position where all of the plurality of force cartridges are located outside the apparatus main body. A support member attached to the apparatus main body so as to be movable along the arrangement direction of the cartridges between

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The locking mechanism is

A recess provided in either the support member or the apparatus main body, and a protrusion provided in the other of the support member or the apparatus main body,

At least one of the concave portion and the convex portion is arranged at a predetermined interval along the arrangement direction;

2. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is locked with respect to the apparatus main body when the concave portion and the convex portion are engaged with each other.

3. The convex portion rotates in contact with the one of the support member or the apparatus main body to move the support member from the inner position to the outer position. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is a member.

4. Each of the plurality of cartridges contains a developer used in the developing roller,

4. The electrophotographic image according to claim 1, wherein the developer stored in the force cartridge positioned closest to the outer position among the plurality of cartridges is black. 5. Forming equipment.

5. Each of the plurality of cartridges contains a developer used in the developing roller,

2. The amount of developer stored in the force cartridge positioned closest to the outer position among the plurality of cartridges is larger than the amount of developer stored in other cartridges. 5. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of 4.

6. Each of the plurality of cartridges has an electrophotographic photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image developed by the developing roller is formed. Electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

7. The apparatus body has a retracting mechanism for retracting the support member from the transfer member,

The said support member is movable in the said arrangement | positioning direction with respect to the said apparatus main body in the state retracted | saved from the said transfer member with the said evacuation mechanism, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Electrophotographic image forming apparatus.