Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
An image forming apparatus, comprising a rotating image carrier, a developer for forming a toner image on a surface of the image carrier, a pickup roller for removing a medium in a cut sheet form from a hopper, a regist roller for introducing the medium removed by the pickup roller into a printing zone, a fuser for fixing the toner image on the medium, and an eject roller for discharging the medium from the printing zone, characterized in that a single motor selectively rotatable in the normal direction and the reverse direction according to commands output from a control unit is provided for driving the aforesaid rotating elements; a torque derived from said motor being transmitted, on one hand, to the pickup roller through a first transmission system incorporating a one-way clutch, which transmits only one directional rotation of the motor, and on the other hand, to rotating elements other than pickup roller through a second transmission system incorporating another one-way clutch, which transmits only the opposite directional rotation of the motor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
172 words
An image forming apparatus, comprising a rotating image carrier, a developer for forming a toner image on a surface of the image carrier, a pickup roller for removing a medium in a cut sheet form from a hopper, a regist roller for introducing the medium removed by the pickup roller into a printing zone, a fuser for fixing the toner image on the medium, and an eject roller for discharging the medium from the printing zone, characterized in that a single motor selectively rotatable in the normal direction and the reverse direction according to commands output from a control unit is provided for driving the aforesaid rotating elements; a torque derived from said motor being transmitted, on one hand, to the pickup roller through a first transmission system incorporating a one-way clutch, which transmits only one directional rotation of the motor, and on the other hand, to rotating elements other than pickup roller through a second transmission system incorporating another one-way clutch, which transmits only the opposite directional rotation of the motor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
129 words
An image forming apparatus as defined by claim 1, characterized in that a housing accommodating said elements of the printer is a clam type comprising a lower cover unit and an upper frame unit hinged on the former at the rear end thereof so that both units are detachably connected to each other, and in which the motor, the image carrier, the developer, and a gear box relating to the motor and constituting a part of the transmission system are accommodated in the lower cover unit and the rollers for transporting the medium through the printer are accommodated in the upper frame unit so that, when both units are detached from each other, the rollers in the upper frame unit are completely separated from the gear box and motor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
An image forming apparatus as defined by claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of hoppers, each provided with a pickup roller and connected to the transmission system through a magnetic clutch are provided, so that any one thereof can be selectively driven by the transmission system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
An image forming apparatus as defined by any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotating image carrier is integrally incorporated in a process cartridge with the developer, and the fuser is integrally incorporated in a fuser unit with a cooling fan and the eject roller.