Tray mounted process and toner cartridges

Abstract

An image forming apparatus (100) includes an opening (104), a main body (102) coupled to the opening including a tray receiving space (108), a tray (202) detachably coupled to the tray receiving space, a process cartridge (310) detachably coupled to the tray, and a toner cartridge (320) detachably coupled to the process cartridge and the tray.

Description

Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512TRAY MOUNTED PROCESS AND TONER CARTRIDGESBACKGROUND

[0001] In general, an image forming apparatus refers to a device that may generate, print, receive, and transmit image data. For example, an image forming apparatus may refer to a printer, a scanner, a copier, a fax machine, or a multi-function peripheral implemented by integrating a plurality of functions of such devices. An image forming apparatus may output data to a printing medium using printing material in a cartridge.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] FIG. 1A depicts a cross-sectional view of an example image forming apparatus including a tray in a first position.

[0003] FIG. IB depicts a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1A with the tray in a second position.

[0004] FIG. 2 depicts a cross section view of another example image forming apparatus.

[0005] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of an example tray of the image forming apparatus of FIGS. 1A and IB with an example process cartridge and an example toner cartridge.

[0006] FIG. 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 3 with an example process cartridge and an example toner cartridge.

[0007] FIG. 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 3 with two example process cartridges and two example toner cartridges.

[0008] FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 3 with two example process cartridges and an example extended toner cartridge.

[0009] FIG. 7 depicts a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 3 with two example process cartridges, an example waste cartridge, and an example toner cartridge.

[0010] FIG. 8 depicts a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 3 with two example organic photoconductor cartridges and two example developing cartridges.

[0011] FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of the process cartridge and the toner cartridge of FIG. 3 with an example shutter assembly.4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512

[0012] FIG. 10 depicts a side view of the process cartridge and the toner cartridge of FIG. 3 with the shutter assembly of FIG. 9.

[0013] FIG. 11 depicts a side view of the process cartridge of FIG. 3 and a first portion of the shutter assembly of FIG. 9.

[0014] FIG. 12 depicts a side view of the toner cartridge of FIG. 3 and a second portion of the shutter assembly of FIG. 9.

[0015] FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of the shutter assembly of FIG. 9.

[0016] FIG. 14 depicts a cross-sectional view of the shutter assembly of FIG. 9.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Reference is now made to the figures. Although the figures and aspects of the disclosure can show or describe structures herein as having a particular shape, it should be understood that such shapes are merely illustrative and should not be considered limiting to the scope of the techniques described herein. For example, the examples described herein can be implemented in any shape or geometry for any material or layer to achieve desired results. It should be understood that like reference numerals may refer to like elements throughout, repetitive descriptions of which may be omitted. It should be also noted that in the drawings, the dimensions of the features are not intended to be to true scale and may be exaggerated for the sake of allowing greater understanding.

[0018] An image forming apparatus (IF A) may be used to form a printing image on a printing medium (e.g., paper) using printing material in process cartridges mounted in the IF A. The IFA may include a tray that moves between a mounting position where a user may mount the process cartridges onto the tray and an image forming position where the IFA may use the printing material in the process cartridges to form the printing image on the printing medium. Such trays may define slots that receive the process cartridges when the process cartridges are mounted to the trays. When the trays are utilized in color IF As, each of the slots of the trays may receive a process cartridge with a different color of toner that is utilized by the color IF As to form the printing image on the printing medium. For example, the tray utilized in a color IFA may receive four process cartridges with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner. Mono IFAs (e.g., IF As that print in monochromatic colors, etc.) utilizing trays4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 configured for color IF As may receive fewer of the process cartridges than a number of the slots of the tray. It should be appreciated, therefore, that implementing cartridge configurations in the mono IF As that utilize a greater number of the slots of the tray may increase a utilization of space within the tray. Additionally, when the trays utilized in the mono IFAs are the same trays that are utilized in the color IFAs, flexibility when manufacturing the mono IFAs and / or the color IFAs may be increased. Furthermore, the process cartridges utilized in the IFAs may both store the printing material and include printing components that form the printing image on the printing medium. When the process cartridges run out of the printing material, the process cartridges may need be replaced with other of the process cartridges to continue operation of the IFAs, even when the printing components are still operational (e.g., still have a portion of an operational lifespan remaining, etc.). It should be further appreciated, therefore, that mounting toner cartridges on the tray (e.g., in otherwise empty slots of the tray, etc.) that deliver printing material to the process cartridges mounted on the tray to increase an operational lifespan of the process cartridges may be of interest.

[0019] Examples disclosed herein provide an image forming apparatus that may include a tray that can be moved between a mounting position and an image forming position. A process cartridge may provide toner images that are utilized to form print images on print material and a toner cartridge may deliver toner to the process cartridge may be detachably mounted on the tray. The process cartridge may be received by a first slot of the tray and the toner cartridge may be received by a second slot of the tray. The process cartridge and / or the toner cartridge may include a connection member to deliver the toner stored in the toner cartridge to the process cartridge. When the toner cartridge runs out of toner, the toner cartridge may be replaced with a replacement toner cartridge without replacing the process cartridge such that the process cartridge may continue to be utilized by the image forming apparatus to form the printing image on the printing medium using toner delivered to the process cartridge by the replacement toner cartridge. In some examples, the tray may be utilized in either color image forming apparatuses or mono image forming apparatuses to allow for flexibility when manufacturing the color image forming apparatuses and / or the mono image forming apparatuses.

[0020] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus may include a shutter assembly that selectively allows for the toner cartridge to deliver the toner to the process cartridge. The4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 shutter assembly may allow for the toner cartridge to deliver the toner to the process cartridge when the tray is in the image forming position and prevent the toner cartridge from delivering the toner to the process cartridge when the tray is in the mounting position. By restricting the toner cartridge from providing the toner to the process cartridge when the tray is in the mounting position, the shutter assembly may prevent the toner cartridge and / or the process cartridge from leaking toner.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1A, an example image forming apparatus 100 used to form a printing image includes a main body 102 including an opening 104, a tray 202 positioned in an image forming position, a process cartridge 310 (e.g., an image forming cartridge, etc.) detachably mounted to the tray 202, a toner cartridge 320 (e.g., a supply cartridge, a storage cartridge, etc.) detachably and independently mounted on the tray 202 upstream of the process cartridge 310 in an image forming direction (IFD), and a connection member 322 provided in the toner cartridge 320 to deliver printing material (e.g., toner, etc.) from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. The printing material may be a material utilized to form images and / or text onto a printing medium, such as paper. For example, the printing material may be a toner that may be applied to a printing medium and fused to the printing medium to fix the images and / or the text onto the printing medium. As another example, a printer may apply and / or fix the printing material onto the printing medium in order to print a printing material image onto the printing medium. The image forming direction may correspond to a direction of travel of an intermediate transfer belt of the image forming apparatus 100 that receives the printing material from the process cartridge 310 and transfers the print material to the printing medium. The image forming direction may correspond to the direction of travel of the intermediate transfer belt past the process cartridge 310. For example, the image forming direction may correspond to the direction of travel of the intermediate transfer belt as the intermediate transfer belt receives the print material from the process cartridge 310.

[0022] The tray 202 may be for carrying cartridges (e.g., the process cartridge 310, the toner cartridge 320, etc.) thereon. The process cartridge 310 may receive inputs (e.g., user inputs, light inputs, etc.) associated with desired printing images and provide printing material images (e.g., toner images, etc.) formed out of the printing material corresponding to the desired printing images that can be transferred to a print medium (e.g., paper, card stock, etc.) to form the desired printing images on the print medium. The process cartridge 310 may receive the inputs and / or provide the printing material images formed out of the printing4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 material when the tray 202 is in the image forming position. The toner cartridge 320 may store the printing material and provide the printing material to the process cartridge 310 so that the process cartridge 310 can form the printing material images out of the printing material received form the toner cartridge 320. The toner cartridge 320 may selectively provide the toner to the process cartridge 310 when the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are mounted on the tray 202. As a result, when one of the toner cartridges 320 runs out of the toner, one of the toner cartridges 320 may be replaced with another of the toner cartridges 320 without replacing the process cartridge 310. In other examples, the process cartridge 310 may both store the printing material and forms the printing material images out of the printing material. The connection member 322 (e.g., a connection portion, a toner connection portion, etc.) may connect the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310 so that the toner cartridge 320 may provide the printing material to the process cartridge 310. In other examples, a connection member is provided in the process cartridge 310 to deliver the printing material from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310.

[0023] As shown in FIG. IB, the tray 202 may be movable from the image forming position to a mounting position in a tray drawing direction (TDD). When the tray 202 is in the mounting position, a user may mount the process cartridge 310 and / or the toner cartridge 320 on the tray 202 and / or replace the process cartridge 310 and / or the toner cartridge 320 mounted on the tray 202 with another of the process cartridge 310 and / or the toner cartridge 320. The tray 202 may move in an opening direction when the tray 202 is moving from the image forming position to the mounting position and in a closing direction when the tray 202 is moving from the mounting position to the image forming position. The figures and the description below illustrate and describe various examples of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, another example image forming apparatus 100 used to form a printing image includes the main body 102, a print medium feeding apparatus 110 to feed a print medium P, a transferring apparatus 120, an exposure apparatus 140 to emit a predetermined light corresponding to print data in accordance with a print command received by the image forming apparatus 100, a developing apparatus 200 to receive the light emitted by the exposure apparatus 140 and output a toner image based on the light to the transferring apparatus 120 to be transferred to the print medium P by the transferring apparatus 120, a fixing apparatus 150 to apply heat and / or pressure onto the print medium P to fix the toner4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 image onto the print medium P, and a print medium discharging apparatus 160 to discharge the print medium P. The print medium P may be paper, cardstock, fabric, plastic, and / or any other material where the image forming apparatus 100 forms the printing image. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 102 includes the opening 104 (e.g., a tray receiving space, etc.) that receives the developing apparatus 200 and an aperture 106 extending through the main body 102 that provides access into the opening 104.

[0025] According to the example shown in FIG. 2, the developing apparatus 200 includes the tray 202 (e.g., a cartridge tray, etc.), a first process cartridge 310a and a second process cartridge 310b (together the process cartridges 310, and individually, the process cartridge 310) detachably mounted on the tray 202, and a first toner cartridge 320a and a second toner cartridge 320b (together the toner cartridges 320, and individually, the toner cartridge 320) detachably mounted on the tray 202. The process cartridges 310 may receive the light emitted by the exposure apparatus 140 and output the toner image to the transferring apparatus 120 when the tray 202 is in the image forming position. The first toner cartridge 320a may provide toner to the first process cartridge 310a and the second toner cartridge 320b provides toner to the second process cartridge 310b. The toner cartridges 320 may be independently (e.g., separately, etc.) mounted on the tray 202 from the process cartridges 310. The tray 202 may receive the process cartridges 310 and / or the toner cartridges 320 and may be for carrying the process cartridge 310 and / or the toner cartridge 320 mounted thereon. In some examples, the image forming apparatus 100 may be a mono image forming apparatus (e.g., a monochromatic image forming apparatus, a mono printer, etc.) that utilizes toner to form the printing images and the tray 202 may be a tray that is utilized in a color image forming apparatus (e.g., a color image forming apparatus, a color printer, etc.). As a result, the same of the tray 202 may be utilized in either the mono image forming apparatus or the color image forming apparatus.

[0026] In some instances, the tray 202 may be detachably coupled to at least a portion of the opening 104. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 104 includes a cartridge tray receiving space 108 that selectively receives the tray 202. According to an example, the tray 202 aligns with the aperture 106 of the main body 102 and extends through the aperture 106 when the tray 202 is in the mounting position. As a result, a user of the image forming apparatus 100 may access the process cartridges 310 and / or the toner cartridges 320 mounted on the tray 202 without entering the opening 104.4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512

[0027] The transferring apparatus 120 transfers the toner image formed by the developing apparatus 200 to the print medium P. As shown in FIG. 2, the transferring apparatus 120 includes an intermediate transfer belt 122 (e.g., a belt, etc.) that receives the toner image formed by the developing apparatus 200. The intermediate transfer belt 122 may be driven to perform an endless orbital motion. The intermediate transfer belt 122 may contact the cartridge tray receiving space 108 such that the intermediate transfer belt 122 may receive the toner from the process cartridges 310. The toner cartridge 320 may be positioned upstream and / or downstream of the process cartridge 310 in an image forming direction (TFD) 124 that corresponds to a direction of travel of the intermediate transfer belt past the process cartridge 310 as the process cartridge 310 deposits the toner images onto the intermediate transfer belt 122. By way of example, if the intermediate transfer belt 122 traveling in the image forming direction 124 passes the toner cartridge 320 prior to passing the process cartridge 310, the toner cartridge 320 may be considered to be positioned upstream of the process cartridge 310. By way of another example, if the intermediate transfer belt 122 traveling in the image forming direction 124 passes the toner cartridge 320 after passing a second of the process cartridge 310, the first of the toner cartridge 320 may be considered to be positioned downstream of the second of the process cartridge 310.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the tray 202 includes a base portion 204, a plurality of tray walls 206 extending from a periphery of the base portion 204, and a plurality of dividers 208 extending between the tray walls 206. The tray walls 206 and the dividers 208 may cooperatively define a plurality of slots 210 (e.g., mounting areas, etc.) that may receive the process cartridges 310 and / or the toner cartridges 320 when the process cartridges 310 and / or the toner cartridges 320 are mounted on the tray 202. According to the example shown in FIG. 3, the tray walls 206 and the dividers 208 cooperatively define four of the slots 210, shown as a first slot 210a, a second slot 210b, a third slot 210c, and a fourth slot 21 Od (together the slots 210, and individually, the slot 210). In other examples, the tray 202 may include a single of the dividers 208. By way of example, the single of the dividers 208 and the tray walls 206 may cooperatively define a first of the slots 210 on a first side of the single of the dividers 208 and a second of the slots 210 on a second opposing side of the second of the dividers 208.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the tray walls 206 include a forward tray wall 212 extending from a forward periphery of the base portion 204, a rearward tray wall 214 extending from4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 an opposing rearward periphery of the base portion 204, a first tray sidewall 216 extending from a first side periphery of the base portion 204, and a second tray sidewall 218 extending from a second opposing side periphery of the base portion 204. The forward tray wall 212 may be oriented parallel to the rearward tray wall 214 and perpendicular to the first tray sidewall 216 and the second tray sidewall 218. The dividers 208 may extend between the first tray sidewall 216 and the second tray sidewall 218. By way of example, a first of the dividers 208, a second of the dividers 208, and a third of the dividers 208 may extend between the first tray sidewall 216 and the second tray sidewall 218. The first of the dividers 208, the forward tray wall 212, the first tray sidewall 216, and the second tray sidewall 218 may cooperatively define the first slot 210a. The first of the dividers 208, the first tray sidewall 216, the second tray sidewall 218, and the second of the dividers 208 may cooperatively define the second slot 210b. The third of the dividers 208, the first tray sidewall 216, the second tray sidewall 218, and the second of the dividers 208 may cooperatively define the third slot 210c. The third of the dividers 208, the first tray sidewall 216, the second tray sidewall 218, and the rearward tray wall 214 may cooperatively define the fourth slot 210d.

[0030] The tray 202 may define a plurality of base apertures 220 extending through the base portion 204, for example. The base apertures 220 may allow for the process cartridge 310 to extend through the base portion 204 when the process cartridge 310 is received by the tray 202. By way of example, when the process cartridge 310 is received by the tray 202 and the tray 202 is in the print forming position, the process cartridge 310 may extend through the base apertures 220 to contact the intermediate transfer belt 122 such that the process cartridge 310 may transfer the toner images to the intermediate transfer belt 122. The base apertures 220 may align with the slots 210 such that the process cartridge 310 aligns with and may be received by the base apertures 220 when the process cartridge 310 is mounted on the tray 202.

[0031] In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 are detachably mounted on the tray 202. The toner cartridge 320 may be detachably mounted on the tray 202 independently from the process cartridge 310. The process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 may each be received within one of the slots 210 when the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 are detachably mounted on the tray 202. By way of example, the process cartridge 310 may be detachably coupled to the first slot 210a and the toner cartridge 320 may be detachably coupled to the second slot 210b that is adjacent to the first of the slots 210. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 cartridge 320 is detachably coupled to the process cartridge 310 to deliver the toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. By way of example, the toner cartridge 320 may selectively provide the toner to the process cartridge 310 such that the process cartridge 310 may form the toner images utilizing the toner received from the toner cartridge 320.

[0032] In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner cartridge 320 is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the process cartridge 310 relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122. By way of example, the toner cartridge 320 may be received in the second slot 210b positioned upstream of the first slot 210a that receives the process cartridge 310 relative to the image forming direction 124 (e.g., a transfer belt movement direction, etc.) of the intermediate transfer belt 122. By way of another example, the process cartridge 310 may be coupled to the fourth slot 210d and the toner cartridge 320 may be coupled to the third slot 210c. The intermediate transfer belt 122 may move in the image forming direction 124 past the fourth slot 21 Od to the third slot 210c. In other examples, when the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 that delivers the toner to the process cartridge 310 are detachably mounted on the tray 202, the toner cartridge 320 is mounted to the tray 202 downstream of the process cartridge 310 relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122.

[0033] In the example shown in FIG. 5, the first process cartridge 310a, the second process cartridge 310b, the first toner cartridge 320a, and the second toner cartridge 320b are detachably mounted on the tray 202. The first toner cartridge 320a may deliver first toner to the first process cartridge 310a and the second toner cartridge 320b may deliver second toner to the second process cartridge 310b. The first toner cartridge 320a and the second toner cartridge 320b may store and provide different colors of toner to the first process cartridge 310a and the second process cartridge 310b respectively. By way of example, the first toner cartridge 320a may provide a black toner (e.g., a black printing material, etc.) to the first process cartridge 310a, the first process cartridge 310a may provide a first toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 122 formed from the black toner, the second toner cartridge 320b may provide at least one of a white toner, a transparent toner, or a red toner (e.g., at least one of a white, transparent, or red printing material, etc.) to the second process cartridge 310b, and the second process cartridge 310b may provide a second toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 122 formed from the at least one of the white toner, the transparent toner, or the red toner. The first process cartridge 310a providing the black toner may be positioned4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 downstream of the second process cartridge 310b providing the at least one of the white toner, the transparent toner, or the red toner relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122.

[0034] According to the example shown in FIG. 5, the first toner cartridge 320a is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the first process cartridge 310a, the second process cartridge 310b is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the first toner cartridge 320a, and the second toner cartridge 320b is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the second process cartridge 310b. By way of example, the first toner cartridge 320a may be received in the second slot 210b positioned upstream of the first slot 210a that receives the first process cartridge 310a relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122, the second process cartridge 310b may be received in the third slot 210c positioned upstream of the second slot 210b that receives the first toner cartridge 320a relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122, and the second toner cartridge 320b may be received in the fourth slot 210d positioned upstream of the third slot 210c relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122. By way of another example, the first process cartridge 310a may be coupled to the first slot 210a, the first toner cartridge 320a may be coupled to the second slot 210b, the second process cartridge 310b may be coupled to the third slot 210c, and the second toner cartridge 320b may be coupled to the fourth slot 210d. The intermediate transfer belt 122 may move in the image forming direction 124 past the fourth slot 210d to the third slot 210c to the second slot 210b to the first slot 210a. In other examples, the second toner cartridge 320b may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 downstream of the first process cartridge 310a, the second process cartridge 310b may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 downstream of the first process cartridge 310a, and / or the second toner cartridge 320b may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the second process cartridge 310b relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122.

[0035] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first process cartridge 310a, the second process cartridge 310b, and the second process cartridge 310b are detachably mounted on the tray 202 and the toner cartridge 320 is an extended toner cartridge 330 that is received by two or more of the slots 210 (e.g., covers two or more mounting areas, etc.) when the extended toner cartridge 330 is detachably mounted on the tray 202. The extended toner cartridge 330 may deliver the toner stored in the extended toner cartridge 330 to the first process cartridge 310a.4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512The second process cartridge 310b may store toner within the second process cartridge 310b. The extended toner cartridge 330 may store a greater amount of toner than the toner cartridges 320 that are received by a single of the slots 210 when the toner cartridges 320 are detachably mounted to the tray 202. The toner cartridge may be detachably mounted to cover one or more slots 210. By way of example, a first of the toner cartridge 320 that is received by a single of the slots 210 when the first of the toner cartridges 320 is mounted on the tray 202 may store a first volume of toner and the extended toner cartridge 330 may store a second volume of toner that is greater than the first volume of toner. The second volume of toner may be two times as large as the first volume of toner when the extended toner cartridge 330 is received by two of the slots 210 when the extended toner cartridge 330 is detachably mounted on the tray 202. The second volume of toner may be three times as large as the first volume of toner when the extended toner cartridge 330 is received by three of the slots 210 when the extended toner cartridge 330 is detachably mounted on the tray 202.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the extended toner cartridge 330 and the first process cartridge 310a may store and provide a different color of toner than the second process cartridge 310b. The toner stored and provided by the extended toner cartridge 330 and the first process cartridge 310a may be a toner that is utilized at a higher rate (e.g., with a higher frequency, etc.) than the toner stored and provided by the second process cartridge 310b. By way of example, the extended toner cartridge 330 and the first process cartridge 310a may store and provide a black toner to the intermediate transfer belt 122 and the second process cartridge 310b may store and provide at least one of a white toner, a transparent toner, or a red toner when the printing images formed on the printing material P by the image forming apparatus 100 include a majority of black features. As a result, the extended toner cartridge 330 may allow for additional printing images to be formed on the printing material P without having to replace the extended toner cartridge 330 and / or the second process cartridge 310b since the toner stored and provided by the second process cartridge 310b is being used at a lower rate than the toner stored by the extended toner cartridge 330.

[0037] According to the example shown in FIG. 6, the extended toner cartridge 330 is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the first process cartridge 310a and the second process cartridge 310b is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the extended toner cartridge 330. By way of example, the first process cartridge 310a may be received in the first slot 210a, the extended toner cartridge 330 may be received in the second slot 210b and the4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 third slot 210c positioned upstream of the first slot 210a relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122, and the second process cartridge 310b may be received in the fourth slot 210d positioned upstream of the third of the slots 210 relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122. By way of another example, the first process cartridge 310a may be coupled to the first slot 210a, the extended toner cartridge 330 may be coupled to the second slot 210b and the third slot 210c, and the second process cartridge 310b may be coupled to the fourth slot 210d. The intermediate transfer belt 122 may move in the image forming direction 124 past the fourth slot 210d to the third slot 210c to the second slot 210b to the first slot 210a. In other examples, the extended toner cartridge 330 may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 downstream of the first process cartridge 310a and / or the second process cartridge 310b may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 downstream of the extended toner cartridge 330.

[0038] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first process cartridge 310a, the second process cartridge 310b, the toner cartridge 320, and a waste toner cartridge 340 are detachably mounted on the tray 202. The waste toner cartridge 340 may be received within at least one of the slots 210 when the waste toner cartridge 340 is detachably mounted on the tray 202. The waste toner cartridge 340 may receive and store the waste toner that is generated by the first process cartridge 310a during the image forming process. The waste toner cartridge 340 may selectively receive the waste toner from the first process cartridge 310a when the waste toner cartridge 340 and the first process cartridge 310a are mounted on the tray 202. By way of example, the first process cartridge 310a may be received by the second slot 210b when the process cartridge 310 is detachably mounted on the tray 202 and the waste toner cartridge 340 may be received by the first slot 210a adjacent to the second slot 210b when the waste toner cartridge 340 is detachably mounted on the tray 202 independently of the first process cartridge 310a . The first process cartridge 310a may selectively provide the waste toner to the waste toner cartridge 340 as the first process cartridge 310a forms the toner images. As a result, when the waste toner cartridge 340 is full of the waste toner (e.g., a volume of the waste toner stored in the waste toner cartridge 340 reaches a maximum capacity of the waste toner cartridge 340, etc.), the waste toner cartridge 340 may be replaced with another of the waste toner cartridge 340 without replacing the first process cartridge 310a.

[0039] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first process cartridge 310a, the toner cartridge 320, and the waste toner cartridge 340 may store and provide a different color of toner than4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 the second process cartridge 310b. The toner stored and provided by the first process cartridge 310a, the toner cartridge 320, and the waste toner cartridge 340 may be a toner that is utilized at a higher rate (e.g., with a higher frequency, etc.) than the toner stored and provided by the second process cartridge 310b. By way of example, the first process cartridge 310a, the toner cartridge 320, and the waste toner cartridge 340 may store and provide a black toner to the intermediate transfer belt 122 and the second process cartridge 310b may store and provide at least one of a white toner, a transparent toner, or a red toner when the printing images formed on the printing material P by the image forming apparatus 100 include a majority of black features. As a result, the toner cartridge 320 and / or the waste toner cartridge 340 may allow for additional printing images to be formed on the printing material P without having to replace the first process cartridge 310a and / or the second process cartridge 310b since the toner stored and provided by the first process cartridge 310a is being used at a higher rate than the toner stored and provided by the second process cartridge 310b and the waste toner provided to the waste toner cartridge 340 by the first process cartridge 310a is being formed at a higher rate than the waste toner formed and stored by the second process cartridge 310b.

[0040] According to the example shown in FIG. 7, the first process cartridge 310a is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the waste toner cartridge 340, the toner cartridge 320 is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the first process cartridge 310a, and the second process cartridge 310b is detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the toner cartridge 320. By way of example, the waste toner cartridge 340 may be received in the first slot 210a, the first process cartridge 310a may be received in the second slot 210b positioned upstream of the first slot 210a relative to the image forming direction 124 of the intermediate transfer belt 122, the toner cartridge 320 may be received in the third slot 210c positioned upstream of the second slot 210b, and the second process cartridge 310b may be received in the fourth slot 21 Od positioned upstream of the third slot 210c. By way of another example, the waste toner cartridge 340 may be coupled to the first slot 210a, the first process cartridge 310a may be coupled to the second slot 210b, the toner cartridge 320 may be coupled to the third slot 210c, and the second process cartridge 310b may be coupled to the fourth slot 210d. The intermediate transfer belt 122 may move in the image forming direction 124 past the fourth slot 21 Od to the third slot 210c to the second slot 210b to the first slot 210a. In other examples, the waste toner cartridge 340 may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 upstream of the first process cartridge 310a and / or the second process cartridge 310b may be detachably mounted to the tray 202 downstream of the waste toner cartridge 340.4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512

[0041] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the first process cartridge 310a, the second process cartridge 310b, the first toner cartridge 320a, and the second toner cartridge 320b are detachably mounted to the tray 202. The first process cartridge 310a can be a first organic photoconductor (OPC) cartridge 350a and the second process cartridge 310b can be a second OPC cartridge 350b (together the OPC cartridges 350, and individually, the OPC cartridge 350). The first toner cartridge 320a can be a first developing toner cartridge 360a that selectively provides toner to the first OPC cartridge 350a and the second toner cartridge 320b can be a second developing toner cartridge 360b (together the developing toner cartridges 360, and individually, the developing toner cartridge 360) that selectively provides toner to the second OPC cartridge 350b. By way of example, the OPC cartridges 350 may include an organic photoconductor drum that is coated with an organic material that functions similarly to the imaging drum and the developing toner cartridges 360 may include a developing roller that receives toner from a hopper of the developing toner cartridges 360 and a container containing a printing material. The OPC cartridge 350a may be mounted on the first slot 210a. The developing toner cartridge 360a may be mounted on a portion of the first slot 210a and the second slot 210b upstream of the first slot 210a. The OPC cartridge 350a may have a relatively longer lift span than the developing toner cartridge 360a. By replacing the developing toner cartridge 360a only, the user can reduce consumable costs. When the light from the exposure apparatus 140 is received by the organic photoconductor drum, a charged image (e.g., an electrostatic latent image, etc.) may be formed on the organic photoconductor drum corresponding to the light. Toner may be electrically attracted from the developing roller of the developing toner cartridges 360 to certain portions of the charged image on the organic photoconductor drum of the OPC cartridges 350 to form the toner image on the organic photoconductor drum of the OPC cartridges 350. The organic photoconductor drum of the OPC cartridges 350 may then provide the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 122 to be transferred to the printing medium P. After the toner image has been transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 122, any residual toner on the organic photoconductor drum of the OPC cartridges 350 may be cleaned off of the organic photoconductor drum and stored as waste toner so that the process may be repeated.

[0042] FIGS. 9 and 10 shown the toner cartridge 320 detachably coupled to the process cartridge 310 independently of the tray 202. According to the example shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the toner cartridge 320 may include the connection member 322 (e.g., a connection portion, a toner connection portion, etc.) to deliver toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 process cartridge 310. By way of example, the connection member 322 may deliver the toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310 when the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 are mounted on the tray 202. The connection member 322 may detachably couple the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310 when the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are detachably coupled to the tray 202. In other examples, the process cartridge 310 may include a connection member (e.g., a process connection portion, etc.) configured to allow for the toner cartridge 320 to deliver the toner to the process cartridge 310 and / or detachably couple the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310 when the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are detachably coupled to the tray 202. In still other examples, the toner cartridge 320 may include the connection member 322 and the process cartridge 310 may include a second connection member to deliver the toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. By way of example, the connection member 322 of the toner cartridge 320 may interface with the second connection member of the process cartridge 310 to allow for the delivery of the toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. The connection member 322 may detachably couple to the second connection member of the process cartridge 310 to detachably couple the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. In other example, a separate connection member may be provided to connect the toner cartridge with the process cartridge, respectively.

[0043] FIG. 11 shows the process cartridge 310. According to the example shown in FIG. 10, the process cartridge 310 includes a process connecting portion 312 (e.g., a connecting part, a first connecting part, a process connecting part, etc.) defining a receiving port 314 configured to receive toner from another of the cartridges 300. By way of example, the process connecting portion 312 of the process cartridge 310 may interface with a connecting portion of the toner cartridge 320 to receive the toner from the toner cartridge 320.

[0044] FIG. 12 shows the toner cartridge 320. According to the example shown in FIG. 12, the toner cartridge 320 includes a toner connecting portion 324 (e.g., a connecting part, a second connecting part, a toner connecting part, etc.) defining a discharging port 326 (e.g., a providing port, etc.) configured to deliver toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. The toner connecting portion 324 may be included in the connection member 322 of the toner cartridge 320. By way of example, when the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are mounted on the tray 202, the toner connecting portion 324 may interface with the process connecting portion 312 to deliver the toner from the toner cartridge4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512320 to the process cartridge 310. The discharging port 326 may align with the receiving port 314 when the toner connecting portion 324 interfaces with the process connecting portion 312 such that toner may be provided through the discharging port 326 into the receiving port 314 to deliver the toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 13, and 14, the image forming apparatus 100 can include a shutter assembly 400 (e.g., a shutter, etc.) to selectively deliver toner from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310. The shutter assembly 400 may be positioned between the receiving port 314 of the process cartridge 310 and the discharging port 326 of the toner cartridge 320. The shutter assembly 400 may move between an open configuration that allows for the toner to be delivered from the discharging port 326 to the receiving port 314 and a closed configuration that prevents the toner from being delivered from the discharging port 326 to the receiving port 314. In other examples, the shutter assembly 400 may selectively delivers waste toner from the process cartridge 310 to the waste toner cartridge 340. By way of example, the shutter assembly 400 may be positioned between the process cartridge 310 and the waste toner cartridge 340. The shutter assembly 400 may allow for the waste toner to be delivered from the process cartridge 310 to the waste toner cartridge 340 when the shutter assembly 400 is in the open configuration and prevent the waste toner from being delivered from the process cartridge 310 to the waste toner cartridge 340 when the shutter assembly 400 is in the closed configuration.

[0046] When the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are mounted on the tray 202, the shutter assembly 400 may be moved to the open configuration (e.g., opened, etc.) in response to the moving of the tray 202 between the mounting position and the image forming position. By way of example, the shutter assembly 400 may be moved to the open configuration in response to the moving of the tray 202 from the mounting position to the image forming position (e.g., moving the tray 202 in the closing direction, etc.) to allow for the toner to be delivered from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310 when the tray 202 is in the image forming position. When the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are mounted on the tray 202, the shutter assembly 400 may be moved to the closed configuration in response to the moving of the tray 202 between the mounting position and the image forming position. By way of example, the shutter assembly 400 may be moved to the closed configuration in response to the moving of the tray 202 from the image forming position to the mounting position (e.g., moving the tray 202 in the closing direction, etc.) to4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 prevent the toner from being delivered from the toner cartridge 320 to the process cartridge 310 when the tray 202 is in the mounting position. As a result, the toner may not spill out of the toner cartridge 320 when the toner cartridge 320 and the process cartridge 310 are not received by the tray 202 and / or when the tray 202 is not in the image forming position (e.g., when the tray 202 is in the mounting position, etc.). The shutter assembly 400 may include a compression element (e.g., a spring, etc.) that bias the shutter assembly 400 toward the closed configuration or toward the open configuration.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 9-14, the shutter assembly 400 includes a first shutter 410 and a second shutter 430. According to the example shown in FIG. 11, the first shutter 410 is coupled to the process cartridge 310. According to the example shown in FIG. 12, the first port 420 is coupled to the toner cartridge 320. In some examples, the process cartridge 310 may include the first shutter 410 and the toner cartridge 320 may include the second shutter 430. The first shutter 410 and the second shutter 430 may interlock (e.g., couple, etc.) in response to the mounting of the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 on the tray 202. By way of example, when the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 are mounted on the tray 202, the second shutter 430 may engage the first shutter 410 to interlock the first shutter 410 and the second shutter 430. As shown in FIG. 11, the first shutter 410 is coupled to the process connecting portion 312 of the process cartridge 310. The first shutter 410 may be included in the process connecting portion 312 of the process cartridge 310. As shown in FIG. 12, the second shutter 430 is coupled to the toner connecting portion 324. The second shutter 430 may be included in the connection member 322 and / or the toner connecting portion 324 of the toner cartridge 320.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the first shutter 410 includes a first base portion 412, a first tab 414 extending from the first base portion 412, and one or more first interfaces 416 extending from the first base portion 412. The first tab 414 may interface with a first spring (not shown) that may bias the first shutter 410 toward the closed configuration (e.g., biases the first shutter 410 away from the process connecting portion 312, etc.). By way of example, the first spring may be positioned between the process cartridge 310 and the first tab 414 and may be compressed when the first shutter 410 is moved from the closed configuration toward the open configuration such that the first spring provides a first biasing force on the first tab 414 to bias the first shutter 410 toward the closed configuration. The one or more first interfaces 416 may engage the process connecting portion 312 of the process cartridge 310 to4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 detachably couple the first shutter 410 to the process cartridge 310. By way of example, the one or more first interfaces 416 may be snap fit legs that engage apertures of the process connecting portion 312 to detachably couple the first shutter 410 to the process cartridge 310. By way of another example, the one or more first interfaces 416 may utilize other methods (e.g., a clasp, a friction fit, a suction, etc.) to detachably couple the first shutter 410 to the process cartridge 310.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 14, the first shutter 410 includes an interlock aperture 418 extending through the first base portion 412, and. The interlock aperture 418 may receive a portion of the second shutter 430 to interlock the first shutter 410 and the second shutter 430. By way of example, the interlock aperture 418 may receive a portion of the second shutter 430 to interlock the first shutter 410 and the second shutter 430 such that the first shutter 410 moves with the second shutter 430.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 14, the first shutter 410 includes a first port 420 extending through the first base portion 412. The first port 420 may align with the receiving port 314 when the shutter assembly 400 is in the open configuration to allow for the toner to be delivered to the process cartridge 310 through the first shutter 410. By way of example, the first port 420 of the first shutter 410 may align with the receiving port 314 to open the first shutter 410 when the shutter assembly 400 is moved to the open configuration by the tray 202 moving between the mounting position and the image forming position.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the second shutter 430 includes a second base portion 432, a second tab 434, extending from the second base portion 432, one or more second interfaces 436 extending from the second base portion 432, and a ramp portion 442 extending from the second base portion 432. The second tab 434 may interface with a second spring (not shown) that may bias the second shutter 430 toward the closed configuration (e.g., biases the second shutter 430 away from the toner connecting portion 324, etc.). By way of example, the second spring may be positioned between the toner cartridge 320 and the second tab 434 and may be compressed when the second shutter 430 is moved from the closed configuration toward the open configuration such that the second spring provides a second biasing force on the second tab 434 to bias the second shutter 430 toward the closed configuration. The one or more second interfaces 436 may engage the toner connecting portion 324 of the toner cartridge 320 to detachably couple the second shutter 430 to the toner cartridge 320. By way of example, the one or more second interfaces 436 may be snap fit legs that engage apertures4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 of the toner connecting portion 324 to detachably couple the second shutter 430 to the process cartridge 310. By way of another example, the one or more second interfaces 436 may utilize other methods (e.g., a clasp, a friction fit, a suction, etc.) to detachably couple the second shutter 430 to the toner cartridge 320.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 14, the second shutter 430 includes an interlock pin 438 extending from the second base portion 432. The interlock pin 438 may align with and be received by the interlock aperture 418 when the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 are mounted on the tray 202 to interlock the first shutter 410 and the first port 420. By way of example, the interlock pin 438 may extend through the interlock aperture 418 and interlock the first shutter 410 to the second shutter 430 such that the first shutter 410 and the second shutter 430 move together.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 14, the second shutter 430 includes a second port 440 extending through the second base portion 432. The second port 440 may align with the first port 420 of the first shutter 410 to allow for the toner to pass through the shutter assembly 400. The second port 440 may align with the discharging port 326 of the toner cartridge 320 when the shutter assembly 400 is in the open configuration to allow for the toner to be provided by the toner cartridge 320 through the first port 420. By way of example, the second port 440 of the second shutter 430 may align with the discharging port 326 to open the second shutter 430 when the shutter assembly 400 is moved to the open configuration by the tray 202 moving between the mounting position and the image forming position.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the ramp portion 442 extends outward from the second base portion 432 and is angled to extend further outward in the opening direction of the tray 202. When the process cartridge 310 and the toner cartridge 320 are mounted on the tray 202 and the tray 202 moves in the closing direction from the mounting position toward the image forming position, the ramp portion 442 may contact a portion of the main body 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 (e.g., an interface portion, a safety portion, etc.). As the tray 202 continues to move in the closing direction, the contact between the ramp portion 442 and the portion of the main body 102 may cause the shutter assembly 400 to move from the closed configuration to the open configuration to allow for the toner cartridge 320 to deliver the toner to the process cartridge 310 when the tray 202 is in the image forming position. By way of example, as the tray 202 moves in the closing direction, the contact between the ramp portion 442 and the portion of the main body 102 may compress the first spring and / or the second4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 sprint to move the shutter assembly 400 from the closed configuration to the open configuration. As another example, as the tray 202 moves in the opening direction, the ramp portion 442 may slide along the portion of the main body 102 while moving outward due to the first biasing force from the first spring and / or the second biasing force from the second sprint such that the shutter assembly 400 moves from the open configuration toward the closed configuration as the tray 202 moves in the opening direction.

[0055] In an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a main body including an opening, a tray for carrying cartridges mounted thereon, a process cartridge detachably mounted to the tray, a toner cartridge detachably mounted on the tray upstream of the process cartridge in an image forming direction, and a connection member provided in the toner cartridge or the process cartridge to deliver printing material from the toner cartridge to the process cartridge. The tray is movable between a mounting position and an image forming position.

[0056] In some examples, the process cartridge is a first process cartridge and the image forming apparatus includes a second process cartridge mounted on the tray upstream of the toner cartridge in the image forming direction. In some examples, the second process cartridge provides at least one of white, transparent, or red printing material. In some examples, the tray includes a plurality of slots, and the toner cartridge covers two or more of the slots. In some examples, the tray comprises a plurality of slots, the process cartridge is an organic photoconductor cartridge comprising an organic photoconductor drum, the toner cartridge is a developing toner cartridge comprising a developing roller, and a portion of the developing toner cartridge is mounted in a same one of the slots where the organic photoconductor cartridge is mounted. In some examples, the process cartridge is a first process cartridge, the toner cartridge is a second toner cartridge, and the connection member is a first connection member. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer belt disposed in the main body and in contact with the opening to transfer printing material to the paper, a second process cartridge detachably mounted to the tray upstream of the first toner cartridge in the image forming direction, a second toner cartridge detachably mounted to the tray upstream of the second process cartridge in the image forming direction, and a second connection member provided in the second toner cartridge or the second process cartridge to deliver printing material from the second toner cartridge to the second process cartridge. The intermediate transfer belt moves in the image forming direction.4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512In some examples, the image forming apparatus includes a waste toner cartridge detachably mounted on the tray downstream of the process cartridge in the image forming direction. In some examples, the connection member includes a connecting part having a discharging port or a receiving port in the toner cartridge or the process cartridge and a shutter. The process cartridge or the toner cartridge includes a corresponding receiving port or discharging port. The shutter is between the discharging port and the receiving port. In some examples, the toner cartridge and the process cartridge are connected when the toner cartridge and the process cartridge are mounted on the tray. In some examples, the shutter is to be opened in response to the moving of the tray between the mounting position and the image forming position.

[0057] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes an opening, a main body coupled to the opening including a tray receiving space, a tray detachably coupled to the tray receiving space, a process cartridge detachably coupled to the tray, and a toner cartridge detachably coupled to the process cartridge and the tray.

[0058] In some examples, the process cartridge includes a first shutter and the toner cartridge includes a second shutter and the first shutter and the second shutter interlock in response to the mounting of the toner cartridge and the process cartridge. In some examples, the first shutter and the second shutter are to be opened in response to the moving of the tray between a mounting position and an image forming position. In some examples, the image forming apparatus includes a waste toner cartridge detachably mounted to the tray.

[0059] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes a main body including a cartridge tray receiving space, a cartridge tray including a first slot and a second slot, an intermediate transfer belt disposed in the main body and in contact with the cartridge tray receiving space to transfer printing material to paper, a process cartridge detachably coupled to the first slot, a toner cartridge detachably coupled to the second slot and the process cartridge, and a connection member provided in the toner cartridge or the process cartridge to deliver printing material from the toner cartridge to the process cartridge. The cartridge tray is movable between a cartridge loading position and an image forming position within the cartridge tray receiving space. The intermediate transfer belt moves in a direction from the second slot to the first slot.

[0060] In some examples, the process cartridge is a first process cartridge and the image4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 forming apparatus further includes a second process cartridge. The cartridge tray includes a third slot. The second process cartridge detachably coupled to the third slot.

[0061] It should be understood that examples described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each example should be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other examples. While examples have been described with reference to the figures, it should be understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

[0062] The disclosure has been described above with reference to the various examples. However, it is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0063] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, "can," "could," "might," "may," “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain examples include, while other examples do not include, certain features, elements. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements are in any way required for examples or those examples include logic for deciding, with or without other input or prompting, whether these features, elements are included or are to be performed in any particular example. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.

[0064] While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various examples, it can be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As can be recognized, certain examples described herein can be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features can be used or practiced separately from others.

[0065] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected," or "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable," to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0066] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and / or application. The various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

[0067] It should be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It should be understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent should be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art should recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number. It should be understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."4894-9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512Furthermore, unless otherwise noted, the use of the words “approximate,” “about,” “around,” “substantially,” etc., mean plus or minus ten percent.

[0068] The foregoing description of illustrative examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and of description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting with respect to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the disclosed examples.4894-9433-2367.1

Claims

Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body comprising an opening; a tray for carrying cartridges mounted thereon, the tray movable between a mounting position and an image forming position; a process cartridge detachably mounted to the tray; a toner cartridge detachably mounted on the tray upstream of the process cartridge in an image forming direction; and a connection member provided in the toner cartridge or the process cartridge to deliver printing material from the toner cartridge to the process cartridge.

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process cartridge is a first process cartridge and the image forming apparatus comprises a second process cartridge mounted on the tray upstream of the toner cartridge in the image forming direction.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second process cartridge provides at least one of white, transparent, or red printing material.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the tray comprises a plurality of slots, the toner cartridge covering two or more of the slots.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the tray comprises a plurality of slots; the process cartridge is an organic photoconductor cartridge comprising an organic photoconductor drum; the toner cartridge is a developing toner cartridge comprising a developing roller; and a portion of the developing toner cartridge is mounted in a same one of the slots where the organic photoconductor cartridge is mounted.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, comprising a waste toner cartridge detachably mounted on the tray downstream of the process cartridge in the image forming direction.

7. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connection member comprises: a connecting part having a discharging port or a receiving port in the toner cartridge -9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 or the process cartridge, wherein the process cartridge or the toner cartridge comprises a corresponding receiving port or discharging port, and a shutter between the discharging port and the receiving port.

8. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the toner cartridge and the process cartridge are connected when the toner cartridge and the process cartridge are mounted on the tray.

9. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the shutter is to be opened in response to the moving of the tray between the mounting position and the image forming position.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising: an opening; a main body coupled to the opening comprising a tray receiving space; a tray detachably coupled to the tray receiving space; a process cartridge detachably coupled to the tray; and a toner cartridge detachably coupled to the process cartridge and the tray.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the process cartridge comprises a first shutter and the toner cartridge comprises a second shutter, and wherein the first shutter and the second shutter interlock in response to the mounting of the toner cartridge and the process cartridge.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first shutter and the second shutter are to be opened in response to the moving of the tray between a mounting position and an image forming position.

13. The image forming apparatus of claim 10, comprising a waste toner cartridge detachably mounted to the tray.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body comprising a cartridge tray receiving space; a cartridge tray comprising a first slot and a second slot, the cartridge tray movable between a cartridge loading position and an image forming position within the cartridge tray -9433-2367.1Atty. Dkt. No.: 86344512 receiving space; an intermediate transfer belt disposed in the main body and in contact with the cartridge tray receiving space to transfer printing material to paper, the intermediate transfer belt moving in a direction from the second slot to the first slot; a process cartridge detachably coupled to the first slot; a toner cartridge detachably coupled to the second slot and the process cartridge, and a connection member provided in the toner cartridge or the process cartridge to deliver printing material from the toner cartridge to the process cartridge.

15. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, wherein the process cartridge is a first process cartridge and the image forming apparatus comprises a second process cartridge, and the cartridge tray further comprises a third slot, the second process cartridge detachably coupled to the third slot. -9433-2367.1

Images