Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080199209 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND BELT CLEANING UNIT THEREOF - An image forming apparatus includes a first belt roller which has a first roller shaft, a second belt roller which is disposed parallel with the first roller shaft and slidingly approaches and departs from the first roller shaft, and has a second roller shaft, a belt which is driven in circulation by the first belt roller and the second belt roller, an elastic tension member which elastically pushes the second belt roller to be separated from the first belt roller and a belt cleaning unit which is supported by the second roller shaft and is movable between a cleaning position contacting a surface of the belt and a stand-by position departed from the surface of the belt. | 08-21-2008 |
20080226335 | Image transfer device and method for cleaning a part thereof - An image transfer device for a sheet-fed image reproduction system is disclosed in which an improved removal of contaminants from the surface of an image transfer member is possible by using a tacky surface cleaning member contacting the image transfer member surface. The tacky surface of the cleaning member is rejuvenated substantially without affecting the productivity of the image reproduction system by applying predetermined patterns of cleaning substance on the image transfer member surface in the non-image areas, being the part of the inter-image areas coinciding with the inter-sheet areas. Also disclosed is a method for cleaning the image transfer member surface of such image transfer device. | 09-18-2008 |
20080226336 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An intermediate transferring unit ( | 09-18-2008 |
20080267657 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers including a drive roller and a follow roller; an endless belt made of an insulation material and looped around the plurality of rollers so that a bridging portion is formed between adjacent rollers and both ends of the bridging portion are supported on the adjacent rollers; a photosensitive drum positioned outside of and facing the outer peripheral surface of the bridging portion; and a transfer roller positioned opposite of the photosensitive drum with the bridging portion interposed therebetween. The inner peripheral surface of the belt is made of a material which has greater tendency to be charged in a polarity that is the same as developer in triboelectric series than the outer peripheral surface of the follow roller as an upstream-side roller. | 10-30-2008 |
20080273893 | SUBSTRATE TRANSFER MEMBER CLEANING METHOD, SUBSTRATE TRANSFER APPARATUS, AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM - A substrate transfer member cleaning method that enables foreign matter attached to a substrate transfer member to be completely removed without bringing about a decrease in the throughput. A cleaning agent containing a cleaning substance in two phases of a vapor phase and a liquid phase and a high-temperature gas is jetted toward the substrate transfer member that transfers a substrate. | 11-06-2008 |
20080298832 | DEVELOPER COLLECTING/CHARGING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CLEANING METHOD - After-transfer remaining toner is reversely transferred from a transfer member to an image carrier. A toner collecting/charging device for temporarily collecting and charging the after-transfer remaining toner remaining on the transfer member includes a toner collecting/charging roller which is provided in such proximity to the transfer member as not to make contact with a primarily transferred toner image, and which has a collecting function of temporarily collecting the after-transfer remaining toner and a charging function of charging the after-transfer remaining toner to a specified polarity, power supplies which are so connected that a voltage in which an AC voltage is superimposed on a DC voltage is applied to the roller, and a selector switch for changing a waveform of the AC voltage so that the toner collecting/charging roller is switched between a toner-collecting mode and a toner-releasing mode. | 12-04-2008 |
20080298833 | CLEANING APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TONER ADHERED ONTO ENDLESS BELT - A cleaning apparatus is for removing a toner from a surface of an endless belt. The cleaning apparatus includes a blade, a blade holding structure, and an abutment maintaining structure. The blade abuts on the endless belt that is supported on a tension roller. The blade holding structure holds the blade with its rotation restricted, in a movable manner in the direction of motion adjustment to adjust tension on the endless belt, and causes the blade to abut on a winding area of the endless belt with respect to the tension roller. The abutment maintaining structure allows the blade to follow up movement of the tension roller to thereby maintain abutment of the blade on the endless belt. | 12-04-2008 |
20080304856 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming device; an intermediate transfer member; a secondary transferring device; a first cleaning member; a second cleaning member; a contacting/separating device; a release-agent applying device; and a controlling unit. | 12-11-2008 |
20080304857 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - When residual toner on the surface of an image carrier belt is removed with an elastic cleaning blade, a blade wear piece which is adhered to a blade edge is removed. When a blade edge of a cleaning blade is brought into sliding contact with a surface of an intermediate transfer belt which runs in a determined direction to remove residual toner on the belt surface, a step section having a predetermined height is provided on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The step section is able to pass from a rear face side to a front face side of the blade edge while allowing the blade edge to run thereon, when the belt runs in a reverse direction such that the blade edge is in sliding contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The intermediate transfer belt is moved, with a prescribed timing, in the reverse direction until the step section passes from the rear face side to the front face side of the blade edge at least once in the state that the blade edge is in sliding contact with the belt surface. | 12-11-2008 |
20080310877 | Image-forming apparatus - An image-forming apparatus that is provided with an intermediate transfer member that has a hard releasing layer formed on the surface thereof, supports a toner image primary-transferred onto the hard releasing layer from a latent-image supporting member, and secondary-transfers the supported toner image onto an image-receiving medium, and a cleaning blade that is arranged in contact with the intermediate transfer member, and removes residual toner from the hard releasing layer of the intermediate transfer member, wherein the cleaning blade has an impact resilience in the range from 20 to 50% at 20° C. | 12-18-2008 |
20080317495 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that holds a toner-image; an intermediate transfer member onto which the toner-image that has been held on the image carrier is transferred; a transfer unit that transfers onto a recording medium the toner-image that has been transferred onto the intermediate transfer member; the transfer unit transferring thereon a color-toner-image for checking toner-image, which has been formed in a non-image forming region on the intermediate transfer member; an application unit that applies an adhesion force reducing agent to a surface of the transfer unit before the color-toner-image for checking formed on the intermediate transfer member passes through the transfer unit, the adhesion force reducing agent reducing adhesion force to the transfer unit of the color-toner-image for checking; and a cleaning unit that removes the color-toner-image for checking that has been transferred onto the transfer unit and the adhesion force reducing agent. | 12-25-2008 |
20090003871 | Belt conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes a belt conveying portion having a movable endless belt provided around at least two supporting members, a cleaning member provided in contact with a surface of the belt, a lubricant supply portion provided below a contact portion between the belt and the cleaning member for supplying lubricant to the contact portion, and an adhered-material storing portion provided below the lubricant supply portion for storing adhered-material scraped off from the belt by the cleaning member. | 01-01-2009 |
20090010675 | Image Forming Apparatus - The image forming apparatus has a configuration in which a secondary transfer roller guides a leading end of a recording material which enters a secondary transfer nip to be led to the secondary transfer nip and the leading end of the recording material is prevented from coming into contact with a toner image on an intermediate transferring member before the recording material enters the secondary transfer nip. Further, in the image forming apparatus, a surface of a transfer roller is smoothened so that the leading end of the recording material is guided to the secondary transfer nip without being caught. As a result, the present invention is intended to prevent the leading end of the recording material which enters the secondary transfer nip from distorting the toner image on the intermediate transferring member. | 01-08-2009 |
20090016766 | Control Method of Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming Apparatus - A control method of an image forming apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a latent image carrier; a development apparatus for developing a liquid developer containing a toner, a carrier liquid and a dispersant soluble in the carrier liquid therein on the latent image carrier; an intermediate transfer medium to which a developer image developed on the latent image carrier is transferred; a transfer apparatus for transferring the developer image on the intermediate transfer medium to a transfer material; and a dispersant collecting liquid application unit for applying a dispersant collecting liquid on the intermediate transfer medium. The method includes performing the control such that after finishing of transfer of the developer image onto intermediate transfer medium, application of the dispersant collecting liquid on the intermediate transfer medium is started by the dispersant collecting liquid application unit. | 01-15-2009 |
20090074445 | Devices And Methods For Removing Toner From A Belt Within An Image Forming Apparatus - The present application is directed to devices and methods for removing toner from a belt within an image forming apparatus. In one embodiment, the device includes a housing that forms an enclosed interior space. The housing may include an inlet that leads into the interior space. A blade may be positioned in proximity to the inlet to remove the toner from the belt and direct it into the inlet. An auger may be rotationally positioned within the interior space to move the toner along a longitudinal width of the device. An agitating member may be rotationally positioned within the interior space to move the toner from the inlet towards the auger. The agitating member may include a flexible arm that contacts against at least one of the blade and the auger during rotation. | 03-19-2009 |
20090129810 | Cleaning Blade Anti-Peeling Apparatus, Image Forming Apparatus, and Cleaning Blade Anti-Peeling Method - A cleaning blade anti-peeling apparatus includes an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, a transfer apparatus which transfers the toner image of the image carrier to an endless transfer member, an image carrier cleaning member which captures toner remaining on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred, a cleaning recovery member which recovers the toner on the image carrier cleaning member, a bias applying apparatus which moves the toner of the image carrier cleaning member to the image carrier by applying a bias voltage to the image carrier cleaning member, and an endless transfer member cleaning blade which removes toner adhering to the endless transfer member after the toner image of the endless transfer member is transferred to the transfer material while abutting against the endless transfer member, in which the cleaning blade anti-peeling apparatus is structured to satisfy a relationship, a width of the cleaning recovery member | 05-21-2009 |
20090169238 | Electrophotographic Printer - An electrophotographic printer is provided which can be cleaned so as to meet the requirement for high speed printing on a continuous web of paper as the printing medium and to make minimum the amount of toner that remains on the surface of a rotating transfer roller even in high-speed production. | 07-02-2009 |
20090169239 | Cleaner Blade Lubrication for a Printer Belt Component - The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for removing contaminants from a belt in a printer. A blade is provided that contacts with the belt surface to form a nip where the belt is configured to either receive an image for transfer to a sheet of media or transport media within the printer for receipt of toner images. The blade surface is coated with a fluoropolymer resin in combination with a polymeric binder. The coated blade/belt provides a reduced coefficient of friction at the nip to reduce belt stall and/or belt flipping, which may lock the blade to the belt and prevent further printer operation. The coated blade/belt herein is particularly useful when applied to printing operations that utilize chemically processed toner. | 07-02-2009 |
20090185818 | Transfer Device and Image Forming Apparatus Having the Same - A transfer device has a cleaning means for preventing any leakage of the toner and the liquid carrier remaining on a transfer belt. The transfer device includes a transfer belt onto which liquid developer images are transferred, the transfer belt being wound around a roller having an axial length of L | 07-23-2009 |
20090190949 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus enables a high-quality double-side printing of a transfer medium by one-pass method using a simple structure. A latent image is formed and developed on an image carrier (drum) in a process cartridge. A resultant toner image is transferred by a first transfer unit (roller) onto either an upper surface of the transfer medium or a first intermediate transfer body (roller) in a first transfer area. The toner image on the first intermediate transfer body is transferred onto a back surface of the transfer medium in a fourth transfer area via a second intermediate transfer body (belt) and a third intermediate transfer body (roller). The fourth transfer area is located downstream of the first transfer area along a transport path of the transfer medium. | 07-30-2009 |
20090190950 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In an image forming apparatus, when backside contamination of a recording material occurs, a control portion carries out control so that a plurality of restoring toner bands having a length L | 07-30-2009 |
20090190951 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - When a switch displayed on an operation panel is operated, a control portion starts aging control in which image formation is stopped and yellow toner is applied onto an intermediary transfer belt and a secondary transfer roller. A toner band is formed, on full circumference of the intermediary transfer belt at a position in which toner images for control are formed, with a width correspondingly to widths of the toner images for control. | 07-30-2009 |
20090196648 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, TRANSFER UNIT, AND CLEANING UNIT - A transfer unit includes: a plurality of rollers; an image forming section which performs formation of a toner image in accordance image information and transfer of the toner image; an intermediate transferring belt to which the toner image is transferred from the image forming section; and a contact member which comes in contact with a part of the cleaning unit at a position apart from the intermediate transferring belt to perform positioning of the cleaning unit, and the cleaning unit includes: a cleaning mechanism which cleans the front surface side of the intermediate transferring belt; a positioning shaft which fits into the positioning portion formed in the apparatus main body, the positioning shaft being rotatable in such a direction as to come in contact with or separate apart from the transfer unit; and an abutting member which comes in contact with the contact member of the transfer unit. | 08-06-2009 |
20090196649 | TRANSFER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There are provided: a transfer belt which extends between a plurality of rollers so as to be capable of running in an endless manner, the transfer belt receiving on its front surface or a recording sheet placed on the front surface a toner image which is bore on an image bearing member in accordance with image information; a bending roller having a peripheral surface which is pressed against the front surface side of the transfer belt to bend inwardly the transfer belt which is in a state of extend between the plurality of rollers so as to be capable of running in an endless manner; a first blade which cleans the peripheral surface of the bending roller; a front surface side cleaning mechanism; and a collection crew which collects a foreign object removed by both the first blade and the front surface side cleaning mechanism. | 08-06-2009 |
20090208240 | Transfer Device and Image Forming Apparatus - A transfer device includes: a transfer belt hung around a roller; and a transfer belt sealing member in contact with a transfer surface and a circumferential end surface of the transfer belt and in contact with the circumferential end surface of the transfer belt diagonally relative to a thickness direction of the transfer belt. | 08-20-2009 |
20090208241 | BELT CARRYING DEVICE, INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A belt carrying device includes supporting rollers, an endless belt supported by the supporting rollers, and guiding members provided on the endless belt. The endless belt is rotated by rotation of the supporting rollers. An outer peripheral surface of the endless belt is in contact with a cleaning member. The guiding members are provided on those projecting areas of the endless belt, which project in an axial direction of the supporting rollers from both end surfaces of the supporting roller. A guiding member suppresses meandering of the endless belt by coming into contact with an end surface of the supporting roller. Formed on the end surfaces of at least one of the supporting rollers are projecting sections and groove sections, which are rotated around a rotation axis of the at least one of the supporting rollers in response to rotation of the at least one of the supporting rollers. | 08-20-2009 |
20090208242 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes an endless belt that is rotated, an image forming device configured to form an image on a recording medium which fed on the endless belt, a cleaning roller configured to be rotated and clean the endless belt, a pair of registration rollers configured to be rotated in a recording medium feeding direction and to feed a recording medium to the image forming device, and a motor configured to rotate in two directions. The image forming apparatus may further include first, second, and third gear mechanisms. The first and second gear mechanisms are configured to switch between transmission and non-transmission of a driving force to the cleaning roller according to rotational direction of the motor. The third gear mechanism is configured to switch between transmission and non-transmission of the driving force to the registration roller according to the rotational direction of the motor. | 08-20-2009 |
20090208243 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH CLEANING DEVICE AND CLEANING METHOD - In an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device having a cleaning blade arranged so as to make contact with and separate from a cleaned surface, an occurrence of excessive cutting when the cleaning blade makes contact with the cleaned surface is prevented. The image forming apparatus includes the cleaning blade for making contact with and separating from the cleaned surface and scraping off toner adhered onto the cleaned surface and a regulation unit for regulating a movement of the cleaning blade in the direction of contact with the cleaned surface up to a position where a pressing force to the cleaned surface by the cleaning blade does not exceed a predetermined pressing force. | 08-20-2009 |
20090214252 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a secondary transfer roller that is supported by a secondary-transfer-unit supporting unit and transfers a toner image onto a recording medium, a lubricant applying brush that comes into contact with the secondary transfer roller and applies a lubricant to the secondary transfer roller, a lubricant-applying-brush housing unit that houses the lubricant applying brush, a solid lubricant that is housed in the lubricant-applying-brush housing unit and supplies the lubricant to the lubricant applying brush, a lubricant holding member that elastically holds the solid lubricant, a driving gear that transmits rotational force from the outside to the lubricant applying brush, and a lubricant unit that supports at least the lubricant applying brush, the lubricant-applying-blush housing unit, the solid lubricant, the lubricant holding member, and the driving gear in an integral state and is formed to be detachably attachable to the secondary-transfer-unit supporting unit. | 08-27-2009 |
20090214253 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a secondary transfer roller that is supported by a secondary-transfer-unit supporting unit and transfers a toner image onto a recording medium, a lubricant applying brush that comes into contact with the secondary transfer roller and applies a lubricant to the secondary transfer roller, a solid lubricant that is housed in a lubricant-applying-brush housing unit and supplies the lubricant to the lubricant applying brush, and a lubricant holding member that elastically holds the solid lubricant. The lubricant is supplied to the secondary transfer roller according to a material of the lubricant, a pressing amount of the lubricant against the secondary transfer roller, a configuration of the secondary transfer roller, a configuration of the fur brush, and a relation among fur brush circumferential speed, secondary transfer roller circumferential speed, a pressing amount of a blade against the secondary transfer roller, and a blade material. | 08-27-2009 |
20090232539 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH CONTACT/SEPARATION MECHANISM TO/FROM INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER BODY - In a printer, three toner patches are primary-transferred successively to an intermediate transfer belt. Here, after the first toner patch passes through a belt cleaner and before the second toner patch reaches the belt cleaner, and after the second toner patch passes through the belt cleaner and before the third patch reaches the belt cleaner, the belt cleaner is operated to change the state of contact to the intermediate transfer belt to a different state. A density sensor detects density of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt, and presence/absence of the toner patch is detected. When presence/absence of the first to third patches is detected alternately, it is determined that the belt cleaner is performing the operation described above. | 09-17-2009 |
20090263153 | CLEANING SHEET, TRANSFER MEMBER PROVIDED WITH CLEANING FUNCTION, AND METHOD FOR CLEANING SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS - There are provided a transfer member provided with a cleaning function, which have excellent foreign matter removing performance and transfer performance, and which can remove foreign matters having a predetermined particle diameter with especially high efficiency. | 10-22-2009 |
20090263154 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - An intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade put in sliding contact with the surface of a circulating intermediate transfer belt and a blade holder for holding the blade, the cleaning blade having a length extending across the width of the intermediate transfer belt, the blade holder being formed along the full length of the cleaning blade, for cleaning the surface of the intermediate transfer belt by means of the cleaning blade. In this cleaning unit, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade against the intermediate transfer belt is adjusted so that the contact pressure around both the side edges of the intermediate transfer belt is higher than the contact pressure in the remaining part. | 10-22-2009 |
20090285598 | METHOD OF CLEANING A TONER IMAGE CARRIER - A method and apparatus for cleaning an image carrier that is used for transferring a toner image onto a recording medium which includes a black image step in which a black image, i.e., an image of the entire area which is filled with toner, is formed on the image carrier and is transferred onto a cleaner that engages the image carrier for removing dust therefrom, wherein, prior to the black image step, a black page step is carried out in which a black page is printed by transferring a black image from the image carrier onto the recording medium. | 11-19-2009 |
20090290899 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Disclosed is an image forming apparatus comprising: a developing device to house a toner and to form a toner image on an image carrier; a transfer belt to transfer the toner image formed on the image carrier to a sheet, the transfer belt comprising an elastic layer; and a blade to remove the toner remaining on the transfer belt after the toner image has been transferred, the blade being in contact with the transfer belt, wherein the transfer belt and the blade are configured so that a stiffness of the transfer belt is larger than a stiffness of the blade, in a temperature range which is no higher than a glass transition temperature of the toner. | 11-26-2009 |
20090304411 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a first drive member located downstream of an image bearing member and upstream of a transfer portion and a second drive member located downstream of the transfer portion with respect to a direction of conveying a recording material on a conveyance belt member and configured to apply a driving force to the conveyance belt member. | 12-10-2009 |
20090311002 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A first roll brush is formed from material having the positive triboelectric charge polarity against toner. A positive bias is applied to the first roll brush through a first collection roller by a first bias application device. A second roll brush is formed from material having the negative triboelectric charge polarity against toner. A negative bias is applied to the second roll brush through a second collection roller by a second bias application device. Thus, the first and second roll brushes are applied by each of biases having polarity identical to the triboelectric charge polarity of material of the roll brush against toner. This enhances cleaning performance of both the roll brushes and prevents degradation of the cleaning performance. | 12-17-2009 |
20090311003 | CLEANING ROLLER FOR CLEANING IMAGE BEARING MEMBER - A cleaning roller has a core and a polyurethane foam layer covering the core to form a peripheral surface of the cleaning roller adapted to be in contact with a peripheral surface of the toner image bearing member. The polyurethane foam is designed so that the number of cell per inch thereof is 30 or more and 60 or less and an open ratio of cell walls thereof is 3% or more and 50% or less. | 12-17-2009 |
20090311004 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device | 12-17-2009 |
20090317123 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - When a number of print pages, a driving time or a toner adhering amount exceeds a cleaning trigger value during no transfer operation, a circumferential speed of a secondary transfer roller is changed with respect to a circumferential speed of an intermediate transfer belt so as to clean the secondary transfer roller. Particularly, a surface of the secondary transfer roller is totally cleaned when the circumferential speed of the secondary transfer roller is made relatively faster and then slower or vice versa than the circumferential speed of the intermediate transfer belt because the surface of the secondary transfer roller is elastically deformed in both upstream and downstream directions so that the residual toner on the uneven foam surface of the secondary transfer roller is extruded. | 12-24-2009 |
20090324277 | Belt unit, transfer unit and image forming apparatus - A belt unit includes an endless belt that transports a recording medium thereon. The endless belt has a Young's modulus in the range of 3.5≦Y≦7.0. The endless belt is disposed about a plurality of rollers, and runs about the rollers. The endless belt has a thickness such that 0.0025≦Y×T | 12-31-2009 |
20090324278 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A compact image forming apparatus is provided in which stains on the back of a transfer material can be prevented. In particular, in a marginless print mode in which a toner image can be formed to the edge of a transfer material, a large amount of toner adheres to a transfer-material bearing member. The image forming apparatus includes a collecting member that can temporarily collect the toner adhering to the transfer-material bearing member. The toner that is temporarily collected by the collecting member is transferred to an intermediate transfer member and is cleaned by a cleaning unit. | 12-31-2009 |
20090324279 | Image-Forming Apparatus - An image-forming apparatus includes an endless belt, a photosensitive member, a driving member, and a recovering member, and a cleaning member. The endless belt is circularly movable and has a surface extending in a first direction. The photosensitive member is opposed to the surface to provide the surface with a toner. The driving member drives the endless belt so that the surface moves in the first direction during an image-forming period and moves in a second direction opposite to the first direction during a recovering period posterior to the image-forming period. The recovering member recovers, during the image-formation period, a first residual toner remaining on the photosensitive member after the toner has been provided on the surface, and provides, during the recovering period, the recovered first residual toner on the photosensitive member to be provided on the surface. The cleaning member is opposed to the surface at an upstream of the photosensitive member in the first direction to clean, during the recovering period, the recovered first residual toner provided on the surface. | 12-31-2009 |
20100008696 | TRANSFER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS EMPLOYING THE TRANSFER UNIT - A transfer unit includes a belt member, a bending roller, a transfer section, and a bias application unit. The belt member is extended between rollers and has a movable surface on which a toner image is transferred from an image carrier. The bending roller externally contacts the surface of the belt member to bend the belt member and rotates in conjunction with the belt member. The transfer section includes one of the rollers and a surface moving member. The surface moving member rotates at least one full turn while cleaning is performed on the surface moving member and the bending roller. A surface moving speed of the bending roller is equal to or greater than a surface moving speed of the surface moving member. A circumferential length L1 of the surface moving member and a circumferential length L2 of the bending roller satisfy L1≧L2. | 01-14-2010 |
20100028041 | Image Forming Apparatus, Supporting Member, and Image Forming Unit - An image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, a plurality of processing units, a cleaning unit, a waste toner retainer, and a waste toner conveying unit. The plurality of processing units is juxtaposed above the endless belt. The cleaning unit is disposed above the endless belt to collect a waste toner deposited on the endless belt. The waste toner retainer is provided in one processing unit in the plurality of processing units. At least one of another processing units in the plurality of processing units is interposed between the cleaning unit and the one processing unit. The waste toner conveying unit conveys the waste toner collected by the cleaning unit to the waste toner retainer, and extends from the cleaning unit to the waster toner retainer. | 02-04-2010 |
20100040393 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes multiple image forming units disposed adjacent to and horizontally aligned with each other to form respective single non-black color images, a first transfer member to sequentially transfer and overlay the respective single non-black color images thereon for forming a composite color image, a black image forming unit disposed separately from the multiple image forming units including a black image carrier and a black image developing unit, a second transfer member to transfer the black image from the black image forming unit onto a recording medium, a first cleaning unit to clean the surface of the black image carrier, and a second cleaning unit to clean the surface of the second transfer member. The black toner removed from the surface of the black image carrier is collected to the black image developing unit. | 02-18-2010 |
20100098454 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LIFE EXTENSION OF OIL CONTAMINATED INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER BELTS - A method and apparatus that uniformly distributes a material on an image transfer surface is disclosed. The apparatus may include a circulation mechanism to circulate an image transfer surface in a two-dimensional manner around an axis and a retractable blade which is movable between a smoothing position contacting the material on the image transfer surface and a stand-by position departing from the material on the image transfer surface. Additionally, a cam on a lever moves the retractable blade to the stand-by position or to the smoothing position. In an image forming apparatus a retractable blade is used to smooth contamination of unknown distribution on a belt and to move corresponding to the movement of a roller disposed proximate to the belt. | 04-22-2010 |
20100104318 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A cleaning device cleans an image bearing member bearing a toner image to be transferred at a transfer position onto a sheet. The device includes a cleaning member provided on a downstream side with respect to the transfer position in a movement direction in which the image bearing member moves and configured to collect residual toner from the image bearing member, a cleaning assist member provided on an upstream or downstream side in the movement direction with respect to the cleaning member and configured to be pressed against the image bearing member to rub off the toner from the image bearing member, a cleaning mechanism configured to move the cleaning assist member away from the image bearing member at a predetermined timing to remove the toner adhered to the cleaning assist member, and a housing that houses the cleaning member, the cleaning assist member, and the cleaning mechanism. | 04-29-2010 |
20100111558 | TONER REMOVAL APPARATUS WITH PROFILED BLADE - A cleaning station for removing particulate material from a moving web in an electrographic printer/copier includes a customer-replaceable web-cleaner device with a support bracket/backup shoe assembly. The web-cleaner has two wiper blades, including one or more profiled metal blades, each having a distinguishment such that the distinguishment distinguishes one wiper blade from the other wiper blade when the blades are locked into the cleaner sump by springs, to facilitate material removed from the web. The wiper cleaning blades and the cover assembly are easily replaceable by the operator in the correct order. | 05-06-2010 |
20100111559 | TONER REMOVAL APPARATUS FOR ELECTROGRAPHIC PRINTER - A cleaning station for removing particulate material from a moving web in an electrographic printer/copier includes a customer-replaceable web-cleaner device with a support bracket/backup shoe assembly. The web-cleaner has two wiper blades, including one or more blades, each having a distinguishment such that the distinguishment distinguishes one wiper blade from the other wiper blade when the blades are locked into the cleaner sump by springs, to facilitate material removed from the web. The wiper cleaning blades are held using a shoe that comprises a “T-shaped” extrusion wherein the extrusion has a rigidity to reduce shoe deformations. | 05-06-2010 |
20100124431 | ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER - To meet with the requirement for high-speed printing with continuous paper used as its recording medium and to better clean a transfer roller surface in high-speed production as well, an electrophotographic printer is provided comprising: a carrier liquid supply unit | 05-20-2010 |
20100150601 | CLEANING DEVICE FOR INTERMEDIATE TRANSFERRING MEMBER AND IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device for an intermediate transferring member, comprising:
| 06-17-2010 |
20100150602 | CLEANING DEVICE FOR INTERMEDIATE TRANSFERRING MEMBER AND IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME - A cleaning device for an intermediate transferring member, comprising: | 06-17-2010 |
20100183328 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus that includes: a sheet conveying belt that conveys a sheet to a position opposed to an image carrier; a cleaning unit that cleans the sheet conveying belt; a first driving unit that drives the sheet conveying belt; a second driving unit that drives the cleaning unit, the second driving unit being independent from the first driving unit; and a sheet conveying mechanism that conveys the sheet separately from the sheet conveying belt, wherein the second driving unit drives at least a part of the sheet conveying mechanism. | 07-22-2010 |
20100221034 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes: a first scraping member that scrapes off a developer on a surface of a moving body that circularly moves; a second scraping member that is disposed downstream from the first scraping member in a moving direction of the moving body, and that scrapes off residuals remaining on the surface of the moving body; a container having: a first housing portion that houses the developer scraped off by the first scraping member, as a recovered material; and a second housing portion that houses the residuals scraped off by the second scraping member; a discharge port that is disposed in the first housing portion, wherein the developer in the first housing portion is discharged to an outside of the container through the discharge port; and a conveying member that conveys the recovered material housed in the first housing portion to the discharge port. | 09-02-2010 |
20100266309 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes:
| 10-21-2010 |
20100272464 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device may include a cleaning member, a toner recovery roller, and a scraping member. The cleaning member may rotate so as to remove residual toner from an intermediate transfer belt looped between multiple rollers. In some embodiments, a toner recovery roller may electrically recover the toner from the cleaning member. Some embodiments include a scraping member in contact with the cleaning member at a downstream side, in a rotating direction of the cleaning member, relative to a cleaning nip section where the intermediate transfer belt and the cleaning member are in contact with each other and at an upstream side, in the rotating direction of the cleaning member, relative to a recovery nip section where the cleaning member and the toner recovery roller are in contact with each other. | 10-28-2010 |
20100290805 | IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM CLEANING STATION - A cleaning station is usable with an image forming apparatus that has at least one developer configured to deliver toner of a first polarity to a latent image formed on a photoconductor. The cleaning station includes a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the toner of the first polarity from the latent image to a print medium, a charging station configured to charge waste toner not transferred from the transfer mechanism to the print medium to a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and a cleaner assembly configured to collect the waste toner from the transfer mechanism. | 11-18-2010 |
20100303497 | Toner Recovery Machine and Image Forming Apparatus - A toner recovery machine comprising: a first roller having a radius and rotatable about a first axis, the first axis along a first direction; a cleaner touching the first roller; a container for accommodating toner, the container comprising: a first conveyer movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a second conveyer rotatable about a second axis and having a radius defined by the rotation about the second axis, the second axis along the first direction, wherein the second conveyer, the first roller, and the first conveyer are positioned in this order along the second direction, wherein the sum of the radius of the first roller and the radius defined by the second conveyer is smaller than a distance in the second direction between the first axis and the second axis. | 12-02-2010 |
20100303498 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a belt including an abutting surface and a cleaning member disposed to abut against the abutting surface for removing a foreign substance on the abutting surface. The abutting surface has a mirror surface smoothness of 40 to 200, and a pensile hardness of 2H to 7H. | 12-02-2010 |
20110033199 | INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER BODY AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An intermediate transfer body is provided. An intermediate transfer body includes an intermediate transfer belt and a belt cleaning section including a cleaning blade. A plurality of projecting portions extending in parallel with a rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt are provided on a surface of an elastic layer of the intermediate transfer belt. The cleaning blade is formed such that a width W | 02-10-2011 |
20110033200 | BELT CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A belt cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning blade and a waste toner case. The cleaning blade is a plate-like elastic member that extends in parallel with a width direction of an intermediate transfer belt and is provided so that one end of a lateral direction thereof abuts on an outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The waste toner case supports the other end in the lateral direction of the cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is formed such that a width W | 02-10-2011 |
20110044718 | CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Disclosed is a cleaning apparatus including: a blade and a roller to remove the residual toner on the image carrier, the blade and the roller provided on a downstream side of a rotating direction of the image carrier than a transfer position of the toner image; a scraper to remove toner attached to the roller; and a first controlling section to control movement of the residual toner removed by the blade and the roller, the first controlling section is provided on an upstream side of the rotating direction of the image carrier than the blade and on a downstream side of the rotating direction of the image carrier than the roller and the scraper, and the first controlling section is provided facing the image carrier with a certain area provided in between to form an accumulating section to accumulate residual toner in the certain area. | 02-24-2011 |
20110052250 | INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER BODY AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An intermediate transfer body is provided. An intermediate transfer body includes an intermediate transfer belt and a belt cleaning section including a cleaning blade. A plurality of projecting portions extending so as to have a predetermined angle with respect to a width direction of the intermediate transfer belt are provided on a surface of an elastic layer of the intermediate transfer belt. The cleaning blade is formed such that a width W | 03-03-2011 |
20110058845 | BELT CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is provided a belt cleaning apparatus which is excellent in removing efficiency of removing residual toner as well as is capable of efficiently removing foreign matters which are more difficult to be removed than the residual toner such as paper powder, talc and kaolin adhered to a cleaning section from the cleaning section, which makes it possible to form a high quality image over a long term. A belt cleaning apparatus is, when removing the residual toner by abutting on an outer circumferential surface of an intermediate transfer belt by a cleaning blade, configured to vibrate the intermediate transfer belt by applying alternating current voltage to an electrode member by a power source through a blade supporting member. | 03-10-2011 |
20110064452 | Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and process cartridge - An image forming apparatus including multiple image bearing members that bear respective electrostatic latent images, provided in tandem; multiple developing devices that develop the respective electrostatic latent images with toner to form respective toner images; an intermediate transfer member onto which the multiple toner images are transferred to form a composite toner image; multiple first lubricant applicators that apply a lubricant to the respective image bearing members; and a second lubricant applicator that applies a lubricant to the intermediate transfer member, provided upstream from the extreme upstream image bearing member. In this image forming apparatus, the amount of lubricant applied from the extreme upstream first lubricant applicator to the extreme upstream image bearing member is smaller than that applied from each of the other lubricant applicators to the respective image bearing members. | 03-17-2011 |
20110076051 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes a belt unit having a driving roller, a driven roller, a driving roller gear; and a belt which is looped around the driving roller and the driven roller; a belt driving gear which is engaged with the driving roller gear; a photosensitive drum which contacts the belt; and a positioning section which contacts a portion of the belt unit to position the belt unit with respect to a moving direction of the belt. The positioning section contacts the portion of the belt unit in a direction of receiving a force with which the photosensitive drum is pressing the belt unit. The belt driving gear is engaged with the driving roller gear such that a force pressing the belt unit from the belt driving gear via the driving roller gear presses the belt unit against the positioning section. | 03-31-2011 |
20110076052 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing member on which a latent image is formed; a developing unit that develops the latent image using a liquid developer; a transfer member onto which the image is transferred; a cleaning unit that cleans the latent image bearing member; a cleaning roller, to which a bias is applied, that cleans the transfer member by making contact with the transfer member; a blade that cleans the cleaning roller by making contact with the cleaning roller; a cleaning blade that cleans the transfer member cleaned by the cleaning roller by making contact with the transfer member; a holding unit that holds collected material scratched by the blade and the cleaning blade; an application unit that applies the collected material to the cleaning roller; and a transport channel that transports the collected material collected by the cleaning unit to the holding unit. | 03-31-2011 |
20110076053 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor; a charging portion; an exposure portion; a developing portion; a transfer body; a cleaning portion; and a control portion. The charging portion charges the photoreceptor. The exposure portion forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor. The developing portion forms a developed image on the photoreceptor. The developed image thus formed is primarily transferred to the transfer body and the transfer body secondarily transfers the developed image thus primarily transferred to a predetermined recording medium. The cleaning portion cleans the transfer body. The control portion performs control to: form a cleaning developed image on the photoreceptor outside of a paper feeding width and inside of a developing width, primarily transfer the cleaning developed image to the transfer body, and make the cleaning portion clean the cleaning developed image thus primarily transferred. | 03-31-2011 |
20110091237 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes electrostatic latent image carriers, developer devices, an endless belt, a cleaning roller, a first motor, a first gear train, being coupled to the cleaning roller to rotate in a predetermined direction when the first motor rotates in a first direction and decoupled from the cleaning roller when the first motor rotates in a second direction, a second gear train, being coupled to the cleaning roller to rotate in the predetermined direction when the first motor rotates in the second direction and decoupled from the cleaning roller when the first motor rotates in the first direction, and a third gear train, being coupled to at least one of the developer devices when the first motor rotates in the first direction and decoupled from the at least one of the developer devices when the first motor rotates in the second direction. | 04-21-2011 |
20110097104 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus, including: a rotatable image bearing member; a developer carrying member configured to carry a developer to form a developer image on the image bearing member; a cleaning blade configured to remove the developer remaining on the image bearing member; a conveying unit configured to convey the developer removed by the cleaning blade, toward a developer recovering portion; and a cleaning auxiliary portion configured to move the developer accumulated on the cleaning blade toward the conveying unit, the cleaning auxiliary portion having a length that is smaller, in a rotation axial direction of the image bearing member, than a developer width of the developer carried by the developer carrying member. | 04-28-2011 |
20110097105 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - Disclosed herein are an image forming apparatus and a control method thereof. In the image forming apparatus, an intermediate transfer member is provided with a position identification mark, to enable sensing of a position of the intermediate transfer member after a cleaning unit is completely spaced apart from the intermediate transfer member. An image formation/transfer position can be controlled in response to a sensing signal of the position identification mark, so that respective colors of developer images may be formed and transferred to the same position on the intermediate transfer member in a state in which contact between the cleaning unit and the intermediate transfer member is released. This minimizes and/or prevents color discrepancy between the respective colors of developer images. | 04-28-2011 |
20110097106 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an intermediary transfer member receiving the toner image on the image bearing member, a transfer unit for transferring the toner image from the intermediary transfer member onto a sheet, and a rotatable cleaner for cleaning the intermediary transfer member. The cleaner is downstream of the transfer unit with respect to a sheet conveyance direction and rotates in an opposite direction to the intermediary transfer member during image formation. The cleaner separates a sheet wound about the intermediary transfer member from the intermediary transfer member. | 04-28-2011 |
20110103822 | BELT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A belt device incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, multiple belt tension rollers disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a rotary cleaning member to contact a belt wound area of the endless belt facing an opposing roller to form a cleaning nip between the rotary cleaning member and the endless belt and rotate the rotary cleaning member in a direction opposite the belt moving direction within the cleaning nip, and a voltage applier. The cleaning nip is formed by offsetting a center of the cleaning nip upstream from a center of the belt wound area of the endless belt in the belt moving direction and by at least contacting the rotary cleaning member in a range from the belt wound area to a tensioned belt area located upstream from the belt wound area in the belt moving direction. | 05-05-2011 |
20110110680 | IMAGE FORMING METHOD AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - An image forming method includes transferring images carried by an image carrier to a transfer material by a transfer roller coming in contact with the image carrier via the transfer material, the transfer roller having a concaved portion in its circumferential surface and contacting with or being separated from the image carrier due to its rotation, separating the transfer roller from the image carrier by the rotation of the transfer roller after transferring the images to the transfer material, stopping the transfer roller in a state where the transfer roller is separated from the image carrier, and moving the image carrier and cleaning the image carrier using a cleaning member while the transfer roller is stopped. | 05-12-2011 |
20110116829 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An elastic layer and a top layer of an intermediate transfer belt are configured such that an elastic modulus in a sub-scanning direction is larger than an elastic modulus in a main-scanning direction. Accordingly, when a toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt, a pressure applied to and affect on a toner is reduced as well as deformation at a sliding-contact portion between the intermediate transfer belt and a cleaning blade can be suppressed. | 05-19-2011 |
20110142485 | CLEANING DEVICE, CHARGING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes: a brush that has numerous bristles rotating and contacting to the surface of an image carrier, a removing member disposed so as to contact to the numerous bristles and removes a developer adhering to the numerous bristles by elastically deforming the numerous bristles and further returning the numerous deformed bristles back to normal, and a transport member disposed lower than the removing member in the gravitational direction and transports the developer removed with the removing member by rotating on an axis, wherein at least a part of the developer removed from the numerous bristles falls to a farther position than the axis of the transport member from the brush in the horizontal direction. | 06-16-2011 |
20110142486 | IMAGE FORMATION DEVICE - An image formation device includes an image carrier that holds developed images, a transfer body that transfers the developed images held by the image carrier to a recording medium, a cleaning unit that cleans developer on the transfer body, a developer container in which the developer removed by the cleaning unit is deposited, and a sucking unit that sucks the developer leaking from the developer container, the transfer body having at least a rotating member of which both ends are rotatably supported, and the sucking unit having a suction hole opening at least at one end of the rotating member. | 06-16-2011 |
20110150524 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a drum for bearing a toner image; a rotatable belt onto which the toner image is to be transferred from the drum; a primary transfer member for primary transferring the toner image from the drum onto the belt; a secondary transfer member for secondary transferring the toner image from the belt onto a transfer material; and a charging member for electrically charging toner remaining on the belt. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing a belt cleaning mode in which the toner remaining on the belt is electrically charged, and a charging member cleaning mode in which the toner is transferred from the charging member onto the belt and then onto the drum. When the charging member cleaning mode is executed, the charging member is moved at least once from a belt separation position or away from a belt contact position. | 06-23-2011 |
20110158677 | CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is provided a cleaning apparatus, comprising: a normally-charged toner cleaning member that receives a voltage having a polarity reverse to a normal charging polarity of a toner and electrostatically removes a toner having the normal charging polarity on a cleaning target; a reversely-charged toner cleaning member that receives a voltage having the same polarity as the normal charging polarity of a toner and electrostatically removes a toner having a polarity reverse to the normal charging polarity on the cleaning target; and a pre-cleaning member that is disposed at an upstream side of the normally-charged toner cleaning member and the reversely-charged toner cleaning member in a surface moving direction of the cleaning target, receives a voltage having a polarity reverse to the normal charging polarity of the toner, and electrostatically removes a toner having the normal charging polarity on the cleaning target. | 06-30-2011 |
20110182611 | TRANSFER UNIT AND METHOD IN AN ELECTROPHORETIC PRINTING OR COPYING APPARATUS - In a transfer unit or method for an electrophoretic printing or copying apparatus, a rotating transfer element is provided at a first electrical potential arranged adjacent to a charge image carrier and that accepts toner images from the charge image carrier and supplies the toner images to a transfer printing station. An application element is provided adjacent to the transfer element that applies a cleaning fluid onto the transfer element to wet residual toner remaining after the transfer printing. An electrical potential element that recharges the wetted residual toner is provided after the application element and adjacent to the transfer element. A cleaning element after the potential element and adjacent to the transfer element is provided which is at an electrical potential selected so that an electrical field generated between the cleaning element and the transfer element draws the wetted residual toner towards the cleaning element. | 07-28-2011 |
20110211861 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to transfer an image onto a transfer medium in an image transfer range, a seamless belt to move along a predetermined conveying direction, a pair of belt rollers to support the belt in a flattened condition, a tensile force applier to become in contact with the belt and apply tensile force to the belt in the image transfer range, a controller to apply the tensile force during an imaging period, in which operations including an image transfer operation are executed, and reduce or clear the tensile force being applied to the belt during a non-imaging period, which is other than the imaging period. | 09-01-2011 |
20110222902 | Image Forming Device Having Cleaning Member for Cleaning Belt - A image forming device includes a main casing, a photosensitive-member unit including a plurality of photosensitive members aligned in a first direction, and a belt disposed in confrontation with the photosensitive members. The photosensitive-member unit is movable in the first direction with respect to the main casing, and is pulled out of the main casing when pulled in a pull-out direction parallel to the first direction. The photosensitive-member unit is provided with a cleaning member that is disposed on an upstream side of a most-upstream one of the photosensitive members with respect to the pull-out direction. The cleaning member slidingly contacts the belt when the photosensitive-member unit is moved with respect to the main casing. The cleaning member is located at a predetermined position separate from the belt when the photosensitive-member unit is at a mounting position within the main casing. | 09-15-2011 |
20110229186 | Cleaning device, and image forming apparatus, process cartridge, and intermediate transfer unit each including the cleaning device - A cleaning device cleaning a moving surface of a cleaning target includes a laminate-structured blade member including multiple layers made of materials different in permanent set value, a holding member to hold a proximal end of the laminate-structured blade member, and a plurality of slits. An edge layer of the multiple layers is formed of a material higher in permanent set value than any other one of the materials of the multiple layers and includes a distal-end edge portion corresponding to a leading end ridgeline portion contacting the cleaning target. The plurality of slits are formed over an area of a surface of the edge layer ranging from the proximal end of the blade member where the holding member holds the blade member toward the distal-end edge portion and extend in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the surface of the cleaning target. | 09-22-2011 |
20110229187 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes a normally charged toner cleaning unit, a reversely charged toner cleaning unit, and a pre-cleaning unit. The normally charged toner cleaning unit has a normally charged toner cleaning member, a normally charged toner recovery member, and a normally charged toner scraping member. The reversely charged toner cleaning unit has a reversely charged toner cleaning member, a reversely charged toner recovery member, and a reversely charged toner scraping member. The pre-cleaning unit has a pre-cleaning member, a pre-recovery member, and a pre-scraping member. | 09-22-2011 |
20110229188 | Cleaning device, and image forming apparatus, process cartridge, and intermediate transfer unit each including the cleaning device - A cleaning device for cleaning a moving surface of a cleaning target includes a laminated blade member including multiple layers including a proximal edge layer, each of the multiple layers made of materials different in permanent set value and a holding member to hold a distal end of the blade member. A proximal edge portion of the blade member at a free, leading end opposite the distal end of the blade member held by the holding member brought into contact with the surface of the cleaning target to clean the surface undergoes a linear pressure reduction rate of approximately 90% or higher. | 09-22-2011 |
20110236053 | DEVELOPER RECOVERY DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - There is provided a developer recovery device including: a casing; a recovery member disposed along an edge portion of the aperture portion; a sealing member disposed along an edge portion at a conveyance direction upstream side of the aperture portion; a moving section that moves the recovery member and the sealing member between a position of being touched against the developer-bearing member and a position of being apart from the developer-bearing member; a suction section that sucks the developer separated from the developer-bearing member into the casing; and a filter that is long in the length direction of the aperture portion and that is disposed in the casing between the aperture portion and the suction section with an inclination such that a lower portion of the filter is further away from the aperture portion than an upper portion of the filter. | 09-29-2011 |
20110236054 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having a first opening on a first side, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt arranged to have a surface thereof facing the photosensitive members, primary-transfer members, a secondary-transfer roller, a first feed roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is removably installed in the chassis through the first opening and settled in a position opposite from the photosensitive members across the intermediate transfer belt, a connector, a first feeding path extending in a range between the first feed roller and the secondary-transfer roller, and a second feeding path being formed in clearance between the intermediate transfer belt and the waste toner container to convey a recording sheet being inserted through a sheet inlet and merging into the first feeding path in the vicinity of the first feed roller. | 09-29-2011 |
20110236055 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having a first opening on a first side, a cover, movable between an open position and a closed position, a plurality of photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of primary-transfer members, a secondary-transfer roller, a first feed roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is removably installed in the chassis through the first opening and settled in a position opposite from the plurality of photosensitive members across the intermediate transfer belt, to store the residual toner collected by the cleaner device, a connector, a first feeding path, a second feeding path, and a second feed roller. The second feed roller is rotatably supported by the cover and movable along with the cover to yield the first opening to the waste toner container when the cover is in the open position. | 09-29-2011 |
20110236056 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt including a first plane and a second plane, a waste toner container, a first feeding path extending between a first feed roller and a secondary-transfer roller, a second feeding path being a path for a recording sheet inserted through a sheet inlet, a second feed roller arranged in an overlapping position to at least partially overlap with the waste toner container when viewed along a horizontal plane and in a position out of a course of the waste toner container being installed in and removed from the chassis. The second plane of the intermediate transfer belt extends downwardly in an inclined angle with respect to the first plane. The waste toner container is movable along the second plane of the intermediate transfer belt to be settled in the chassis. | 09-29-2011 |
20110243599 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including, a plurality of image bearing members, a plurality of developing units which includes toner storage containers and a belt transferring toner images onto a transfer material, the image forming apparatus being capable of executing a first cleaning mode and a second cleaning mode to move the toner adhering onto the belt onto the image bearing members and to collect the adhering toner into the toner storage containers, wherein, in the first cleaning mode, the adhering toner is collected into the toner storage container of the developing unit developing a black toner, and in the second cleaning mode, a portion of the adhering toner is collected into the toner storage container corresponding to the image bearing member located at a most upstream position and a rest of the adhering toner is collected into the toner storage container of the developing unit developing the black toner. | 10-06-2011 |
20110255896 | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling the same - An image forming apparatus including: an image carrying member supported in a body housing and forming a visible image by a developing agent; a transfer unit including a driving roller supported in the body housing and an intermediate transfer belt rotated by the driving roller in a first direction on which the visible image on the image carrying member is intermediately transferred to when a printing process is conducted on a recording medium; a cleaning blade in contact with the intermediate transfer belt to clean a remaining developing agent on the intermediate transfer belt rotating in the first direction; the intermediate transfer belt being rotated in an opposite direction to the first direction, for a preset period of time before the visible image is intermediately transferred and rotating the intermediate transfer belt in the first direction so that the visible image is intermediately transferred when the printing process starts. | 10-20-2011 |
20110268468 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a transfer belt used to transfer a toner image from the image bearing member to a transfer material; a transfer unit adapted to form a transfer nip in conjunction with the image bearing member through the transfer belt; and a control part adapted to control a rotation direction of the transfer belt, wherein in a cleaning mode, the control part rotates the transfer belt in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the transfer belt during image formation at least by an amount equal to or larger than width of the transfer nip in the rotation direction of the transfer belt. This prevents foreign material from being trapped between the transfer belt such as an intermediate transfer belt or transfer material conveyance belt and a sheet member and thereby reduces density irregularities in a longitudinal direction of the belt. | 11-03-2011 |
20110268469 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The image forming apparatus includes a charge member that charges residual toner and is a conductive roller having electrical conductivity and rotates in according to rotation of the intermediate transfer member, and the conductive roller includes a foamed front layer and charges the residual toner upstream and downstream of a contact area in which the conductive roller contacts the intermediate transfer member and charges the residual toner in a void formed on the foamed layer in the contact area. This enables the residual toner on the intermediate transfer member to be sufficiently charged without damaging the intermediate transfer member. | 11-03-2011 |
20110293316 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, an external-sheet inlet, a waste toner container, a connector, and a conveying roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet inserted through the external-sheet inlet in the feeding path. The conveying roller is mounted on the waste toner container and removable from the chassis along with the waste toner container. | 12-01-2011 |
20110293317 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, primary-transfer members, a secondary-transfer roller, a first feed roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is movable along the predetermined direction to be removably installed in the chassis through a first opening and stores residual toner, a connector, a first feeding path, a second feeding path being a path for a recording sheet inserted through a sheet inlet and includes a sheet guide to guide the recording sheet, and a second feed roller. The second feed roller is movable along with at least a part of the sheet guide. The waste toner container is movable through space, which is occupied by the second feed roller in an upper position, and the first opening when the second feed roller is in a lower position. | 12-01-2011 |
20110293318 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is movable along a predetermined direction to be removably installed in the chassis through the opening and stores residual toner, a connector, and a feed roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet in the feeding path. The feed roller is arranged in a position to at least partially fall within a vertical range of the waste toner container and to be aligned with the waste toner container along an axial direction of the second feed roller. | 12-01-2011 |
20110305478 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, CONTROL DEVICE, DETECTING METHOD OF REFERENCE INDEX ON TRANSFER BODY, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM - An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image forming unit forming a latent image; a transfer body on which a reference index for setting an output start time point of image data is formed; a detecting unit outputting a detection signal changing according to passing of an adhesion material on the transfer body; a controller that starts a first period during which change of the detection signal is ignored, according to first change of the detection signal, starts a second period after the first period, regards second change of the detection signal occurring first in the second period as a reference of the output start time point, and ignores change of the detection signal after the second change, to control outputting the image data; and a cleaning information outputting unit outputting information on cleaning the transfer body according to the number of changes of the detection signal in these periods. | 12-15-2011 |
20110311264 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a lubricant having a bar shape along the axial direction of a transfer roller, a brush roller which applies a component of the lubricant to the surface of the transfer roller, and a plurality of bases which are made of metal and are disposed at intervals along the axial direction of the transfer roller. The bases hold the lubricant in a state where the lubricant comes in contact with the brush roller. | 12-22-2011 |
20110318048 | BELT DRIVING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A belt driving apparatus includes a rotatable belt member; a stretching member for stretching the belt member; a steering device for stretching and steering the belt member, wherein the steering device includes a rotatable portion which is rotatable with rotation of the belt member, a frictional portion provided at each of longitudinal outsides of the rotatable portion with respect to a widthwise direction and slidable relative to the belt member by being prevented from rotating, supporting member for supporting the rotatable portion and the frictional portion, and a rotation shaft for rotatably supporting the supporting member, and wherein the steering device is capable of moving the belt member in the widthwise direction by rotating the supporting member by a force produced by sliding between the belt member and the frictional portion; and an urging member, provided at each of longitudinal end portion sides of the rotatable portion with respect to the widthwise direction, for urging the belt member against the frictional portion in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the belt member. | 12-29-2011 |
20110318049 | TONER CONVEYING DEVICE OR IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE TONER CONVEYING DEVICE - This invention provides a toner conveying device including a toner hashing member having an opening region serving as a connecting region between the connection member and the toner conveying member and configured to break up a clump of toner accumulating in a toner conveying path in a region of the conveying path, which corresponds at least to the opening region, and an image forming apparatus including this toner conveying device. | 12-29-2011 |
20120014710 | CLEANING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME AND CLEANING METHOD - A cleaning device includes a cleaning member that comes into contact with a developer carrier, which carries developer, in a direction crossing a moving direction of the developer carrier and cleans the developer carrier by removing the developer from the developer carrier, a recovery section that is provided with a recovery port formed inside of end portions of the developer carrier in the direction crossing the moving direction of the developer carrier and recovers the developer, which is removed by the cleaning member, through the recovery port, and a guide member that guides the developer to the recovery port, one end of the guide member being positioned outside an end portion of the cleaning member and the end portion of the developer carrier, and the other end of the guide member being positioned inside the cleaning member in the direction crossing the moving direction of the developer carrier. | 01-19-2012 |
20120014711 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes a cleaning device body including a cleaning member, the cleaning member being in contact with a surface of an image carrier so as to remove developer retained on the surface of the image carrier; and a fixing member that fixes an end of the cleaning device body in a longitudinal direction to a side surface of a frame that supports the image carrier and corresponds to the end of the cleaning device body in the longitudinal direction. | 01-19-2012 |
20120020698 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a toner image, a waste toner storage mechanism to store residual toner, and an intermediate transfer unit detachable from the image forming apparatus. The intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer member onto which the toner image is transferred, a cleaning device to remove residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member after the toner image is transferred to a recording medium, and a connecting mechanism to connect the cleaning device and the waste toner storage mechanism. The connecting mechanism includes a movable connecting tube and a moving device to move the connecting tube between a first position at which the connecting tube engages the cleaning device and the waste toner storage mechanism, and the second position at which the connecting tube separates the cleaning device from the waste toner storage mechanism. | 01-26-2012 |
20120027453 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a rotatable intermediary transfer member; first transfer member; a second transfer member toner images transferred and superposed on the intermediary transfer member onto a transfer material at a second transfer position; a charging member provided downstream of the second transfer position and upstream of the first transfer position; a first voltage source portion for applying a voltage to the charging member; a charging brush provided downstream of the second transfer position and upstream of the charging member with respect to the rotational moving direction; and a second voltage source portion for applying a voltage to the charging brush, wherein second voltage source portion is capable of applying voltage to the charging brush in a state that a voltage is applied to the charging member by first voltage source portion; and a regulating member, provided between the charging member and the charging brush with respect to the rotational moving direction, for regulating a position of a brush of the charging brush. | 02-02-2012 |
20120107013 | DEVELOPER COLLECTING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer collecting device includes a housing in which an opening disposed opposite to a developer holding member is formed, a collection member that is disposed to be capable of coming in contact with and being separated from the developer holding member and that detaches the developer and collects the detached developer in the housing, a sealing member that is disposed to be capable of coming in contact with and being separated from the developer holding member and that seals up a gap between the developer holding member and the housing, a suction passage to which a suction unit suctioning the developer into the housing is connected, a developer transport unit that transports the developer to one end of the housing, and a filtration member that is tilted so that at least an upper part thereof overlaps with the upside of the developer transport unit in a plain view. | 05-03-2012 |
20120114367 | DEVELOPER COLLECTING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer collecting device includes a housing provided with an opening opposed to a developer carrying member, a collecting member provided along an edge of the opening at a downstream end of the opening in a transporting direction in which the developer carrying member transports the developer, a sealing member provided along an edge of the opening at an upstream end of the opening in the transporting direction, a suction path that extends along a longitudinal direction of the housing and that is connected to a suction unit for sucking the developer into the housing, a developer transporting unit that is provided between the opening and the suction path and that transports the developer collected in the housing, a filter member disposed between the developer transporting unit and the suction path, and a hood member disposed between the opening and the filter member and separated from the filter member. | 05-10-2012 |
20120114368 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes a housing provided with an opening opposed to a developer carrying member that carries developer; a collecting member provided along a downstream edge of the opening in a transporting direction of the developer and capable of coming into contact with and separating from the developer carrying member; a sealing member provided along an upstream edge of the opening in the transporting direction; a suction member that sucks air from the opening; a suction path provided between the opening and the suction member; an opening-closing unit that opens or closes the suction path; and a controller that controls the opening-closing unit so as to open the suction path at a time that is before separation of the collecting member from the developer carrying member and a predetermined time period after the time of contact between the collecting member and the developer carrying member. | 05-10-2012 |
20120114369 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a transfer member that retains developer; a housing provided with a removing member that removes the developer and having an intake opening that is opposed to the transfer member, the developer removed by the removing member being taken into the housing through the intake opening; a guiding pipe connected to the housing and having a suction hole through which the developer is sucked and an outlet through which the developer is discharged; and a suction member that applies a suction force to an inner space of the housing through the guiding pipe. A capturing area for capturing the developer that flows through a flow channel from the suction hole to the outlet is provided in the flow channel. A cross section of the capturing area in a radial direction of the flow channel is larger than that of other areas. | 05-10-2012 |
20120114370 | DEVELOPER COLLECTING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer collecting device includes a housing provided with an opening opposed to a developer carrying member, a collecting member provided on a support member and capable of coming into contact with and separating from the developer carrying member, a suction path provided between the opening and a suction member for sucking developer removed from the developer carrying member, an opening-closing plate that opens or closes the suction path, an urging member that urges the opening-closing plate, a retaining member that retains the opening-closing plate, and an opening-closing unit including a rotating member and an elastic member whose ends are connected to the rotating member and the support member. The elastic member is pulled so as to rotate the rotating member in association with a movement of the collecting member, thereby rotating the opening-closing plate so as to open or close the suction path. | 05-10-2012 |
20120114371 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A transfer unit has a belt unit having a belt and a cleaning unit for cleaning the belt. The belt unit and the cleaning unit are integratedly provided. The cleaning unit is movable for the belt unit. The transfer unit is detachable for an apparatus main body. A position of the cleaning unit for the belt unit before the transfer unit is attached to the apparatus main body is different from a position of the cleaning unit for the belt unit after the transfer unit is attached to the apparatus main body. | 05-10-2012 |
20120121288 | POWDER CONTAINER, CLEANING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A powder container includes a housing including a container chamber, a rotation member extending in an axial direction, and a sealing member. The housing includes a first wall portion having a first hole into which an end portion of the rotation member is inserted. The rotation member includes a second wall facing a part of the first wall portion around the first hole with a distance therebetween. The sealing member has a second hole through which the rotation member extends, is interposed between the part of the first wall portion around the first hole and the second wall portion, and includes a foam member that is contractible and a pair of sheet members respectively contacting the part of the first wall portion around the first hole and the second wall portion and having a friction coefficient lower than the foam member. | 05-17-2012 |
20120148291 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A wet type image forming apparatus has a primary transfer unit that transfers to an intermediate transfer body a coloring particle image formed on the surface of an image bearing member by using liquid developer. A secondary transfer unit transfers onto a recording medium the coloring particle image transferred to the intermediate transfer body. A cleaning unit recovers liquid developer remaining on the intermediate transfer body after transfer by the second transfer unit. An aggregation promoting agent addition unit is disposed on a downstream side of the secondary transfer unit in a direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer body and on an upstream side of the cleaning unit in a direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer body and adds to the surface of the intermediate transfer body an aggregation promoting agent that promotes aggregation of resin contained in the liquid developer. | 06-14-2012 |
20120170952 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In an image forming apparatus, a control portion forms a restoring toner image (restoring toner band) at a position, in which the refreshing toner image overlaps with a control image with respect to a longitudinal direction of a secondary transfer roller, during post-rotation after image formation in an image forming job is completed. The restoring toner band is formed in a length corresponding to 3 full circumferences of the secondary transfer roller for one-sheet image forming job, 2 full circumferences of the secondary transfer roller for 5-sheet image forming job, and one full circumference of the secondary transfer roller for 10-sheet image forming job. In the case of an image forming job on 50 sheets or more, a lowering in cleaning performance of a secondary transfer member cleaning device for the secondary transfer roller is not caused to occur, so that the restoring toner band is not formed. | 07-05-2012 |
20120195624 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image holding body that holds an electrostatic latent image; a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image with a toner and forms a toner image on the image holding body; a transfer member having a fluorocarbon resin dispersion layer at least at a surface layer of the transfer member, fluorocarbon resin being dispersed in the fluorocarbon resin dispersion layer; a first transfer device that first-transfers the toner image, which is formed on the image holding body, on the transfer member; a second transfer device that second-transfers the toner image, which is first-transferred on the transfer member, on a recording medium; and an abrading member that is arranged to come into contact with and be separated from the transfer member and abrades part of the surface layer of the transfer member when the abrading member contacts the transfer member. | 08-02-2012 |
20120195625 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit having a plurality of photoconductor drums arranged in tandem; an intermediate transfer belt arranged opposite to the photoconductor drums and configured to receive developer images formed on the photoconductor drums and to transfer the developer images onto a recording sheet; a cleaning unit comprising a cleaning member positioned in contact with the intermediate transfer belt and configured to collect substance adhering to the intermediate transfer belt, and a receptacle configured to store the substance collected by the cleaning member, wherein the cleaning unit is arranged on the same side as the image forming unit with respect to the intermediate transfer belt; and a support member configured to support the image forming unit and the cleaning unit and to be pulled out from a main body. | 08-02-2012 |
20120213546 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a charging unit; an electrostatic latent image forming unit; a development unit that houses an electrostatic latent image developer containing toner particles and inorganic particles added thereto and that develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image; an intermediate transfer body to which the toner image is transferred and the surface of which contains a resin material and fluorocarbon resin particles; a first transfer unit that first transfers the toner image to the surface of the intermediate transfer body; a second transfer unit that second transfers the transferred toner image to a recording medium; and a cleaning unit that cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer body after the toner image is second transferred to the recording medium, the cleaning unit including a cleaning blade provided in contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer body. | 08-23-2012 |
20120213547 | IMAGE-FORMING DEVICE HAVING PHOTOSENSITIVE DRUMS AND ENDLESS BELT - In an image-forming device, photosensitive drums are held by the holding member. Developer material accommodating units are held by the holding member so as to form a row of developer material accommodating units along an alignment direction, the developer material accommodating units including one end developer material accommodating unit that is located at one end of the row of developer material accommodating units. An endless belt extends in the alignment direction. A waste developer material accommodating part is provided integrally with the one end developer material accommodating part. A waste developer material conveying mechanism conveys waste developer material from a recovering unit to the waste developer material accommodating part. The holding member includes: a first side plate and a second side plate; and a first beam and a second beam, at least part of a waste developer material conveying mechanism being provided on the first beam. | 08-23-2012 |
20120219315 | CLEANING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USE THE SAME - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing drum for carrying a toner image; an intermediary transfer member; a primary transfer device for primary transfer of a toner image from the drum onto the intermediary member; a secondary transfer device for secondary transfer of the toner image from the intermediary member onto a sheet; and a cleaning unit for removing the toner on the intermediary member. The cleaning unit includes a scraping member for removing the toner deposited on the intermediary member, an accommodating portion for the removed toner, a discharging member, provided downstream of the scraping member with respect to a moving direction of the intermediary member, for moving the toner in the accommodating portion to the intermediary member by application of a voltage, and a regulating member contacted to the discharging member to regulate an amount of the toner deposited on the discharging member. | 08-30-2012 |
20120224882 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that carries a toner image; a transfer member that transfers the toner image to an object to be transferred at a transfer position that faces the image carrier; an endless transfer belt that is wound around the transfer member, and rotates circumferentially as the transfer member rotates; a facing member that is arranged to face the transfer member so as to nip the transfer belt at the transfer position; a transfer voltage application member that applies a voltage at the transfer position such that a transfer current flows between the transfer member and the facing member; and a conductive member to which a voltage is applied between the conductive member and a target member at a position different from the transfer position such that a current in a direction opposite to the transfer current flows to the transfer belt. | 09-06-2012 |
20120224883 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form a developer image in a developer agent on a photosensitive member, an intermediate transfer member arranged in a position to face the photosensitive member, a primary transfer member to transfer the developer image from the photosensitive member to the intermediate transfer member, a secondary transfer member to transfer the developer image from the intermediate transfer member to the recording medium, a cleaning member to remove materials adhered onto the intermediate transfer member, a container to store the materials removed from the intermediate transfer member, an attachment section, to which the container is detachably attached, and a conveyer to convey the recording medium to pass through a position between the intermediate transfer member and the cleaning member. | 09-06-2012 |
20120237251 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a toner image on a surface thereof, an intermediate transfer member disposed facing the image bearing member, onto which the toner image is transferred, a primary transfer device disposed opposite the image bearing member with the intermediate transfer member interposed therebetween to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto the intermediate transfer member, a cleaning device detachably attachable relative to the intermediate transfer member and including a cleaning member to contact the surface of the intermediate transfer member to remove residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member after transfer of the toner image, and a lubricant application device detachably attachable relative to the intermediate transfer device to apply a lubricant on the surface of the intermediate transfer member. The cleaning device and the lubricant application device are detachably attachable independent of each other. | 09-20-2012 |
20120251160 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CARTRIDGE - An endless belt confronts the photosensitive drum. A developing unit includes a developer accommodation portion that is configured to accommodate developer, and a developing roller that is rotatably provided and supplies the photosensitive drum with the developer. A collecting unit is configured to remove waste developer to be discarded from the endless belt and to collect the waste developer. A waste developer accommodation portion is provided integrally with the developer accommodation portion and is configured to accommodate the waste developer collected by the collecting unit. A conveying mechanism is configured to be connected to both the waste developer accommodation portion and the collecting unit and to convey the waste developer from the collecting unit to the waste developer accommodation portion. The waste developer accommodation portion is movable relative to the conveying mechanism. | 10-04-2012 |
20120251161 | Image Forming Device - An image forming device, comprising: a recovering member that is provided for the at least one photosensitive body and recovers adhered substances adhered to the at least one photosensitive body; a belt cleaner that removes the adhered substances adhered to the transfer belt; a cleaning process execution unit that executes a cleaning process in which the adhered substances are transferred from the recovering member to the transfer belt via the at least one photosensitive body; a use amount calculation unit that divides a developer image for transferring to the sheet-like medium into a plurality of areas in a main scanning direction so as to calculate a developer use amount in each of the plurality of areas; and a cleaning time determination unit that determines a time for which the cleaning process is executed, based on a maximum value of the developer use amounts of the plurality of areas. | 10-04-2012 |
20120269536 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit having a plurality of photoconductor drums arranged in tandem; a conveyor belt arranged opposite to the plurality of photoconductor drums and configured to convey a recording sheet; a cleaning unit having a cleaning member positioned in contact with the conveyor belt to collect substance adhering to the conveyor belt, and a receptacle configured to store the substance collected by the cleaning member, wherein the cleaning unit is arranged on the same side as the image forming unit with respect to the conveyor belt; and a positioning member configured to cause the cleaning member to be positioned at a contacting position where the cleaning member contacts with the conveyor belt and at a spaced-apart position where the cleaning member is away from the conveyor belt. | 10-25-2012 |
20120301176 | ELECTROSTATOGRAPHIC CLEANING BLADE MEMBER AND APPARATUS - A cleaning blade member comprises a polymer substrate and an outermost layer consisting essentially of a non-particulate, non-elastomeric ceramer or fluoroceramer and nanosized inorganic particles that are distributed within the non-particulate ceramer or fluoroceramer in an amount of at least 5 weight % and up to and including 50 weight % of the outermost surface layer. These cleaning blade members can be used to advantage in apparatus for providing electrophotographic or electrostatographic images. | 11-29-2012 |
20120308257 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH A CLEANING BLADE - A width P of an untreated section in a drum blade is shorter than a width Q of an untreated section in an intermediate transfer member blade in an image forming apparatus using a blade, ends of which a treatment with high hardness is applied to, for both cleaning blades in a drum and an intermediate transfer member. | 12-06-2012 |
20130011158 | BELT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A belt device includes: a belt that passes through a plurality of image forming units, each of the image forming units including a transfer member and an image carrier as a pair, the transfer member moves in a direction to contact with the belt and in a direction so as to be separated from the belt; a cleaning unit cleans an outer periphery of the belt after the belt passes through all the image forming units; and a pressing member is disposed between the cleaning unit and the image forming unit located on the most upstream side and that presses the outer periphery of the belt, wherein when the transfer member of at least one of the image forming units moves to be separated from the belt, the transfer member of the rest of the image forming units and the pressing member support the belt. | 01-10-2013 |
20130028627 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device including an image holding member; an intermediate transfer belt that holds on an outer surface thereof an developer image formed on the image holding member of the image forming device, and that rotates so as to transport the developer image up to a second transfer section, the intermediate transfer belt including a belt base material in which a resin particle is dispersed; a cleaning device including a plate member, the cleaning device performing a cleaning operation by at least contacting the plate member with a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt that has passed the second transfer section; and a collecting member that removes and holds the resin particle existing at the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt at least when the intermediate transfer belt is not used. | 01-31-2013 |
20130028628 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device including an image holding member; an intermediate transfer belt to whose outer surface a developer image formed on the image holding member of the image forming device is transferred, and that holds the developer image; a cleaning device that includes a plate member, and that performs a cleaning operation; and a collecting member that is disposed in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt, and that removes and holds a resin particle existing at the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt at least when the intermediate transfer belt is not used as a result of causing a speed of the intermediate transfer belt and a speed of the collecting member to differ from each other. | 01-31-2013 |
20130028629 | IMAGE-FORMING DEVICE PROVIDED WITH CLEANING UNIT - In an image-forming device, a first roller and a second roller are arranged in a first direction, the first roller being disposed at an upstream of the second roller in the first direction. An endless belt spanned between the first roller and the second roller forms a straight plane extending in the first direction. The straight plane moves in the first direction when the endless belt is circularly moved. A plurality of photosensitive members is arranged in the first direction and faces the straight plane. A transfer member is opposed to the first roller across the endless belt. A cleaning unit includes: a cleaning member opposed to the straight plane at an upstream of an upstreammost photosensitive member in the first direction; and a treating member disposed at an upstream of the cleaning member in the first direction to treat the residual toner collected by the cleaning member. A conveying path formed between the transfer member and a fixing member passes between the cleaning member and the treating member. | 01-31-2013 |
20130051837 | Image Forming Device Provided With Easily Removable and Replaceable Secondary Transfer Roller - An image forming device includes: a main casing; a plurality of photosensitive bodies; a first roller; a second roller; an endless belt; a plurality of primary transfer members; a cleaning unit; and a secondary transfer member. The cleaning unit is configured to collect residual toner remaining on the endless belt, and detachable from and attachable to the main casing. The secondary transfer member is provided at the cleaning unit such that the secondary transfer member is detachable from the main casing upon detachment of the cleaning unit from the main casing and attachable to the main casing upon attachment of the cleaning unit to the main casing. | 02-28-2013 |
20130051838 | ROTATING BODY, TRANSFER UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A rotating body for use in an image forming apparatus has an outer surface in which one or more grooves are formed. The one or more grooves are oriented at an angle greater than 0° and less than 90° with respect to a longitudinal direction of the rotating body. | 02-28-2013 |
20130051839 | DEVELOPER-ADHESIVE BODY UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer-adhesive body unit is detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus. The developer-adhesive body unit includes a developer-adhesive body having a surface to which a developer adheres, a cleaning member that removes the developer from the surface of the developer-adhesive body, a developer storage portion storing the removed developer, and a contact portion contacting the surface of the developer-adhesive body at an upstream side of the cleaning member in a moving direction of the surface of the developer-adhesive body. A contact-and-separation unit causes the surface of the developer-adhesive body and the contact portion to separate from each other when the developer-adhesive body unit is mounted to the image forming apparatus and the surface of the developer-adhesive body moves. The contact-and-separation unit causes the surface of the developer-adhesive body and the contact portion to contact each other when the developer-adhesive body unit is not mounted to the image forming apparatus. | 02-28-2013 |
20130077989 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a lubricant applying member located opposite a contact portion of a cleaning blade with an image bearing member below in the vertical direction, an opposed position of the lubricant applying member opposite the contact portion of the cleaning blade with the image bearing member below in the vertical direction being located upstream of a contact position of the lubricant applying member with a cleaning member in the rotational direction of the lubricant applying member, and a carrying member configured to carry the toner removed from the lubricant applying member, the carrying member being disposed at a position on a tangent to an outer circumference of the lubricant applying member at a contact position with the cleaning member and on a vertical line extending from a contact position of the lubricant applying member with a solid lubricant member. | 03-28-2013 |
20130084097 | BELT CONVEYOR MEMBER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A belt conveyor member includes an endless belt and a cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is configured to remove residual toner remaining on a surface of the endless belt which is processed into a smooth surface. The endless belt has a first region and a second region. The first region is a region in contact with the cleaning blade which is located outside a region for a recording sheet of a maximum usable width to pass therethrough. The second region is located outside the first region. A contact surface between the cleaning blade and the first region is in a rough condition free from intimate contact. | 04-04-2013 |
20130089355 | CLEANING BLADE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning blade is described which hardly suffers from cut surface abrasion at the edge having a chamfered portion. A flat chamfered portion | 04-11-2013 |
20130089356 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: image carriers, an intermediate transfer body, primary transfer members, support members, a secondary transfer unit, a cleaning member, an adjustment mechanism, and a control unit. The support members rotatably support the intermediate transfer body. The cleaning member abuts against the intermediate transfer body at a position other than a position opposite to the support member under a predetermined condition based on a reference tension of the intermediate transfer body. The adjustment mechanism can adjust an abutment condition between the cleaning member and the intermediate transfer body. The control unit controls the adjustment mechanism to adjust the abutment condition to be suitable for removing, by the cleaning member, recording materials remaining on the intermediate transfer body without being transferred onto the transfer material when a tension of the intermediate transfer body is changed from the reference tension. | 04-11-2013 |
20130094880 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A container is detachably mountable on an apparatus body in a mounting-detaching direction that is along the same direction as a mounting-detaching direction of a transfer unit and that is in the reverse direction of the mounting-detaching direction of the transfer unit. When the transfer unit and the container are mounted on the apparatus body, a belt, a cleaning device, and the container are arranged in that order in a transport direction of the belt. A discharge portion is provided, the discharge portion extending in the mounting-detaching direction of the container, for discharging the toner removed by the cleaning device to the container. | 04-18-2013 |
20130108312 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERY OF A FUNCTIONAL MATERIAL TO AN IMAGE FORMING MEMBER | 05-02-2013 |
20130108313 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | 05-02-2013 |
20130129374 | TRANSFER ROLLER CLEANING APPARATUS AND ELECTRONIC PHOTOGRAPH PRINTER - Provided are a transfer roller cleaning apparatus that has a supply roller that is immersed in the carrier liquid in a carrier liquid vessel; a cleaning roller that is rubbed and rotated on the supply roller and the transfer roller, and supplies the carrier liquid received from the supply roller to a surface of the transfer roller; and a carrier liquid circulation device which includes the carrier liquid vessel, supplies the carrier liquid in a storage tank to the carrier liquid vessel using a pump, and sends the carrier liquid overflowed from the carrier liquid vessel back to the storage tank via an overflow liquid recovery path, so as to constitute a carrier liquid circulation path and an electronic photograph printer configured by providing the same. | 05-23-2013 |
20130136487 | CLEANING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND TRANSFER UNIT - A cleaning device includes a first cleaning member, a first opposing member, a second cleaning member, a second opposing member, and a pressing member. The first and second cleaning members clean an outer surface of a belt member by coming into contact with the outer surface. The first and second opposing members are in contact with an inner face of the belt member at positions that are opposite the first and second cleaning members. The pressing member is disposed between the first and second opposing members and is in contact with the outer surface of the belt member. The pressing member presses a portion of the belt member that is located between the first and second opposing members from an outer surface side of the belt member toward an inner face side of the belt member. | 05-30-2013 |
20130136488 | Image Forming Apparatus - There is provided an image forming apparatus configured to form an image by using photosensitive drums, the image forming apparatus including an apparatus main body, an endless belt, a drawing member which rotatably supports cartridges, and is movable to a mounting position at which the photosensitive drums oppose the endless belt and to a separation position at which the photosensitive drums are more spaced from the endless belt than at the mounting position, and a cleaning unit including a first housing having a collecting member which is configured to contact the endless belt to collect developer on the endless belt, and a second housing having an accommodating part which is configured to accommodate therein the developer collected by the collecting member. The first housing is provided to the apparatus main body and the second housing is provided to the drawing member. | 05-30-2013 |
20130142539 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A cleaning device includes at least one first cleaning member that removes residual substances that remain on a surface of an endless belt by being in contact with the surface of the endless belt while rotating in a direction that is opposite to a movement direction in which the endless belt moves; a second cleaning member that is brought into contact with and separated from the surface of the endless belt at a predetermined timing and removes the residual substances that remain on the surface of the endless belt; and a switching unit that switches a rotation direction of the first cleaning member to a direction the same as the movement direction of the endless belt when the second cleaning member is brought into contact with the surface of the endless belt and cleans the surface. | 06-06-2013 |
20130142540 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A cleaning device includes first to third cleaning members that clean a surface of an endless belt that is looped over rollers including a driving roller. The first cleaning member is brought into contact with and separated from the surface at a predetermined timing. The second cleaning member is disposed upstream of the first cleaning member and downstream of the driving roller in a movement direction of the endless belt. The second cleaning member is in contact with the endless belt so as to prevent a tension variation of the endless belt caused by the first cleaning member from affecting the driving roller. The third cleaning member is disposed downstream of the first cleaning member. A contact state in which the third cleaning member is in contact with the endless belt is switched from a first contact state to a second contact state so as to reduce the tension variation. | 06-06-2013 |
20130216256 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a transfer body; a leading-end holding member that holds a leading-end portion of the recording medium so that the recording medium is wrapped around an outer circumferential surface of the transfer body; a trailing-end holding member that is movable in a circumferential direction of the transfer body, the trailing-end holding member holding a trailing-end portion of the recording medium wrapped around the transfer body such that the trailing-end portion lies along the outer circumferential surface of the transfer body by bringing a holding surface of the trailing-end holding member into contact with the trailing-end portion; and a cleaning portion that contacts the holding surface of the trailing-end holding member, which moves relative to the transfer body, in order to clean the holding surface. | 08-22-2013 |
20130223872 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable image bearing member; a toner image forming portion; a transfer member; a cleaning blade, provided downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the toner image forming portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member; a discharging member, provided downstream of the cleaning blade and upstream of the toner image forming portion with respect to the rotational direction; and a thin plate-like member provided downstream of the discharging member and upstream of the toner image forming portion with respect to the rotational direction. An end of the thin plate-like member is contacted to a surface of the image bearing member toward an upstream side with respect to the rotational direction. | 08-29-2013 |
20130236208 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Image forming apparatus includes first cleaning blade for photosensitive drum, wherein the first blade includes first regions and second region with respect to widthwise direction, the first regions being at opposite ends of the first blade, respectively and having first hardness, and the second region being between the first regions and having hardness which is lower than the first hardness; and second cleaning blade for the intermediary transfer member, wherein the second blade includes third regions and fourth region with respect to the widthwise direction, the third regions being at opposite ends of the second blade, respectively and having a second hardness which is the same as or different from the first hardness, and the fourth region being between the third regions and having hardness lower than the second hardness, and wherein the second region is within the fourth region with respect to the widthwise direction. | 09-12-2013 |
20130243473 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A cleaning device includes a cleaning unit including a shaft portion and contactors, the shaft portion being rotatably provided, the contactors being provided along an outer periphery of the shaft portion so as to contact a member to be cleaned, the contactors being formed of conductive fiber, the cleaning unit cleaning the member to be cleaned by rotating and by electrostatically attracting dirt adhered to the member to be cleaned. The contactors satisfy the following condition: 009-19-2013 | |
20130287428 | CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning apparatus restrains the scattering of toners in an intermediate transfer member cleaning apparatus thereby to restrain the scattering toners from dirtying the inside of the apparatus. A cleaning container has an anti-scatter portion that enters into a fur brush. The anti-scatter portion blocks a bias roller from a space outside the cleaning apparatus. | 10-31-2013 |
20130302061 | Image Forming Device and Image Bearing Member Unit - An image forming device includes a housing; a conveying belt, and a retaining member. The retaining member retains image bearing members that juxtaposed with and spaced apart from one another. The retaining member is slidingly movable relative to the housing in a direction that the image bearing members are juxtaposed. The retaining member retains the image bearing members to confront the conveying belt. The image bearing members and the conveying belt are arranged in a reference direction. The retaining member includes a cleaning member that removes residual developing agent from the conveying belt, and a guide unit that guides the recording medium to the conveying belt. The guide unit is located on the image bearing member side and the cleaning member is located on the conveying belt side. At least part of the guide unit overlaps at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the reference direction. | 11-14-2013 |
20130302062 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit having a plurality of photoconductor drums arranged in tandem; an intermediate transfer belt arranged opposite to the photoconductor drums and configured to receive developer images formed on the photoconductor drums and to transfer the developer images onto a recording sheet; a cleaning unit comprising a cleaning member positioned in contact with the intermediate transfer belt and configured to collect substance adhering to the intermediate transfer belt, and a receptacle configured to store the substance collected by the cleaning member, wherein the cleaning unit is arranged on the same side as the image forming unit with respect to the intermediate transfer belt; and a support member configured to support the image forming unit and the cleaning unit and to be pulled out from a main body. | 11-14-2013 |
20130315616 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A high-voltage power source | 11-28-2013 |
20130315617 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including a belt cleaning device is provided. The belt cleaning device includes an image bearing belt having an elastic layer, a cleaning member, a cleaning facing member, and a side seal. A surface of the image bearing belt is movable. The cleaning member is in contact with the surface of the image bearing belt to remove a substance adhered thereto. The cleaning facing member is disposed on a back-surface side of the image bearing belt while facing the cleaning member with the image bearing belt therebetween. The side seal is disposed to an axial end part of the cleaning member and pressed against the surface of the image bearing belt. The cleaning facing member is out of contact with the back side of the image bearing belt within an area where the cleaning facing member faces the side seal with respect to an axial direction. | 11-28-2013 |
20130343778 | CLEANING MODULE AND PRINTER USING THE SAME - A cleaning module and a printer using the same is provided. The printer includes a roller module, a transfer belt, a toner cartridge assembly and the cleaning module. The transfer belt is looped around the roller module. The toner cartridge assembly is disposed beside the transfer belt and suitable for rotating to a standby position or a coloring position. The cleaning module includes a frame, a linking-up unit and a scraping unit. The frame is disposed at the roller module. The linking-up unit is pivotally connected to the frame and suitable for contacting the toner cartridge assembly. The scraping unit is connected to the linking-up unit. When the toner cartridge assembly is at the standby position, the scraping unit is contacted to the transfer belt. When the toner cartridge assembly is at the coloring position, the scraping unit is separated from the transfer belt. | 12-26-2013 |
20140003834 | Image Forming Apparatus | 01-02-2014 |
20140003835 | Image Forming Apparatus | 01-02-2014 |
20140010567 | CLEANING DEVICE - A cleaning device for cleaning a cleaning subject moving in a predetermined direction, having; a cleaning member that rotates in an opposite direction from the predetermined direction at a contact with the cleaning subject, thereby gathering toner from the cleaning subject; and a shielding member that is disposed between the cleaning member and the cleaning subject in the predetermined direction relative to the contact and prevents the toner on the cleaning member from moving to the cleaning subject. | 01-09-2014 |
20140010568 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The image forming apparatus sets a polarity of a voltage applied to the brush to an opposite polarity to the polarity of the voltage applied to the brush when the residual toner of the secondary transfer on an intermediate transferring belt passes through the position opposed to the brush, and on the other hand, the polarity of the voltage applied to a primary transfer roller is set to the opposite polarity to the polarity of the voltage applied to the primary transfer roller when a toner image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transferring belt in the primary transfer portion (N | 01-09-2014 |
20140023393 | CLEANING DEVICE - A cleaning device for cleaning a cleaning subject, having; a first cleaning member that rotates in a predetermined direction, thereby removing toner from the cleaning subject; a first collecting member that collects the toner removed by the first cleaning member; and a second collecting member that is positioned downstream from the first collecting member in the predetermined direction and collects the toner removed by the first cleaning member, in which, a potential difference of the first collecting member relative to the first cleaning member is opposite in polarity to a potential difference of the second collecting member relative to the first cleaning member, the first collecting member has a potential equal in polarity to that of the first cleaning member, and the potential of the first collecting member is greater in magnitude than the potential of the first cleaning member. | 01-23-2014 |
20140037321 | Image Forming Device Capable of Reliably Recovering Matter Deposited on Endless Belt and Ensuring Smooth Operations of Retaining Member - An image forming device includes: a main body; a photosensitive body; a retaining member; an endless belt; a first cleaning member; a belt side conveying unit; a retaining member side conveying unit; and a receptacle. The retaining member retains the photosensitive body and is movable between an internal position and an external position. The endless belt contacts the photosensitive body when the retaining member is in the internal position and separates from the photosensitive body when the retaining member is in the external position. The first cleaning member is fixedly positioned and removes deposited matter on the endless belt. The belt side conveying unit is provided in the main body and conveys the deposited matter removed by the first cleaning member. The retaining member side conveying unit is provided in the retaining member and conveys the deposited matter conveyed by the belt side conveying unit to the receptacle. | 02-06-2014 |
20140037322 | Image Forming Device Capable of Reliably Collecting Matter Deposited on Endless Belt in Storage Member and Facilitating Maintenance of Storage Member - An image device includes: a cleaning member; a first case; a second case; a storage member; and a conveying unit. The storage member is provided outside of the second case and stores residual toner removed by the cleaning member. The first case includes a first case side coupling part. The second case includes an elastic member and a second case side coupling part. The second case side coupling part is coupled to the first case side coupling part through the elastic member. The elastic member allows the second case to move relative to the first case in a predetermined direction. The conveying unit includes a conveying unit side coupling part. The conveying unit side coupling part is coupled to the first case side coupling part. | 02-06-2014 |
20140056609 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes first and second cleaning members and a moving member. The first cleaning member contacts a surface of a rotating member, which is in contact with an image carrier, to clean the rotating member by removing substances attached thereto. The moving member supports the first cleaning member in a movable manner. The second cleaning member is disposed downstream of the first cleaning member in a rotation direction in which the rotating member rotates and contacts the surface of the rotating member to clean the rotating member by removing the substances. The second cleaning member removes the substances that remain on the surface of the rotating member after the first cleaning member has been separated from the rotating member so that the substances are removed before a part of the surface of the rotating member on which the substances remain comes into contact with the image carrier. | 02-27-2014 |
20140072325 | ROTARY CAM APPARATUS AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS ADOPTING THE SAME - A rotary cam apparatus including an operation member including a contact portion is provided. The rotary cam includes a cam profile contacting the contact portion to move the operation member, and an elastic member applying an elastic force to the operation member in a direction in which the contact portion contacts the cam profile. The cam profile includes a first cam line separated by a first distance from a rotating center of the rotary cam, a second cam line separated by a shorter second distance from the rotating center, a first conversion line connected to the first cam line from the second cam line, and a second conversion line connected to the second cam line from the first cam line including one or more straight connection lines separated by a distance greater than the second distance and less than the first distance from the rotating center. | 03-13-2014 |
20140153955 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a latent image on a surface thereof, a developing device to develop the latent image with toner, an intermediate transfer member, a secondary transfer member, a cleaning device, and a main body. The cleaning device cleans the secondary transfer member for a predetermined time period T1 during a startup operation after printing is completed normally before subsequent printing. The main body houses the image bearing member, the developing device, the intermediate transfer member, the secondary transfer member, and the cleaning device. At least one of the image bearing member and the developing device constitutes a process cartridge detachably attachable relative to the main body, and in a case in which the process cartridge is installed in the main body, the cleaning device cleans the secondary transfer member for a time period T2 extended from the predetermined time period T1. | 06-05-2014 |
20140153956 | CLEANING DEVICE, INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device has housing, cleaning member, pair of bearing portions, toner receiving seal, and end seal. The housing is formed with opening facing, and waste toner retaining portion. The cleaning member is rotatably borne by the pair of bearing portions at both ends of rotation axis. The toner receiving seal is disposed facing to entire area in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member, and extends to be laid across each end portion of the cleaning member and outer periphery of the bearing portion. The bearing portion has the same outer diameter in contact portion where the toner receiving seal contacts, as outer diameter of the cleaning member. The end seal is disposed, in gap between the housing and each of the bearing portions, facing to the contact portion with the toner receiving seal interposed therebetween, and prevents leakage of waste toner from both end portions of the housing. | 06-05-2014 |
20140153957 | CLEANING DEVICE, INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER UNIT INCLUDING THE SAME, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A cleaning device includes a housing, a cleaning member, a contact member, a torque limiter, and an urging member. The housing has an opening that opposes an image carrier and a waste toner receiver. The cleaning member includes a rotation member that is rotated in a forward rotation direction. The cleaning member is positioned near the opening in the housing and removes residual toner from the surface of the image carrier. The contact member is positioned so as to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the rotation member. The torque limiter is located on a rotation shaft of the rotation member and is capable of rotating independently of the rotation shaft when a torque that is greater than or equal to a predetermined torque is applied to the torque limiter. The urging member applies an urging force to the torque limiter in a reverse rotation direction. | 06-05-2014 |
20140186070 | Image Forming Apparatus Having Belt Cleaning Unit and Waste Toner Cartridge Connectable to Each Other - An image forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a belt unit having a belt and a belt cleaning unit; a waste toner container; and a supporting member supporting the waste toner container and a cartridge storing toner supplied to a photosensitive member. The supporting member in the main casing is movable between a contact position where the photosensitive member contacts the belt and a separation position where the photosensitive member separates from the belt. One of the waste toner container and the belt cleaning unit is movable between a connected position providing connection to each other and a disconnected position providing disconnection from each other when the support member is in the contact position. The supporting member moves between the contact position and the separation position when one of the waste toner container and the belt cleaning unit is in the disconnected position. | 07-03-2014 |
20140205313 | Image Forming Apparatus Having Waste Toner Container that Stores Toner Removed from Intermediate Transfer Belt - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having a first opening on a first side, a cover, movable between an open position and a closed position, a plurality of photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of primary transfer members, a secondary transfer roller, a first feed roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is removably installed in the chassis through the first opening and settled in a position opposite from the plurality of photosensitive members across the intermediate transfer belt, to store residual toner collected by the cleaner device, a connector, a first feeding path, a second feeding path, and a second feed roller. The second feed roller is rotatably supported by the cover and movable along with the cover to yield the first opening to the waste toner container when the cover is in the open position. | 07-24-2014 |
20140241751 | BELT CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A belt cleaning device includes a collection roller, a cleaning blade, a sealing member, a first thrust mechanism, and a second thrust mechanism. The collection roller collects remaining toner on an intermediate transfer belt. The cleaning blade extends along the collection roller and scrapes off the toner of a surface of the collection roller. The sealing member softly comes into contact with the surface of the collection roller and prevents counterflow of the toner. The first thrust mechanism displaces the collection roller in its rotating shaft direction by a rotational driving force transmitted to the collection roller and. The second thrust mechanism thrusts the cleaning blade in the rotating shaft direction of the collection roller in a thrust cycle shorter than that of the collection roller based on the first thrust mechanism. | 08-28-2014 |
20140270839 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND REMOVING MEMBER - An image forming apparatus includes a carrier that carries a toner image formed by a toner, the toner including a toner body and an external additive, a circularity of the external additive being about 0.5 to about 0.9, a transfer member that holds a transferred body between the transfer member and the carrier, the transfer member transferring the toner image to the transferred body, and a removing member that includes a contact portion, the contact portion contacting the transfer member, the removing member removing toner that adheres to the transfer member from the toner image carried by the carrier, the contact portion being made of an elastic material that satisfies an inequality (1) below: | 09-18-2014 |
20140270840 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. A backup face disposed on an upward face of the control box makes contact with a backup reception part that is disposed on a downward face of a belt cleaning device, and supports a steering roller and cleaning blade. The backup face reduces the force that acts on the frame stay and so forth, following the sliding friction of the intermediate transfer belt and cleaning blade. The backup reception part and backup reception part are formed so that even if the steering roller moves in the tension application direction, the predetermined contact state can be maintained. | 09-18-2014 |
20140270841 | Image Forming Apparatus With Removable Waste Toner Container and Exposable Feeding Path - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, an external-sheet inlet, a waste toner container, a connector, and a conveying roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet inserted through the external-sheet inlet in the feeding path. The conveying roller is mounted on the waste toner container and removable from the chassis along with the waste toner container. | 09-18-2014 |
20140286672 | CLEANING MEMBER, TRANSFER DEVICE, INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning member includes a ridgeline part provided at one end of the cleaning member in a lateral direction of the cleaning member, the ridgeline part including a first ridgeline that extends in an axial direction of a member to be cleaned that rotates and second ridgelines provided at respective ends of the first ridgeline, each second ridgeline extending in a direction away from the member to be cleaned. The ridgeline part is pressed against an outer peripheral surface of the member to be cleaned so that the ridgeline part and a corner portion on which the ridgeline part is formed press into the outer peripheral surface of the member to be cleaned and deform the member to be cleaned. | 09-25-2014 |
20140294432 | Intermediate Transfer Unit for Stably Charging and Cleaning - An intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of rollers, a cleaning unit, a brush unit, and a pressing member. The brush unit is located at the outer circumferential surface part of the intermediate transfer belt in contact with the roller. The brush unit is located at upstream of a contacting part with the cleaning unit in a running direction of the intermediate transfer belt. The brush unit is configured to impart electric charge to the remnant toner by a contact friction with the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The pressing member is configured to press the brush unit along a direction of contact/separation with respect to the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt. | 10-02-2014 |
20140321880 | CLEANING BLADE, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING CLEANING BLADE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS - A urethane rubber cleaning blade, wherein a surface of a contact portion of the cleaning blade that comes into contact with a member to be cleaned has a Young's modulus (Y | 10-30-2014 |
20140356019 | FUR BRUSH ROLLER, AND CLEANING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED THEREWITH - A fur brush roller electrically absorbs and removes a transferred remaining toner on a surface of an image carrier through bias voltage impression. This fur brush roller includes: a foundation cloth, conductive yarns, and insulation yarns. The insulation yarns are subjected to crimp-texturizing processing. The conductive yarns and the insulation yarns are alternately pile-woven to the foundation cloth. | 12-04-2014 |
20140363195 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus including a belt cleaner including a scraping blade and roller pairs each including an elastic roller and a metal roller, the roller pairs including a first roller pair including a first elastic roller as a cleaning roller contacting a belt while rotating in a rotational tangential direction opposite to a belt traveling direction at a contact portion with the belt, and one or more second roller pairs each including a second elastic roller contacting an adjacent metal roller of a roller pair adjacent to the second roller pair while rotating at a circumferential velocity lower than that of the adjacent metal roller in a rotational tangential direction opposite to that of the adjacent metal roller at a contact portion with the adjacent metal roller, the scraping blade contacting an outer circumferential surface of a specific metal roller of the one or more second roller pairs. | 12-11-2014 |
20140376952 | Image Forming Device Provided with Cleaner, Waste Toner Accommodating Portion, and Paper Guide Disposed Between Cleaner and Waste Toner Accommodating Portion - An image forming device includes: a photosensitive drum; a first roller; a second roller; an intermediate transfer belt; a transfer roller; a cleaner; a waste toner accommodating portion; and a paper guide. The intermediate transfer belt is looped around the first roller and the second roller to circularly move in a moving direction. The intermediate transfer belt contacts the photosensitive drum. The transfer roller is disposed opposite to the first roller with respect to the intermediate transfer belt. The cleaner collects waste toner on the intermediate transfer belt. The cleaner is disposed upstream of the photosensitive drum in the moving direction and downstream of the transfer roller in the moving direction. The waste toner accommodating portion accommodates the waste toner collected by the cleaner. The paper guide guides a recording medium and disposed between the cleaner and the waste toner accommodating portion. | 12-25-2014 |
20150030349 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes a first cleaning section and a second cleaning section. The first cleaning section applies, to a first collecting roller, a voltage for electrostatically attaching toner oppositely charged at a first foamed roller to the first collecting roller from the first foamed roller. The second cleaning section applies, to a second collecting roller, a voltage for electrostatically attaching toner oppositely charged at a second foamed roller to the second collecting roller from the second foamed roller. | 01-29-2015 |
20150037062 | BELT CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH SAME - A belt cleaning device is a device for an endless belt which has a bearing surface for bearing a toner image, and includes a cleaning unit and a toner rubbing portion. The cleaning unit is arranged to face the bearing surface and removes residual toner remaining on the bearing surface. The toner rubbing portion is arranged to face the bearing surface at a side upstream of the cleaning unit in a rotating direction of the belt and charges the residual toner by rubbing the residual toner. The toner rubbing portion includes brush bristles whose tips are faced toward the bearing surface and which are charged when rubbing the residual toner. The brush bristles include first bristle-like bodies to be positively charged and second bristle-like bodies to be negatively charged. The first and second bristle-like bodies are alternately arranged in a predetermined first direction. | 02-05-2015 |
20150037063 | TRANSFER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A transfer unit includes: a transfer belt mounted over a plurality of rollers to run to transfer toner images on a plurality of image carriers to a front side of the transfer belt; transfer rollers provided for the respective image carriers to give a transfer potential to the transfer belt to transfer the toner images thereto; a drive mechanism configured to move only the transfer rollers for formation of a multicolor image into and out of contact with the transfer belt; a cleaning member contactable with a back side of the transfer belt to clean the back side; and a shifting mechanism configured to, upon contact of the transfer rollers with the transfer belt, shift the cleaning member into contact with the back side of the transfer belt and, upon departure of the transfer rollers from the transfer belt, shift the cleaning member out of contact with the back side. | 02-05-2015 |
20150063861 | CLEANING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR CLEANING - A cleaning device includes a semiconductive transfer member which carries charged toner; a first cleaner disposed in contact with the transfer member to electrostatically remove the toner on the transfer member; a second cleaner disposed downstream of the first cleaner along a moving direction of the transfer member to electrostatically remove the toner on the transfer member; and a voltage applicator which applies a bias voltage to the first cleaner, the bias voltage having an opposite polarity to a polarity of the toner. The bias voltage to be applied by the voltage applicator to the first cleaner is higher than a voltage which allows the first cleaner to remove maximum amount of the toner. | 03-05-2015 |
20150086235 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes; a belt unit detachably mountable to a main assembly, said belt unit including a movable endless belt, a belt supporting roller, a steering unit for swinging the belt to incline relative to the supporting roller by a force produced by movement of the belt in a widthwise direction, and a cleaning unit, supported by the steering unit, for removing and collecting toner from the belt; a toner receiving unit, provided in the assembly, for receiving the toner collected by the cleaning unit; and a path member for guiding the toner collected by the cleaning unit to the toner receiving unit, the path member being supported by the assembly when the belt unit is not mounted, and the path member being supported by the cleaning swingably relative to the toner receiving unit when the belt unit is mounted. | 03-26-2015 |
20150093143 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; an intermediary transfer member; a controller; and a cleaning unit. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning member for collecting a residual toner in contact with the intermediary transfer member, a charging member, which is provided downstream of the cleaning member with respect to a movement direction of the intermediary transfer member, for electrically charging the residual toner, and an accommodating member for accommodating the residual toner. The controller is capable of executing an operation in a discharging mode in which the toner is discharged from the charting member onto the intermediary transfer member. When the operation in the discharging mode is executed, the cleaning unit collects the toner, discharged from the charging member on the intermediary transfer member, by the cleaning member and then accommodates the collected toner in the accommodating member. | 04-02-2015 |
20150117896 | CLEANING BLADE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A cleaning blade for an image forming apparatus includes a base and a contact portion disposed on the base that contacts and cleans a surface of an intermediate transfer belt. A Martens hardness of the contact portion of the cleaning blade is at least 2 [N/mm | 04-30-2015 |
20150117897 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier and a cleaning device. The image carrier is rotated to carry a toner image. The cleaning device includes a cleaning member and an auxiliary cleaning member. To the cleaning member, a bias of a reversed polarity to a polarity of a remained toner adhered on a surface of the image carrier is applied. The auxiliary cleaning member is located at an upstream side from the cleaning member in a rotating direction of the image carrier. According to advance of whitening of the surface of the image carrier, the auxiliary cleaning member is made to come into contact with the surface of the image carrier or contact pressure of the auxiliary cleaning member with the surface of the image carrier is increased. | 04-30-2015 |
20150125177 | CLEANING DEVICE COMPRISING IN-SITU METAL OXIDE DISPERSION - A cleaning device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that provides excellent wear resistance and mechanical robustness. In particular, the cleaning device is a crosslinked elastomeric polyurethane cleaning blade that includes at least an end region contacting the surface of an imaging member to remove debris therefrom and comprising spherical silica nanoparticles dispersion present in the cleaning blade matrix by in-situ condensation precipitation process. | 05-07-2015 |
20150139682 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit, an electrostatic charge image forming unit, a developing unit that accommodates an electrostatic charge image developer containing flake shape toner particles, a transfer unit, an arranging unit that causes transfer residual toner to rise from the surface of the image holding member, a cleaning unit, and a fixing unit. | 05-21-2015 |
20150338785 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an intermediary transfer member; an image forming unit; a transfer member; a cleaning member; and a setting portion for setting an absolute value of the first cleaning voltage applied to the cleaning member when a region of the intermediary transfer member, passed through the transfer portion where a higher transfer voltage is applied to the transfer member during passing of the recording material through the transfer portion, passes through the cleaning portion and for setting an absolute value of the second cleaning voltage applied to the cleaning member when a region of the intermediary transfer member, passed through the transfer portion where a lower transfer voltage is applied to the transfer member during passing of the recording material through the transfer portion, passes through the cleaning portion. The absolute value of the second cleaning voltage is higher than that of the first cleaning voltage. | 11-26-2015 |
20150346642 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus ( | 12-03-2015 |
20150346673 | CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A good cleaning performance can be achieved by inhibiting a contact pressure of a scraping member from partially lowering in a cleaning apparatus of an image forming apparatus. The cleaning apparatus includes a scraper and a support member. The scraper is in contact with a surface of a recovery roller to clean out residuals from the surface. A base portion of the scraper is held between and a fixing plate and a supporting plate. In this case, a leading end of the scraper is in contact with the surface of the recovery roller while an edge of the supporting plate serving as a fulcrum. Also, a base length d of the scraper from the fulcrum to the base portion is selected to make uniform the contact pressure of the scraper. | 12-03-2015 |
20150370198 | CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A cleaning device includes a pre-cleaning section and a first cleaning section. The pre-cleaning section includes a pre-cleaning roller and a pre-bias power source that applies a voltage having a polarity opposite to a regular charging polarity of toner to the pre-cleaning roller such that toner passing over the pre-cleaning roller is oppositely charged to the polarity opposite to the regular charging polarity. The first cleaning section includes a first cleaning roller and a first bias power source that applies a voltage having the polarity opposite to the regular charging polarity of toner to the first cleaning roller such that toner having the polarity identical to the regular charging polarity electrostatically attaches to the first cleaning roller from the transfer belt when a predetermined cleaning condition is satisfied. | 12-24-2015 |
20160004190 | CLEANING BLADE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Disclosed is a cleaning blade of which a contact portion brought into contact with at least a member to be cleaned is formed of a polyurethane member that includes a polyurethane material containing a hard segment and a soft segment and has a ratio of an area occupied by a hard segment aggregate having a diameter of 0.3 μm to 0.7 μm in a cross section being in a range of 2% to 10%. | 01-07-2016 |
20160026121 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming portion; a transfer member; a fixing portion; and a cleaning member. The image forming apparatus includes a first toner container containing a first formulation toner rich in hydrocarbon wax and a second toner container containing a second formulation toner rich in ester wax. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing an image forming operation and an operation in a toner supplying mode for supplying the toner or the toners to an intermediary transfer member when the image forming operation is not performed. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing the operation in the toner supplying mode in which only the first formulation toner is used or a mixture of the first formulation toner and the second formulation toner is used so that the first formulation toner is used in a larger amount than the second formulation toner. | 01-28-2016 |
20160041507 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is movable along a predetermined direction to be removably installed in the chassis through the opening and stores residual toner, a connector, and a feed roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet in the feeding path. The feed roller is arranged in a position to at least partially fall within a vertical range of the waste toner container and to be aligned with the waste toner container along an axial direction of the second feed roller. | 02-11-2016 |
20160077467 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes first and second forming units that form first and second to-be-transferred images and first and second not-to-be-transferred images with first and second toners, respectively, the first toner containing a metal pigment; a transfer body to which the first and second to-be-transferred and not-to-be-transferred images are to be transferred; a transfer member that transfers the first and second to-be-transferred images to a recording medium at a transfer nip between the transfer member and the transfer body; and a removing member that removes, with an electrostatic force, the first and second toners forming the first and second not-to-be-transferred images from the transfer member. In a transfer mode, the first not-to-be-transferred image is transferred to a position that do not overlap the recording medium to be introduced into the transfer nip after the first not-to-be-transferred image when seen in a direction of introduction of the recording medium. | 03-17-2016 |
20160091828 | Cleaning Unit and Image Forming Apparatus Provided with the Same - A cleaning unit includes a first accommodating chamber, a first conveyer, a cleaner, and a developing agent conveyer. The accommodating chamber is configured to accommodate therein developing agent. The accommodating chamber has one end portion and another end portion. The first conveyer is configured to convey the developing agent from the one end portion toward the another end portion. The cleaner is configured to collect developing agent from a belt in contact with a photosensitive member. The developing agent conveyer has a collection opening through which developing agent collected from a component other than the belt. The developing agent conveyer is configured to convey the developing agent from the collection opening toward the first accommodating chamber. The cleaner and the developing agent conveyer are positioned at the one end portion. | 03-31-2016 |
20160091832 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Relationships of LB1>LR1 and LN103-31-2016 | |
20160131999 | IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM - An image forming system includes a post-processing unit capable of performing a post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed. The image forming system is capable of executing a transfer cleaning operation to move toner from a transfer member to an image bearer by electrostatic force caused by cleaning bias applied by a bias applying unit in a state where the image bearer and the transfer member are rotated, to clean the transfer member, as an inter-sheet operation performed when at least one of inter-sheet areas that exist on the image bearer during a successive image forming period. The image forming system is capable of executing a rotation stop operation to stop rotation of the image bearer and the transfer member, as the inter-sheet operation when the post-processing is performed, in addition to the transfer cleaning operation, before or after the transfer cleaning operation is executed. | 05-12-2016 |
20160154369 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | 06-02-2016 |
20160161899 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer bearing member, which bears developer to which additive particles have been added, and an image bearing member, on which an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface thereof is developed by rubbing contact with the developer bearing member, are configured so as to be separable; and during a first operation in which the image bearing member, while in a separated state from the developer bearing member, makes rubbing contact with a cleaning member, a second operation is carried out to place the developer bearing member temporarily in contact with the image bearing member and supply the additive particles to the contact portion between the cleaning member and the image bearing member. | 06-09-2016 |
20160187814 | Sliding Member With A Base Material For Contacting A Member To Be Slid, Process Cartridge Having The Sliding Member, and Image Forming Apparatus Having The Sliding Member - A sliding member includes a base material including a contact area which contacts with a member to be slid, wherein a Young's modulus E1 with respect to the thickness of the contact area from a surface of the contact area is from 10 MPa to 200,000 MPa and a thickness T of the contact area is from 10 nm to 500 nm. | 06-30-2016 |
20160187817 | TRANSFER-AND-TRANSPORT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A transfer-and-transport device includes a substantially annular belt stretchable in a direction of rotation thereof, a transfer roller by which an outer peripheral surface of the belt is pressed against a photoconductor, supporting rollers supporting the belt in a tensed state, and a cleaning member cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the belt. One supporting roller is a driving roller provided, in the direction of rotation of the belt, on an upstream side of the transfer roller. Another supporting roller is a releasing-side roller provided, in the direction of rotation of the belt, on a downstream side of the transfer roller. The cleaning member is in contact with the belt in an area from, in the direction of rotation of the belt, a midpoint of a portion wrapped around the driving roller toward the upstream side to a midpoint of a portion wrapped around the releasing-side roller. | 06-30-2016 |
20160195835 | BELT TENSION ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | 07-07-2016 |
20190146379 | ELECTRICAL BLANKET CONDITIONING | 05-16-2019 |