Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120155938 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus for heating a toner image formed on a recording material includes a first rotatable member contactable to the toner image; and a heating unit, including a second rotatable member rotating while contacting a surface of the first rotatable member, for heating the first rotatable member. The toner image on the recording material is heated by receiving heat from the first rotatable member heated by the heating unit. The image heating apparatus further includes a potential controller for maintaining a polarity of a surface potential of the second rotatable member so as to be opposite to a charge polarity of the toner. | 06-21-2012 |
20130336670 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus, including: a rotatable image bearing member; a developing unit configured to supply a developer onto the image bearing member; a transfer unit configured to transfer the developer on the image bearing member to a recording medium by a transfer voltage being applied to the transfer unit by a voltage applying unit; and a cleaning unit configured to remove the developer on the image bearing member, wherein when the apparatus stops an image forming operation halfway, the apparatus executes a recovery operation in which the image bearing member is rotated while the voltage applying unit applies a voltage to the transfer unit so that a part of the developer remaining on the image bearing member is once transferred from the image bearing member to the transfer unit, transferred again from the transfer unit to the image bearing member, and then removed by the cleaning unit. | 12-19-2013 |
20140050499 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus, which executes, after an image forming operation is stopped, a cleaning operation in which toner that remains on an intermediate transfer belt is transferred to a photosensitive drum and is removed by a cleaning blade while the image forming apparatus causes the intermediate transfer belt to move for circulation, causes a charging roller or a laser scanner to change the surface potential of the photosensitive drum such that the toner to be transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to the photosensitive drum is part of the toner that is to remain on the intermediate transfer belt, when the cleaning operation is executed. | 02-20-2014 |
20140119764 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: at least one image bearing member; a developing device for forming a developer image by developing a latent image formed on a surface of the image bearing member; a cleaning device, including a cleaning blade for collecting a developer on the image bearing member; a discriminating portion for discriminating whether or not a cleaning sequence in which an amount of the developer to be conveyed to the cleaning device is adjusted is to be performed; and a stop detecting portion for detecting the stop of an operation of the image forming apparatus. When the operation of the image forming apparatus is resumed after the stop detecting means detects stop of the operation of the image forming apparatus, the discriminating means discriminates, before the image bearing member is operated, whether or not the cleaning sequence is to be performed. | 05-01-2014 |
20140147139 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: photosensitive members; charging devices to which a common charging power source applies a charging voltage to charge the photosensitive members; an exposure device configured to expose the photosensitive members; developing devices to form developer images on the photosensitive members; a transfer device to transfer the developer images onto a transfer medium; and a control portion configured to set a lower limit value of the charging voltage for each photosensitive member, apply the charging voltage having a magnitude not less than any lower limit value from the charging power source to the charging devices, control the output of the laser power for each photosensitive member individually, and set, based on the image density of the developer image transferred onto the transfer medium earlier, the lower limit value for a photosensitive member on which a developer image to be transferred onto the transfer medium later is formed. | 05-29-2014 |
20140169815 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: a plurality of image forming stations; and a control portion configured to control an image forming operation, each of the image forming stations includes: an image bearing member configured to form a toner image on a surface thereof; and a charging device configured to charge the image bearing member, wherein the toner images formed on the image bearing members of the image forming stations are sequentially transferred to a transfer incurring member to be superimposed, wherein the control portion sets a voltage applied to the charging device in forming an image in an image forming station which performs the transfer later based on image density information of the toner image transferred to the transfer incurring member by an image forming station which performs the transfer earlier in a sequence of the image forming operations. | 06-19-2014 |
20140178086 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: a photosensitive member; a charging device; an exposure device; and a developer carrying member, wherein, when it is assumed that an image forming area, a printing portion and a non-printing portion are an area on the photosensitive member on which an image to be transferred onto a recording material is formed, an area in the image forming area to which the developer adhere and an area in the image forming area to which the developer does not adhere, respectively, the exposure device exposes the printing portion at a first laser power, exposes the non-printing portion at a second laser power smaller than the first laser power, and exposes a non-image forming area on the photosensitive member between two adjacent image forming areas at no laser power or a third laser power smaller than the second laser power. | 06-26-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110082260 | ROTATABLE FIXING MEMBER, MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF AND FIXING DEVICE - A rotatable fixing member includes an elastic layer, a primer layer provided on the elastic layer, and a parting layer provided on the primer layer. The primer layer contains a crystalline fluorocarbon polymer having a functional group and has a thickness of 850 nm or less. The parting layer is a coating layer of a crystalline fluorocarbon polymer. | 04-07-2011 |
20110236084 | FIXING DEVICE - A fixing device for fixing on a recording material a toner image formed on the recording material includes a fixing roller; a heating member for heating the fixing roller in contact with a surface of the fixing roller; and a pressing member for forming a fixing nip between itself and the fixing roller, wherein the recording material on which the toner image is formed is subjected to fixing by being nipped and conveyed in the fixing nip. When the recording material which has been jammed is removed by pulling a trailing end of the recording material in a winding jam state in which a leading end of the recording material has passed through the fixing nip to reach a contact portion between the heating member and the fixing roller, a drawing force F | 09-29-2011 |
20110268481 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus is capable of setting a cleaning mode in which a fixing portion is cleaned by a cleaning sheet while nip-conveying the cleaning sheet in a fixing nip. When the cleaning mode is set, an image forming apparatus provides a period in which a first rotatable member and a second rotatable member are rotated in a state in which a heater is controlled so that a surface temperature Th of the first rotatable member immediately after passing through the fixing nip is kept within a temperature range of Th≦Tf | 11-03-2011 |
20110268482 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion for forming an unfixed toner image on a recording material; and a fixing portion for heat-fixing the unfixed toner image on the recording material while nip-conveying the recording material in a fixing nip, the fixing portion includes a first rotatable member contactable to the unfixed toner image, and a second rotatable member contacted to the first rotatable member to form the fixing nip between itself and the first rotatable member. The image forming apparatus is capable of setting a cleaning mode in which the fixing portion is cleaned by a cleaning sheet while nip-conveying the cleaning sheet in the fixing nip. When the cleaning mode is set, the image forming apparatus executes a plurality of types of cleaning operations in a period in which a single cleaning sheet passes through the fixing nip. | 11-03-2011 |
20140112692 | ROTATABLE FIXING MEMBER, MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF AND FIXING DEVICE - A rotatable fixing member includes an elastic layer, a primer layer provided on the elastic layer, and a parting layer provided on the primer layer. The primer layer contains a crystalline fluorocarbon polymer having a functional group and has a thickness of 850 nm or less. The parting layer is a coating layer of a crystalline fluorocarbon polymer. | 04-24-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090092426 | FIXING APPARATUS, ROLLER FOR THE FIXING APPARATUS, FLEXIBLE SLEEVE FOR THE FIXING APPARATUS, AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING THE ROLLER FOR THE FIXING APPARATUS AND THE FLEXIBLE SLEEVE FOR THE FIXING APPARATUS - A fixing apparatus, a roller for a fixing apparatus, and a flexible sleeve for a fixing apparatus are a roller for the fixing apparatus ( | 04-09-2009 |
20090232530 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An apparatus includes an image bearing member for carrying an image; an intermediary transfer member for receiving the image; a primary transfer member for transfer of the image onto the intermediary transfer member in a primary transfer station; a secondary transfer member for transfer of the image onto a transfer material in a secondary transfer station; a first charging member for charging toner remaining in a region upstream of the primary transfer station and downstream of the secondary transfer station; and a second charging member for charging the toner remaining in a region upstream of the primary transfer station and downstream of the first charging member. The first charging member rubs a surface of, and the second charging member moves in contact with, the intermediary transfer member, to transfer the toner remaining on the intermediary transfer member to the image bearing member simultaneously with the primary transfer. | 09-17-2009 |
20090257779 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus for forming image on a recording medium includes a photosensitive member, a motor, a belt, and a drive member to rotate the belt, the drive member including a driven coupling. The apparatus also includes a drive coupling to rotate by a driving force generated by the motor, the drive coupling being movable in an axial direction to take an engagement position at which the driving force is transmittable to the driven coupling, and a release position. The apparatus further includes a transfer member to transfer a toner image onto the recording medium or the belt, a voltage application unit to apply a voltage to the transfer member, and a control unit to cause the voltage application unit to apply the voltage to the transfer member after the drive coupling moves to the engagement position and the driving force is transmitted to the driven coupling. | 10-15-2009 |
20110318035 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus for forming image on a recording medium includes a photosensitive member, a motor, a belt, and a drive member to rotate the belt, the drive member including a driven coupling. The apparatus also includes a drive coupling to rotate by a driving force generated by the motor, the drive coupling being movable in an axial direction to take an engagement position at which the driving force is transmittable to the driven coupling, and a release position. The apparatus further includes a transfer member to transfer a toner image onto the recording medium or the belt, a voltage application unit to apply a voltage to the transfer member, and a control unit to cause the voltage application unit to apply the voltage to the transfer member after the drive coupling moves to the engagement position and the driving force is transmitted to the driven coupling. | 12-29-2011 |
20120087700 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member for bearing a toner image; a belt for conveying the toner image; and a transfer device for rubbing the belt, and a surface of the transfer device, which is brought into contact with the belt includes linear concave portions or linear convex portions. The image forming apparatus of the present invention prevents a friction force between the belt and the transfer device rubbing the belt from increasing and brings a transfer member into a stable contact with the belt for conveying the toner image, thereby suppressing increase in drive torque of the belt which rubs the transfer device and suppressing occurrence of image failure. | 04-12-2012 |
20120269557 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member for bearing a toner image; a belt for conveying the toner image; and a transfer device for rubbing the belt, and a surface of the transfer device, which is brought into contact with the belt includes linear concave portions or linear convex portions. The image forming apparatus of the present invention prevents a friction force between the belt and the transfer device rubbing the belt from increasing and brings a transfer member into a stable contact with the belt for conveying the toner image, thereby suppressing increase in drive torque of the belt which rubs the transfer device and suppressing occurrence of image failure. | 10-25-2012 |
20140105643 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING A BRUSH MEMBER - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for carrying a toner image, a movable intermediary transfer member for receiving the toner image from the image bearing member, a primary transfer member for primary transfer of the toner image from the image bearing member onto the intermediary transfer member, a secondary transfer member for being supplied with a voltage and for secondary transfer of the toner image from the intermediary transfer member onto a transfer material, and a first toner charging member. A first charging member rubs a surface of the intermediary transfer member with movement thereof, and a second charging member moves in contact with the intermediary transfer member, thereby transferring toner remaining on the intermediary transfer member after the secondary transfer back to the image bearing member from the intermediary transfer member simultaneously with the primary transfer at the primary transfer station. | 04-17-2014 |
20140219692 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member for bearing a toner image; a belt for conveying the toner image; and a transfer device for rubbing the belt, and a surface of the transfer device, which is brought into contact with the belt includes linear concave portions or linear convex portions. The image forming apparatus of the present invention prevents a friction force between the belt and the transfer device rubbing the belt from increasing and brings a transfer member into a stable contact with the belt for conveying the toner image, thereby suppressing increase in drive torque of the belt which rubs the transfer device and suppressing occurrence of image failure. | 08-07-2014 |