Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Daichi Yamaguchi

Kenji Sugiura

Makoto Komatsu

Tadashi Hayakawa

Tsukuru Kai

Takahiko Tokumasu

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Takuya Seshita

Katsuhiro Aoki

Junichi Matsumoto

Hajime Oyama

Hiroshi Ikeguchi

Yasuo Miyoshi

Akihiro Kawakami

Katsuhiko Tani

Yumiko Yagi

Kazuhiko Watanabe

Hiroshi Nakai

Yasushi Nakazato

Nozomu Tamoto

Yukimichi Someya

Yasuo Suzuki

Nekka Matsuura

Masahiko Shakuto

Yasuyuki Yamashita

Kazuhito Watanabe

Akira Azami

Kohichi Ohshima

Shuusuke Someno

A method of manufacturing a modeled body includes: modeling including applying a modeling solution to each layer of powder laid in a layer, to solidify the powder to model a solidified object; sintering the solidified object to obtain a sintered body of the solidified object; and removing a sacrificial body from the sintered body, to obtain a modeled body. At the modeling, the modeling solution is applied to a modeled body area in the solidified object and a border area in the solidified object such that, after the modeling solution is applied, a density of the powder at the border area is smaller than a density of the powder in the modeled body area. The modeled body area corresponds to the modeled body. The border area corresponds to a border between the modeled body and the sacrificial body.

Method of manufacturing modeled body, method of modeling solidified object, and modeled body

An apparatus for fabricating a three-dimensional object includes a flattening unit, a fabrication liquid discharger, and circuitry. The flattening unit transfers and flattens powder deposited on the stage. The fabrication liquid discharger discharges droplets of fabrication liquid on a surface of the powder on the stage to bind the powder together to fabricate a layered fabrication object. The circuitry repeats an operation of transferring and flattening the powder by the flattening unit and an operation of discharging droplets of the fabrication liquid on the surface of the powder on the stage by the fabrication liquid discharger to fabricate the three-dimensional object by a process of lamination. The circuitry discharges a plurality of first droplets of the fabrication liquid on the surface of the powder on the stage such that at least two adjacent first droplets partially overlap.

Apparatus and method for fabricating three-dimensional object

A minute object characteristics measuring apparatus is provided. The minute object characteristics measuring apparatus includes a holder, a cantilever, a measuring device, and a driver. The holder holds a minute object. The cantilever faces the minute object held by the holder. The measuring device measures a displacement of the cantilever. The driver drives one of the holder holding the minute object and the cantilever in a direction that the minute object held by the holder and the cantilever are brought close to or drawn away from each other.

Minute object characteristics measuring apparatus

A cap is configured to be attached to a developer container that discharges developer contained in the container body out of the container body through a discharge port defined in a portion of the container body. The cap includes a first attaching member and a second attaching member that are detachably assembled into one piece. When the first attaching member or the second attaching member receives a rotary force, the first attaching member and the second attaching member are separated from each other, and only the first attaching member is released from the container body.

Cap, powder container, developer supply device, and image forming apparatus

A developing device includes: a first developer carrier that is moved in a same direction as a moving direction of a latent image carrier at a faster linear speed than the latent image carrier; a second developer carrier that further develops the obtained toner image and that is moved in a same direction at a faster linear speed than the latent image carrier; and a bias output unit that outputs a developing bias to be applied to the second developer carrier. The developing bias includes a direct-current component and a non-rectangular alternating-current component whose waveform has a gentle edge at which a direction of an electric field between the second developer carrier and a background portion of the latent image carrier is changed to a direction in which the toner is moved from the background portion toward the second developer carrier.

Developing device, image forming apparatus, and developing method

A developing device includes a non-magnetic rotatable sleeve of a developer bearer to bear developer and a development electric field generator to generate a development electric field between the image bearer and the developer bearer by applying a development bias to the developer bearer. The developing bias is an AC bias generating an AC electric field therebetween. The magnetic carrier includes a plurality of fine particles each covered by a covering layer made of prescribed material having a volume resistivity equal to or more than 10[&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm] having a prescribed particle diameter equal to or less than 100 [nm]. Each of the a plurality of fine particles has a total volume resistivity equal to or less than 10[&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm]. The magnetic carrier has a total volume resistivity equal to or more than 10[&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm].

Image forming apparatus and method capable of obtaining high quality image suppressing edge effect

A powder container that includes a container body, a drive transmitting unit which engages with an image forming apparatus, and an opening at an end of the container body. There is a conveying unit that conveys powder in the container body to the opening, and an information storage unit on the outer peripheral surface of the container body. The outer peripheral surface of the container body near the opening on which the information storage unit is to be mounted includes resin and is formed by injection molding.

Powder container having an opening on an end of the container body, the opening facing the longitudinal direction of the container

An image forming apparatus in which a medium container is installed includes a main body, an image forming unit, a medium container a container body at least partially formed of a deformable material, a drawer to hold the medium container thereon and movable between a first position and a second position, a medium transport unit including a medium outlet port provided on a distal end of the medium container, and a medium receiving unit disposed at the second position of the drawer and connected to the medium transport unit provided on the medium container, and a medium transport facilitator mounted on the drawer to contact the medium container set in the drawer from below to move the medium contained in the medium container toward the medium transport unit at the second position.

Image forming apparatus and medium container installed therein

A powder container that has a hollow interior for containing powder includes a tubular member that is equipped with an information storage unit that stores therein at least information related to a container body, and attached to the container body such that the container body is located within an inner hole of the tubular member. The powder container also includes a movement restricting unit that restricts movement of the tubular member in an axial direction of the tubular member.

Powder container, powder supplying device, and image forming apparatus

An image processing member that is included in an image forming apparatus employing method of evaluating and determining adhesion forces thereof, includes an optical writing unit configured to optically write an image, and an image processing member configured to process the image formed by the optical writing unit. The image processing member has good cleaning performance, which is determined by a method of determining a distribution of adhesion forces generated between a surface of the image processing member and a particle of a powder used to reproduce the image in the image forming apparatus in which the adhesion forces are measured at multiple points on the surface of the image processing member.

Image forming apparatus including image processing member determined by method of evaluating distribution of adhesion forces of toner thereto

An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging device, a transfer device, a lubricant supplying device, a developing device to develop the latent image with a developer, a discharging device, a cleaning device, and a controlling device configured to control an lubricant supplying mode and a lubricant removing mode in which at least a portion of the lubricant is removed from the surface of the image bearing member, a method of using the image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge used with the image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and process cartridge

A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant composed of metal salt of fatty acid; an applying member that applies the lubricant on a subject under lubricant application; and a spreading member that forms a thin layer of the lubricant applied on the subject. The spreading member spreads the lubricant in such a manner that a thickness of the thin layer is in a range of 8 nanometers to 12 nanometers.

Lubricant applying unit, process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant applying member, and a leveling member for use in an image forming apparatus having a photosensitive member. The lubricant applying member applies lubricant on a surface of the photosensitive member, and the leveling member levels off the lubricant on the surface of the photosensitive member. The lubricant applying unit applies the lubricant with a predetermined amount on the surface of the photosensitive member. The photosensitive member includes polyarylate resin in a surface layer of the photosensitive member.

Lubricant applying unit and image forming apparatus

A developing device including a rotating developing roller bearing toner thereon, capable of developing an electrostatic latent image with the toner; a toner layer forming member configured to form a toner layer on the developing roller, and charge the toner of the toner layer at a nip between the developing roller and the toner layer forming member; and a toner supplying device configured to supply fresh toner to the developing device, wherein a charge quantity (q) of the toner on the developing roller varies according to the following equation q(t)=A&#xb7;{1&#x2212;exp(&#x2212;t/t)} wherein t represents a nip passing time of the toner on the developing roller, trepresents a time constant of charging the toner, and A represents a constant, and wherein the time constant tis smaller than a rotation time of the developing roller per rotation; and an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge using the developing device.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Daichi Yamaguchi