Seiko Epson Corporation

Hiroshi Niki

Shigeru Sawada

Mitsuaki Maruyama

Yasuhiro Gyoutoku

Seiji Mochizuki

Yoshiro Koga

Tomoe Aruga

Junichiro Shinozaki

Kiyoharu Momose

Toshiaki Ohno

Junichi Okada

Akira Maruyama

Satoshi Kaneta

Kenji Aoki

Hiroyuki Aizawa

Masahiro Koiwai

Shinichi Kasai

Jun Tsujimoto

Hitoshi Nakagawa

Kenji Sawada

Masahiko Takeshita

Reiko Nagai

Kouichi Higashimura

An endless toner transport which connects a developing device with a cleaning device is disposed so as to pass through these devices in their respective longitudinal directions. The mixing of toner can be enhanced by returning recovered toner to the developing device and by supplying fresh toner to the cleaning device by using the toner transport itself, whereby the reuse of recovered toner and the reduction of the quantity of fresh toner used can be conducted more effectively. In the processes of transporting toner from the developing device to the cleaning device and from the cleaning device to the developing device, toner can effectively be stirred and mixed by utilizing oscillation or the like generated in the endless toner transport which can be in the form of a coil spring so that an additional stirring member is not required, thereby allowing the developing device, and hence the entire image forming apparatus, to be greatly reduced in size.

Toner storage device and supply mechanism for image forming

A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer of the present invention is provided with a continuous dot number detecting device for counting a number of continuous video signals for modulating a laser light source, a toner consumption data storage device for storing a toner consumption per number of continuous dots, and an integrated toner consumption storage device implemented by a nonvolatile memory for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions at the time of forming a series of dots calculated by the continuous dot number detecting device and the toner consumption data storage device. According to the residual recording material amount detector for the laser printer of the present invention, the toner consumption can be detected correctly irrespective of the kind of data to be printed.

Residual recording material amount detector for laser printer

Image forming apparatus with toner transport mechanism incorporated

An electrophotographic recording apparatus comprising a sheet feeder for feeding a sheet of recording paper to a sheet feed inlet; an image forming unit for forming a printing image onto a photosensitive drum based on printing data and transferring the printing image onto the sheet; and a fixing unit for fixing the transferred image on the sheet, in which these units are arranged vertically. The apparatus further comprises a device for reversing and returning the sheet to the photosensitive drum to enable the photosensitive drum to transfer a second printing image onto the opposite side of the sheet.

Clamshell-type electrophotographic duplex printer

An electrophotographic recording apparatus comprising these units which are arranged vertically: a sheet feeder for feeding a sheet of recording paper to a sheet feed inlet; an image forming unit for forming a printing image onto a photosensitive drum based on printing data and transferring the printing image onto the sheet; and a fixing unit for fixing the transferred image on the sheet. The apparatus further comprises a sheet switching guide mechanism by which the head end of the sheet is switched to both upper and lower directions. When the sheet switching guide mechanism is set to the upper direction, the printed sheet is forwarded by a sheet guide member to thereby pass through the printing path the sheet has already been through with the rear side of the sheet being the front, and the printing data is written from the last line during this process.

Electrophotographic recording apparatus

In collecting toner waste from the surface of an image carrier within an image forming apparatus, the toner waste is removed from an image carrier with a cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is at the top of a stack which leads to a storage container. The top of the stack is positioned near the bottom of the image carrier. A sealing member disposed opposite the cleaning blade at the top of the stack conforms to the curved surface of the image carrier and in combination with the cleaning blade and image carrier enclose the top of the stack. Toner waste is thereby prevented from splashing and oozing through the stack during and/or after a copying/printing cycle.

Device for removing from an image carrier and storing toner waste

In an image forming device, the developing unit, photosensitive drum and/or cleaning unit are assembled into a removable unitary cartridge. A mounting device includes at least one latch for releasably retaining the cartridge on the device through engagement with a projection on the cartridge. The latch includes a camming surface pivotably displaceable by engagement with the projection so as to permit passage of the projection into a notch of the mounting device and returning to a latch position upon such passage.

Latching mechanism for a removable processing cartridge in a

A page printer is provided which includes a housing having a lateral side plate that is formed from an electrically conductive material, with a gate roller, a developing unit, a photosensitive drum unit, a fixing unit and a paper discharging roller mounted in the housing. The electronic circuitry for controlling the page printer is disposed in a side portion of the housing with the lateral side plate disposed between the electronic circuitry and the units.

Page printer with electrically conductive lateral side plate

A page printer having a housing body and including a gate roller, a developing unit, a photo-sensitive drum unit, a fixing unit and a sheet discharging roller arranged on the front side of the housing body in the order stated from above so that the printing sheet conveying path is substantially vertical to reduce floor area required for installation. An optical writing unit is provided on the rear side of the housing body. Guide members are provided on the housing body to readily mount or demount the photo-sensitive drum unit. Further, a shield board is disposed between the photo-sensitive drum unit and the fixing unit so that the printing sheet will not be stained by toner scattering from the photo-sensitive drum.

Page printer

In a page printer, a gate roller, a developing unit, a photo-sensitive drum unit, a fixing unit and a sheet discharging roller are mounted on the open front side of a housing body in the order stated from above, thus forming a substantially vertical sheet conveying path. As a result, the installation floor area is reduced. In the rear portion of the housing, and a transferring unit and a sheet guide member are provided on the cover of the housing body. Thus, the light beam generating unit and the photo-sensitive drum are maintained unchanged in position at all times. A cut sheet feeder is mounted over the housing body so that it is movable back and forth, thus facilitating the inspection and maintenance of the printer.

In storing toner waste collected from the surface of an image carrier within an image forming apparatus, the toner waste is compressed within a container by a resilient cantilever member. A diaphragm located within the container expands through an opening of the container based on the pressure exerted on the diaphragm by the compressed toner waste. Upon traveling a predetermined distance, the diaphragm forces a switch to close which triggers an alarm indicating that the container is full of toner waste.

Device and method for storing toner waste

An image forming apparatus employing a face-down delivery system in which the plane of the recording medium at any position relative to any other position assumed by the recording medium beginning with a stacking tray and ending with a delivery tray does not exceed 90.degree.. The apparatus includes a detachable cartridge which includes a photosensitive member, a charging device and a cleaning device. In one preferred embodiment, register rollers and fixing rollers are positioned relative to each other such that a substantially zero angular deviation exists in the path traveled by the recording medium between these two pairs of rollers.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Hiroshi Niki