Konica Corporation

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Hiroyuki Tokimatsu

Satoshi Haneda

Hisayoshi Nagase

Shuta Hamada

Toshihide Miura

Masahiro Onodera

Masakazu Fukuchi

Kunio Shigeta

Tadayoshi Ikeda

Shinya Takahashi

Meizo Shirose

Masashi Ikeda

Mitsuru Obata

Tatsuya Furuta

Hiroshi Akita

Fumitaka Mochizuki

Kazuo Yasuda

Satoru Osawa

Toshiaki Hiroi

Toshiki Masuda

Yoshiaki Kobayahi

Junichi Ohtani

An image forming apparatus includes: a main tank that stores ink; an ink head unit that includes a first heating device to heat the ink and that ejects the heated ink; a supply channel that supplies the ink from the main tank to the ink head unit; and a second heating device that heats the supply channel. The second heating device starts heating at a predetermined timing such that a temperature of a specific region in the supply channel becomes equal to or more than a second temperature that is a melting point of a component having a highest melting point.

Image forming apparatus

There is provided an inkjet recording device including an inkjet head provided with a nozzle(s); an ink supplier which supplies ink to the inkjet head; a driver which performs a driving operation to cause pressure variation of ink; and a controller. The inkjet head includes: a common flow path in which supplied ink to the inkjet head flows; a filter provided in the common flow path; an individual flow path(s) respectively feeding ink having passed the filter to each of the nozzles; and a first discharge port from which ink in the common flow path is discharged. In a bubble discharging operation of ink, the controller causes the ink supplier to supply ink with a pressure which allows ink to leak out from the nozzles, while causing the driver to perform a predetermined driving operation, so that ink is discharged from the first discharge port.

Inkjet recording device having controller for bubble discharging operation

Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus capable of easily and more reliably performing fixation processing on a recording medium moved after image recording. The ink jet recording apparatus is provided with: an image forming unit () that ejects ink; a first conveyance unit () that conveys a recording medium (P) on which the ejected ink is to land and relatively moves the same with respect to the image forming unit; a fixation unit () that fixes the ink that has landed on the recording medium; a second conveyance unit () that conveys the recording medium on which the ink to be fixed has landed and relatively moves the same with respect to the fixation unit; and a first end pressing roller () and a second end pressing roller () which serve as a floating suppression unit that suppresses, from the ink-landed surface side, floating of the recording medium from a recording medium conveyance surface in the second conveyance unit. The floating suppression unit suppresses the floating of the recording medium in a suppression range that can be changed and set so as not to include a recording width range in which the image forming unit causes the ink to land on the recording medium.

Ink jet recording apparatus

An inkjet printing apparatus includes an ink tank, a print head, an ink flow passage, a degassing device, a circulation flow passage and a circulation pump. The print head discharges ink supplied from the ink tank through the ink flow passage. The degassing device is disposed midway in the ink flow passage and removes air from the ink. The circulation flow passage has two ends respectively connected to two sides of the degassing device. The circulation pump is disposed midway in the circulation flow passage and returns the ink flowing out of the degassing device to a position to flow in the degassing device. The ink flow passage between an outflow port from the circulation flow passage and an inflow port thereto and the circulation flow passage are formed such that the ink is movable at approximately a constant speed.

Inkjet printing apparatus

Inkjet recording apparatus includes recording headhaving a plurality of nozzles N, first ink storage section, supply passageconnecting recording headand section, electromagnetic valvethat opens or closes section, second ink storage section, pump Pthat supplies the ink in sectionto section, an electromagnetic valvethat opens or closes the second storage ink section, recovery passagethat connects the recording headand the second storage section, and electromagnetic valvesandwhich open or close the recovery passage. Control unitallows ink inside the recording headto reflow to the second ink storage sectionby operating the pump Pin a state in which the electromagnetic valvesandare closed and the electromagnetic valveis opened.

Inkjet recording apparatus and recording head maintenance method

An image forming apparatus having a development apparatus that includes: a developer storing part; a developer supply mechanism; and a surplus developer removing section; wherein the developer supply mechanism includes: a toner storing part; a carrier storing part; a developer conveying path and a conveying mechanism, both are arranged between the toner storing part and the developer storing part, and between the carrier storing part and the developer storing part; wherein the developer conveying path includes a toner ejection outlet through which a toner stored in the toner storing part is ejected and a carrier ejection outlet through which a carrier stored in the carrier storing part is ejected, and a supplying developer ejection outlet through which a supplying developer is ejected to the developer storing part; and wherein the conveying mechanism is adapted to convey the toner and the carrier while stirring them.

An image forming system, having means for storing usage histories of latent image carriers, developer, or the like and maintenance cycles of image forming apparatuses and having a function for selecting image forming apparatuses outputting an image based on the usage history data or the maintenance cycles, in order to achieve uniform output image qualities. By managing the usage histories so as to achieve approximately the same deteriorated conditions of the latent image carriers of the image forming apparatuses, the image forming apparatuses can be put in the same condition and thus the output image qualities can be approximately the same in the image forming apparatuses. Additionally, the maintenance cycles can be adjusted to be approximately the same in the image forming apparatuses. Otherwise, maintenance periods can be controlled so as not to overlap in the image forming apparatuses.

Image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses

In a color image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of developing devices each provided with a developing roller structured with a developing sleeve and a fixed magnetic pole member, an agitating member, a recovering and feeding member, a regulating member and a developing device casing member, at least one of the plurality of developing devices has a different developer storing capacity and a different outer diameter of the recovering and feeding member for the other developing devices and has the same angle allocation values among the plurality of fixed magnetic poles in the fixed magnetic pole member.

Color image forming apparatus having developing devices with different storage capacities

This invention relates to an image forming apparatus which employs a recycling scheme of recovering and reusing transfer residue toner, and a convey control method for recycle toner. In order to prevent a phenomenon such as fogging or character thickening, a toner recycle mechanism shares one driving source with a photosensitive body or fixing unit, and includes an electromagnetic clutch for switching driving force transmission to the recycling means when driving the photosensitive body or fixing unit, and a controller which controls power supply to the electromagnetic clutch. The convey control method for recycle toner includes the steps of starting copying, measuring a printing ratio of an image pattern per image, and suppressing a return amount of the recycle toner when the printing ratio of the image pattern is low.

Image forming apparatus and convey control method for recycle toner

Fixing device and image forming apparatus therewith

A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a transfer sheet with heat and pressure is provided with (A) a heating roller including a cylindrical light transmitting base member; a heat ray generating device, provided inside of the cylindrical light transmitting base member, to generate a heat ray; a heat ray transmitting elastic layer generate a heat ray; a heat ray transmitting elastic layer provided on an outer surface of the cylindrical light transmitting base member and including a rubber layer; and a heat ray absorbing layer, provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical light transmitting base member, to absorb the heat ray passing through both of the cylindrical light transmitting base member and the heat ray transmitting elastic layer, and (B) a pressing roller provided to come in contact with the heating roller so that the transfer sheet is nipped with a nip width between the heating roller and the pressing roller. The pressing roller includes a rubber layer and is linked with a driving device so that the pressing roller rotates the heating roller through the contact therewith.

Fixing apparatus with heat ray generating device

In a fixing apparatus for fixing toner images on a transfer material upon which toner images have been placed by applying heat to the transfer material, the fixing apparatus includes: a roll-shaped rotary member for applying heat to the transfer material upon which toner images have been placed, the roll-shaped rotary member including a cylindrical ray-transmitting base member, and a ray absorbing layer for generating heat onto the transfer material upon which toner images have been placed so as to fix the toner on the transfer material, the ray absorbing layer, provided on an outer side of the ray-transmitting base member; a ray irradiating device for irradiating ray to the ray absorbing layer, the ray irradiating device provided inside the cylindrical ray-transmitting base member; bearing member for rotatably supporting the roll-shaped rotary member; flange members provided on both ends of the ray-transmitting base member; and an elastic covering member provided between the flange member and the roll-shaped rotary member for joining each member.

Apparatus for fixing toner images on a transfer material

A fixing apparatus that fixes, on a transfer material, toner images on the transfer material through heating and pressing, wherein, a ray-radiating member that radiates rays is provided, and a roll-shaped rotary member for applying heat is formed by providing a cylindrical ray-transmitting base member which can transmit the rays and a cylindrical ray-transmitting elastic layer or a ray-transmitting heat insulating layer which can transmit the rays, and by providing, on the outer side of the ray-transmitting elastic layer or the ray-transmitting heat insulating layer, a ray absorbing layer that absorbs the rays stated above. The inequality of T1<T2<T3 holds when T1 (&deg;) represents an average temperature in the layer of the ray-transmitting base member, T2 (&deg;) represents an average temperature in the layer of the ray-transmitting elastic layer or the ray-transmitting heat insulating layer, and T3 (&deg;) represents an average temperature in the layer of the ray absorbing layer during a warm-up.

Fixing apparatus

A fixing apparatus for fixing toner images on a transfer material by applying heat on the transfer material, the fixing apparatus includes: a roll-shaped rotary member for applying heat, including a cylindrical ray-transmitting base member, and a ray absorbing layer for generating heat, provided on an outer side of the ray-transmitting base member; a ray irradiating device for irradiating ray, provided inside the cylindrical ray-transmitting base member; and flange members provided on both ends of the ray-transmitting base member, and each of the flange members being joined with the ray-transmitting base member through a joining elastic layer.

A color image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor drum having an outer diameter of 50 mm to 100 mm and a rotational axis, four charging devices for charging the photoreceptor drum, and four exposure devices, provided inside the photoreceptor drum, for imagewise exposing an inner surface of the photoreceptor drum to form respective four latent images. Four developing devices are provided outside the photoreceptor drum at an upper section thereof for developing respective ones of the four latent images using respective different one-component type color developers to form four different color toner images in a superimposed manner on an outer surface of the photoreceptor drum during one rotation thereof the photoreceptor drum. Each developing device has a developing roller for conveying the respective one-component type developers to the outer surface of the photoreceptor drum, and the four developing devices are arranged along an outer circumference of the photoreceptor drum in a manner such that a rotational axis of each of the developing rollers is located within a central angle of 180.degree.. In addition, a transfer device is provided at a lower section of the photoreceptor drum for transferring the superimposed four different color toner images from the outer surface of the photoreceptor drum to a sheet. The transfer device includes an inlet sheet passage and an outlet sheet passage, and the outlet sheet passage is arranged either coplanar with the inlet sheet passage or inclined with respect to the inlet sheet passage at an angle between 10.degree. above the inlet sheet passage and 30.degree. beneath the inlet sheet passage.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Hiroyuki Tokimatsu