Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shin-etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Richo Company, Ltd.

Ichiro Fukushima

Yasuo Asahina

Setsuo Soga

Ryoichi Namiki

Toshiyuki Kikuchi

Yuichiro Higashi

Takashi Yano

Susumu Tatsumi

Misao Tanzawa

Kiyoshi Imai

Sakae Ota

Kinzi Saito

Nobuyuki Hasebe

Toshio Hayashi

Tatsuo Tani Formerly Nishikawa

Tomiaki Asami

A blade cleaning device for removing toner particles remaining on the surface of a photosensitive member after image transfer and which includes a blade which is pressed against the surface and a link supporting mechanism for supporting the blade. In one aspect of the present invention, a spring is provided as connected to the link supporting mechanism mainly to keep the blade in pressure contact with the surface and a coil spring is provided in a node of the link mainly to cancel out any fluctuations imparted to the blade, thereby allowing the blade to be kept in pressure contact with the surface at a desired pressure level at all times. In another aspect, the device is so structured that the blade may be located at an operative position where it is in pressure contact with the surface or at an inoperative position where the blade is separated away from the surface. The device may also be so structured that the blade may be moved sideways in a reciprocating manner while being kept in pressure contact with the surface.

Blade cleaning device

Improved heat roller fixing apparatus comprising an inner cylinder having a heater therein, an outer cylinder, and a vacuum chamber which is formed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder and which contains a liquid heat transfer medium at low pressure is described. In particular, improvements obviating excessive heating of the inner cylinder are made by placing the heat transfer medium in the chamber so as to be in contact with the lower portion of the inner cylinder at least when said outer cylinder is stationary, or by mounting on the inner cylinder a member which serves to stir or pour the heating medium on the inner cylinder and also to transfer heat indirectly from the inner cylinder to the outer cylinder through the heating medium so that speedy evaporation of the heating medium and safe and stable fixing of images are accomplished.

Heat roller fixing apparatus

An apparatus for cleaning an endless photosensitive surface includes a photoreceptor rotatable around a horizontal axis in an electrophotographic copying machine. A cleaning roller and an edge of a blade are maintained in frictional engagement with the upper run of the rotating surface and into the space between the roller and the blade, a cleaning liquid is continuously supplied onto the surface between the blade edge and the cleaning roller, thereby achieving an effective cleaning function. The liquid within the space tending to flow over the other edge of the blade remote from the photosensitive surface and to then drip on the cleaned surface, is effectively prevented in accordance with the invention.

Apparatus for cleaning a photosensitive member of an electrophotographic

A fixing roll for electrophotography having a surface layer of a cured room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone rubber composition comprising a mixture consisting of two diorganopolysiloxanes, one of which is terminated at the chain ends with silanol groups and has a relatively high viscosity, and the other of which is terminated at the chain ends with trialkyl silyl groups and has a relatively low viscosity, an alkoxysilane or a partial hydrolysis-condensate thereof as the crosslinking agent, a metal salt of an organic acid as the reaction catalyst, and three kinds of inorganic fillers, namely, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, and titanium dioxide, and containing substantially no siliceous fillers. The fixing rolls have excellent properties including, in particular, the ability to provide a long copy-life to electrophotographic copying machines.

Fixing roll for electrophotography

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Ichiro Fukushima