Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Starlite Co., Ltd.

Kiyonori Tsuda

Yuji Arai

Satoshi Narumi

Yutaka Takahashi

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Masanori Kawasumi

Kazuhiko Umemura

Emi Kita

Junichi Matsumoto

Nobuo Takami

Hiroshi Ishii

Toshio Koike

Satoshi Hatori

Makoto Kikura

Kazuosa Kuma

Yutaka Fukuchi

Kazuki Suzuki

Hideo Yoshizawa

Masayuki Yamane

Yuki Oshikawa

Atsushi Sampe

Naoto Watanabe

Hajime Oyama

Kazuhisa Sudo

Takeo Suda

Tomoji Ishikawa

Atsushi Inoue

Seiji Terazawa

Hiroyuki Nagashima

Ryuta Takeichi

Keinosuke Kondoh

Yuusuke Noguchi

Kohichi Utsunomiya

Seiji Oka

Akihiro Kawakami

Kentaro Mikuniya

Satoru Yoshida

Junji Yamabe

Koichi Kato

Junichi Terai

Yasushi Akiba

Ryoichi Teranishi

Kenzo Tatsumi

Nobuyuki Taguchi

Takeroh Kurenuma

Takuzi Yoneda

Fumio Ogata

Hiroya Hirose

Shinji Tamaki

Koichi Sakata

Shunji Katoh

Tsuyoshi Imamura

Mugijirou Uno

Keiko Matsumoto

Kentaroh Tomita

Tsukuru Kai

Fumihiro Sasaki

Satoshi Mochizuki

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Shinichi Kawahara

Nobuo Kuwabara

Hisashi Shoji

Hideki Zemba

Nobuto Yokokawa

Yoshihide Kawamura

Misaki Uchiyama

Maiko Koeda

Hiroyuki Okaji

Wakako Murakami

Keisuke Katoh

Kiyotaka Ohta

Hitoshi Ishibashi

Yasufumi Takahashi

Emiko Shiraishi

Susumu Tateyama

Yoshitaka Fujinuma

Takashi Tanaka

Mikio Ishibashi

Tetsuya Muto

Satoru Miyamoto

Nobuki Matsumoto

Tokuya Ohjimi

Yuichi Aizawa

Kentaro Matsumoto

Eriko Maruyama

Takahisa Kato

Hidefumi Gohhara

Shinya Kikutani

Kentaro Tomita

Takeichi Ryuta

Megumi Sakakura

Yong-Seog Lee

Youtaro Kakitani

A powder container is for use with an image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus includes a driving protrusion that is rotatable and that protrudes toward an upstream side in an insertion direction in which the powder container is inserted. The powder container includes a container body to store powder, a cap attached to the container body, and a transmitted structure provided on the cap to contact the driving protrusion. The transmitted structure extends outward from an outer circumference of the powder container. The cap is rotatable relative to the container body in a predetermined angular range. The rotation of the cap relative to the container body is restricted so that the container body rotates along with the rotation of the cap when the rotation of the cap exceeds the predetermined angular range.

Powder container and image forming apparatus

A powder container is insertable in an image forming apparatus. The powder container includes a plurality of transmitted surfaces, at least one of the transmitted surfaces being configured to contact a first protrusion of the image forming, apparatus, the first protrusion being rotatable and protruding toward an upstream side in an insertion direction in which the powder container is inserted. The transmitted surfaces stand outward from an outer circumference of the powder container so that one of the transmitted surfaces is connected to another transmitted surface adjacent to the one of the transmitted surfaces by an inclined surface.

A powder container is insertable in an image forming apparatus, and includes a main-body interlocking portion that is rotatable and protrudes toward an upstream side in an insertion direction in which the powder container is inserted, the image forming apparatus including an identifier protrusion that protrudes toward the upstream side in the insertion direction to identify a type of the powder container. The powder container includes a container interlocking portion configured to interlock with the main-body interlocking portion; and an interlocked portion configured to interlock with the identifier protrusion. The interlocked portion is provided in a front end of the powder container in the insertion direction. The container interlocking portion stands outward from an outer circumference of the powder container. The container interlocking portion and the interlocked portion are rotated integrally.

An image forming apparatus includes a developer conveyance device to transport developer, using a positive-displacement pump to alternately generate positive pressure and negative pressure by changing a volume of an internal space thereof, a destination developer container to which the developer conveyance device transports developer, a sensor provided to the destination developer container, to detect developer in the destination developer container, and a controller to control the positive-displacement pump according to a detection result generated by the sensor. The controller disabled detection of developer by the sensor in a non-detection period that starts from a stop of the positive-displacement pump.

Developer pump with restricted detection time and image forming device

A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry, by rotation, developer including toner and magnetic carrier to a development range facing a latent image bearer to bear a latent image. The developer bearer includes a magnetic field generator having multiple magnetic poles and a cylindrical developing sleeve to rotate and bear developer on an outer circumferential surface thereof with magnetic force of the magnetic field generator disposed inside the developing sleeve. The developing sleeve receives development voltage including an AC component having a frequency of 2.0 kHz or lower, and a duty ratio of a component having a polarity opposite a toner normal charge polarity of the AC component is within a range from 4% to 20%.

Developing device and image forming apparatus and process cartridge incorporating same

An image forming apparatus includes a developing device; a developer conveyance device including a developer container, a developer reservoir to receive developer discharged from the developer container, and a positive-displacement pump to discharge, from the developer reservoir, developer supplied to the developing device by alternately generating positive pressure and negative pressure due to volume changes; and a controller to control driving of the positive-displacement pump. When the controller recognizes a developer end state of the developer container, the controller lowers a developer conveyance capability of the positive-displacement pump from a setting used before the developer end state is recognized.

Developer conveyance device, image forming apparatus, and developer conveyance method

A developer conveyance device includes a developer reservoir for containing developer, and a positive-displacement pump to alternately generate positive pressure and negative pressure by varying a volume of space therein to transport developer from the developer reservoir to a destination. When Qp represents a volume of developer moved by a single pumping action of the pump, calculated by multiplying a maximum flow amount of the pump per unit time by an operation time of the pump; Qd represents a volume of developer contained in the developer reservoir; and Qe represents a volume of developer present in a virtual columnar space defined by vertically raising the developer outlet to a level of developer contained in the developer reservoir, either Qp&#x3e;Qd or Qp&#x3e;Qe is satisfied.

Developer conveyance device and image forming apparatus having a pump to move the developer in a relationship with the developer contained in a reservoir

A developer replenishing device includes a container mount to hold a developer container to contain developer used in image formation, an installation completion detector to detect completion of installation of the developer container in the container mount, a replaceable containing portion to contain developer, a conveyance channel to which the containing portion is removably connected and through which developer is transported from the developer container held in the container mount to the containing portion, and a conveyance pump to transport developer from the developer container through the conveyance channel to the containing portion. In a state in which the developer container is not held in the container mount according to a detection result by the installation completion detector, the conveyance pump transports developer from the conveyance channel to the containing portion.

Developer replenishing device to transport developer from developer container, image forming apparatus including same, and conveyance device to transport powder or fluid from container

A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry, by rotation, developer including toner and magnetic carrier to a development range facing a latent image bearer, and the developer bearer includes a magnetic field generator having multiple magnetic poles and a cylindrical developing sleeve to rotate and bear developer on an outer circumferential face thereof with magnetic force of the magnetic field generator provided inside the developing sleeve. The developing sleeve receives developing bias voltage including an AC component, and includes a base to maintain a cylindrical shape of the developing sleeve and a low friction surface layer including a material lower in friction coefficient with toner than a material of the base.

A driving force transmission mechanism includes a connection for integrally rotating a driving shaft on the driving source side and a driven shaft of a rotary member. The connection includes a tubular boss portion; and a fitting shaft portion fitted into the tubular boss portion. An inner shaft portion is provided in a projecting manner from bottom center of the tubular boss portion toward inside the tubular boss portion. An inner recessed portion into which the inner shaft portion fits is provided in center of a leading edge plane for fitting of the fitting shaft portion. Micro gaps are provided between an inner surface of the tubular boss portion and an outer surface of the fitting shaft portion and between an inner surface of the inner recessed portion and an outer surface of the inner shaft portion.

Driving force transmission mechanism and image forming apparatus

A development device includes a development casing, a developer bearer disposed facing a latent image bearer through an opening formed in the development casing, a magnetic field generator, a developer regulator disposed facing the developer bearer, a first seal member to cover a clearance between the latent image bearer and a rim of the development casing upstream from the opening, and a second seal member. The first seal member includes a first end portion fixed to the rim of the development casing and a second end portion in contact with the latent image bearer, and the second seal member includes a first end portion fixed to an inner face of the development casing farther from the latent image bearer than the first seal member, and a second end portion hanging to contact the developer carried on the developer bearer downstream from the developer regulator.

Image forming apparatus incorporating developing device with first and second seals

A development device includes a development casing, a developer bearer disposed facing a latent image bearer through an opening in the development casing to carry developer, a magnetic field generator disposed inside the developer bearer, a developer regulator extending in an axial direction of the developer bearer to adjust an amount of developer carried on the developer bearer, and a first axial end seal provided in an axial end portion of the development device outside an image range, in contact with an upstream face of the developer regulator to reduce a size of a clearance between the developer regulator and the development casing.

Development device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

An imaging device provided with a latent image carrying body rotatably disposed to carry a latent image, a developing unit that develops the latent image carried on the carrying body by using a developer containing toner at least, and a duct disposed downstream of the developing unit and having a wall with an upstream suction port and a downstream suction port formed. An air flow path is formed by a surface of the latent image carrying body and a surface of the duct wall, between the upstream suction port and the downstream suction port. A gap of the air flow path is wider at the downstream side than at the upstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the latent image carrying body.

Imaging device, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge

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Kanagawa, Japan

Kiyonori Tsuda