Ricoh Company, Ltd.

World Chemical Co., Ltd.

Japan Tobacco Inc.

Koji Sakamoto

Fuchio Kanno

Wataru Yasuda

Toshio Kaneko

Kazuo Kobayashi

Susumu Tatsumi

Misao Tanzawa

Seiichi Miyakawa

Yoshihiro Ogata

Koichi Suzuki

Nobuo Iwata

Noriyuki Kimura

Takatsugu Fujishiro

Eiichi Sasaki

Koichi Noguchi

Koji Hirakura

Hiroyuki Matsushiro

Tsuyoshi Deki

Harumi Takahashi

Chiyako Hatsuyama

Yutaka Koizumi

Yasushi Nakazato

Tsukuru Kai

Nobuyuki Yanagawa

Hidetoshi Yano

Yukiko Iwasaki

Shigeru Suzuki

Akio Kosuge

Hiromi Ogiyama

Susumu Takahashi

Noboru Sawayama

Katsuo Sakai

Hisashi Shoji

Masayuki Hayashi

Takayuki Kimura

Nobuto Yokokawa

Chikara Imai

Hisao Murayama

Satoshi Taguchi

Yasumori Nagahara

Osamu Endo

Yoji Mori

Fuchio Takeda

Kenya Komada

Mitsuru Satoh

Manabu Nishimura

Yoshiko Ishii

Hiromi Uematsu

Yasuichi Haga

Yoshiharu Manabe

Masako Suzuki

Yoji Karasawa

Kazuyuki Tsuchizawa

A solid-liquid separator prevents wear of a self-priming liquid pump connected to a cyclone mechanism and a solid-liquid mixture can be purified at low cost. The separator separates sludge in the liquid by a cyclone in a separation portion directly or indirectly connected to a suction of the upstream side of the pump. The separation portion has a first and second cyclones with the first cyclone disposed in said second cyclone coaxially. A tank disposed under the cyclones collects separated from the liquid.

Solid-liquid separator with self-priming pump

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, and an image processing device whic processes image data of an image including pixels forming the image such that a gradation of the image is represented by a density of toner adhering pixels of the image forming pixels per unit area of the image. The image forming apparatus further includes a latent image forming device which forms an electrostatic latent image of the image including the image forming pixels on the image bearing member in accordance with the image data processed by the image processing device, a developing device which visualizes the electrostatic latent image of the image on the image bearing member to a toner image, and a transfer device which transfers the toner image on the image bearing member to a transfer member. A diameter of a pixel toner image of each toner adhering pixel of the toner image on the image bearing member is in a range of 20 &mgr;m to 50 &mgr;m, and the transfer device includes a primary transfer member, a primary transfer device which transfers the toner image on the image bearing member to the primary transfer member, and a secondary transfer device which transfers the toner image on the primary transfer member to the transfer member.

Image forming apparatus to form smooth image with inconspicuous granularity

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a photoconductive element includes a photoconductive film having a thickness of 15 .mu.m or below. A light beam having a diameter of 50 .mu.m or below optically forms a latent image on the photoconductive element. Toner is caused to deposit on a dot image in an amount 1.2 times greater than on an area image. This is successful to minimize the variation of image quality and to render dots inconspicuous. The method of forming toner images is also included.

Method and apparatus for forming toner images

In an image forming apparatus, during the course of recording, a cleaning roller is rotated together with an image carrier. The roller frictionally charges toner left on the image carrier after image transfer to the same polarity. A cleaning member electrostatically collects the charged toner. At the same time, a voltage is applied to the cleaning member by a voltage applying device in order to cause it to attract the charged toner, thereby cleaning the image carrier. Hence, even when the toner remaining on image carrier is charged partly to the positive polarity and partly to the negative polarity, the toner can be entirely transferred to the cleaning member by a simple construction.

Image forming apparatus and cleaning device therefor

A color image forming apparatus of the type having a photoconductive belt for forming a latent image thereon electrostatically. The latent image is developed to turn out a corresponding toner image. The toner image is transferred from the photoconductive belt to an intermediate transfer belt. Such a procedure is repeated to form a composite color image on the intermediate belt. The color image is transferred from the intermediate belt to a recording medium. Any point on the intermediate belt in the direction of rotation and any points on drive rollers assigned to the two belts, respectively, in the direction of rotation are held in the same positional relation to a stationary member every time the intermediate belt completes one rotation.

Color image forming apparatus having integral multiple length belt

An electrophotographic color image forming apparatus is disclosed which allows a photoconductive element and an intermediate transfer belt, which are expendables, to be removed from the body thereof at the same time. This promotes easy replacement, inspection and so forth of expendables. The photoconductive element and intermediate transfer belt can be replaced substantially at the same period, reducing the frequency of replacement of expendables. A cartridge including the photoconductive element can be replaced with a minimum of component parts wasted, thereby enhancing the cost performance of the apparatus. Moreover, when a cover hinged to the body of the apparatus is opened, various units can be removed one after another, a unit around which the greatest space is available being first.

Color image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit which supplies toner to an image carrier for developing a latent image. A toner cartridge is normally mounted on the developing unit and covers an opening thereof. In order to minimize toner spillage, a lug on the developing unit can cooperate with a stationary projection on the apparatus body to permit installation of the developing unit into the apparatus body only when the toner cartridge is mounted on the developing unit. Alternatively, a lug on the developing unit can cooperate with a stationary projection on the apparatus body for prohibiting mounting or removal of the toner cartridge only when the developing unit is installed in the apparatus. Alternatively, guide ribs are formed on both the developing unit and the toner cartridge for guiding the developing unit and toner cartridge for installation in the apparatus body only when the toner cartridge is mounted on the developing unit. Alternatively, a removal blocking member permits removal of the toner cartridge from the developing unit only when the developing unit is installed in the apparatus body. In a final alternative, a prohibiting member prohibits the removal of the developing unit from the apparatus body when the toner cartridge is not mounted to the developing unit, while a pivotal member and a projection member cooperate to permit the toner cartridge to be mounted on or removed from the developing unit only when the developing unit is installed in the apparatus body.

Installation and removal structure of a developing unit and a toner

An image forming apparatus of the type including a plurality of process means for developing an electrostatic latent image provided on an image carrier to produce a visible image, transferring the visible image to a transfer material, and cleaning the image carrier after the image transfer. The image carrier and at least one image forming unit are individually removably mounted on a body of the apparatus. A first and a second sensor are provided for sensing, respectively, the end of the life of the image forming unit and that of the image carrier. Even when the end of the life of the image carrier is sensed, an indication for urging a person to replace the image forming unit being used is not produced if the life of the image forming unit has not expired, allowing the apparatus to be continuously used. It is not until the end of the life of the image forming unit is sensed next that an indication for urging a person to replace both of the image carrier and the image forming unit is produced.

Image forming apparatus

An apparatus applicable to an image forming apparatus allows an image carrier and a cartridge accommodating image forming process units therein to be readily positioned relative to each other and allows the cartridge to be replaced with ease. The equipment has a cover on which a positioning member is provided. When the cover is closed, the positioning member positions the image carrier and cartridge which are received in the equipment relative to each other to in turn set up a predetermined relative position of the image carrier and process units. In the event of replacement of the cartridge and image carrier, a guide member is used to guide the cartridge relative to the equipment.

Replacement of a cartridge usable with image forming equipment

A holder device for handling a replaceable image carrier of an image forming apparatus. A photoconductive element mounted in an electrophotographic copier or similar apparatus and to which toner adheres can be dismounted and replaced with a new photoconductive element with ease and without touching it. A box-like holder has receiving sections for accommodating the old and new photoconductive elements individually. The receiving sections are each provided with guide slots for grasping and guiding opposite ends of a shaft on which a photoconductive element is mounted and openings each being contiguous with a respective one of the guide slots, said guide slots and openings being formed through each of opposite end walls of a housing of the holder device. Lugs are provided on the end walls of the housing to cancel the restraint of restraining members which prevent the ends of a shaft of a photoconductive element from slipping out of the copier, as the holder is sequentially moved into the copier.

Holder device for handling an image carrier of an image forming apparatus

A developing device including a developing roller which has a resilient support layer and a dielectric layer provided on the support layer and developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductive drum through the roller by using a single-component developer, i.e. toner. The variation of development characteristics ascribable to the developing roller is suppressed by providing a resilient material which constitutes the support layer with a resistance value less than a predetermined value that is mostly determined by a relationship between the resistance value and the developing time. Further, a method is described for producing a developing roller for the developing device.

Developing device with a developing roller and using a single-component

A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing member such as a photosensitive member for use in an electrophotographic copying machine and the like using magnetic toner particles includes a rotatable sleeve, a magnet roll disposed inside of the sleeve and a doctor blade pressed against the sleeve for charging and forming a thin film of toner particles to be used in developing the latent image. In one form, the blade is provided movably in parallel with the rotating axis of the sleeve. In another form, an electrically conductive brush is provided to remove residual charges from the sleeve after each developing operation. In a further form, the tip end of the blade is disposed between the two adjacent magnetic poles of the magnet roll. In a still further form, the blade is constructed to have a two-part structure.

Developing device

An image forming apparatus allows an image carrier, a developing unit and a cleaning device each having a different service life to be detachably mounted in a housing thereof. The developing and cleaning devices are rotatably supported to constitute an image forming unit. The image forming unit is detachably supported by a first rotatable body which is mounted to the apparatus housing. The image carrier is detachably supported by opposite side plates of the apparatus housing or by a second rotatable body which is supported by the apparatus housing to be rotatable independently of the first rotatable body. A positioning arrangement is provided for controlling the rotation of the developing and cleaning devices so that the image forming unit and the image carrier may be prevented from interfering with each other when the unit is moved toward and away from the image carrier.

An image recorder includes a cleaning unit having an opening which faces a photoconductive drum in a predetermined set position of the unit, and other process units which are arranged around the drum together with the cleaning unit. A process kit which at least includes the cleaning unit is removable from the image recorder independently of the drum. The image recorder is constituted by an upper and a lower unit, the upper unit being openable away from the lower unit. A member is provided which opens and closes the opening of the cleaning unit in an interlocked relation with the upper unit. The drum and process kit may be opened and closed together with the upper unit or, alternatively, the process unit may be opened and closed together with the upper unit with the drum retained by the lower unit, as desired.

Image forming apparatus having a removable image forming process kit

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Koji Sakamoto