Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masanori Namba

Haruyuki Honda

Toshikane Nishii

Mitsutaka Nakamura

Takeshi Yamakawa

Hiroshi Yoshizawa

Ippei Kimura

Hirofumi Horita

Munekazu Hirata

Katsunori Shoji

Yuzoh Obata

A sheet conveying device includes a first rotating member, a second rotating member, and a biasing unit that biases the second rotating member toward the first rotating member. The first and second rotating members pinch a sheet therebetween and convey the sheet in a sheet conveying direction. The second rotating member includes a small-diameter portion that faces a conveying portion of the first rotating member, and a large-diameter portion at a position axially displaced from the conveying portion. The second rotating member can change its orientation to an orientation where a rotating shaft of the second rotating member is tilted relative to a rotating shaft of the first rotating member as viewed in the sheet conveying direction, thereby moving a position of an end portion of the second rotating member on a side of the large-diameter portion away from the rotating shaft of the first rotating member.

Sheet conveying device, sheet discharging device, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a manual operating unit, at least a part of which being exposed to an outside of the apparatus body and a part of which included inside the apparatus body being exposed to the outside by manually operating from the outside, a condensation part to which moist air in the apparatus body contacts to dew-condense to a water droplet, and a recovery container part containing the water droplet generated by the condensation part and being disposed on an inner surface of the manual operating unit included inside the apparatus body.

Image forming apparatus

A sheet conveyor, which is incorporated in an image forming apparatus and in which a method of preventing sheet skew is performed, includes a sheet conveying path through which a sheet is conveyed, a first conveying unit disposed in a sheet conveying direction and including a shaft extending in a lateral direction, multiple rollers attached to the shaft along the shaft, and a rotation regulator disposed between each of the multiple rollers and the shaft to idly rotate each of the multiple rollers in a given range about the shaft, a second conveying unit disposed along the sheet conveying path and downstream from the first conveying unit in the sheet conveying direction, and a sheet abutting part provided at the second conveying unit, against which a leading edge of the sheet abuts to form a slack of the sheet to correct skew of the sheet.

Sheet conveyor, image forming apparatus incorporating same, and method of preventing sheet skew

A sheet discharging device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet discharging tray, a sheet discharging roller pair, a full state detection feeler pivotably supported and including a center feeler to measure a height of a center part of the recording medium and an edge feeler to measure a height of an edge part of the recording medium, and a full state detection sensor to detect a position of the full state detection feeler. A distance between a leading edge of the center feeler and an upper surface of the sheet discharging tray is smaller than a distance between a leading edge of the edge feeler and the upper surface thereof. The leading edge of the edge feeler is located closer to the upper surface of the sheet discharging tray than a common tangential line of the sheet discharging roller pair.

Sheet discharging device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A sheet feeding mechanism incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes a cover unit rotatably attached to one side of a main body of an image forming apparatus to cover a part of a sheet conveyance path, a first feeding member located in a main body of the apparatus, a second feeding member located in the cover unit in a displaceable manner and facing the first feeding member when the cover unit is closed and sandwiching and conveying a recording medium along the sheet conveyance path with the first feeding member, and a guide member disposed in the main body to guide the second feeding member. The guide member guides the second feeding member to move in a first direction that approaches the first feeding member when closing the cover unit and in a second direction that separates from the first feeding member when opening the cover unit.

Sheet feeding mechanism and image forming apparatus incorporating same

An image forming apparatus includes a carriage to mount a recording head which discharges a liquid droplet on a recording medium to form an image, a carriage guide member to support the carriage and move the carriage to scan in a main scanning direction orthogonal to a sub-scanning direction in which the recording medium is conveyed, and a recording medium conveyance unit detachably mounted to a main body of the apparatus which includes an endless conveyance belt to convey the recording medium being adsorbed on the belt, and a pair of rollers around which the conveyance belt is extended circulating in the sub-scanning direction. The carriage is cantilevered by the carriage guide member, and the recording medium conveyance unit is removable from a space above the conveyance belt, in an area other than the carriage guide member.

An optical scanning device, that outputs a light beam through an emission window in an optical housing to scan a surface, may include a shutter member that closes or opens the emission window. The shutter member may include a first opening, that may allow the light beam passed through the emission window to pass the first opening, and a second opening, that may be at a position corresponding to an insertion operation of a cleaning member for cleaning the emission window. The shutter member may include a first opening, that may be on a front surface of the shutter member to allow the light beam passed through the emission window to pass the first opening, and a second opening, that may be on a side surface of the shutter member to allow a cleaning member to be inserted through the second opening for cleaning the emission window.

Optical scanning device including shutter member that closes or opens an emission window and image forming apparatus including the optical scanning device

A light scanning device for performing laser beam scanning, which includes a polygon scanner configured to deflect a laser beam; an optical device configured to guide the deflected laser beam; a case in which the polygon scanner and the optical device are arranged; a transparent covering member which is provided on the case to cover an opening and which transmits the laser beam to perform laser beam scanning; and a cleaner which is detachably attached to the light scanning device and which includes an elastic cleaning member on one side of a body of the cleaner for cleaning a surface of the transparent covering member, wherein the body of the cleaner has a recessed portion on the one side thereof.

Light scanning device, and image forming apparatus using the light scanning device

An optical scanning device includes a deflector that deflects light fluxes emitted from light sources and rotates in a first direction, optical systems that direct deflected light fluxes onto subject surfaces, and a member that prevents a flare beam reflected by one of the optical systems from entering another one of the optical systems. The deflector includes first edges in the first direction and the member includes second edges arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second edges are out of alignment with each other in the first direction so that a first edge does not pass all of the second edges simultaneously.

Optical scanning device, image forming apparatus, and method of reducing noises in optical scanning device

An optical writing unit for use in an image forming apparatus, wherein the optical writing unit includes an optical system which generates a light beam to write an electrostatic latent image on an image carrying member of the image forming apparatus, and a casing which encases the optical system. The casing includes an opening portion and a transparent member which externally seals the opening portion and has a top surface higher than a surface of the casing with a predetermined height and an optical writing area through which the light beam emits.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Masanori Namba