Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masatoshi Ishida

Satoshi Narai

Yohei Osanai

Takayuki Andoh

Kunihiko Nishioka

Tomoya Fujii

Masashi Ota

Munekazu Hirata

Yasunobu Youda

Tatsuaki Nagano

Toshiyuki Horikawa

Daisuke Imaki

Takuji Kawai

Kaoru Tada

Makoto Noda

Yoshiaki Nagao

Genta Hagiwara

Tadaaki Oyama

Atsushi Sugai

Masafumi Kishi

An image forming apparatus includes a recording device and an apparatus body to internally house the recording device. The apparatus body includes an attachment unit to be removably mounted in the apparatus body and an apparatus body-side connector. The attachment unit includes an attachment-side connector to be electrically connected to the apparatus body-side connector. The apparatus body also includes a pressing portion to press the attachment unit in a direction in which the attachment-side connector faces the apparatus body-side connector in a state where the attachment unit is attached to the apparatus body. The direction is orthogonal to a mounting direction of the attachment unit. The apparatus body further includes a movable member holding the pressing portion movable between a first position where the pressing portion is closest to the apparatus body-side connector and a second position where the pressing portion is farthest from the apparatus body-side connector.

Image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus body

An article includes a body member and a detachable member detachably attached to the body member. One of the body member and the detachable member includes a cover portion having an engaging portion on an inner wall face of the cover portion. The other includes a covered portion that is covered with the cover portion and has an engaged portion on an outer wall face of the covered portion. The engaging portion and the engaged portion are configured to be disengaged by warping the cover portion so that the cover portion displaces to an outer wall face side of the cover portion. The one of the body member and the detachable member includes a finger-applying-position indicator at a position deviated from a portion corresponding to the cover portion, on an outer wall face of the one. The finger-applying-position indicator indicates a position to be applied with fingers of a user.

Handheld mobile printing device

An image forming apparatuses includes an apparatus body configured to house a replacement part. The apparatus body includes a guiding face configured to guide a guided face of the replacement part. The guided face is on a side along a movement direction in which the replacement part moves between a set position in the apparatus body and an attaching and detaching position at which the replacement part is attached to and detached from the apparatus body. The apparatus further include a moving device configured to move the replacement part between the set position and the attaching and detaching position, and a pressing device configured to press the guided face of the replacement part against the guiding face of the apparatus body while the replacement part moves between the set position and the attaching and detaching position.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a recording device configured to record an image on a recording medium, a main body configured to house the recording device, and a cover rotatably attached to the main body. The main body includes a recording face to be disposed opposite the recording medium, a first face positioned opposite the recording face, and a second face positioned between the recording face and the first face. The cover includes a first cover portion configured to cover the first face of the main body, and a second cover portion configured to cover at least a portion of the second face, and the second cover portion is configured to house a battery.

An image forming apparatus includes a body, an image forming device configured to form an image on a recording medium and supported by the body, an attachment configured to be removably attached to the body, and a cover configured to be removably attached to the body. The cover is configured to cover the attachment attached to the body. The attachment is configured to switch a state in use of the image forming apparatus by attaching and removing of the attachment to and from the body.

A rotation drive device includes a driven rotation member, a driving rotation member, a rotation relay member, a shaft, and a holder. The rotation relay member transmits only a unidirectional rotational driving force from the driving rotation member to the driven rotation member. The rotation relay member includes a housing and a cylindrical one-way clutch. A contact portion between the driving rotation member and the shaft is configured to rotate the driving rotation member and the shaft to transmit the driving force to an inner peripheral side of the cylindrical one-way clutch via the shaft. The driving rotation member includes a boss projected toward the holder and rotatably held in the holder. A portion of the shaft to support the driving rotation member and an inner wall surface of a through hole of the driving rotation member are shaped to rotate the shaft and the driving rotation member. together.

Rotation drive device, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

An automatic document feeder, which is included in an image reading device and an image forming apparatus, includes first and second document trays, a document output tray, a document conveying passage, multiple document conveying bodies, a drive source, a detector, and a controller. The multiple document conveying bodies include a document holding and conveying body to convey and hold the original document sheet on the second document tray. On detection of the original document sheet on the second document tray while conveying a different original document sheet from the first document tray, the controller stops feeding the different original document sheet, causes the different original document sheet downstream from the document holding and conveying body in a document conveying direction to be conveyed to the document output tray, and stops the drive source after the different original document has been conveyed to the document output tray.

Automatic document feeder, image reading device incorporating the automatic document feeder, and image forming apparatus incorporating the image reading device with the automatic document feeder

An image reading device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a first transparent body, a second transparent body, a holding body, and a reading body. The second transparent body is disposed separated from and inclined at a predetermined angle to the first transparent body. The holding body holds the first and second transparent bodies. The reading body moves in a sub-scanning direction along the first and second transparent bodies. The holding body includes a flat face and a frame-shaped face. The flat face is contiguous to the first transparent body on a same plane and smoothly connected with the second transparent body. The frame-shaped face projects outwardly beyond the second transparent body facing the reading body. The reading body moves and contacts the first transparent body and the holding body, and moves with a gap relative to the second transparent body.

Image reading device and image forming apparatus incorporating the image reading device

A lighting device includes a light source, a board, and a light guide. The light source emits light. The board mounts the light source on a mount surface perpendicular to a light emission surface of the light source. The light guide has an incident surface which the light emitted from the light source enters. The incident surface is opposed to the light emission surface. The light guide extends from the incident surface in a direction of the emitted light and is bent toward an irradiated surface of an irradiation target on a way of the light guide. The board is disposed such that an opposite surface of the board opposite the mount surface is opposed to the irradiated surface of the irradiation target.

Lighting device including a board to mount the light source on a mount surface opposite a cover, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

An image reader unit includes a platen on which to place a document; a light source including a plurality of split light sources to emit light beams toward a surface of the document; a movable exposure unit moving in a sub-scanning direction while obtaining reflected light reflected from the surface of the document; an image sensor to scan an image of the document by receiving the reflected light; and a reader processor to identify a length of the document in the main scanning direction based on a received light quantity from the image sensor obtained by activating fewer than all of the plurality of split light sources necessary for identifying the length of the document in the main scanning direction while moving the movable exposure unit in the sub-scanning direction.

Image reader unit and image forming apparatus including same

A document reading unit included in an image forming apparatus and operated with a method of detecting an original document, includes an original document table, a moving irradiation unit having multiple block light sources moving in a sub scanning direction while irradiating the original document, an image sensor receiving reflected light, and a controller that starts a length specifying operation with the moving irradiation unit located at a position facing the original document, sequentially turns on the block light sources, obtains an amount of reflected light under lighting conditions of each block light sources, and determines the length of the original document in the main scanning direction. While the moving irradiation unit is moving in the sub scanning direction, the image sensor receives the reflected light on a region of the original document in the sub scanning direction under each lighting condition during the length specifying operation.

Document reading unit, image forming apparatus incorporating same, and method of detecting original document using with same

A light guide for guiding light from multiple point sources arranged in a first direction (Y) on a light source board includes a supporting unit including multiple supporting pieces provided to the light source board, arranged at regular intervals in the first direction (Y), and a light guiding body continuous with the multiple supporting pieces and disposed downstream from the multiple point sources in a light emission direction (L). The light guiding body includes an incident surface, a light emission surface, multiple support ranges in which the supporting pieces are provided, and multiple light transmission ranges adjacent to the support ranges, respectively, in the first direction (Y), to cause the light to exit the guiding body partly, and the multiple support ranges and the multiple light transmission ranges have substantially the same length in a second direction (X) perpendicular to the first direction (Y).

Light guide, document illuminating device, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

A light projection unit includes a substrate, a plurality of light emitting elements arrayed on the substrate in a main scanning direction and including light emitting surfaces, a light guide facing the light emitting surfaces to direct light projected from the light emitting elements onto an illumination target and including a first positioning portion, and a holder including a second positioning portion that engages the first positioning portion of the light guide to position the light guide on the holder. The first positioning portion of the light guide is positioned between centers of light emission of adjacent light emitting elements in the main scanning direction of the substrate when the first positioning portion engages the second positioning portion of the holder.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Masatoshi Ishida