Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Misao Tanzawa

Koji Sakamoto

Takeshi Saito

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Atsushi Sampe

Nobuo Iwata

Satoshi Hatori

Shinji Tamaki

Satoshi Narumi

Haruji Mizuishi

Kazuhito Watanabe

Tsutomu Katoh

Shuichi Endo

Tetsuroh Tanigawa

Yutaka Koizumi

Hajime Oyama

Mitsuru Takahashi

Susumu Takahashi

Katsuhiro Aoki

Takeshi Yamakawa

Yuuji Sawai

Masayuki Hayashi

Sadayuki Iwai

Hisao Murayama

Tohru Nakano

Tsuyoshi Yoshimura

Hiroyuki Idenawa

Kenya Komada

Takeshi Iijima

Yukihiro Ohno

Mitsuru Satoh

Kinzi Saito

Tsumori Satoh

Ichiro Fukushima

Masanori Katsuki

Takesi Saitou

A carrier and a dummy toner are stored in a developing unit of a process cartridge in a brand new status. A plurality of process cartridges corresponding to a plurality of color toners is used in common. The color toners are respectively supplied to the developing unit from toner supply units after the process cartridges in the brand new status are installed in installation sections in a main unit of an image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus, process cartridge, developing unit, and image forming method

In an image forming apparatus configured to form a toner image on a photoconductive element and transfer it to a recording medium of the present invention, the photoconductive element and an image transferring member pressed thereagainst are constructed into an image transferring unit. The image transferring unit is removable from the casing of the apparatus independently of image forming devices arranged around the photoconductive element other than the image transferring member.

Image forming apparatus and image transferring unit for use in the same

Monocolor image forming unit includes a developing device and an image carrier cleaning device arranged around an image carrier. A plurality of such the monocolor image forming unit is arrayed laterally along the rotary transport direction of an intermediate transfer member of the belt type to configure a tandem image forming device. In the tandem image forming device, a synthesized toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member and transferred to a recording medium to form a multicolor image thereon. Among the plurality of monocolor image forming unit contained in the tandem image forming device, at least two monocolor image forming unit each include a toner recycling device for conveying toner collected at the image carrier cleaning device to the developing device.

Image forming apparatus, monocolor image forming apparatus, toner recycling apparatus and intermediate transfer member

A sheet discharging device incorporated in digital image forming equipment which is selectively operable in a copier mode, facsimile mode, and printer mode. The sheet discharging device has a plurality of sheet outlets each being positioned at a particular level matching respective one of the modes.

Sheet discharging device for image forming equipment

An electrophotographic copier or similar image forming apparatus having a photoconductive drum and a developing unit having a developing roller which is pressed against the drum. The developing unit is removably mounted on a body of the apparatus and arranged such that reaction forces exerted in the vertical direction by the copier body on the developing unit are directed upward at all times. When the pressing contact of the developing roller with the drum is cancelled, the developing unit is held in a retracted position where it is spaced apart from the drum.

Image forming apparatus having a removable processing unit

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

A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade for scraping out toner from a photosensitive member and a polygonal member for carrying scraped toner into a toner container. A rotation center of a blade holder for supporting the cleaning blade is coincident with a rotation center of the polygonal member. The polygonal member is composed of a plurality of sections arranged along an axis thereof. At least one of the sections has ridgelines which are shifted from those of the remaining sections.

Cleaning device

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

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

A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade for scraping out toner from a photosensitive member and a polygonal member for carrying scraped toner into a toner container. A rotation center of a blade holder for supporting the cleaning blade is coincident with a rotation center of the polygonal member.

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.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Misao Tanzawa