Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mugijiro Uno

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Eisaku Murakami

Hiroshi Saitoh

Tetsuo Yamanaka

Toshihiro Sugiyama

Yuki Oshikawa

Kazuhiro Yuasa

Yoshiaki Tanaka

Eiji Takenaka

Iwao Matsumae

Satoru Komatsubara

Keiko Matsumoto

Shuichi Endoh

Takuzi Yoneda

An image forming method and apparatus, the apparatus including a latent image carrier configured to carry a latent image thereon, a developing unit disposed facing the latent image carrier to develop the latent image with developer, a developer container containing the developer and attachable to the image forming apparatus, a developer detector configured to detect the presence of the developer in the developing unit, and a developer supply controller, and a disengagement detector configured to detect whether or not an intermediate transfer member is disengaged from the latent image carrier. The developer supply controller prohibits supply of the developer from the developer container to the developing unit when the developer detector detects that the developer is present in the developing unit, and when the disengagement detector detects that the intermediate transfer member is not disengaged from the latent image carrier.

Image forming apparatus and developer supply method therefor

In an image forming apparatus, a developing device has a first developer carrier for depositing a developer thereon, a regulating member for regulating the amount of the developer deposited on the first developer carrier, and a second developer carrier having an elastic surface, and contacting the first developer carrier while biting into it by a predetermined amount. The developer is provided with a preselected degree of fluidity. Hence, even when the same portion of the surface of the second developer carrier runs a plurality of times past a position where the two developer carriers contact each other without any developer being fed from the second developer carrier to an image carrier, the first developer carrier can surely strip the developer from the second developer carrier. As a result, a developer on which a predetermined amount of charge is deposited is transferred from the first developer carrier to the second developer carrier. This successfully protects images from defects. Particularly, when the developer has a zinc stearate content of greater than 0.1 wt %, it is possible to prevent the developer from melting and adhering to a member which regulates the developer.

Device for electrostatically developing a latent image on an image

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Isehara, Japan

Mugijiro Uno