Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Naoki Takai

Takaya Ochiai

Yuichiro Kato

Kazuki Shimodate

Shota Yoshida

Takeshi Sakashita

Keisuke Sugiyama

Yosuke Saito

Masanari Fujita

Takahiro Seki

Kenji Nakamura

Sho Asano

Yuuji Meguro

Takuya Akiyama

Takeshi Yamashita

Ruki Midorikawa

Daisuke Hasebe

A sheet laminator includes a fuser pressure member, a heater, a drive device, and circuitry. The fuser pressure member thermally fixes a two-ply sheet and a sheet medium inserted between two sheets of the two-ply sheet. The heater heats the fuser pressure member. The driver rotates the fuser pressure member. In response to a pause of a rotation of the fuser pressure member, the circuitry turns off a power supply to the heater, and perform one of immediately stopping the fuser pressure member or rotating the fuser pressure member and stopping the fuser pressure member after the rotation of the fuser pressure member, based on a state of the fuser pressure member.

Sheet laminator and image forming system incorporating the sheet laminator

A thermal fixer includes a first thermal fixing roller and a second thermal fixing roller. The first thermal fixing roller includes a first heater. The second thermal fixing roller is pressed to the first thermal fixing roller. The second thermal fixing roller includes a second heater and has a diameter, a rigidity, and a surface releasability substantially identical to the first thermal fixing roller.

Thermal fixer, sheet laminator incorporating the thermal fixer, and image forming system incorporating the sheet laminator

A sheet laminator includes a fuser pressure member, a conveyor, and a guide. The fuser pressure member thermally fixes a two-ply sheet and a sheet medium inserted between two sheets of the two-ply sheet. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet toward the fuser pressure member in a sheet conveyance direction. The guide guides the two-ply sheet in a sheet conveyance passage between the conveyor and the fuser pressure member. At least one of the fuser pressure member or the conveyor is operable to guide the two-ply sheet outside the sheet conveyance passage in response to an occurrence of an abnormal stop of the sheet laminator.

A sheet laminator includes a thermal fixing roller pair, a first heater, a second heater, multiple temperature detectors, and a driver. The thermal fixing roller pair includes a first thermal fixing roller and a second thermal fixing roller facing the first thermal fixing roller. The thermal fixing roller pair thermally fixes and conveys a two-ply sheet and a sheet medium nipped between two sheets of the two-ply sheet. The first heater heats the first thermal fixing roller. The second heater heats the second thermal fixing roller. The multiple temperature detectors are at different positions along an axial direction of the thermal fixing roller pair. The multiple temperature detectors detect a surface temperature of the thermal fixing roller pair. The driver drives the thermal fixing roller pair.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image bearer, and a rotator opposed to the image bearer. The rotator is removably installable in the apparatus body. The image forming apparatus further includes a guide configured to guide the rotator in a longitudinal axial direction of the rotator toward a regular position where the rotator is installed in the apparatus body.

Image forming apparatus including a removably installable rotator

An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance device configured to transport a conveyed object, a conveyance guide configured to guide the conveyed object to the conveyance device, a housing including a shaft support. The conveyance guide includes a rotation shaft that includes a non-circular shaft portion. The shaft support has a circular hole part and a guide slot. The circular hole part is configured to rotatably support the rotation shaft, and the rotation shaft is inserted into the shaft support through the guide slot while a flat surface of the non-circular shaft portion slides along a guide surface of the guide slot. The image forming apparatus further includes a restrictor configured to restrict movement of the rotation shaft inserted into the circular hole part of the shaft support in a direction opposite to a direction of insertion of the rotation shaft into the shaft support.

Image forming apparatus and transfer device

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image bearers, a plurality of developing devices, a plurality of first transfer devices disposed opposite the plurality of image bearers, a second transfer device, a cleaning device to remove toner remaining on the intermediate transferor after a secondary transfer process, and a processor to control the plurality of developing devices to perform a refresh process to discharge toner from the plurality of developing devices to the plurality of image bearers. Among toner of the colors, toner having a first circularity first reaches the cleaning device and toner having a second circularity higher than the first circularity subsequently reaches the cleaning device in the refresh process.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer body, a plurality of image bearers, a plurality of developing devices, a plurality of primary transfer devices, a secondary transfer device, and a cleaner. The plurality of image bearers are disposed side by side along the intermediate transfer body. In a refreshing mode, the plurality of developing devices form toner images on the plurality of image bearers during a non-image-formation period and the cleaner cleans a surface of the intermediate transfer body. In the refreshing mode, a toner image formed on one image bearer of the plurality of image bearers, which differs from a most downstream image bearer of the plurality of image bearers in a direction of conveyance of the intermediate transfer body, reaches the cleaner first of the toner images formed on the plurality of image bearers.

Image forming apparatus that performs a refreshing operation

An image forming apparatus is disclosed, including a movable image bearer bearing an image thereon which is transferred to a recording medium when the image comes into contact with the recording medium; and a twining prevention member which is arranged in the vicinity of the image bearer on the side downstream of a portion of the contact between the recording medium and the image bearer in a moving direction of the image bearer to prevent the recording medium from twining around the image bearer, wherein the twining prevention member includes, in the portion of the contact with the recording medium, a high friction resistance portion which regulates movement of the recording medium.

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Tokyo, Japan

Naoki Takai