Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Richo Company, Ltd.

Noriyuki Kimura

Nobuo Takami

Koichi Suzuki

Takatsugu Fujishiro

Junichi Matsumoto

Yutaka Koizumi

Masato Suzuki

Yuji Suzuki

Hideki Kimura

Eisuke Hori

Kenji Kikuchi

Hiroyuki Matsushiro

Yuki Oshikawa

Tsuyoshi Deki

Yoshihiro Sakai

Yoshihiro Fujiwara

Yoshiyuki Fukuda

Kazunori Bannai

Shunji Katoh

Junji Yamabe

Eiichi Sasaki

Hideya Furuta

Kenichi Mizuma

Mitsuru Mamizuka

Chiyako Kobayashi

Yasunobu Shimizu

Masaaki Yamada

Yoshio Hattori

Koji Sakamoto

Katsuhiro Aoki

Katsuo Sakai

Shigekazu Enoki

Koichi Noguchi

Kazushige Taguchi

Akira Azami

Yoshiko Ogawa

Kei Saito

Yuuji Ishikura

Yoshiharu Kishi

Takeshi Motohashi

Sho Akiyama

Kikuchi Kenji

Hideo Yoshizawa

Nobuo Kasahara

Shuntaroh Tamaki

Noboru Sawayama

Takeroh Kurenuma

Tomoji Ishikawa

Yuichi Ueno

Yasunori Kawaishi

Hideyuki Takemoto

Nobuhiko Umezawa

Chiyako Hatsuyama

Tatsuo Hirono

Kouichi Noguchi

Makoto Ohsaki

Sigekazu Enoki

Kazusige Taguchi

Kouji Sakamoto

Shinju Nagatsuna

Minour Suzuki

Sohichi Abe

Takatsugu Fuzishiro

Hiroyuki Goto

A system with a container including a protrusion, and a receiver to receive the container. The receiver includes a slide block that is movable relative to a body of the receiver, the slide block including two surfaces, a first surface, initially contacted by the protrusion of the container during insertion of the container into the receiver, having a first slope to resist movement of the container towards the receiver, and a second surface, subsequently contacted by the protrusion of the container during the insertion of the container into the receiver, having a second slope to interact with the protrusion of the container to assist movement of the container towards the receiver. This construction provides the user with a changing insertion force to indicate proper mounting of the container.

Toner container having protrusions projecting from opposite sides of the toner container

Toner container and image forming apparatus including a shutter having extension

A developing device includes a developer bearer disposed facing a latent image bearer in a developing range to transport developer by rotation, a support to support the developer bearer and including a holder mount, a rod-shaped developer regulator disposed facing a surface of the developer bearer across a gap, and a holder secured to the holder mount of the support to hold the rod-shaped developer regulator. The rod-shaped developer regulator extends in an axial direction of the developer bearer.

Developing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A toner container that is detachably attached to a main body of an image forming apparatus such that a longitudinal direction of the toner container is parallel to a horizontal direction includes: a cylindrical container body that has an opening on one end thereof in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to convey toner contained therein toward the opening; a cap portion into which the opening of the container body is inserted, and which includes a toner outlet at a bottom portion thereof for discharging toner discharged from the opening of the container body to the outside of the toner container in a vertically downward direction; and a shutter member that is held on the bottom portion of the cap portion, and moves along an outer periphery of the cap portion to thereby open and close the toner outlet, wherein the cap portion is formed by integral molding.

Toner container and image forming apparatus

Toner container including a cap with two shoulders and image forming device

A toner container and system for mounting and/or securing the toner container includes a toner container having a toner dispensing hole, a shutter, a protrusion. The shutter is movable relative to the toner dispensing hole, and is to selectively close the toner dispensing hole. The protrusion is connected to the shutter and movement of the protrusion causes the shutter to move relative to the toner dispensing hole to cover the toner dispensing hole. There is a receiver including a movable catch, the movable catch being in a first position when the toner container is initially inserted into the receiver, and the movable catch moving to a second position upon insertion of the toner container into the receiver. The movable catch interacts with the protrusion of the toner container when the toner container is being removed from the receiver such that the movable catch in the second position restricts movement of the protrusion of the toner container which closes the shutter as the toner container is withdrawn from the receiver.

Toner container and image forming apparatus with a mechanism to secure the toner container

A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry developer to a developer range where the developer bearer faces a latent image bearer, a development casing forming a developer storing part storing the developer to supply to the surface of developer bearer, a developer through opening communicating a space in where the developer bearer is disposed and the developer storing part, a cover sheet covering the developer through opening at the developing casing, and when the cover sheet is removed, the developer pass through the developer through opening, a sheet collecting shaft to collect the cover sheet by rotating, and a transmitting mechanism to transmit a force for rotating to the sheet collecting shaft. The transmitting mechanism does not transmit the force to the collecting shaft after the cover sheet is collected.

Developing device, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge

Toner container and image forming apparatus in which the toner container has protrusions which interact with the image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a developer bearer, a development casing in which a developer conveyance channel is formed facing the developer bearer through a communicating area, a developer supply member disposed in the developer conveyance channel, a developer regulator disposed facing a lower portion of the developer bearer to adjust an amount of developer carried on the developer bearer, and a sheet member that is removably installed to seal the communicating area and passes through a gap between the developer regulator and the developer bearer and an opening formed in the development casing. A first end of the sheet member is retained downstream from the gap in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, and the sheet member is fixed to the development casing at a position across the communicating area from the first end with a second end positioned outside the development casing.

Developing device and image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry developer, disposed facing an image bearer, a developer conveyance member disposed facing the developer bearer, to agitate and supply developer to the developer bearer, a decompression portion surrounded by upper walls of the developing device and including multiple vents arranged in a longitudinal direction of the developing device and a filter. A number of the multiple vents is greater in either end portion than in a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the developing device.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Noriyuki Kimura