Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Satoshi Endoh

Yoichi Ito

Yuji Tanaka

Tomomi Katoh

Akiyoshi Tanaka

Kuniyori Takano

Soyoung Park

Fumitaka Kikkawa

Honriku Jo

Mitsuya Matsubara

Yuji Arai

Yutaka Ikebuchi

Arinobu Yoshiura

Kazuki Suzuki

Kohichi Utsunomiya

Motoyoshi Yamano

Hideo Nagafuji

Shingo Kuboki

Kunihiro Yamanaka

Shohei Saito

Daisuke Sawada

Qifeng Cui

Takahiro Kikuchi

Yuuki Nobuoka

Yuichi Harashima

Yohichi Tsukamoto

A paper conveyance device comprises: a conveyance member having a conveyance surface for conveying a recording medium, the conveyance member extending in a first direction along a front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus that has an opening member for exposing inside of the apparatus, and including a handle disposed on an exposure surface of the opening member, and a swing pivot point that is used to swing the conveyance member around the first direction to expose the conveyance surface when the handle is operated in the open state. The handle is disposed in at least one position in a range between positions near a center of the conveyance member in the first direction. The positions are a certain distance away from the center of the conveyance member along the first direction.

Paper conveyance device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including a recording head; a cap member capping the nozzle surface of the recording head and including a release port and a suction port; a suction unit in communication with the suction port; a switch unit opening and closing the release port to the air and capable of adjusting the opening amount of the release port to at least a first opening amount and a second opening amount larger than the first opening amount; and a control unit that controls the suction unit and the switch unit so that the release port is opened to the first opening amount to have a predetermined amount of air flow into the cap member after the cap member is suctioned by the suction unit, and the release port is then opened to the second opening amount.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head configured to have a nozzle face on which nozzles that discharge liquid droplets are formed; a cap configured to cap the nozzle face of the recording head; a discharge path configured to be connected to the cap; a suction pump configured to be provided in the discharge path and be made of a tube pump; and an atmosphere opening part configured to open an airtight space, created when the nozzle face is capped by the cap, to the atmosphere. The atmosphere opening part is configured to communicate with the inside of the cap at a position higher than a surface of liquid discharged into the cap, and a check valve configured to prevent a flow of the liquid toward the cap from the suction pump is provided in the discharge path.

Image forming apparatus, method of suctioning liquid from nozzles of recording head and computer readable information recording medium

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Saitama, Japan

Satoshi Endoh