Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Satoshi Muramatsu

Junichi Matsumoto

Nobuo Iwata

Nobuo Kasahara

Masumi Sato

Tomotoshi Nakahara

Takaaki Yanagisawa

Kouta Fujimori

Nobutaka Takeuchi

Tomoyuki Ichikawa

Goro Katsuyama

Yoshio Hattori

Takayuki Koike

Kazuhisa Sudo

Kunihiko Tomita

Eriko Maruyama

Seiji Terazawa

Akio Kosuge

Akiyasu Amita

Hiroyuki Kunii

Takashi Hodoshima

Fumio Ogata

Yoshinori Ozawa

Tetsuya Kusano

Kazuhiko Yuuki

Yoshi Hattori

Takeshi Tamaru

Yasushi Nakazato

Tsukuru Kai

Nekka Matsuura

Hiroyuki Shibaki

Atsushi Shinozaki

Tadao Mori

Hiroshi Ishii

Hideo Yoshizawa

Hideki Kimura

Kazumi Suzuki

Kazuyuki Shimada

Yukimichi Someya

Masanori Suzuki

Yasuo Suzuki

Hidetoshi Yano

Hiroshi Saitoh

Koji Suzuki

Yusuke Takeda

Toshihiro Sugiyama

Masaaki Kabumoto

Ichiro Kadota

Hisashi Shoji

Kanae Amemiya

Masahiro Yonekawa

Masahiro Kurita

Nobuto Yokokawa

Naoya Iwata

Misaki Shimizu

Yukio Tabata

Yoshiko Ishii

Motohiro Usami

Masako Suzuki

Shinichiro Suzukawa

Ichirou Komuro

Junichi Matusmoto

Sieji Terazawa

An imaging system includes a developing chamber, a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path, a first air passage and a second air passage. A developing roller located in the developing chamber carries a developer to a developing region where the developing roller is closest to an image carrier. A first stirring-conveying portion is located in the first conveyance path adjacent the developing roller to supply the developer to the developing roller. A second stirring-conveying portion is located in the second conveyance path adjacent the first conveyance path to circulate the developer between the second conveyance path and the first conveyance path. The first air passage has an inlet coupled to the developing chamber and an outlet coupled to the second conveyance path, and the second air passage has an inlet coupled to the second conveyance path and an outlet coupled to the developing chamber.

Imaging system with a developing chamber having a developer roller and multiple air passages

An imaging system includes a rotatable image carrier; a rotatable developer carrier, a storage container, and an air flow generator. The developer carrier transfers toner to the image carrier at a developing region located between the image carrier and the developer carrier. The storage container stores the developer carrier. The air flow generator is separated from the storage container by a gap, and rotates in a rotational direction that is opposite to a rotational direction of the developer carrier, to channel an air flow through the gap when the air flow generator rotates.

Imaging system having air flow generator in developer storage container

An image forming system includes an image carrier to rotate, a developer carrier to rotate, a container to contain the developer carrier, and a developer retainer separated from the rotatable developer carrier by a first gap of closest proximity, separated from the rotatable image carrier by a second gap of closest proximity, and separated from the container by a third gap of closest proximity. The first gap is less than the second gap and the third gap.

Image forming system with developer retainer

A fixing device includes a first roller, a second roller, an endless rotary belt, a third roller, a heater, a belt cooler, and an upstream guide member. The second roller is disposed parallel to the first roller. The endless rotary belt is looped for rotation around the first and second rollers. The third roller is disposed opposite the first roller via the belt. The heater is positioned adjacent to the belt to heat the belt. The first and third rollers press against each other via the belt to form a nip therebetween. The belt cooler is disposed inside the loop of the belt downstream from the first roller and upstream from the second roller for cooling the belt. The belt cooler has a convex contact surface. The upstream guide member is disposed inside the loop of the belt upstream from the contact surface to guide the belt.

Glossing device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A fixing device includes a fuser member, a stripper member, an endless rotary belt, a heater, a pressure member, and a belt cooler. The stripper member is disposed parallel to the fuser member. The endless rotary belt is looped for rotation around the fuser member and the stripper member in a longitudinal, conveyance direction of the belt. The heater is disposed adjacent to the belt to heat the belt. The pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member via the belt. The fuser member and the pressure member press against each other via the belt to form a fixing nip therebetween. The recording medium after passage through the nip remains in contact with the belt as the belt moves from the fuser member toward the stripper member, and separates from the belt as the belt passes around the stripper member.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A glossing device includes a heater member, a stripper member, an endless rotary belt, a pressure member, and a belt cooler. The heater member is subjected to heating. The stripper member is disposed parallel to the heater member. The endless rotary belt is looped for rotation around the heater member and the stripper member in a longitudinal, conveyance direction of the belt. The pressure member is disposed opposite the heater member via the belt. The heater member and the pressure member press against each other via the belt to form a glossing nip therebetween. The recording medium after passage through the nip remains in contact with the belt as the belt moves from the heater member toward the stripper member, and separates from the belt as the belt passes around the stripper member. The belt cooler is disposed adjacent to the belt to cool the belt.

Glossing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A glossing device includes a first roller, a second roller, an endless rotary belt, a third roller, a heater, a belt cooler, and a suction mechanism. The second roller is disposed parallel to the first roller. The endless rotary belt is looped for rotation around the first and second rollers. The third roller is disposed opposite the first roller via the belt. The heater is disposed adjacent to the belt to heat the belt. The first and third rollers press against each other via the belt to form a nip therebetween. The belt cooler is disposed inside the loop of the belt downstream from the first roller and upstream from the second roller for cooling the belt. The belt cooler includes at least two mutually spaced cooling elements that together form a gapped contact surface for establishing thermal contact with the belt.

A belt-fixing device to fix a toner image on a sheet includes an endless belt, a first roller disposed inside the endless belt, a second roller disposed in contact with the first roller via the endless belt, forming a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium passes, and a ring shape edge for controlling movement of the belt in an axial direction, provided on an inner surface of the endless belt. The ring shape edge is positioned between the first roller and the second roller.

In a fixing device, a first roller and a first fixing member are provided inside a loop formed by a first belt. A pressing member is pressed against the first roller and the first fixing member via the first belt. The first roller includes at least two enlarged radius portions of enlarged radius arranged axially along the first roller, at least one reduced radius portion of reduced radius sandwiched between the adjacent two enlarged radius portions in an axial direction of the first roller, and a concave portion formed by the reduced radius portion and the adjacent two enlarged radius portions sandwiching the reduced radius portion. The first fixing member is interdigitated with the first roller with play between the first fixing member and the first roller.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus using interdigitated rollers

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing unit for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with a two-ingredient type developer, i.e., a toner and carrier mixture. A toner replenishing device replenishes toner stored in a toner storing portion to the developing unit. A carrier storing portion, storing a carrier therein, is constructed independently of the toner storing portion. The carrier is fed from the carrier storing portion to the developing unit by a toner conveying force available with the toner replenishing device.

Image forming apparatus including a developer replenishing device which uses an air feeding device for a two-ingredient type developer

A toner container includes a vessel for storing toner, a toner draining unit having a toner draining passage, and a shutter in the toner draining passage. The toner draining passage includes a horizontal passage and a connection passage. Further, the toner draining unit includes the horizontal passage, a middle part, and an external part.

Toner container including a toner draining unit and a shutter, and corresponding image forming apparatus

A toner replenishing device that provides a container and a device having a high toner volumetric efficiency and a low cost, suppresses vibration during replenishment to a minimum, and stores recovered toner without impairing the volumetric efficiency of unused toner is constituted by a developer replenishing device which is provided with a developer container storing a developer used in an image forming apparatus and replenishes a developing device of the image forming apparatus with the developer in the developer container. The developer container is rectangular in a horizontal direction, and comprises an outside container storing unused developer and a deformable inside container enveloped by the outside container. The developer replenishing device comprises a developer discharging mouthpiece portion for discharging the developer from the interior of the container, which is provided in a lengthwise direction end portion of the outside container, an air supply nozzle, provided in an opposite side end portion to the developer discharging mouthpiece portion in the lengthwise direction, for introducing air into the inside container, and an air pump for supplying air to the supply nozzle.

Developer replenishing device for image forming apparatus

A developing device of the present invention develops a latent image formed on an image carrier with a two-ingredient type developer made up of toner and carrier. The developing device includes a storing member for storing a fresh developer to be replenished. A conveying device conveys the fresh developer from the storing member to a case, which stores the two-ingredient type developer to be deposited on the image carrier, while fluidizing the fresh developer. An excess developer discharging portion is configured to discharge excess part of the two-ingredient type developer to the outside. The developer storing member is implemented as an at least partly flexible bag.

Developer container including mouth member and image forming apparatus including the same

An image forming apparatus, using a developer including toner particles and carrier particles, includes a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and a conveying unit. The developing unit contains the developer and develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrying member as a toner image with the toner particles. The cleaning unit contains the developer and mixes the developer with the toner particles collected from the image carrying member after transferring the toner image. The conveying unit conveys a mixture of the collected toner particles and the developer from the cleaning unit to the developing unit.

Image forming apparatus and process cartridge therefore having a cleaner section which stores unused developer

A toner container includes a storing body that stores toner, a toner reception opening that receives the toner from the toner storing body, a shutter opening, a cylindrical shutter, and an O-shaped elastic ring disposed at the shutter opening configured to seal a space between the shutter opening and the shutter. The shutter receives a nozzle of an image forming apparatus and the cylindrical shutter opens and closes the shutter opening when moved by a nozzle of the image forming apparatus inserted into the shutter opening. When the nozzle is disposed through the shutter opening, the toner which is received from the toner reception opening is subsequently received by the nozzle of the image forming apparatus.

Powder container having a cylindrical shutter

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Tokyo, Japan

Satoshi Muramatsu