Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Seiji Oka

Hajime Oyama

Kiyonori Tsuda

Yasushi Akiba

Tsukuru Kai

Masaru Tanaka

Tomoji Ishikawa

Hidetoshi Yano

Fumihiro Sasaki

Satoshi Mochizuki

Shigeru Yoshiki

Shinji Tamaki

Makoto Obu

Keisuke Hayashi

Masumi Ikesue

Hisashi Ishijima

Akio Kutsuwada

Tsuyoshi Deki

Masakazu Nakada

Takahisa Kato

Hidefumi Gohhara

Fumihiko Ishikawa

Hiroyasu Itou

Tetsuo Yamaoka

Yoshiharu Morita

Megumi Sakakura

An image forming apparatus including a plurality of filters for obtaining reusable toner from used toner scraped off of an image carrier. Also included is a reusable toner container for storing the reusable toner, and a toner transfer device for transferring the reusable toner stored in the reusable toner container to a developing device so that the reusable toner is reused by the developing device. The plurality of filters have a different mesh-size and are positioned in a used toner stream in an order based on the different mesh-size.

Toner collecting and reusing device for use in an image forming

A recyclable toner container having a hollow cylindrical body, a toner outlet at one end of the container, and a removable cap fitted in the toner outlet. The cap have a plurality of circumferential protuberances on an outer periphery thereof and contacting the inner periphery of the toner outlet. The diameters of the plurality of protuberances are sequentially increased from a downstream side toward an upstream side in a direction in which the cap is inserted into the toner outlet.

Recyclable toner container for an image forming apparatus

A developing machine is provided which includes a supporting case (2); a developing sleeve (4) mounted within the supporting case (2), for carrying a developing agent (3); a magnetic roller (15) mounted within the developing sleeve (4); a projection (5d) for thinning a layer of the developing agent (3) carried on the developing sleeve (4) and regulating the amount of the developing agent (3); a drift portion A having a predetermined capacity, in which the developing agent (3) stopped by the projection (5d) drifts about; a toner containing portion (5b) having a toner supplying opening 5c which faces the developing sleeve (4) and is contiguous to the drift portion A on the upstream side of a direction in which the developing agent (3) on the developing sleeve (4) is carried; a developing agent storage case (5) attachable to and detachable from the supporting case (2), including the developing sleeve (4) and the toner containing portion (5b); and a developing agent retrieving device for a scraping the developing agent (3) lying on the developing sleeve (14) and retrieving the scraped developing agent (3) into the toner containing portion (5b).

Developing machine which uses a developing agent including a toner and

A developing device of the type developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with a two-ingredient type developer, i.e., a mixture of toner and magnetic carrier particles is disclosed. The device is operable without a sophisticated toner content control mechanism or a sophisticated developer agitating and conveying mechanism, and is capable of obviating various problems ascribable to the increase in the toner content of the developer at the opposite end portions of a developer carrier. For this purpose, the device restricts the movement of a developer present on the developer carrier in the direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the developer carrier conveys the developer.

Developing device for an image forming apparatus having developer

A developing device for an image forming apparatus and capable of automatically controlling the toner content of a developer is disclosed. Even when the toner content of the developer deposited on a developer carrier and being conveyed toward a developing position becomes irregular due to some cause, the developer is prevented from remaining at the developing position. This guarantees a desired developing position despite the automatic toner content control. In addition, the toner content of the developer is prevented from increasing at portions adjoining the opposite ends of the developer carrier.

Developing device capable of automatic toner content control

In a developing device for an image forming apparatus and of the type using a developer consisting of toner and magnetic carrier, a toner hopper has an opening for replenishing toner stored therein. The developer is regulated by a doctor blade to form a thin layer on a developing sleeve. The developer scraped off by the doctor blade is introduced into a developer storing chamber and caused to move toward the opening of the hopper due to its own internal pressure and gravity. The developer from the hopper is returned toward the doctor blade along the surface of the sleeve. The developer on the sleeve and regulated by the doctor blade is conveyed to a developing position where the sleeve faces an image carrier. The toner contained in the developer is a magnetic toner. When the toner concentration of the developer has reached an upper limit, a space or gap exists in the developer storing chamber.

Developing device using a toner and carrier mixture

A developing device for an image forming apparatus and of the type using a developer consisting of toner and magnetic particles is disclosed. While a developing sleeve conveys the developer deposited thereon, toner is automatically replenished to the developer from a toner hopper via an opening formed in the hopper due to the movement of the developer. At the same time, the toner introduced into the developer is charged by friction. A developer storing member includes a penthouse portion. A projection protrudes from the surface of the penthouse portion facing the developing sleeve toward the sleeve and extends in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sleeve conveys the developer. The developer forms on the sleeve a layer having stable toner content and stable toner charge without resorting to a sophisticated toner content control mechanism.

Developing device for an image forming apparatus

In an image forming apparatus, a developing device has a developing sleeve accommodating a magnet roller therein, and a doctor for regulating the amount of developer to be conveyed to a developing position. When the developing sleeve is rotated, the part of the doctor shaved off by the doctor from the sleeve is moved in a developer storing section to a toner replenishing opening formed in a toner storing section. Then, this part of the developer is returned to the doctor along the surface of the sleeve via the toner replenishing opening. The developer consists of a first developer containing a first carrier and deposited in a layer on the surface of the sleeve, and a second developer containing a second carrier different from the first carrier and stored in the developer storing section in such a manner as to contact the first developer deposited on the sleeve. The first carrier has a higher charging ability than the second carrier. The device does not need a toner replenishing mechanism or a toner concentration sensor and has, therefore, a miniature and inexpensive construction. In addition, the device is applicable even to a high-speed image forming apparatus.

Developing device for an image forming apparatus and toner cartridge

An image forming apparatus of the type collecting a toner remaining on the surface of an image carrier after image transfer and returning it to a developing unit to use it again. The apparatus separates the toner from paper dust and other impurities before returning the toner to the developing unit on the basis of differences in charge, weight and volume between the toner and the impurities. The toner is returned via an eletrostatic conveyor.

Image forming apparatus having toner recycling device with electrostatic

A developing unit incorporated in an image forming apparatus and capable of transporting a developer or a toner deposited on a developing roller in a predetermined direction without rotating the developing roller, or developer carrier. The developing roller has an unrotatable base roller, a stationary body provided on the base roller and made of an insulating material, and a plurality of drive electrodes buried in the stationary body. The drive electrodes are divided into three electrode groups. Voltages whose polarities change at predetermined intervals are applied to the three electrode groups, causing the toner to be transported by the coaction of the charge of the toner and the charges of the drive electrodes. The drive electrodes are arranged at a pitch which is substantially one-third of the particle size of the toner, so that the toner may be deposited on the developing roller substantially without any clearance. To enhance repulsion acting on the toner and, therefore, efficient development, higher voltages are applied to part of the drive electrodes located in a developing region than part of the drive electrodes located in a transporting region. Such voltages may be replaced with voltages on which alternating voltages are superposed.

Developing unit for an image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus having a developing device which includes a developing roller. A developer or a toner is transported on and along the developing roller without the roller being rotated. The developing roller has a shaft and ultrasonic transport members provided on the shaft. The ultrasonic transport members are made up of a plurality of electrodes, a piezoelectric member surrounding the electrodes and made of, for example, piezoelectric ceramic, and an elastic member surrounding the piezoelectric member and made of, for example, copper alloy or similar alloy. A plurality of standing waves are caused to flow through the electrodes with the result that the piezoelectric member waves. The toner is transported on the waving surface of the elastic member.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus having various process units at least one of which is removable for replacement. The apparatus has a mode selecting a device accessible for selecting desired one of a plurality of image modes. A photoconductive element, developing unit, image transferring unit and other replaceable process units each is provided with a storage for storing image forming conditions which match an image mode selected on the mode selecting device. A copy process and other conditions are set up on the basis of the conditions stored in the storage. Another storage is loaded with data associated with the service life of a replaceable process unit.

Image forming apparatus with replaceable process units

A developing apparatus has a developer cartridge having a first developer storage room for storing an unused new developer, a second developer storage room for storing a used old developer, and shutter members for opening and closing openings of the first and second developer storage rooms; and a device for detachably attaching the developer cartridge to a section for exchanging the old developer for the new developer on a body side of the developing apparatus. The developer cartridge may be attached and detached from the developer exchanging section after deterioration of the developer in use is displayed, and the used developer is collected within the second developer storage room and the new developer is supplied into the developer cartridge after the collection of the used developer. The developer cartridge may be attached to the body of the developing apparatus at any time, and the used developer may be collected within the second developer storage room by operating the developer cartridge by a control signal from the body side of the developing apparatus when life of the developer in use is completed.

Developing apparatus

A toner supply device incorporated in electrophotographic equipment which develops a latent image electrostatically formed on an image carrier by using toner. The device has a toner tank for supplying toner to a developing section which forms a part of the equipment, a toner sensor responsive to the amount of toner remaining in the toner tank, and a toner server adjoining the toner tank for feeding toner to the tank. The toner server has a plurality of toner cartridges thereinside and automatically replaces the toner cartridge a plurality of times.

Toner supply device for electrophotographic equipment

A toner cartridge is provided for use in replenishing toner to a toner storing section of an imaging machine, such as a copying machine, which uses toner to produce a visible image. The toner cartridge includes a container having an opening, a folded over seal member having one end fixed to the container and another end fixed to a roller, and means for winding up the seal member which includes a roller provided with a shaft. When the shaft is rotated, the seal member is peeled off the container to unseal its opening. The toner drops from the container into the toner storing section. The seal member can be easily peeled off from the container, and toner is kept from being spilled and from soiling the operator.

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Yokohama, Japan

Seiji Oka