Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shigeru Yoshiki

Takeshi Saito

Hideo Ichikawa

Takaaki Yanagisawa

Sunao Ikeda

Nobuhiro Makita

Seiji Ozawa

Noboru Kusunose

Hideo Yoshizawa

Tsukuru Kai

Shinichi Kawahara

Yuji Arai

Hirokazu Ishii

Satoshi Takano

Hidetoshi Yano

Kenzo Tatsumi

Hiroshi Saitoh

Toshihiro Sugiyama

Seiji Oka

Shigeru Watanabe

Makoto Obu

Katsuhiro Echigo

Tomoji Ishikawa

Yasuhiro Kawashima

Nobuaki Tomidokoro

Fumio Kishi

Hideaki Matsui

Akio Kutsuwada

Yasuo Kawada

Tsuyoshi Deki

Yoshiko Ishii

Kenzou Tatsumi

Hidenori Sakai

A bearing seal structure of the present invention is applicable to a developing device included in an image forming apparatus. The structure includes two seal members included in a bearing portion and each having a respective elastic seal lip configured to seal the outer periphery of a shaft in contact therewith. Grease is sealed between the two seal members and between one of the seal members closer to the bearing portion than the other and the bearing portion.

Developing device for an image forming apparatus and bearing seal structure for the same

An image forming apparatus including a cleaning device for removing toner, paper dust and other impurities left on an image carrier after image transfer with a cleaning member is disclosed. The cleaning member contacts the surface of the image carrier with variable pressure and remains, about the time when the image carrier stops moving after image formation, in contact with the surface with pressure lower than pressure capable of scrapping off the impurities. Before movement for image formation, the image carrier is driven in a reverse direction opposite to a forward direction assigned to image formation, stopped, and again moved in the forward direction and then in the reverse direction at least one time.

Image forming apparatus

A toner container has a hollow body having a small diameter mouth portion, a ramp surface at one end and a spiral. A removable lid is positioned at the mouth portion so as to close the mouth portion and a lug is provided at the lid.

Toner container having lid including lug

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a toner scatter preventing device for a developing device configured to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier with toner. The toner scatter preventing device includes an exhausting section for exhausting air inside the developing device via an exhaust passage extending from the top of developing device. Air is sucked out of the developing device to thereby generate a stream of air that sucks air around an opening for development formed in the developing device. A suction port is formed in the developing device and communicated to the exhaust passage. The suction port is positioned outside of an image forming width assigned to the developing device.

Toner scatter preventing device and image forming apparatus including the same

A developer replenishing device for replenishing a developing device with a developer, and a developer container for use therewith. The developer container, or toner bottle, includes a shoulder portion adjoining a first end of a hollow body. The body is formed with a spiral guide for guiding a developer stored in the developer container. The shoulder portion forms a wall and includes an engaging portion engageable with driver that causes the body to rotate. The engaging portion includes a lug protruding from the shoulder portion which allows a characteristic of toner to be identified. The engaging portion has an outside surface of a guide portion that guides a developer stored in the developer container. Two engaging portions may be angularly spaced from each other by 180 degrees. The developer container also includes a discharge mouth, which adjoins the first end of the body, which is smaller in diameter than the shoulder portion, and which includes an annular collar protruding outwardly, and a positioning portion positioned on a holder for the developer container. The positioning portion includes a lug protruding from an outside surface of the body. The holder for the developer container includes a hitting member which hits against the outside surface when the body is caused to rotate. A plurality of lugs are formed on an outside circumferential surface of the collar of the discharge mouth.

Developer replenishing device and developer container for use therewith

A toner scatter preventing device of the present invention is applicable to an image forming apparatus of the type developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with toner stored in a developing device. The device includes an exhausting device for discharging air present in the developing device via an exhaust passage. A toner collecting device collects the toner entrained by air discharged by the exhausting device. A toner storing device is positioned upstream of the toner collecting device in the direction of air flow for storing the toner collected by the toner collecting device without causing it to drop into the toner present in the developing device. The developer is a toner and carrier mixture in which carrier grains have a weight mean grain size of 65 &mgr;m or below.

Toner scatter preventing device and image forming apparatus using the same

A developer replenishing device for replenishing a developing device with a developer, and a developer container for use therewith. The developer container, or toner bottle, has a mouth portion at one end thereof which is smaller in diameter than a hollow cylindrical main body. At the end of the bottle provided with the mouth portion, a shoulder has the inner periphery thereof partly raised to the edge of the mouth portion to form a raised portion for scooping up a toner. In addition, a part of the inner periphery of the circumferental wall of the bottle, which is contiguous with the raised portion, is also raised toward the axis of the bottle, about which the bottle is rotatable, thereby forming another raised portion. When the bottle is mounted on a bottle holder, which is included in the replienishing device, substantially horizontally with the mouth portion oriented sideways, the bottle is rotated to raise the toner from the bottom of the main body to the mouth portion. As a result, the toner is discharged to the outside via the mouth portion smoothly.

A developer replenishing device for replenishing a developing device with a developer, and a developer container for use therewith. The developer container, or toner bottle, has a mouth portion at one end thereof which is smaller in diameter than a hollow cylindrical main body. At the end of the bottle provided with the mouth, a shoulder has the inner periphery thereof partly raised to the edge of the mouth portion to form a raised portion for scooping up a toner. In addition, a part of the inner periphery of the circumferential wall of the bottle which is contiguous with the raised portion is also raised toward the axis of the bottle about which the bottle is rotatable, thereby forming another raised portion. When the bottle is mounted to a bottle holder, which is included in the replenishing device, substantially horizontally with the mouth portion oriented sideways, the bottle is rotated to raise the toner from the bottom of the main body to the mouth portion. As a result, the toner is discharged to the outside via the mouth portion smoothly.

An image forming apparatus is loaded with a toner housing container which houses toner and has an opening. A lower portion of the toner housing container is knocked with rotation of the toner housing container so that toner on an interior wall of the toner housing container is moved.

Image forming apparatus with toner housing container which promotes

A toner cartridge (1000) that is attached to a development unit of an image forming apparatus in order to supply toner to the development unit comprises a toner bottle (100) containing toner, a lid member (200) fitted on a toner outlet (114d) of the toner bottle (100), and an armoring member (300) in which the toner bottle (100) is housed and to which the lid member (200) is attached. The lid member (200) is provided with a toner supply mechanism for supplying the toner contained in the toner bottle (100) to the development unit when the toner cartridge (1000) is attached to the development unit of the image forming apparatus. In the toner cartridge (1000), both of or one of the lid member (200) and the armoring member (300) is shaped quadrangularly in external appearance. The armoring member (300) and the toner bottle (100) are individually constructed so that the toner cartridge (1000) has a double construction comprising the armoring member (300) and the toner bottle (100).

Toner container enclosed in a protective armoring member

A toner bottle (38) has projections (38c, 38c') on its bottom surface. The projections (38c, 38c') extend in the axial direction but are spaced away from the central-axis line of the toner bottle (38). The projections (38c, 38c') are engaged with convex portions (62b, 62b') formed in a joint (62) of a drive portion (60). When the drive portion (60) starts rotating, the torque is transferred to the toner bottle (38) via the projections (38c, 38c') and the convex portions (62b, 62b'). Since the torque is transferred from the bottom side of the toner bottle (38), the toner bottle (38) can be attached to or detached from a body of an image forming apparatus in a direction of the central-axis line. Toner discharged from the toner bottle (38) is introduced into a process cartridge through an opening portion (48) of a toner hopper portion (40) and a toner introducing cover (52). A shutter member (88) is disposed in the toner introducing cover (52). The shutter member (88) consists of a flexible elastic member (90) and a holding member (92) for holding the elastic member (90). The shutter member (88) intersects with the opening plane of a toner supplying port. Guiding portions for bending and guiding the elastic member (90) along the toner supplying port are also disposed in the toner introducing cover (52).

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Tokyo, Japan

Shigeru Yoshiki