Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shinnosuke Koshizuka

Takashi Fujita

Tatsuya Kubo

Kentaro Nodera

Teppei Kikuchi

Susumu Tateyama

Akihiro Takayama

Hideki Kosugi

Emi Kita

Akira Fujimori

Atsushi Nakamoto

Koichi Yamazaki

Kazunori Suzuki

Nobuo Takami

Naohiro Kawashima

Hiroyuki Uenishi

Yuji Suzuki

Kenji Kikuchi

Tetsuro Hirota

Takeshi Akai

Manabu Yamanaka

Hiroshi Fujie

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Kazuhiko Watanabe

Nozomu Tamoto

Hitoshi Iwatsuki

Akira Saito

Daisuke Takagi

Yasuyuki Yamashita

Yasutada Shitara

Takahiko Matsumoto

Satoshi Okano

Hidekazu Yaginuma

Youhei Niitsuma

Koichi Muramatsu

Kiichi Kamoda

Satoshi Nakazawa

Yuzuru Kuramochi

Ryuya Mashiko

Yu Yamaya

Kazufumi Kimura

Tomoyuki Aratani

Kohichi Yamazaki

Yuuya Endoh

Yuuki Kamon

Kentarou Nodera

Tomoaki Nakayama

Rie Ijichi

A powder container includes a powder chamber for containing powder for forming images, a powder outlet formed in a face of the powder container, and a shutter assembly to open and close the powder outlet and including first and second shutters. The first shutter is movable between a sealing position to close the powder outlet and an open position to open the powder outlet and includes a pressed member to cancel retention of the first shutter at the sealing position. The second shutter includes a pressing projection that interferes with the pressed member of the first shutter and is movable between a shielding position to cover the pressed member without interference between the pressing projection and the pressed member and a releasing position to press the pressed member with the pressing projection.

Powder container, powder supply device, and image forming apparatus including same

Provided is a liquid discharging head including: a membranous member including a discharging port through which a liquid is discharged; and a displacement member disposed at membranous member's one side at which the liquid to be discharged through the discharging port is provided and configured to displace a position of the membranous member to cause the liquid to be discharged through the discharging port.

Liquid discharging head and liquid discharging apparatus

Liquid discharge head comprising: liquid discharge unit, which includes discharge port, liquid retaining section configured to retain liquid to be discharged from the discharge port, and displacement section configured to discharge the liquid retained within the liquid retaining section from the discharge port; a pair of liquid storage sections, which are configured to store the liquid and are each connected to the liquid retaining section in the liquid discharge unit so that the liquid can flow; a pair of liquid feeding sections that are connected to the pair of liquid storage sections and are configured to feed the liquid between the liquid storage section and the liquid retaining section; and a pair of open and close sections that are each disposed at flow path between the liquid feeding section and the liquid storage section and are configured to open and close the flow path.

Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, dispensing device, and liquid discharge method

A fabrication method includes laminating a fabrication material to form an object, and applying a release material on a surface of the object to form a release layer on the surface of the object. A surface free energy of the release material is equal to or smaller than 25 mN/m.

Three-dimensional object fabrication method, fabrication apparatus, and fabrication system

A powder supply device that includes a powder reservoir including a rotator having a rotation shaft, to store powder supplied from a powder container; and a powder amount detector. The powder amount detector includes a detected member disposed in the powder reservoir, a contact member attached to the rotation shaft, to contact the detected member to vibrate or move the detected member, a detector to detect vibration or a displacement of the detected member, and a detection result processor to detect the amount of the powder in the powder reservoir based on detection by the detector. The powder supply device further includes a controller to supply the powder from the powder container to the powder reservoir based on detection by the powder amount detector. The controller rotates the rotator in discharging the powder from the powder reservoir and supplying the powder from the powder container to the powder reservoir.

Powder supply device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A developing device includes a developer bearer, a developer regulator disposed opposite the developer bearer across a first gap, and an opposing member having an opposing face disposed opposing the developer bearer across a second gap wider than the first gap. The opposing face is disposed adjacent to and upstream from the developer regulator in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer. The opposing face is inclined relative to an orthogonal plane direction orthogonal to a side face of the developer regulator. The opposing face is inclined to progressively reduce a distance from the developer bearer to the opposing face in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer. A difference between the second gap and the first gap is not greater than 1.75 times as large as the first gap.

Developing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same that reduce low-flow regions of toner within the developing device

A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry, by rotation, developer to a developing range, a casing including a developer container to contain the developer and housing the developer bearer, a gap retainer adjacent to the developer container and downstream from the developing range in a rotation direction of the developer bearer, an opposing wall opposing an end face of the gap retainer in an axial direction of the developer bearer, a first seal disposed between the end face of the gap retainer and the opposing wall, and a contact portion disposed adjacent to an end portion of the gap retainer in the axial direction of the developer bearer. The gap retainer secures a predetermined gap between the developer bearer and the gap retainer. The contact portion contacts, via a second seal, the gap retainer in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the developer bearer.

Developing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A powder amount detector includes a vibration plate secured to a powder container to contain powder and positioned at a predetermined position in a stationary state, a shaft to rotate inside the powder container, a contact member attached to the shaft, a vibration detector to detect vibration of the vibration plate, and a detection result processor to determine an amount of the powder in the powder container according to a detection result generated by the vibration detector. The contact member is to flip the vibration plate to cause the vibration plate to repeat elastic deformation and reversion to vibrate. The contact member is to exit an area opposed to the vibration plate after the contact member flips the vibration plate by the time the vibration plate returns to the predetermined position.

Powder amount detector, powder supply device, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A developer container includes a container body, a rotary shaft, a rotary stirrer, and a flexible blade. The container body contains developer and has a discharge port. The rotary stirrer includes a rotary support and rotates about the rotary shaft to stir and transport the developer. The rotary support includes a base end rotatable integrally with the rotary shaft, a free end spaced away from an inner wall of the container body, and a holding surface provided at the free end or at a position shifted toward the rotary shaft away from the free end. The holding surface is parallel to or inclined relative to a rotation direction of the rotary support. The flexible blade includes a base end portion held on the holding surface and a distal end to contact the inner wall and transport the developer to the discharge port.

Developer container, developer replenisher, and image forming apparatus

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Kanagawa, Japan

Shinnosuke Koshizuka