Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Sumihiro Inokuchi

Norio Muraishi

Kengo Tanaka

Tomohide Kondoh

Masashi Hommi

Mitsufumi Yamamoto

Ryohta Ueba

Kenichi Yamada

Hiroshi Okamura

Kazuyuki Sato

Hiroshi Adachi

Yuichiro Ueda

Shingo Nishizaki

Tasuku Kohara

Kazushi Takei

Yuji Ieiri

Masayuki Yabuuchi

Naohiro Funada

Yuuji Matsuda

Yohei Kushida

Kouji Yamanobe

Kyohei Matsumura

Ryuuichi Satoh

Takuya Kemmochi

Yuki Sunagawa

Toyokazu Aoki

Ryotaro Konno

Yoichi Kitahara

Shugo Okamura

Takumi Kawamura

Xiaoya Sun

Masaki Karakawa

Atsushi Kuramoto

An image forming apparatus includes a body, a toner container that is removably set in the body and contains toner, a toner supplier to supply the toner from the toner container to the body, a memory that stores container information that is information of the toner container, and circuitry. The circuitry is to determine, after the toner container is set in the body, based on the container information acquired from the memory, whether the toner container set in the body is same as a toner container set in the body in a past and the container information satisfies a predetermined condition, and to drive the toner supplier in a case where the toner container set in the body is determined to be same as the toner container set in the body in the past and the container information satisfies the predetermined condition.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and non-transitory recording medium

A remaining-toner-amount detecting device includes: first sensor disposed at a supply channel for a toner; a second sensor disposed at a location different from the supply channel; detection processing that compares a capacitance detected by the first sensor with a determination threshold value to detect a toner end; and a memory that stores a capacitance detected by the second sensor in an initial period as initial reference data, and a capacitance detected by the second sensor after part replacement as post-replacement reference data. The detection processing circuitry sets, based on the initial reference data, the determination threshold value as an initial determination threshold value in the initial period, and re-sets the determination threshold value, from the initial determination threshold value, to a value based on the post-replacement reference data, as a post-replacement reference data after the part replacement.

Remaining-toner-amount detecting device and image forming apparatus

An information processing device includes control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to store, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in a device and perform an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory; transmit the record information stored in the first memory via a first signal line; transfer communication abnormality record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information, and store the communication abnormality record information in the second memory when a communication abnormality signal of the first signal line is supplied via a second signal line; and transmit the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory via the first signal line when communication of the first signal line is restored.

Information processing device to store log information during communication failure

A characteristic detector includes two electrodes facing each other to form a passage through which a medium passes, a cover disposed between the two electrodes, a current generator to supply a current between the two electrodes, a capacitance gauge to measure a capacitance generated between the two electrodes, and circuitry. The two electrodes have a shape or an arrangement in which at least two points on a leading end of the medium enter the passage with a time lag. The cover covers one of the two electrodes in connection with a size of the medium. The capacitance gauge detects the size of the medium based on the measured capacitance. The circuitry calculates a characteristic of the medium based on the capacitance measured by the capacitance gauge and the size of the medium detected by the capacitance gauge.

Characteristic detector, medium supply device, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A powder detector includes a driver to drive a motor, a stirrer to stir powder in a vessel, a vibration plate disposed in the vessel and vibrated by a flip of the stirrer rotated by the motor, and circuitry. The circuitry detects a vibration of the vibration plate, estimates an amount of powder based on a detection result of the vibration, and causes the driver to drive the motor from a starting point, so as to move the stirrer to a preset halt position. The starting point is a rotation angle of the motor on detection of the vibration.

Powder detector, control method of same, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

An electronic apparatus to which a removable device can be set is provided. The removable device includes a first memory to store first status information indicating a status of the removable device, first identification information identifying the removable device, and second identification information identifying the electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus includes a second memory to store second status information indicating a status of the removable device that is set to the electronic apparatus, third identification information identifying the removable device set to the electronic apparatus, and fourth identification information identifying the electronic apparatus, and a processor to determine, when connected to the first memory of the removable device set to the electronic apparatus, whether the first identification information matches the third identification information and the second identification information matches the fourth identification information and update the second status information with the first status information based on a result of the determination.

Electronic apparatus and method of managing status information of the same

An electronic apparatus includes a connection-state detection circuit. The circuit includes a first circuit board; a plurality of second circuit boards that each exchange a signal with the first circuit board; a plurality of connectors that connect the first circuit board and each of the second circuit boards, respectively; a transmitting unit that transmits a connection-state detection signal from the first circuit board to each of the second circuit boards via the connectors; a control unit that causes the second circuit boards to return response signals to the first circuit board in response to the received connection-state detection signal via the connectors at different times that are shifted from each other and are respectively allocated to the second circuit boards; and a detecting unit that detects whether the response signal returned from each of the second circuit boards is received to detect a connection state of each of the connectors.

Electronic apparatus, connector-connection-state detection method, and computer program product

An information processing apparatus includes an information storage to store information indicating a state of the information processing apparatus; an information writing processor to write the information to the information storage; a main power source and an auxiliary power source to supply power to the information writing processor; and a discharge controller to control a discharge speed of the auxiliary power source. When a voltage output of the main power source becomes a reference voltage, the discharge controller switches a power source for the information writing processor from the main power source to the auxiliary power source, and then after completing information writing to the information storage by using the information writing processor and the auxiliary power source, the discharge controller controls the discharge speed of the auxiliary power source to decrease a voltage output of the auxiliary power source to a given voltage within a given time period.

Information processing apparatus, power source control method thereof, program thereof, and storage thereof

In an image forming device, a plurality of objects are detachably disposed, each of the objects having a storage area to store object-related information of the object, and configured to return, in response to an acquisition request, a signal with a voltage in a predetermined range which is distinctly different among the objects, the signal carrying the object-related information of the object. The image forming device includes a transmitting unit that transmits acquisition requests of object-related information to the objects respectively, a receiving unit that receives signals from the objects respectively, a voltage detection unit that detects a range of voltage of each of the signals received, and an identifying unit that identifies each of the objects respectively based on the ranges of voltage detected.

Image forming device, identifying device, semiconductor integrated device, and identifying method

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Sumihiro Inokuchi