Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Cannon Kabushiki Kaisha

Takashi Hibi

Takeo Shoji

Hiroaki Ogata

Hiroshi Sasame

Shinya Yamamoto

Kazushige Sakurai

Tomomi Kakeshita

Norihisa Hoshika

Yasunao Otomo

Hiromitsu Hirabayashi

Kazushi Watanabe

Makoto Tanaka

Tadayuki Tsuda

Shinichi Sasaki

Kazuo Kishino

Masahide Kinoshita

Hideki Matsumoto

Norihito Naito

Kensaku Kusaka

Kazuo Shishido

Eiichiro Teshima

Michio Shigenobu

Gaku Konishi

Takao Tanaka

An image forming apparatus or a cartridge detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus is provided, wherein the apparatus comprises developer container for containing developer, developer amount detecting means for detecting an amount of the developer contained in the developer container, a memory for memorizing information concerning the amount of the developer detected by the detecting means and output means for outputting the information concerning the amount of the developer, and the output means outputs the information concerning the developer memorized in the memory until the detection result of the detecting means is confirmed.

Image forming apparatus having developer amount detector

An image forming apparatus or a cartridge detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus is provided, wherein the apparatus comprises a developer container for containing developer, a developer amount detector for detecting an amount of the developer contained in the developer container, a memory for memorizing information concerning the amount of the developer detected by the detector and an output unit for outputting the information concerning the amount of the developer. The output unit outputs the information concerning the developer memorized in the memory until the detection result of the detector is confirmed.

MEMORY DEVICE STORING INFORMATION WARNING A USER ABOUT THE DEVELOPER-REMAINING AMOUNT, A PROCESS CARTRIDGE INCLUDING A MEMORY STORING SUCH INFORMATION, AND A CONTROL SYSTEM AND A MEMORY SYSTEM FOR WARNING A USER ABOUT THE DEVELOPER-REMAINING AMOUNT

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FOR DETECTING AN AMOUNT OF DEVELOPER CONTAINED IN A DEVELOPER CONTAINER, A MEMORY FOR STORING THE AMOUNT DETECTED BY THE DETECTING MEANS, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR UPDATING THE INFORMATION STORED IN THE MEMORY

The image forming apparatus of the present invention having a developer containing section and a developer remaining amount detecting member, and capable of forming an image at any of a plurality of printing speeds, has a configuration in which the averaging method of the developer remaining amount by the developer remaining amount detecting member is changed in response to the printing speed. The invention thus provides an image forming apparatus having a plurality of printing speeds, which permits successive detection of the remaining amount of developer at a high accuracy in response to the printing speed.

Image forming apparatus having a control section for detecting an amount of developer and an amount detection method of developer of image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a developer container for containing a developer, a developer amount detector for detecting the amount of the developer contained in the developer container, a correcting device for correcting the detected value detected by the developer amount detector, and a memory. At least the developer container and the memory are disposed in a unit and the unit is detachably mountable on a main assembly of the image forming apparatus. The memory stores information indicating that the unit is new. The correcting device corrects a next detected value to be detected by the developer amount detector according to the detected value detected by the developer amount detector when the developer amount detector detects information indicating that the unit is new.

Image forming apparatus and a unit detachably mountable on an image forming apparatus comprising means for detecting the amount of developer contained in a developer container

In a developer container, there are provided a flat antenna for measuring the predetermined range of the developer-remaining-amount, and a plate antenna for measuring the predetermined amount or less of the developer-remaining-amount. When the detected value by the flat antenna is a predetermined value or greater, the minimum detected voltage value of the plate antenna is measured, and this value is stored as PAF (plate antenna full) in the storing means of a cartridge. During the measurement of the predetermined value or less of the developer by the plate antenna, the detected voltage value is calculation-processed and corrected by PAF to thereby obtain the developer amount.

Cartridge, image forming apparatus and method of controlling the image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes a cartridge frame; an electrophotographic photosensitive member; a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer; a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member with the developer; a developer feeding member for feeding the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion toward the developing member; and a developer amount detecting member, disposed along a movement path of the developer from the developer accommodating portion toward the developing member, for generating an electric signal for permitting the main assembly to detect substantially real time a remaining amount of the developer in the process cartridge, wherein the developer amount detecting member is disposed at and along an arcuate portion which is provided outside the cartridge frame along a path of rotational motion of the developer feeding member.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus having a developer amount detecting member

A cleaning device for removing toner remaining on an image carrier carrying a toner image after toner on the image carrier has been transferred to another material, the cleaning device including: a conductive brush roller to which a bias voltage of a polarity that is the same as the proper polarity of toner for use in development is applied in order to remove that portion of the toner remaining on the image carrier after the image transfer process whose polarity has become opposite to the proper polarity of toner for use in development; a roller electrode which comes into contact with the bush roller and to which a bias that is of a polarity opposite to that of the brush roller is applied to electrostatically attract the toner adhering to the conductive brush; and scraping device for scraping off the toner adhering to this roller electrode, wherein that portion of the toner remaining on the image carrier after the image transfer process whose polarity has become opposite to the proper polarity of toner is removed by the brush roller and that portion of the toner which maintains the proper polarity is allowed to pass.

Cleaning device and image forming apparatus using the cleaning device

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive body for forming electrostatic latent images thereon; a charging device structured with an electrode member in contact with the photosensitive body for forming the latent images on the photosensitive body; a cleaning device having a cleaning blade to rub and remove toner from the surface of the photosensitive body by enabling the leading edge thereof to abut thereupon in a counter to the moving direction of the photosensitive body; a developing device for developing with toner the latent images formed on the photosensitive body; and a surface roughing device arranged within a cleaning area to which the cleaning blade to abuts, outside the developing area of the developing means to carry out development, and further, arranged on the downstream side of the charging device observed in the moving direction of the photosensitive body, but on the upstream side of the cleaning blade to abut upon the photosensitive body for making the surface thereof rough, hence making it possible to prevent the cleaning blade from being turned up along the movement of the photosensitive body when the blade removes unwanted toner from the surface of the photosensitive body.

Image forming apparatus having blade cleaning device applied thereto, and process cartridge

A life informing device for a charge body includes a body to be charged, and a charging member for charging the charge body. The charging member is adapted to receive an oscillating voltage and to be in contact with the charge body during the charging operation. Also provided is an informing device for visually or acoustically informing the user whether the charge body reaches the end of the life time thereof, based on an accumulated time of the application time during which the oscillating voltage is applied.

Service life informing device for charged member, informing method

A magnet roller including a columnar magnet with a through bore having a cross-section defining a thickness of the columnar magnet which is uneven along a circumference thereof, wherein a most thick portion of the columnar magnet has a strongest magnetic pole. The columnar magnet may be made from a resin material containing a magnetic powder. The bore cross-section may be non-circular, D-shaped, or rectangular. An insertion member may be inserted into the through bore to fixedly support the magnet roller.

Magnet roller and developing device

A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member having first and second drive transmitting portions; a developer carrying member for carrying a developer to supply the developer to the image bearing member, the developer carrying member having a third drive transmitting portion; wherein the third drive transmitting portion is selectively engageable with a first drive transmitting portion and a second drive transmitting portion.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus usable with same featuring

An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus, the cartridge including a movable image bearing member; a charging member having a contact member for contacting to the image bearing member in the cartridge to charge the image bearing member, the contact member is mounted in the image bearing member; a supporting member for supporting the contact member for movement between a first position where the contact member is contacted to the image bearing member and a second position where the contact member is away from the image bearing member; a member actable on the supporting member in accordance with mounting or dismounting of the cartridge relative to the image forming apparatus; wherein upon dismounting of the cartridge, the contact member is moved from the first position to the second position.

Copier with retractable charging unit to prevent damage to drum when

An elastic rotatable member includes a base member, an elastic layer on the base member, the elastic layer defining a plurality of opening extending in a longitudinal direction of the elastic rotatable member, wherein the openings are arranged such that any radial line in a cross-section of the elastic rotatable member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, crosses at least two of such openings.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka-ken, Japan

Takashi Hibi