Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Takeyoshi Sekine

Kenji Ueda

Tsukuru Kai

Osamu Ariizumi

Nobutaka Takeuchi

Jun Okamoto

Hiroshi Nishida

Takashi Bisaiji

Takenori Oku

Satoshi Hatanaka

Junichi Sano

Fumihiro Nagano

Yasushi Nakazato

Toshio Koike

Masayuki Yamane

Hiroto Higuchi

Nobuo Takami

Kazunori Bannai

Kunihiro Ohyama

Fumihiro Sasaki

Hiroyuki Fushimi

Noboru Sawayama

Kei Yasutomi

Atsushi Sampe

Hisashi Shoji

Hiroshi Ikeguchi

Maiko Kondo

Takayuki Maruta

Yasunori Kawaishi

Tokuya Ohjimi

Nobuhiro Nakayama

Kouji Hayashi

Makoto Ohsaki

Kazunari Yamada

Tetsuro Miura

Kouta Fujimdri

Satoshi Hatori

Mitsuru Takahashi

Takashi Tsutsumi

Nobuyuki Koinuma

Ryusuke Mase

Hiroshi Yamasita

Kazuhiro Ando

Yoshiyuki Tanimoto

Yusuke Shibata

Satoshi Mizuno

Masami Higuchi

Shozo Miyawaki

Toshihiko Yamanaka

Mikio Miura

Kouichi Kanaya

Masashi Kuno

Kazuho Satoh

Shunsuke Hayashi

Yuuji Nagamatsu

Tetsutaro Oishi

Kentaro Seo

Yuuta Sano

Norimitu Kikuchi

Norimitsu Kikuchi

A system includes a device and one or more information processing apparatuses. The device includes a device-information generator configured to generate device information on the device; and an analyzer determining unit configured to determine any one of the device and the one or more information processing apparatuses as an analyzer for the device information. The one determined as the analyzer includes an analysis unit configured to perform an analysis based on the device information; and a service determining unit configured to determine a service to the device based on a result of the analysis.

System, service determining method, and computer program product

An information processing system includes one or more information processing apparatuses for determining lifetimes of components, to be replaced by preventive maintenance, of respective electric devices. The information processing system includes a leading variable specifying unit configured to specify, based on variables that represent use states of the electric devices and failure data of the electric devices which have been obtained from the electric devices, a plurality of leading variables relevant to the lifetimes of the components; a lifetime matrix creating unit configured to classify a plurality of values of each of the leading variables into sections to create a lifetime matrix in which the lifetimes of the components are set with respect to combinations of the sections each of which relates to a different leading variable; and a lifetime outputting unit configured to determine the lifetimes of the components with respect to the respective electric devices.

System, method, and non-transitory recording medium for determining lifetimes of components of multifunction peripherals

An information processing system includes a storage unit that stores and associates a cause of a failure that has occurred in an electronic device, state information of the electronic device at the time the failure has occurred in the electronic device due to the cause of the failure, and a measure to be implemented in response to the cause of the failure. The information processing system further includes at least one processor that performs an acquisition process for acquiring the state information of the electronic device, and a failure diagnosis process for determining the cause of the failure that has occurred in the electronic device and the measure to be implemented in response to the cause of the failure based on the acquired state information of the electronic device.

Information processing system and failure diagnosis method

A two-component developing apparatus includes a developer carrier, a first regulating member, a developer container, and a toner container. The developer carrier is configured to carry and transfer the two-component developer including a magnetic carrier. The first regulating member is configured to regulate an amount of the two-component developer carried and transferred by the developer carrier. The developer container is configured to receive the developer removed by the first, regulating member. The toner container is configured to supply toner to the developer carrier. The developer stirring member is configured to carry and stir the developer between the first regulating member and the second regulating member. The second regulating member includes a support member on one end side of the second regulating member in its longitudinal direction to which greater amount of the developer is supplied than to another end side of the second regulating member.

Two component development apparatus and process cartridge

A developing device including a developer containing magnetic toner grains and includes a main pole for development disposed in a sleeve. Flux density generated by the magnetic pole in a direction normal to the surface of the sleeve outside of the surface has an attenuation ratio of 50% or above. The toner grains have a weight mean grain size of 6.0 &#x3bc;m to 8.0 &#x3bc;m while the toner grains having grain sizes of 5 &#x3bc;m and below occupy 40% to 80% of the entire developer. The toner grains have magnetization strength of 10 emu/g to 25 emu/g in a magnetic field of 5 kOe or magnetization strength of 7 emu/g to 20 emu/g in a magnetic field of 1 kOe. The toner grains reduce toner scattering and image defects despite that they are magnetic, thereby implementing ultrahigh resolution.

Developing device using a two-ingredient type developer and image forming apparatus including the same

A developing device developing a latent image on a latent image carrier with a developer, and including a casing having an opening facing the latent image carrier and a developer carrier. Also included is a magnetic field generating device including a first magnetic pole generating a magnetic field causing the developer to rise on the developer carrier in a form of a magnet brush in a developing region, and a second magnetic pole generating a magnetic field at a downstream side of the first magnetic pole in a rotating direction of the developer carrier. Further, a toner-scattering restraining device is provided on an end portion of the casing at the downstream side of the developing region, and a magnetic member provided on a side of the toner-scattering restraining device facing the latent image carrier. A peak of a magnetic flux density set by the second magnetic pole in its normal direction is located outside of the opening.

Developing device including magnetic member provided on toner-scattering restraining device and image forming apparatus including the developing device

A developing device capable of obviating carrier deposition on an image carrier and uniformly distributing toner on a developer carrier is disclosed. A developer deposited on the developer carrier and moved away from a metering member rises in the form of a magnet brush, falls down, and again rises in accordance with the movement of the developer carrier. The toner of the developer is efficiently agitated in the axial direction of the developer carrier in a narrow zone between the first metering member and a developing zone.

Developing device having a developer carrier including main and auxiliary magnetic poles and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a lubricator for applying a lubricant to an image carrier or a process unit around the image carrier to thereby reduce friction. The apparatus of the present invention insures a uniform halftone image, prevents the trailing edge of an image from being lost, and faithfully reproduces even a horizontal line.

Image forming apparatus having a developing device with a magnet brush

A developing device of the present invention includes an image carrier for forming a latent image thereon, and a developer carrier for depositing a developer thereon in the form of a magnet brush. The magnet brush is caused to contact the latent image to thereby develop it. The developer carrier includes a main magnetic pole for development and an auxiliary magnetic pole adjoining the main pole and helping the main pole exert a magnetic force. The developer carrier and said image carrier are spaced by a gap of 0.35 mm or above, but 0.5 mm or below. The developer carrier has a carrier packing ratio of 15% or above, but 45% or below, measured at the developing region.

Developing device using a magnet brush and image forming apparatus including the same

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing device including a rotatable, nonmagnetic developer carrier and a magnetic field forming device. In a developing region where the developer carrier faces an image carrier, the magnetic field forming device causes a developer made up of toner and magnetic grains to rise on the developer carrier in the form of a magnet brush. In the developing region, the magnet brush on the developer carrier is caused to move at a higher speed than the surface of the image carrier in the same direction as and in contact with the surface of the image carrier, thereby developing the latent image. The toner of the developer is magnetic toner. Flux density set up in the developing region outside of the surface of the developer carrier in a normal direction has an attenuation ratio of 50% or above.

Image forming apparatus and image forming process unit with developer carried on a developer carrier

An image forming apparatus including a developing device and an image carrier facing the developing device. The developing device includes a main magnetic pole for causing a developer to magnetically deposit on an outer periphery of a developer carrier in a form of a magnet brush. The image carrier has a coefficient of friction of 0.5 or below, and a flux density in a normal direction has an attenuation ratio of 40% or above.

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing roller accommodating a magnet roller therein. The magnet roller includes a main pole forming a magnetic flux whose attenuation ratio is 40% or above in the direction normal to the developing roller. The axis A of the developer carrier, the axis B of the image carrier and the peak C of the magnetic force of the main pole in the above direction are positioned such that an angle between a line AB and a line AC is substantially zero degree.

Image forming apparatus having a developer carrier capable of preventing toner adhesion

The current methods and systems for cleaning residual ultra-fine spherical toner from an image forming surface discloses the application of aspherical toner to a cleaning blade. The aspherical toner is generally larger than the ultra-fine spherical toner which provides a superior image on an image-carrying medium. According to one preferred embodiment of the current invention, the aspherical black toner is placed in a predetermined area outside of a desired image area where the ultra-fine spherical toner in multiple colors is placed. The aspherical toner is transported to the cleaning blade before the multi-color toner reaches the cleaning blade. Since the aspherical toner applied at a contacting edge of the cleaning blade provide an effective seal or trap between the cleaning blade and the image forming surface, the ultra-fine spherical toner is effectively removed from the image forming surface.

Methods and systems for cleaning residual toner from image developing

A picture design forming operation detects an adhering amount of toner by an optical sensor in an image forming apparatus. Image forming conditions are controlled on the basis of the detection result and a toner image is formed on a member. The toner image is then transferred to a transferring substance. The transferring substance is then attached to a picture design forming object and is sintered in this state. Further, a light absorbing material which has absorbency to light of a wavelength used in the optical sensor is contained in the toner, and resolves at least at a temperature of the sintering process.

Picture design forming system and method toner for forming an image,

Methods and systems for cleaning residual toner from image-developing

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Tokyo, Japan

Takeyoshi Sekine