Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Vlsi Technology Research Association

Takuma Nakamura

Yasuo Katano

Tsuneo Kurotori

Tomoyasu Hirasawa

Yuko Arizumi

Masafumi Yamada

Tetsurou Sasamoto

Yukimichi Someya

Shunichi Abe

Takeshi Saitoh

Yuichi Aoyama

Hiromichi Komai

Naohiro Toda

Tomoaki Sugawara

Hiroyuki Yamashita

Masaya Hamaguchi

Takanori Inadome

Yukie Inoue

Kazuya Nagao

Yuichi Yamamoto

Hidenori Tomono

Fuminari Kaneko

Hiroyuki Eda

Kazuyuki Iwamoto

Hidekazu Yaginuma

Kohji Takeuchi

Rin Ishikawa

Misaki Shimizu

Takayuki Fukushima

Shinji Tezuka

Kohji Matsuoka

Tsuyoshi Tajiri

Yasuhiko Saka

Kazumi Sugizaki

An image reading apparatus includes a stacking unit having an abutment portion, a feeding unit, a conveyance unit, a reading unit, a rotating shaft, and a drive unit. The abutment portion abuts a document end in a widthwise direction of a document stacked on the stacking unit. The conveyance unit conveys the stacked document fed by the feeding unit in a feeding direction perpendicularly intersecting the document widthwise direction. The reading unit reads an image of the document. The drive unit rotates the stacking unit, rotatably supported by the rotating shaft, around the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is disposed at a position where at least a part of the rotating shaft exists between one end and other end in the document widthwise direction of a document having a maximum width conveyable by the conveyance unit in a state where the maximum width document abuts on the abutment portion.

Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus having moving means for moving a coupling gear between a coupling position where a drum side coupling portion and a main body side coupling portion are coupled to each other and a decoupling position where the drum side coupling portion and the main body side coupling portion are decoupled from each other. The moving means moves the coupling gear to the coupling position when forming a color image, and moves the coupling gear to the decoupling position when forming a monochrome image. The coupling gear has a main body side gear portion which meshes with the main body gear. The coupling gear is integrally molded with the main body side coupling portion and the main body side gear portion.

Image heating apparatus having moveable coupling gear to couple and decouple a photosensitive drum

A line head type liquid discharge apparatus includes a treatment liquid applying device, a first discharging device, a heating device, and a second discharging device. The treatment liquid applying device applies a treatment liquid to a non-permeable base material. The first discharging device discharges a first ink containing an organic solvent onto the non-permeable base material to which the treatment liquid has been applied. The heating device heats, with an infrared ray, the non-permeable base material onto which the first ink has been discharged. The second discharging device discharges a second ink containing an organic solvent onto the non-permeable base material heated by the heating device. A content ratio of the organic solvent contained in the first ink is higher than a content ratio of the organic solvent contained in the second ink.

Liquid discharge apparatus and liquid discharge method

A dryer includes a conveyor to convey a film including a first surface onto which a liquid is applied, a noncontact heater to heat the first surface of the film conveyed by the conveyor without contacting the first surface, a contact heater to contact and heat a second surface of the film opposite the first surface, and circuitry to set a first heating temperature of the contact heater less than 85&#xb0; C. and set a second heating temperature of the noncontact heater to be 30&#xb0; C. to 90&#xb0; C. higher than the first heating temperature.

Dryer, liquid discharge apparatus, drying method, and inkjet recording apparatus

An inkjet image forming apparatus is provided. The inkjet image forming apparatus includes a recording unit, a selection heater, a heater, and a processor. The recording unit forms an ink image on a recording medium being conveyed. The selection heater is disposed downstream from the recording unit relative to a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, and selectively heats the ink image formed on the recording medium. The heater is disposed downstream from the selection heater relative to the direction of conveyance of the recording medium, and heats the recording medium on which the ink image has been selectively heated. The processor controls the recording unit, the selection heater, and the heater, and sets an output of the selection heater in view of an occurrence of cockling on the recording medium.

Inkjet image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a determiner for determining whether to execute a first image formation in an acquisition mode, in which an image forming operation is carried out using an acquired timing, or a second image formation in a non-acquisition mode, in which the image forming operation is carried out using exposure timing acquired in a previous acquisition mode. The determiner makes the determination on the basis of a current output of a temperature sensor and a previous output of the temperature sensor. When the determiner determines the execution of the first image formation, driving speeds of a first driver and a second driver are set, before the execution of the operation in the acquisition mode, on the basis of the current output of the temperature sensor, and the operation in the acquisition mode and the image formation are carried out using the driving speeds currently set.

Image forming apparatus

A dryer for drying an ink image formed on a recording medium is provided. The dryer includes a selective heating dryer, a uniform heating dryer, and a controller. The selective heating dryer is disposed on an upstream side of a feeding path of the recording medium, and performs a first-time drying of the ink image under an output condition in which an amount of cockling becomes equal to or less than a given amount. The uniform heating dryer is disposed on a downstream side from the selective heating dryer on the feeding path, and performs a second-time drying of the ink image after the selective heating dryer performs the first-time drying. The controller changes the output condition of the selective heating dryer in accordance with image information of the ink image, when the ink image is formed with a conductive-particle-containing ink.

Dryer and inkjet image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus, comprising: a rear side plate disposed at the rear side of the main body; and a driving unit mounted on the rear side plate, driving a first driven member and a second driven member of the image forming apparatus, the driving unit including a first frame attached to the rear plate, facing the rear side plate; a second frame attached to the first frame, facing the first plate; a first driving source mounted on the first frame, driving the first driven member; a second driving source mounted on the second frame, driving the second driven member; a first gear train, disposed between the first and second frames, transmitting driving force of the first driving source to the first driven member; and a second gear train, disposed between the first and second frames, transmitting driving force of the second driving source to the second driven member.

To provide a toner which contains a binder resin, a colorant, and capsules, wherein the binder resin contains a thermoplastic elastomer, and wherein the capsules each encapsulate a plasticizer capable of softening the thermoplastic elastomer and the capsules are fractured upon application of predetermined pressure.

Toner, developer, toner container, image forming apparatus, image forming method, and process cartridge

Disclosed is a fixing liquid containing a softening agent that softens resin-containing fine particles by dissolving or swelling at least a part of the resin; a C12-C18 fatty acid; and a C12-C18 fatty acid salt. The fixing liquid is mixed with water serving as a dilution solvent.

Fixing liquid, fixing method, fixing unit, image forming method, and image forming apparatus

A disclosed fixing device applying a bubble-like fixing liquid to resin-containing particles adhered to a medium so that the resin-containing particles are fixed to the medium, the bubble-like fixing liquid being formed by transforming a fixing liquid into foam that dissolves or swells at least a part of the resin, includes a control device that, based on a difference between a moisture content included in the medium after fixing and a target value of the moisture content, adjusts an application amount of the fixing liquid for a next medium.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and fixing method

A fixing device includes a foam fixer generator unit generating a foam fixer containing a softener softening toner by dissolving or swelling part of resin of the toner, an application roller carrying and transferring the foam fixer onto a recording sheet, a pressure roller applying pressure to a toner image on the recording sheet via the foam fixer on the application roller to fix the toner image on the recording sheet, a cleaning device removing residual components remaining on the application roller, a recording sheet detector unit detecting presence or absence of the recording sheet, a remover unit being in contact with and separated from the application roller to remove the foam fixer on the application roller, and a control unit controlling the contact-separation operation of the remover unit based on a detected result of a front end and/or a rear end of the recording sheet.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A disclosed fixing device for fixing resin particles softened by applying a foam fixer thereon to a recording medium includes a foam fixer generator unit to introduce air bubbles into a liquid fixer containing a softener for softening the resin particles by dissolving or swelling a part of the resin particles to generate the foam fixer, a fixer application member to be brought into contact with a facing member facing the fixer application member to form an application nip and transfer the generated foam fixer to the application nip by moving its surface while carrying the foam fixer to apply the foam fixer to a surface of the recording medium carrying the resin particles at the application nip, and a foam accumulation detector unit to detect a foam accumulation formed of the foam fixer accumulated at an entrance side of the application nip.

A disclosed fixing device includes a fixing material application unit applying a fixing material to a fixing material carrier, a transfer unit transferring the fixing material onto a recording medium, a cleaning blade cleaning the fixing material carrier after the fixing material is transferred onto the recording medium, and a lubricant agent application unit disposed on a downstream side of the cleaning blade on the fixing material carrier and applying a lubricant agent to the fixing material carrier. Further, before a fixing operation is started, the lubricant agent application unit applies the lubricant agent to the fixing material carrier, and the fixing material carrier moves in a direction opposite to a direction when the fixing operation is performed and to a position where the applied lubricant agent is adhered to the cleaning blade.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus with a lubricant agent having a same component as that of the fixing liquid

A disclosed cleaning device for removing adhering matter from a surface of a member subject to cleaning includes a belt-shaped film member arranged in a stretched configuration capable of being wound or endlessly move in a direction opposite to a surface movement direction of the member subject to cleaning while being in contact with the surface of the member subject to cleaning, and a cleaning blade configured to abut on the surface of the member subject to cleaning via the belt-shaped film member at a position where the belt-shaped film member is brought into contact with the member subject to cleaning.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Takuma Nakamura