Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Fuji Kouki Co., Ltd.

Tatsuo Fukushima

Haruo Hashimoto

Masafumi Takahira

Nobuhiko Kita

Kaoru Tada

Mizuna Tanaka

Sei Onuma

Masanari Fujita

Genta Hagiwara

Kunihiko Nishioka

Yuusuke Furuichi

Tomohiro Kubota

Yoshiyuki Shimizu

Kozo Yamazaki

Tomofumi Yoshida

Hirobumi Ooyoshi

Tomoyoshi Yamazaki

Shoh Tsuritani

Manabu Hamada

Yuuji Meguro

Shinichi Arasawa

Katsumi Kumada

Takeru Muramatsu

Kimihiro Tanaka

Toru Hanashima

Yuuki Shiga

Coffee roaster

Coffee maker

A powder container, storing powder used for an image forming apparatus, includes a container body, an opening, and a shutter. The opening discharges or introduces the powder, and the shutter opens and closes the opening. The shutter includes a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion. The first engaging portion engages a shutter switch, provided to an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, in a first trajectory. The second engaging portion engages the shutter switch in a second trajectory different from the first trajectory. The shutter approaches and contacts the shutter switch in the first trajectory or the second trajectory to open and close the opening.

Powder container and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A power supply device to electroconductively connect a power-fed terminal included in a power-fed unit and a power supply terminal of a power supply board. The power supply device includes a unit contact portion to contact the power-fed terminal; a board contact portion to contact the power supply board; a connector to connect the unit contact portion and the board contact portion; and a support member to support the unit contact portion, the board contact portion, and the connector. The unit contact portion is held on an inner face of the support member opposed to the power-fed unit; the board contact portion is held on an outer face of the support member opposed to the power supply board; and the connector connects the unit contact portion and the board contact portion through the support member.

Power supply device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a developer container, an outlet, a first shutter, a cover member, a movable member, and a transmission member. The developer container is removably mountable relative to the apparatus body through an opening. The first shutter opens and closes the outlet. The cover member opens and closes the opening. The movable member is reciprocally movable in forward and reverse directions. The transmission member transmits action of the cover member to the movable member and is disposed between the cover member and the movable member. When the movable member is moved in the forward direction, the first shutter is closed. When the movable member is moved in the reverse direction, the first shutter is opened. In a terminal period of an opening operation of the cover member, a movement direction of the movable member is reversed from the forward direction to the reverse direction.

Image forming apparatus and developer container

An image forming apparatus includes: a developer container to contain a developer therein and a developer supply port; an image forming unit to form an image with the developer from the developer container and including a developer intake port; an openable/closable upper cover configured to cover an upper part of the developer container in a closed state and take out the developer container in an open state; an openable/closable retention cover to hold the developer container and configured to allow the image forming unit to be removed when the retention cover is opened; a coupling device to secure a coupled state of the developer supply port of the developer container with the developer intake port of the image forming unit when the upper cover is in a closed state; and a disconnection preventer to prevent the developer container from disconnecting from the retention cover when the upper cover is opened.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, first and second rotary shafts, a drive source to rotate at a predetermined low velocity and a predetermined high velocity, a first rotary transmitter connected between the drive force and the first rotary shaft, a second rotary transmitter connected between the drive force and the second rotary shaft, and a drive block member connected between the drive source and the second rotary shaft to block transmission of the drive force to the second rotary shaft when the drive source rotates at the predetermined high velocity. When the drive source rotates at the predetermined low velocity, the drive source drives the second rotary shaft using a difference in torque between an upper limit in high velocity rotation and an upper limit in low velocity rotation greater than the upper limit in high velocity rotation.

Drive unit, image forming apparatus including same, and driving method therefor

An image forming apparatus includes an exposure device as a light source, a developer container storing developer and attached to a main body of the image forming apparatus perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the photoconductor, a developing unit and a photoconductor unit having a photoconductor for bearing a latent image thereon each detachably attached to the main body substantially in the same direction as the developer container. An exposure device displacing mechanism displaces the exposure device between a first position enabling the exposure device to function as the light source and a second position disabling the exposure device to function as the light source. The photoconductor unit is detached when the developer container is either displaced from an initially attached position or is removed from the main body and the exposure device displacing device has displaced the exposure device to the second position.

Image forming apparatus capable of effectively utilizing interior space

A sheet feeder stackable in multiple levels and attachable to an image forming apparatus. The sheet feeder includes a drive source, a drive transmission unit, a first drive coupling unit, a second drive coupling unit, a sheet feed roller, and a grip roller. During operation of multiple sheet feeders stacked in the multiple levels, the drive transmission unit and the first drive coupling unit, both provided to a given sheet feeder of the multiple sheet feeders, are coupled to each other, and the first drive coupling unit of the given sheet feeder is coupled to the grip roller of an adjacent sheet feeder disposed immediately below the given sheet feeder to drive the grip roller of each of the multiple sheet feeders substantially in synchrony.

Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus including same

A drive transmission system includes a shaft member storing grease in a shaft outer circumferential small diameter section. A drive transmission gear is provided including a gear inner circumferential sliding section and a gear inner circumferential large diameter section. A gear moving device is provided to move the drive transmission gear reciprocally along the shaft member in a shaft direction. A restriction device is provided to restrict a movement range of the drive transmission gear along the shaft member in the shaft direction to enable the gear inner circumferential large diameter section to face the shaft outer circumferential small diameter section substantially continuously.

Drive transmission system, driving device, and image forming apparatus incorporating drive transmission system

A sheet feeder incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes a sheet container to accommodate a sheet, a sheet feeding unit, a sheet conveyance member, a sheet conveying unit disposed downstream from the sheet feeding member in a sheet conveyance direction, and a controller to stop the sheet feeding unit before the sheet abuts against the sheet conveying unit and to resume the driving, and to drive the sheet conveying unit to start while rotating the sheet feeding unit. The controller adjusts a temporary stop period for the driving of the sheet feeding unit before the sheet abuts against the sheet conveying unit, according to a period in which the sheet passes first and second points determined optionally between a standby position determined prior to feeding of the sheet and a temporary stop position located before the sheet abuts against the sheet conveying unit.

Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus incorporating same

An image forming apparatus has a high-speed mode and a low-speed mode and includes a speed switch unit configured to select the high-speed mode or the low-speed mode by switching a rotation direction of a drive source. The speed switch unit includes a drive gear attached to a rotating shaft of the drive source; a first drive gear series transmitting a rotating power of the drive source upon rotation in a first direction to an image carrier; and a second drive gear series transmitting a rotating power of the drive source upon rotation in a second direction to the image carrier, the second drive gear series having a larger reduction ratio than the first drive gear series. The speed switch unit causes the drive gear to be selectively connected to the first drive gear series or the second drive gear series depending on the rotating direction of the drive source.

Swing-gear mechanism and image forming apparatus having multiple speed modes

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer belt that conveys a transfer material, and a photosensitive body that catches the transfer material between the photosensitive body and the transfer belt and that transfers a toner image to the transfer material. The transfer belt is driven in conjunction with the opening action of the front cover, and the photosensitive body is separated from the transfer belt in conjunction with the opening action of the front cover.

Image forming apparatus performing image formation by conveying paper

In an interlock device for turning a switch on and off in accordance with closing and opening of a plurality of covers covering a body of an electronic apparatus, one striker protrudes from each of the covers. An engagement member is provided inside the body of the electronic apparatus to move in a predetermined direction to contact and separate from the switch to turn the switch on and off. All the strikers contact the engagement member to turn on the switch when all the covers are closed. At least one of the strikers separates from the engagement member to turn off the switch when the corresponding cover is opened.

Interlock device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A reciprocating-motion converting mechanism includes a cam that rotates around a rotation center; a reciprocating member that is reciprocated due to rotation of the cam; and a pressing unit that presses the reciprocating member to the cam. A first load torque is generated by a load applied at a point of contact of the cam and the reciprocating motion member. A load applying unit applies a load to the cam to generate a second load torque having a phase substantially opposite to a phase of the first load torque.

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Osaka, Japan

Tatsuo Fukushima