Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tetsuo Yamaoka

Kiyoshi Sakai

Shinji Tamaki

Tatsuo Tani

Keisuke Hayashi

Yasushi Akiba

Hisashi Ishijima

Seiji Oka

Akio Kutsuwada

Shohzoh Miyawaki

Mitsuaki Urakawa

Hiroyasu Itou

Teruzo Hasumi

A recycling system has a recycle information memory database for storing as recycle information, the information on all reutilizable products such as products produced or used under the management of the system, products treated as wastes, and products currently being used in the market. A virtual recycle product designing section is provided for estimating times when the reutilizable products are recovered as products usable for recycling as well as their volumes, based on the recycle information stored in the recycle information memory database. A production scheduling section is provided for setting a production schedule of a recycle product using the reutilizable products based on the estimated times and volumes.

Recycling system and recycling method

An image forming apparatus including a plurality of filters for obtaining reusable toner from used toner scraped off of an image carrier. Also included is a reusable toner container for storing the reusable toner, and a toner transfer device for transferring the reusable toner stored in the reusable toner container to a developing device so that the reusable toner is reused by the developing device. The plurality of filters have a different mesh-size and are positioned in a used toner stream in an order based on the different mesh-size.

Toner collecting and reusing device for use in an image forming

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Tetsuo Yamaoka