Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Tomoaki Suga

Takahiro Konishi

Satoshi Nakayama

Hideyo Makino

Tatsuya Fukuda

Hiroaki Takagi

Tetsuya Kawanabe

Satoshi Mohri

Nobuyuki Tsukada

Makoto Hibi

Yoshiaki Morita

Naoto Watanabe

Kenichi Ono

Hibiki Tatsuno

Hiromitsu Fujiya

Kenichi Takehara

Tatsuya Ishii

Nobuyuki Arai

Junya Takigawa

Masaru Watanabe

Yasuaki Iijima

Yukifumi Kobayashi

Makoto Hino

Tetsuya Ofuchi

Noritaka Masuda

Masashi Kohchi

Yumiko Kishi

Yuusuke Kumagawa

Kohtaroh Oda

Ryotaro Mima

A support unit includes: a first support to support and position one end of a first shaft of a pressure unit, including a pressure rotator to apply pressure to an object, in each of: an assembly direction in which the pressure unit is assembled to the support unit; and an orthogonal direction orthogonal to each of the assembly direction and an axial direction of the first shaft; a second support having a groove supporting another end of the first shaft; and a third support supporting a second shaft of the pressure rotator. The first support, the second support, and the third support the pressure unit rotatable around the first shaft. The groove of the second support has an arc shape having a center on an axial center of the second shaft; and an opening at an entrance of the groove in the assembly direction.

Support unit, transfer device, and image forming apparatus

A transfer device includes a belt unit having a transfer belt looped around tension rollers including a transfer roller, a unit support housing including a first support portion to support one end of the belt unit rotatably in an axial direction, and a second support portion to support another end of the belt unit rotatably in the axial direction, the unit support housing supporting the belt unit through the first support portion and the second support portion around a moving direction of the transfer belt, a pair of biasing members, and a driver disposed to rotate to generate rotary driving force to be conveyed to a driven portion provided for one of the tension rollers, the rotary driving force of the driver acting in a direction different from a direction in which the posture of the belt unit is not restricted.

Transfer device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a belt unit and a detector unit including a detector that is disposed opposite a tension roller via a belt and a detector support that supports the detector. The detector support includes a first lateral end portion that is disposed at one lateral end of the detector support in an axial direction of the tension roller and is movably attached to an apparatus body. The detector support further includes a second lateral end portion that is disposed at another lateral end of the detector support in the axial direction of the tension roller and is attached to the apparatus body. The first lateral end portion includes an engaging groove that engages a shaft of the tension roller. The engaging groove has a mouth that is disposed at a downstream end of the engaging groove in a detaching direction of the belt unit.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor that bears an image and an intermediate transfer device that forms a primary transfer nip between the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer device. The intermediate transfer device primarily transfers the image from the photoconductor onto the intermediate transfer device at the primary transfer nip. A secondary transfer device forms a secondary transfer nip between the intermediate transfer device and the secondary transfer device. The secondary transfer device secondarily transfers the image from the intermediate transfer device onto a recording medium at the secondary transfer nip. At least one support shaft supports the intermediate transfer device. The at least one support shaft supports, on an identical axis, one lateral end and another lateral end of the secondary transfer device in a width direction of the recording medium.

A unit accommodation apparatus includes a first unit and a second unit that are to be installed into and removed from an apparatus body through an opening in an installation-removal direction and are held by a unit holder. The unit holder includes a first positioner that is disposed opposite one lateral end of the first unit and the second unit and is detachably attached to the first unit and the second unit. A second positioner is disposed opposite another lateral end of the first unit and the second unit and holds the first unit and the second unit in a state in which the first unit and the second unit are detachably attached to the second positioner. The first positioner and the second positioner secure a relative position of the first unit relative to the second unit in a direction parallel to a hypothetical orthogonal plane perpendicular to the installation-removal direction.

Unit accommodation apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image reading device includes a first scanner, a second scanner, and circuitry. The first scanner is configured to read a first side of a recording medium. The second scanner is configured to read a second side of the recording medium. The circuitry is configured to generate a first correction value to correct misalignment between the first side and the second side. The circuitry is configured to input a second correction value. The circuitry is configured to correct an image based on the first correction value and the second correction value.

Image reading device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A deviation detection device to detect a deviation of a rotator includes a contact member disposed in contact with the rotator and configured to move, following a deviation of the rotator in a width direction of the rotator. The deviation detection device further includes a deviation detector configured to detect a direction of the deviation and a deviation amount of the rotator based on a displacement of the contact member, and a wear detector configured to detect a state in which an amount of wear of the contact member has reached a threshold.

Deviation detection device, belt device, and image forming apparatus including same

A belt deviation detection device detects lateral displacement of a rotary belt in a width direction of the belt. The belt deviation detection device includes a contact member in contact with the belt at a contact portion of the contact member, a biasing member configured to bias the contact member toward the belt to press the contact member against the belt, and a displacement detector configured to detect the displacement of the belt in the width direction of the belt. The contact member is configured to track the displacement of the belt in the width direction of the belt. The contact member is made of a metal material, and a hardening treatment is applied to at least the contact portion of the contact member.

Belt deviation detection device, belt device, image forming apparatus, and method of manufacturing contact member

An image forming device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes an image reader, a sheet conveyance passage, a transparent body, an opposing body, and multiple curved opposing portions. The image reader is configured to read an image formed on a target object. The sheet conveyance passage is a passage through which the target object is conveyed. The transparent body is disposed between the sheet conveyance passage and the image reader. The opposing body is disposed facing the transparent body on a side opposite the image reader. The multiple curved opposing portions have respective outwardly curving reference planes. The multiple curved opposing portions are sequentially switched and located at a predetermined image reading position at which the multiple curved opposing portions face the transparent body with a gap through which the target object passes the predetermined image reading position.

Image reading device and image forming apparatus incorporating the image reading device

A position measurement reference sheet for image position measurement on a recording medium includes a body having a front face to face an image reading face of a reading device, a recording medium detection window in the body to measure a position of an end of the recording medium, and an image detection window in the body to measure a position of an image on the recording medium. The position measurement reference sheet is interposed between the image reading face and the recording medium.

Position measurement reference sheet, image forming apparatus, and image position measurement method

An image measurement sheet for measuring an image formed on a recording medium includes a sheet having a plurality of medium scan windows used for detecting the recording medium, a plurality of image scan windows used for detecting the image formed on the recording medium, and an information scan window used for detecting imaging condition information recorded on the recording medium with the image, the plurality of medium scan windows to be corresponded to a portion of sides and a corner of the recording medium, the plurality of image scan windows to be corresponded to a portion of the image formed on the recording medium, and the information scan window to be corresponded to the imaging condition information recorded on the recording medium.

Image measurement sheet, image forming apparatus, and method

A duct that is attachable to a main body includes a flow passage to flow air, the flow passage including a flexible structure, and a ventilation opening at a first end of the flow passage. The ventilation opening and at least a part of flow passage are passable through a recess of a detachable device which detachable from the main body. A main body including the duct, the detachable device, and an airflow generation device is also provided.

Duct that is detachable to a main body, and a main body including a duct and a detachable device

A scanning line adjuster, which is incorporated in an optical scanner and an image forming apparatus, includes an optical element, an attitude changer, and an optical element positioner. The optical element is disposed on an optical path extending from a light source to a scanned target object. The optical element has a positioning portion. The attitude changer changes an attitude of the optical element. The optical element positioner contacts the positioning portion to position the optical element. The optical element positioner contacts the positioning portion of the optical element in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the positioning portion of the optical element when the attitude changer changes the attitude of the optical element. The optical element positioner includes a contact end to contact the positioning portion. The contact end is made of a different material from the other part of the optical element positioner.

Scanning line adjuster, optical scanner incorporating the scanning line adjuster, and image forming apparatus incorporating the optical scanner

An information processing apparatus acquires a structured document containing a plurality of elements, specifies, in accordance with an instruction from a user, a partial element group from the plurality of elements contained in the acquired structured document, and selects, in accordance with the content of each of the plurality of elements included in the specified element group, an output-target element from the plurality of elements included in the element group.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

In an apparatus connected to a plurality of input devices, in the case of a browsing mode of images stored in a device from which images are input, a user is allowed to select, in parallel, from the images stored in the input device and images showing interfaces capable of connecting to the other devices. Further, if an image indicating an interface is selected, the interface changes to an input mode of image data. Thus, the user is allowed to input image data from the other input devices without returning to the setting screen of an input device in such a mode.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tomoaki Suga