Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tomomi Katoh

Toshiroh Tokuno

Tadashi Hayakawa

Akiko Bannai

Masahiro Kuwata

Shotaro Takeuchi

Masanori Kusunoki

Ikoh Soh

Fumitaka Kikkawa

Yoichi Ito

Hiroshi Noda

Yuta Moriwaki

Jun Ichinowatari

Kiyoshi Yamaguchi

Soyoung Park

Mitsumi Fujii

Tsuneo Maki

Kenichiro Hashimoto

Satoru Yoshida

Yuji Tanaka

Akiyoshi Tanaka

Kuniyori Takano

Takeyuki Kobayashi

Kazuo Haida

Honriku Jo

Mitsuya Matsubara

Satoshi Endoh

Kiyoshi Suzuki

Kazuki Suzuki

Eisuke Hori

Ryoh Idehara

Yoshinori Uchino

Kunihiro Yamanaka

Shuusei Murai

Naoki Saitoh

Hiroomi Yokomaku

Nobuyuki Akaishi

A liquid discharge device includes a liquid discharge head including nozzles configured to discharge a liquid, a carriage mounting the liquid discharge head and movable, a wiper configured to wipe a nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head, and a wiper mover configured to hold and move the wiper between a facing position at which the wiper faces the nozzle surface and a standby position at which the wiper does not face the nozzle surface. The carriage movably holds the liquid discharge head and the wiper mover as a single unit.

Liquid discharge device and liquid discharge apparatus

A liquid discharge device includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge device further includes a liquid receiving surface to receive the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a liquid collector to collect the liquid received by the liquid receiving surface, and a moving unit to hold the liquid receiving surface and the liquid collector. The moving unit is movable at a facing position where the liquid receiving surface faces the discharge port without changing an inclination of the liquid collector with respect to a horizontal plane.

Liquid discharge device and liquid discharge apparatus incorporating same

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a plurality of liquid discharge heads to discharge liquid, and a plurality of head tanks communicating with the plurality of liquid discharge heads, respectively. Each of the plurality of head tanks includes a liquid chamber to store the liquid and a gas chamber separated from the liquid chamber by a diaphragm, and the gas chamber of one of the plurality of head tanks communicates with the gas chamber of another of the plurality of head tanks.

Liquid discharge apparatus

There is provided a liquid circulation apparatus for circulating liquid through a plurality of discharge heads that includes discharge nozzles. The liquid circulation apparatus includes a liquid circulating channel to circulate the liquid via the plurality of discharge heads, a first manifold connected to each supply port of the plurality of discharge heads, a second manifold connected to each discharge port of the plurality of discharge heads, a discharging channel to discharge the liquid in the second manifold, and a bubble-discharging channel separate from the discharging channel, to discharge bubbles in the second manifold.

Liquid circulation device and liquid discharge apparatus

A liquid container includes a first chamber and a second chamber to contain liquid to be supplied to a head and a liquid path to connect the first chamber and the second chamber so that liquid communicates between the first chamber and the second chamber. Each of the first chamber and the second chamber has a flexible wall. The first chamber includes a first spring inside the first chamber to press the flexible wall of the first chamber outward. The second chamber includes a second spring inside the second chamber to press the flexible wall of the second chamber outward. A pressing force of the first spring is greater than a pressing force of the second spring. A first feeler disposed outside the first chamber and in contact with the flexible wall of the first chamber, and the first feeler is displaced according to a movement of the flexible wall of the first chamber.

Liquid container and liquid discharger

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body; a printhead to discharge droplets; a sub tank to hold a liquid to be supplied to the printhead for discharge as droplets; a movable carriage for scanning, including the printhead and the sub tank; a main tank to contain the liquid to be supplied to the sub tank; a liquid supply pump, disposed on the carriage, to supply the liquid from the main tank to the sub tank; a first liquid supply tube that connects the main tank to the liquid supply pump; and a second liquid supply tube that connects the liquid supply pump to the sub tank. A fluid resistance of the first liquid supply tube is greater than a fluid resistance of the second liquid supply tube. The liquid supply pump includes a deformable portion that shrinks and expands in a carriage scanning direction, by scanning movement of the carriage, to take the liquid in and pump the liquid out, and the volume of liquid supplied to the sub tank being greater than the volume of liquid supplied to the main tank when the liquid supply pump supplies the liquid to the sub tank.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an output unit, a pair of output rotary bodies, and a controller. A sheet having an image formed thereon is discharged to the output unit. When plural sheets are sequentially discharged to the output unit, the controller controls overlapping output operation to, with a trailing end portion of a preceding sheet of the plural sheets being held by the pair of output rotary bodies, feed a subsequent sheet of the sheets to between the pair of output rotary bodies to overlap a leading end portion of the subsequent sheet with the trailing end portion of the preceding sheet. With the leading end portion of the subsequent sheet overlapped with the trailing end portion of the preceding sheet, the controller controls the pair of output rotary bodies to rotate to discharge the preceding sheet to the output unit.

A droplet ejection device includes a recording head having a nozzle face with nozzles to eject droplets, a maintenance assembly including a cap to seal the nozzle face to form a sealed space therein and a wiper to wipe the nozzle face, a droplet suction channel connected to the cap to collect droplets sucked from the nozzles, and an air release channel connected to the cap to introduce air to return the sealed space to atmospheric pressure. The suction channel and the release channel are communicable with the sealed space to simultaneously perform collection of the droplets sucked from the nozzles and introduction of air into the cap. The suction channel has a flow rate greater than the release channel. When the droplets are sucked from the nozzles into the suction channel, air is introduced from the release channel at a flow rate lower than that of the suction channel.

Droplet ejection device and image forming apparatus including the droplet ejection device

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming part including a recording head to form an image on a recording medium, a conveyance mechanism disposed opposite the image forming part to convey the recording medium, and a cover closably openable relative to a body of the image forming apparatus and disposed opposite the conveyance mechanism with the image forming part interposed therebetween. The recording head is detachably attachable to the cover and is configured to move away from the conveyance mechanism when the cover is opened.

An image forming apparatus includes a liquid ejection head, a head tank, a liquid storage container, a liquid feed device, a supply valve, an exhaust passage, a float valve, an air release valve, and a suction device. The exhaust passage is disposed in the head tank and communicated with an ambient air. The float valve is disposed in the head tank to close the exhaust passage in response to an amount of liquid in the head tank. The air release valve opens and closes the exhaust passage of the head tank. When the suction device exhausts air from the exhaust passage with the air release valve open, the liquid feed device is driven to pressurize and feed the liquid.

Image forming apparatus including liquid ejection head

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a head tank, an exhaust unit, and a suctioning device. The head tank has liquid chambers with exhaust ports. The exhaust unit includes an exhaust channel connected to the suctioning device to exhaust air from the head tank, an exhaust chamber connected to the ports of the liquid chambers, a valve member to collectively open and close the ports, a valve driving chamber communicating with the exhaust channel and having a flexible member forming a wall face thereof, a valve driving member disposed at the flexible member to open and close the valve member, and a choke channel communicating the exhaust chamber with the valve driving chamber. When the suctioning device suctions air through the exhaust channel with the liquid being in the choke channel, a volume of the valve driving chamber contracts and the valve member opens the ports.

Image forming apparatus including recording head for ejecting liquid droplets

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a liquid tank, a first passage, a second passage, a pressure unit, and a control valve. The first passage is connected to the head to supply liquid to the head. The second passage is connected to the tank. The pressure unit is disposed at the second passage to apply pressure to liquid in the second passage. The control valve includes an internal channel to connect the first and second passages, an expandable liquid retaining chamber connected to the internal channel to retain the liquid, and a valve member disposed in the internal channel to open and close the first and second passages and movable by a flow of liquid from the chamber to the first passage created by ejection of liquid from the head to communicate the second passage with the first passage.

An image forming apparatus includes a liquid ejection head, a head tank, a liquid storage container, a liquid supply passage, a liquid feed device, a control valve, and a suction device. The control valve is disposed at the liquid supply passage to open and close the liquid supply passage between the head tank and the liquid storage container. The head tank has a filter, a flow channel, a deformable wall face member, and a gap maintaining elastic member. The wall face member is opposed to the filter and forms a wall face of the channel. The elastic member is disposed in the head tank to urge the wall face member in a direction to increase a gap between the wall face member and the filter. When the suction device sucks liquid from the nozzles with the valve closed, the wall face member deforms in a direction to approach the filter.

Image forming apparatus including liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid droplets

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus that includes a recording head ejecting a liquid droplet; a liquid tank storing ink to be supplied to the recording head; a first flow path communicated with the recording head and the liquid tank; a liquid feeding unit provided in the first flow path; a second flow path provided parallel to the liquid feeding unit of the first flow path; and a fluid resistance control unit provided in the second flow path. The fluid resistance control unit changes fluid resistance in accordance with the flow rate of a flowing liquid and feeds, when the liquid droplet is ejected from the recording head, the liquid from the liquid tank to the recording head with the liquid feeding unit in a state in which the recording head and the liquid tank are communicated with each other via the second flow path.

An ink cartridge attachable to and detachable from an imaging apparatus, and including an ink accommodating unit; and a cartridge casing having an opening, whereby the ink accommodating unit includes: an ink accommodating body; and an ink supplying portion including a nozzle insertion path and connected to the ink accommodating body, whereby the ink supplying portion is held by the cartridge casing so that the ink supplying portion is rotatable between a position where the nozzle insertion path faces the opening and a position where the nozzle insertion path faces an inner wall surface of the cartridge casing, and when the ink cartridge is attached to the imaging apparatus the ink supplying portion is rotated to direct the nozzle insertion path toward the opening, and when the ink cartridge is detached the ink supplying portion is rotated to direct the nozzle insertion path toward the inner wall surface.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tomomi Katoh