Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Iwatsu Electric Company Ltd.

Ulvac, Inc.

Nitto Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Toshio Koike

Yuji Arai

Masami Tomita

Ken Amemiya

Masanori Kawasumi

Hiroyuki Nagashima

Takeshi Shintani

Takeshi Uchitani

Naohiro Kumagai

Eisaku Murakami

Hiroshi Ono

Yutaka Takahashi

Takaaki Tawada

Kiyonori Tsuda

Satoshi Hatori

Junichi Matsumoto

Nobuo Takami

Takatsugu Fujishiro

Atsushi Inoue

Hideo Yoshizawa

Kaoru Yoshino

Yoshio Hattori

Masayuki Yamane

Akio Kosuge

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Yoshiki Hozumi

Atsushi Nakamoto

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Shin Hasegawa

Masaaki Yamada

Hiroto Higuchi

Kunihiro Ohyama

Fumihiro Sasaki

Hideki Kimura

Tadashi Ogawa

Daisuke Ito

Toshiya Satoh

Daisuke Takahashi

Yasunobu Shimizu

Satoshi Takano

Hitoshi Ishibashi

Koichi Sakata

Eiji Kurimoto

Hitoshi Iwatsuki

Hideki Kosugi

Yasuyuki Ishii

Takeo Suda

Makoto Yasuda

Masato Yanagida

Atsushi Sampe

Keinosuke Kondoh

Michiya Okamoto

Tokuya Ojimi

Masahiko Shakuto

Haruji Mizuishi

Takuzi Yoneda

Takuma Iwasaki

Teppei Kikuchi

Nobuo Kuwabara

Fumihito Itoh

Yuta Azeyanagi

Junji Yamabe

Michiharu Suzuki

Jun Shiori

Hiromichi Ninomiya

Shuji Tanaka

Hiroaki Okamoto

Yoshiyuki Fukuda

Kenji Honjoh

Hirofumi Minami

Shinichi Kawahara

Akira Fujimori

Maiko Kondo

Takaya Muraishi

Hiroshi Mizusawa

Shinya Karasawa

Akira Azami

Mugijiroh Uno

Takeyoshi Sekine

Yoshiko Ogawa

Yutaka Narita

Junpei Yuyama

Emiko Shiraishi

Hiroyuki Kishida

Eisuke Hori

Hideki Zemba

Nobuo Kikuchi

Toyoaki Tano

Dan Ozasa

Atsushi Nagata

Tomoya Ohmura

Hideyasu Seki

Shinichi Akatsu

Hiroshi Tohmatsu

Keiichi Yoshida

Kohei Shimbo

Mariko Takii

Osamu Endou

Tetsuya Muto

A spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus and a method of obtaining spectral characteristics. The spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus includes a conveyor including a first conveyance roller pair disposed in a conveyance direction in which an object is conveyed and a second conveyance roller pair disposed downstream from the first conveyance roller pair in the conveyance direction, a sensor to detect that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair, circuitry to control the second conveyance roller pair to drive by a predetermined amount with a driving force greater than a driving force of the first conveyance roller pair upon detecting that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair by the sensor and to stop driving, and a color data obtainer to obtain color data from the object at a position where the object stops moving. In the spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus, the circuitry estimates a spectral characteristic of the object.

Spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus and method of obtaining spectral characteristics

There is provided a consumable supply method for supplying a refill consumable stored in a refill consumable container to a consumable container installable in an equipment body. The consumable supply method includes removing a refill information storage device storing information on the refill consumable from the refill consumable container; removing an information storage device storing information on a consumable contained in the consumable container, the information being for exchange with the equipment body, from the consumable container; and attaching the refill information storage device removed from the refill consumable container as an information storage device to the consumable container in place of the information storage device removed from the consumable container.

Consumable supply method, consumable container, image forming apparatus, and refill consumable container

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of developer containers to contain different types of developers and a container mount in which the plurality of developer containers is removably installed and arranged adjacent to each other. Each of the developer containers includes an engagement portion. The engagement portion of one of the developer containers engages the engagement portion of another of the developer containers adjacent to the one of the developer containers when the developer containers are installed in the container mount in a predetermined order, to allow the developer containers to be installed. Further, the engagement portion of one of the developer containers interferes with the engagement portion of another of the developer containers adjacent to the one of the developer containers when the developer containers are installed in the container mount in a different order from the predetermined order, to prevent the developer containers from being installed.

Image forming apparatus with a plurality of developer container each having an engagement portion

A powder container is for use with an image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus includes a driving protrusion that is rotatable and that protrudes toward an upstream side in an insertion direction in which the powder container is inserted. The powder container includes a container body to store powder, a cap attached to the container body, and a transmitted structure provided on the cap to contact the driving protrusion. The transmitted structure extends outward from an outer circumference of the powder container. The cap is rotatable relative to the container body in a predetermined angular range. The rotation of the cap relative to the container body is restricted so that the container body rotates along with the rotation of the cap when the rotation of the cap exceeds the predetermined angular range.

Powder container and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a removable component configured to be removably installed in an installation position in the apparatus body, a cover configured to open and close when the removable component is removed from or installed in the installation position, a replacement removable component configured to be installable in and removable from the installation position in which the removable component is installed, and a holder configured to hold the replacement removable component at a different position from the installation position when the removable component is installed in the installation position and the cover opens. The replacement removable component held by the holder is configured to inhibit the cover from closing.

Image forming apparatus including a removable component which is held by holder

An image forming apparatus includes image bearers, developing devices, developer containers, and developer supply devices. The image bearers are arranged side by side along a movement direction of an intermediate transferor or a sheet. The developing devices, the developer containers, and the developer supply devices are configured to be rearrangeable for each color in the movement direction in a manner that one or each of a developing device, a developer container, and a developer supply device corresponding to each color of the different colors is detached from and attached to the image forming apparatus, separately from a rest of the developing device, the developer container, and the developer supply device. The image forming apparatus is configured to be available for use when colors of the developing device, the developer container, and the developer supply device correspond to each other after rearrangement.

Image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a developer bearer opposed to an image bearer, configured to bear developer and rotate in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, and configured to develop a latent image on the image bearer and a casing opposed to the developer bearer at a position downstream from an opposed position, at which the developer bearer is opposed to the image bearer, in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer. A casing gap between the developer bearer and the casing continuously decreases or increases from a first end of the developing device to a second end of the developing device across a center of the developing device in a longitudinal direction of the developing device.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transferor to rotate in a predetermined rotation direction, a plurality of image bearers disposed along the intermediate transferor to bear latent images, a plurality of developing devices to develop the latent images, a plurality of developer containers to contain developers, and a plurality of conveyance paths each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of developing devices and a respective one of the plurality of developer containers to supply the developers to the plurality of developing devices respectively. An arrangement of the plurality of developing devices in the predetermined rotation direction is configured to be changed without changing an arrangement of the plurality of developer containers. A layout of the plurality of conveyance paths is configured to be changed without changing connections between a supply source and a supply destination of the plurality of conveyance paths.

Image forming apparatus including developing devices, developing containers, and changeable conveyance paths between the developing devices and the developing containers

An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transferor, a plurality of image bearers, a plurality of developing devices, a plurality of developer containers, a plurality of conveyance paths, and a plurality of sub-hoppers. At least one set of an image bearer, a developing device, and a sub-hopper is disposed at a height different from other sets. The arrangement of the plurality of developing devices and the plurality of sub-hoppers in the rotation direction of the intermediate transferor is changed while satisfying the following. The arrangement of the plurality of developer containers is not changed and the connections between the plurality of developing devices and the plurality of sub-hoppers are not change, while the layout of the plurality of tubes as the plurality of conveyance paths is changed so that the connections between the plurality of tubes and the plurality of sub-hoppers are not changed.

A powder container is insertable in an image forming apparatus. The powder container includes a plurality of transmitted surfaces, at least one of the transmitted surfaces being configured to contact a first protrusion of the image forming, apparatus, the first protrusion being rotatable and protruding toward an upstream side in an insertion direction in which the powder container is inserted. The transmitted surfaces stand outward from an outer circumference of the powder container so that one of the transmitted surfaces is connected to another transmitted surface adjacent to the one of the transmitted surfaces by an inclined surface.

A developing device, including: a developer containing toner and carrier; and developer bearer configured to have surface thereof bear the developer and endlessly move, and to develop latent image over surface of latent image bearer by supplying toner in developer to latent image in developing region facing the latent image bearer, wherein carrier contains fine particles, value X in volume resistivity R (=10) (&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm) of carrier is 11.5-16.0, developer bearer includes: magnetic field generating unit including a plurality of magnetic poles; and developing sleeve having a cylindrical shape enclosing magnetic field generating unit, and configured to bear developer over outer circumferential surface of cylindrical shape by magnetic force of the magnetic field generating unit and perform surface moving by rotating relative to developing device body, and developing device includes developing sleeve voltage applying unit configured to apply AC component-containing voltage to developing sleeve.

Developing device and image forming apparatus

A powder container is insertable in an image forming apparatus, and includes a main-body interlocking portion that is rotatable and protrudes toward an upstream side in an insertion direction in which the powder container is inserted, the image forming apparatus including an identifier protrusion that protrudes toward the upstream side in the insertion direction to identify a type of the powder container. The powder container includes a container interlocking portion configured to interlock with the main-body interlocking portion; and an interlocked portion configured to interlock with the identifier protrusion. The interlocked portion is provided in a front end of the powder container in the insertion direction. The container interlocking portion stands outward from an outer circumference of the powder container. The container interlocking portion and the interlocked portion are rotated integrally.

A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry, by rotation, developer including toner and magnetic carrier to a developing range facing a latent image bearer; a casing including a developer container and an opening to expose a part of the developer bearer disposed in the casing; an opposing face of the casing including a conductive material and opposing to a surface of the developer bearer downstream from the developing range in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer; a developing bias source to apply a developing bias to the developer bearer; and an insulation layer disposed on the opposing face of the casing. The opposing face is disposed across, from the developer bearer, a casing gap sized to allow the developer borne on the developer bearer to contact the opposing face.

Developing device, and image forming apparatus and process cartridge incorporating same

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Tokyo, Japan

Toshio Koike