Minolta Company, Ltd.

Utako Kitoba

Kosuke Sasai

Katsuhiko Takeda

An ink supply device that has a roller a part of which is submerged in ink and supplies ink from an ink container based on the rotation of the roller, wherein an object thereof is to prevent the solvent, the main ingredient of the ink, from evaporating and escaping from the container, and to supply ink in a stable fashion. To that end, the relationship (A/B) between the opening area A (the area of the opening of the container) and the ink surface area B (the sum of the area of the ink surface other than the part thereof in which the roller is submerged and the area of the ink surface carried on the roller above the ink surface) is set to be smaller than 1 (<1) when an ink supply mode is present. When an ink non-supply mode is present, the relationship (A/B) between the opening area A (the area of the opening of the container from which the area of the part thereof taken up by the roller is subtracted) and the ink surface area B (the area of the ink surface other than the part thereof in which the roller is submerged) is set to be smaller than 1 (<1).

Liquid material supply device that maintains viscosity of the liquid at a fixed level

A liquid material supplier capable of effectively preventing a liquid material, such as ink, held on a surface of a liquid material holding member from drying and an image forming apparatus provided with the same. The supplier includes a liquid material holding member for holding a liquid material on a surface thereof. The liquid material holding member is rotatable in a predetermined direction and supplying, during rotation, the liquid material to a member to be supplied at a given supply position. The supplier further includes a supply station for supplying the liquid material to the surface of the liquid material holding member and a regulating member for regulating the liquid material on the liquid material holding member to a specified thickness. The regulating member is disposed at a position downstream of the supply station and upstream of the supply position in the direction of rotation of the liquid material holding member. The supplier further includes a removing member disposed at a position downstream of the supply station and upstream of the regulating member in the direction of rotation of the liquid material holding member.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Utako Kitoba