Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Wakako Murakami

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Hiroyuki Nagashima

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Nobuo Kuwabara

Atsushi Sampe

Hideki Zemba

Yuji Arai

Kiyonori Tsuda

Masanori Kawasumi

Kazuhiko Umemura

Satoshi Narumi

Ryuta Takeichi

Naoto Watanabe

Koji Suzuki

Shinji Kato

Satoshi Hatori

Takeo Suda

Tomoji Ishikawa

Shigekazu Enoki

Yasushi Koichi

Kumiko Hatakeyama

Nobuo Kuwahara

Atushi Sampe

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a developing unit, a concentration sensor, a toner supplying unit, a developer supplying unit, an ejector, and a condition detector. The image carrier forms a latent image thereon. The developing unit develops the latent image formed on the image carrier with a two-component image developer including toner particles and carrier particles. The concentration sensor detects a toner ratio in the developing unit. The toner supplying unit supplies fresh toner particles to the developing unit. The developer supplying unit supplies fresh image developer to the developing unit. The ejector ejects the image developer to an outside of the developing unit. The condition detector detects a condition of the image developer used for an image forming operation to determine a supply amount of the image developer to supply to the developing unit. The condition includes a degradation level of the image developer.

Image forming apparatus including controller to detect condition of image developer

A process cartridge of the present invention includes a casing capable of accommodating a plurality of units positioned one above the other in a space such that one unit is spaced, in the horizontal direction, from a vertical line extending through the other unit positioned below the one unit. The casing has a bottom wall inclined relative to a horizontal plane and oriented such that when the bottom wall is placed on a horizontal surface, the one unit is shifted toward the vertical line.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a charging roller for charging the image carrying member, a charging roller cleaning roller, and first and second shaft bearings. The charging roller cleaning roller contacts and cleans a surface of the charging roller. The first shaft bearing rotatably holds a rotation shaft of the charging roller cleaning roller, while the second shaft bearing rotatably holds a rotation shaft of the charging roller. The second shaft bearing integrally includes a first shaft bearing holding member which movably holds, by use of a resilient member, the first shaft bearing in a direction of moving the charging roller towards and apart from the charging roller cleaning roller.

Image forming apparatus having a cleaning roller for a charging roller of the apparatus

An image forming apparatus, incorporating a process cartridge, capable of determining optimum light exposure conditions suitable for both a charging potential and a film thickness of image bearing member, and performing the image formation even during the period from initiating to completing the setting of light exposure conditions. The image forming apparatus includes at least a charger unit, a light exposure unit, a developer unit, a detection unit, and a control unit. The detection unit is adapted to detect the total of rotation of the image bearing member. The control unit computes light exposure conditions to operate the light exposure unit based on an estimated thickness for a film of the image bearing member, which is calculated from the total of rotation obtained by the detection unit, and a first target uniform charging potential to control a uniform charging potential of the image bearing member, and to control the light exposure unit to be brought into the light exposure conditions.

Method of and image forming apparatus for controlling a light exposure condition

An image forming apparatus including an image support body; and a lubricant applying part configured to apply lubricant to a surface of the image support body, and including a lubricant containing member configured to seal the lubricant in the lubricant applying part.

Image forming apparatus and process cartridge including sealable lubricating device

An image forming apparatus includes at least one process cartridge removably mounted on an apparatus body and including at least an image carrier on which a toner image is to be formed and a cleaning device configured to remove toner left after image transfer with a cleaning blade. A hole for passing a light beam emitted from an optical writing unit toward the image carrier therethrough is formed in part of a case bottom wall of the process cartridge higher in level than part of the case bottom wall below the cleaning blade.

Image forming apparatus including a process cartridge formed with a hole

A method and apparatus of image forming include a process cartridge detachably mounted therein. The process cartridge includes a photoconductive element and a housing storing the photoconductive element and including a guide portion guiding the process cartridge. The guide portion faces an inner wall of the image forming apparatus or another process cartridge adjoining thereto and guides the adjoining process cartridge. The guide portion slidably engages with a portion of the process adjoining cartridge. The guide portion varies in shape according to its position in the image forming apparatus. The guide portion may be separately formed from or integrated with the housing. A method and apparatus of an image forming includes an image transfer mechanism and a plurality of process cartridges arranged in parallel. Each of the process cartridges includes photoconductive elements and a housing, and forms an image for a single separated color.

Image forming apparatus using installable process cartridge, method of positioning process cartridge, and process cartridge itself

An image forming apparatus includes a frame, a plurality of process cartridges, and a guide mounted to the frame. The guide mounted to the frame includes a plurality of guide portions having supporting surfaces arranged at predetermined different heights and on which the plurality of process cartridges are detachably placed, and is configured to guide the plurality of process cartridges placed on the supporting surfaces along a path between respective first positions and respective second positions.

Image forming apparatus using a user installable process cartridge, a method of arranging the process cartridge, and the process cartridge itself

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Tokyo, Japan

Wakako Murakami