Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Xerox Corporation

Hitachi Metals, Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Yoshikazu Okamoto

Nobukazu Takahashi

Masao Okubo

Kimihiro Wakabayashi

Takashi Fuchiwaki

Makoto Fuchigami

Takuzo Tsukamoto

Yasuaki Miyazawa

Hiroshi Murano

Tamotsu Sakamoto

Mari Horie

Yoshio Inoue

Yoshikazu Takahashi

Junichi Hama

Ryuichiro Maeyama

Naoki Koike

Tomoyoshi Chihara

Ryuji Gotoh

Masaki Suda

A design support system includes memory, a receiving unit, and an associating unit. The memory stores information on design element classification that classifies a design element included in a product, and information on design requirement classification that classifies a design requirement required for the product. The receiving unit receives technical information regarding a design trouble. The associating unit refers to technical information regarding a design trouble, received by the receiving unit, and associates a classification item in the design requirement classification to which the design trouble belongs and a classification item in the design element classification to which a design element causing the design trouble belongs with each other, along with information on a phenomenon indicating a failure status of the design element included in the technical information.

Support system and non-transitory computer readable medium

A design support system includes a storage unit, an accepting unit, a selecting unit, and an associating unit. The storage unit stores information regarding design element classifications into which design elements constituting a product are classified and design requirement classifications into which design requirements required for the product are classified. The accepting unit accepts technical information regarding a trouble due to design. The selecting unit refers to the technical information regarding the trouble, selects a classification item to which the trouble belongs from among the design requirement classifications, and selects a classification item to which a design element that has caused the trouble belongs from among the design element classifications. The associating unit associates the classification item of the design requirement classifications with the classification item of the design element classifications with regard to the design element classifications and the design requirement classifications stored in the storage unit.

The specification discloses an image forming apparatus which forms a visual image on a belt transfer member by at least one of image forming units and transfers the formed visual image onto a recording medium with the aid of the belt transfer member. In the image forming apparatus, the belt transfer member includes an endless belt wound on a plurality of tension rolls. A bending member, which bends the endless belt toward the inside of a tangential line connecting points on the outer circumferences of a couple of tension rolls, and locates the bent endless belt inside the tangential line, is additionally provided outside the endless belt located between at least the couple of adjacent tension rolls. An image forming unit may be additionally provided within an outside bending concave region of the endless belt, which is bent by the bending member and the tension rolls adjacent to the bending member.

Image forming apparatus and intermediate transfer belt module to efficiently accommodate additional image forming unit

A developing roll includes a tubular sleeve driven for turn, and a magnet roll fixedly supported. An intensively magnetized block, shaped like U in cross section, is buried in the magnet roll at a location thereof where the magnet roll faces the latent electrostatic image bearing member. In this case, one side of the intensively magnetized block having a groove formed therein is directed toward the axis of the magnet roll, while the other side thereof is flush with the outer surface of the magnet roll. A material of the intensively magnetized block is more intensively magnetized, by its nature, than a material of the magnet roll. The intensively magnetized block is magnetized to form a single magnetic pole or a developing magnetic pole.

Developing unit

A system for removing foreign matter on a photosensitive body or a developer carrying body in an image forming apparatus, in which a foreign matter removing unit 11 is arranged between a discharge lamp 7 and a transfer drum 9, the foreign matter removing unit 11 having a rotatable cylindrical electrode 11a that closely confronts a photosensitive body 2 at a predetermined distance. A high-voltage sinusoidal wave generator 12 whose frequency, dc component potential, and effective potential are variable is connected to the cylindrical electrode 11a. An ac electric field is generated between the cylindrical electrode 11a and the photosensitive body 2 by the high-voltage sinusoidal wave generator 12 and aggregates of toner particles whose size is larger than that of toner particles are resonated by the ac electric field. Application of a very weak dc electric field under this condition causes the aggregates of toner particles to move toward the cylindrical electrode 11a. As a result of the above construction, small foreign matter such as an aggregate of toner particles whose size is about 100 .mu.m or a carrier adhering to the surface of the photosensitive body, or foreign matter contained in a developer on the developer carrying body can be removed surely without disturbing normal toner particles.

System for removing foreign matter on photosensitive body or developer

A developing apparatus for developing a latent image on a surface of a photosensitive body by forming a toner cloud in a developing region through electrode wire, in which movably supporting units for supporting electrode supporting unit movably between operative positions and inoperative positions are provided so that the electrode wire supported by the electrode supporting units can be kept in an operative position near to a surface of a developing roll when the electrode supporting units are in their operative positions and, on the other hand, the electrode wire can be kept in an inoperative position far from the surface of the developing roll when the electrode supporting units are in their inoperative positions. Thereby, foreign matters trapped in the electrode wire or accumulated on the electrode wire can be removed easily.

Developing apparatus

A magnetic brush developing device for a xerographic copying machine is constructed to prevent toner from being leaked out of the developer housing. A magnetic brush roll is provided opposite to a photosensitive member, and at least one air current blade is provided along the lower outer periphery of the surface of the magnetic brush roll. One end of the air current blade is closely adjacent the surface of the photosensitive member, and the other end of the air current blade projects back toward the interior of the developer housing. An air circulating path is defined between the air current blade and the lower outer wall of the developer housing. This air circulating path is effective to conduct entrained air carrying excess toner back into the developer housing.

Magnetic brush developer device

A development apparatus in which particles stored in a chamber of a housing are deposited on a latent image. Air flow is controlled to prevent leakage of the particles from the chamber of the housing.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yoshikazu Okamoto