Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Yuichi Aoyama

Koichi Suzuki

Tsuneo Kurotori

Tetsurou Sasamoto

Katsuaki Miyawaki

Makoto Obu

Shunichi Abe

Takuma Nakamura

Masafumi Yamada

Nobuhiko Umezawa

Takanori Inadome

Kazuya Nagao

Yukimichi Someya

Yasuo Katano

Masahiko Itaya

Makoto Arai

Nobuaki Kubo

Katsuo Sakai

Noriyasu Takeuchi

Mie Yoshino

Masami Hiramatsu

Eishu Ohdake

Masaki Hiroi

Shunuchi Abe

Yamada Masafumi

A disclosed fixing device applying a bubble-like fixing liquid to resin-containing particles adhered to a medium so that the resin-containing particles are fixed to the medium, the bubble-like fixing liquid being formed by transforming a fixing liquid into foam that dissolves or swells at least a part of the resin, includes a control device that, based on a difference between a moisture content included in the medium after fixing and a target value of the moisture content, adjusts an application amount of the fixing liquid for a next medium.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and fixing method

A fixing device includes a foam fixer generator unit generating a foam fixer containing a softener softening toner by dissolving or swelling part of resin of the toner, an application roller carrying and transferring the foam fixer onto a recording sheet, a pressure roller applying pressure to a toner image on the recording sheet via the foam fixer on the application roller to fix the toner image on the recording sheet, a cleaning device removing residual components remaining on the application roller, a recording sheet detector unit detecting presence or absence of the recording sheet, a remover unit being in contact with and separated from the application roller to remove the foam fixer on the application roller, and a control unit controlling the contact-separation operation of the remover unit based on a detected result of a front end and/or a rear end of the recording sheet.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A disclosed fixing device for fixing resin particles softened by applying a foam fixer thereon to a recording medium includes a foam fixer generator unit to introduce air bubbles into a liquid fixer containing a softener for softening the resin particles by dissolving or swelling a part of the resin particles to generate the foam fixer, a fixer application member to be brought into contact with a facing member facing the fixer application member to form an application nip and transfer the generated foam fixer to the application nip by moving its surface while carrying the foam fixer to apply the foam fixer to a surface of the recording medium carrying the resin particles at the application nip, and a foam accumulation detector unit to detect a foam accumulation formed of the foam fixer accumulated at an entrance side of the application nip.

A disclosed cleaning device for removing adhering matter from a surface of a member subject to cleaning includes a belt-shaped film member arranged in a stretched configuration capable of being wound or endlessly move in a direction opposite to a surface movement direction of the member subject to cleaning while being in contact with the surface of the member subject to cleaning, and a cleaning blade configured to abut on the surface of the member subject to cleaning via the belt-shaped film member at a position where the belt-shaped film member is brought into contact with the member subject to cleaning.

An image forming apparatus suppresses several kinds of inconveniences caused by unnecessary contact of a belt-formed member with opposing members and drives the belt-formed member accurately even when the belt-formed member separated from a part of a plurality of opposing members. In an image forming apparatus having a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers and a plurality of opposing members located side by side in a line to oppose and contact the belt-formed member, a pivot mechanism is employed to temporarily separate the belt-formed member from a part of the opposing members for color image formation. The image forming apparatus also includes a tension roller dive mechanism to increase a relative distance between the tension roller and other supporting rollers to suppress a decrease in a tension of the belt-formed member during the above-described separation of the belt-formed member from the plurality of opposing members.

Belt device and unit device including belt device and image forming apparatus using the belt device and unit device

In a duplex image transferring device of the present invention, a first bicolor toner image formed by a developing liquid is transferred to one side of a sheet. This toner image on the sheet includes a carrier liquid layer containing a liquid carrier of an amount not great enough to serve as an electrophoresis medium for a toner layer deposited on the sheet, but sufficient to serve as a parting agent for the toner layer and an intermediate image transfer belt contacting the toner image. Subsequently, a bicolor toner image of the same polarity as the toner layer is transferred to the other side of the sheet. It is possible to transfer the toner images to both sides of the sheet without switching back the one-sided sheet, without using two kinds of toner each being chargeable to particular polarity or without charging one toner image to the opposite polarity with a corona charger.

Duplex image transferring device using liquid toner development

In an image forming apparatus, a developing device includes a reservoir storing a viscous and dense developing liquid. A developing sleeve, an applicator roller, a circulation pump for circulating the liquid and a screw for agitating the liquid are disposed in the reservoir. The reservoir is open only at its portion where the developing sleeve contacts an image carrier. The liquid is agitated by the screw before flowing into the circulation pump and then applied to the applicator roller. As a result, the liquid is fed to the developing sleeve via the applicator roller with a uniform toner content. The apparatus is small size and stably forms high quality images.

Image forming apparatus using wet type developing device

An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming units or process units is disclosed. The process units may each be moved into and out of the body of the apparatus by hand. A plurality of support members for supporting the ends of the process units to be operated by hand extend substantially parallel to a linear path for conveying a recording medium, but outside of paths for moving the process units into and out of the apparatus body. A positioning mechanism positions the above end of the individual process unit relative to the support members. The positioning mechanism is implemented by holes formed in the support members, and pins studded on a positioning wall included in the individual process unit. The apparatus allows the process units to be positioned thereon accurately with a high mechanical strength, while allowing them to be mounted and dismounted with ease.

Image forming apparatus having a mounting/dismounting mechanism

A color image forming apparatus forms an image having a plurality of colors. It includes a plurality of elongate photoconductive members of a number corresponding to the plurality of colors. The axes of the photoconductive members are arranged on a plane extending by no more than 45.degree. from the vertical direction. A plurality of developing units supply a liquid developer to each of the photoconductive members to develop latent images thereon. A movable transfer belt contacts the photoconductive members so that developed images may be transferred to the transfer belt. A plurality of cleaning portions are positioned for scraping liquid developer from the photoconductive members. The widths of the cleaning portions progressively increase from the highest to the lowest. An open topped casing is disposed below each of the photoconductive members for catching liquid toner dropping from the photoconductive members.

Color image forming apparatus utilizing liquid development

A developing device incorporated in a copier for supplying a toner from a toner container to a reservoir to feed a toner-containing liquid developer to a developing unit. A developer feeding mechanism is disposed in the reservoir for feeding the toner-containing liquid developer to the developing unit. The liquid developer is circulated from and to the developing feeding mechanism along a circulation path. A discharging device for discharging the toner has an outlet which is open to the circulation path.

Developing container storing a liquid developer with pump dispenser

A device for supplying a liquid developer from a toner container to a tank and from the tank to a developing unit of which is operable with the liquid developer. The nozzle hole of the toner container is open into a circulation path along which the liquid developer is circulated. Hence, the nozzle hole is constantly dipped in the liquid developer without regard to the liquid level in the tank and, therefore, is free from the deposition of dried toner particles.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yuichi Aoyama