Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Nec Corporation

Yuusuke Noguchi

Kazuki Suzuki

Hiroshi Ishii

Makoto Kikura

Kazuosa Kuma

Yutaka Fukuchi

Kiyonori Tsuda

Yuji Arai

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Masanori Kawasumi

Kazuhiko Umemura

Satoshi Narumi

Ryuta Takeichi

Masumi Sato

Motokazu Yasui

Tomotoshi Nakahara

Hiroyasu Shijo

Hiromichi Ema

Kazunori Kobayashi

Tomohiko Sasaki

Tomohiro Yamamoto

Yoshiya Itoh

Akeo Maruyama

Shinichi Kudo

Tetsuo Ohtsuka

Michio Sumiyoshi

Toshiyuki Uchida

Joh Ebara

Noriaki Funamoto

Tsuneo Nakata

Eiji Sawamura

Misaki Uchiyama

Osamu Takashima

Kazuyuki Saitoh

Masahiro Tomita

Shizuo Kawamura

Masumi Satp

An image forming system includes one or more image forming apparatuses and a management apparatus. The management apparatus includes: a software component retention part configured to retain one or more software components in a storage unit, the software components each being configured to generate output format data in a data format interpretable by a printer engine of a corresponding one or more of the image forming apparatuses from application data; a determination part configured to determine, based on the specified image forming apparatus, one of the software components to be used to generate the output format data corresponding to the specified image forming apparatus; and a transmission part configured to transmit the generated output format data to the specified image forming apparatus. The specified image forming apparatus includes an image forming part to form a predetermined image on an image forming medium based on the transmitted output format data.

Image forming system and method, management apparatus, and recording medium

An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a management apparatus configured to manage and operate the image forming system, and a plurality of communication control apparatuses each configured to control data communication between the management apparatus and a corresponding image forming apparatus, wherein the management apparatus includes a software component storing unit configured to store one or more software components in a predetermined storage area of a storage device of the management apparatus, the one or more software components being each configured to generate print data recognizable by a corresponding image forming apparatus and a selecting unit configured to select a software component from the one or more software components in response to the print request, the selected software component being used to generate print data corresponding to the image forming apparatus selected as a printing apparatus.

Image forming system using a management apparatus to manage software components

A toner bottle includes: a bottle main part to contain toner therein and having a rotational axis; an outlet at an end of the bottle main part; a spiral raised ridge in an inner wall of the bottle main part and arranged to deliver the toner contained in the bottle main part to the outlet by rotation of the bottle main part around the rotational axis; a plurality of toner guiding portions on a side of the spiral raised ridge adjacent to the outlet and arranged to move the toner to the outlet beyond the spiral raised ridge; and a gear adjacent to the outlet to rotate the bottle main part around the rotational axis. The bottle main part has a diameter larger than a diameter of the outlet, and the gear is formed integrally with the bottle main part between the outlet and the plurality of toner guiding portions.

Developer container, developer supplying device, and image forming apparatus

When path status information is updated, the time at which the update is effective is recorded. A packet arrival time in each path is predicted based on new status information and data transmission history after the effective time. The packet is transmitted to the path that provides a fastest packet arrival time. This reflects the path status available from the reception side on the data transmitted in past, so that an actual data arrival time, an arrival time close to a reception completion time, or a reception completion time can be predicted.

Load distributing method

An image forming apparatus for use with a toner container which dispenses toner to the image forming apparatus, depending on an angular position of a rotatable cap of the toner container. The rotatable cap has a handle attached thereto. There is a toner container holder to support the toner container which permits the cap of the toner container to rotate. The image forming apparatus has a cover to selectively cover and uncover the toner container. There is also a device which moves with movement of the cover which interacts with the handle of the toner container.

A method of installing a toner container and a container. The container includes a body for storing toner, a handle attached to an end of the container, an opening for discharging the toner to an image forming device, and a shutter which selectively opens and closes the opening due to rotation of the handle. There is a gear which protrudes through the end of the container, and rotation of the gear causes toner in the body to be moved from the body of the container into the end of the container and subsequently out through the opening of the end of the container.

An image forming apparatus includes a toner container, an image development mechanism, and a toner container holder. The toner container has a longitudinal length with first and second longitudinal ends, is driven for rotation to move the toner. The image development mechanism develops an electrostatic latent image into a toner image. The toner container holder includes a base plate onto which the toner container is inserted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the toner container. The toner container holder further includes first and second supporters. The first and second supporters are mounted in traversal edge sides of the base plate and support the first and second longitudinal ends of the toner container, respectively.

Apparatus for image forming and image developing with an improvement of toner container holding

A developer container has a main part accommodating a developer therein and is detachably attached to a main part of an image forming apparatus. The developer container comprises an outlet provided at a side of the developer container to discharge the developer from the developer container. An input unit is provided adjacent to the outlet and has a small-diameter portion an inside diameter of which is smaller than a diameter of the container main part wherein, when the developer container is attached to the image forming apparatus, the input unit is engaged with a drive motor of the image forming apparatus to receive a rotating force of the drive motor. A developer guiding unit causes the developer inside the developer container to be moved to the outlet beyond the small-diameter portion of the input unit by rotation of the developer container.

An image forming apparatus is disclosed, that includes multiple imaging units, a loading unit formed on the top face of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a discharging unit disposed at the operation side of the main body. The image forming apparatus further includes multiple developer containing members disposed in the main body for providing the corresponding imaging units with developer, the developer containing members being arranged in a direction extending from the operation side of the main body. The developer containing members are detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and can be handled in a space above the image forming apparatus, the space being limited to the width of the main body.

Image forming apparatus including an operation panel provided on a facing

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus using a tandem-drum development, an indirect image-transfer method, and a vertical sheet supply path. An intermediate image-transfer member is angled relative to a horizontal line such that a rear side of the intermediate image-transfer member away from a recording sheet is lifted and a front side of the intermediate image-transfer member closer to the recording sheet is lowered. Further, image creating mechanisms of the tandem-drum development are aligned and arranged in parallel to a moving image transfer bed of the intermediate image-transfer member, such that one of the image creating mechanisms firstly forming an image faces the rear side of the moving image transfer bed and another one of the image creating mechanisms lastly forming an image faces the front side.

Desktop color image forming apparatus and method of making the same

A developer container has a main part accommodating a developer therein and is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus. The developer container comprises a rotation unit which is rotatable to the developer container main part and having an outlet to discharge developer from the developer container, a shutter provided on the rotation unit to open and close the outlet by rotation of the rotation unit, and an engagement unit provided on the periphery side portion of the rotation unit in order to prevent rotation of the rotation unit when attached to the image forming apparatus.

A toner bottle has a main body, an opening, a gear, and an intermediate area. The main body includes a guide used to guide the toner. The intermediate area is located between the main body and the opening. Both the main body and the intermediate area include a guide for guiding toner. An angle of the guide of the main body relative to the axis of rotation of the toner bottle is larger than an angle of the guide of the intermediate area.

A toner container mounting member comprises mounted thereon a plurality of toner containers that perform supply of toner by being themselves rotated. The toner containers are laid in the same direction to be mounted/released from above; a plurality of guiding members that rotatably support the toner containers are integrally formed.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yuusuke Noguchi