The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 26, 2025
Filed:
Mar. 15, 2024
Kei Hasegawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Kei Hasegawa, Kanagawa, JP;
RICOH COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A toner supply device includes toner containers each containing toner used to form a latent image on a latent-image bearer, and circuitry to perform toner supply control to supply toner from the toner containers to developing devices. In the toner supply device, the toner supply control includes repeating toner supply in which one of the toner containers supplying the toner is switched to another one of the toner containers when a supplying time to supply the toner from one of the toner containers to corresponding one of the developing devices exceeds a prescribed maximum supplying time. In the toner supply device, the prescribed maximum supplying time, in the toner supply performed for a first time after the toner supply control starts, is shorter than the prescribed maximum supplying time in the toner supply performed for a second time.