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:
Sep. 15, 2026
Filed:
Feb. 04, 2025
Hiroshi Okamura, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Okamura, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a replacement containing a consumable. A storage stores the replacement and has an opening through which the replacement is inserted into and removed from the storage. An open-close member opens and closes the opening. A locking device locks the open-close member in a state in which the open-close member closes the opening. A cover closes to cover the open-close member and prohibit the open-close member from opening. A cover detector detects whether or not the cover closes. A failure detector detects a failure of the locking device to determine whether or not the locking device switches to an unlocking state in which the locking device unlocks the open-close member in a case that the cover detector detects that the cover closes and that the failure detector determines that an amount of the consumable contained in the replacement is not greater than a predetermined threshold.