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:
Jan. 13, 1998
Filed:
Mar. 05, 1996
Atsushi Kawai, Aichi-ken, JP;
Masaki Tanaka, Toyohashi, JP;
Tetsuya Sakai, Toyokawa, JP;
Yukihiko Okuno, Toyokawa, JP;
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
The image forming apparatus is provided with a detecting means for detecting transfer efficiency when transferring a toner image from a photosensitive member to a transfer sheet, and a developing efficiency changing means for changing developing efficiency based on the transfer efficiency detected by the detecting means, and corrects the toner consumption predicted by the predicting means based on the transfer efficiency as detected by the detecting means, so as to determine the amount of toner to be replenished. When the developing efficiency is changed based on the transfer efficiency, toner consumption also changes, and does not match the predicted toner consumption. According to the present invention, toner concentration in a developer can be even more accurately controlled by correcting the predicted toner consumption by the change in transfer efficiency. Detection of transfer efficiency is achieved by a method of indirectly detecting humidity in the apparatus, or a method of measuring the amount of toner transferred to a transfer member.