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:
May. 19, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 15, 1996
Kunihiko Kitayama, Kawasaki, JP;
Motoaki Tahara, Yokohama, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, , JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member for carrying an image, a developing unit for developing an electrostatic image on the image carrying member, and a toner storage unit for storing the toners and replenishing the toners to the developing unit. In the image forming apparatus, a residual quantity of the toners within the toner storage unit is detected, and a quantity of toners substantially replenished to the developing unit from the toner storage unit is integrated. When a deficiency of the toner residual quantity is detected during a consecutive image forming operation, there is stopped and inhibited the image forming operation when an integrated value of the replenishing toner quantity reaches a predetermined value since the deficiency of the toner residual quantity was detected.