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. 09, 2000
Filed:
Apr. 19, 1999
Ryuta Takeichi, Yokohama, JP;
Narihito Kojima, Numazu, JP;
Hiroshi Nagame, Numazu, JP;
Yohta Sakon, Numazu, JP;
Akiyo Nakajima, Yokohama, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus comprising a lubricant supplying device which supplies a lubricant to a rotating image carrier, wherein the lubricant comprises at least one of low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene, a fluorine-containing resin including a filler, polytetrafluoroethylene which has been subjected to heat or radiation decomposition treatment, a fluorine-containing resin which has been prepared by a compression molding method, and a porous fluorine-containing resin. The lubricant preferably has a concave portion on the surface thereof contacting the image carrier. The lubricant is preferably disposed so that an acute angle formed by a line parallel to a compression direction of the lubricant, during the compression molding of the lubricant, and a line parallel to a moving direction of the image carrier, is from about 45 to about 90.degree..