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. 09, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 23, 1999
Hiroshi Kida, Yamatokoriyama, JP;
Masao Matsui, Yamatokoriyama, JP;
Takashi Yamanaka, Yamatokoriyama, JP;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
It is an object of the present invention to provide an energy-saving image forming apparatus capable of fixing toner in a reliable manner to enhance the quality of images, control the temperature of toner residue to reuse the toner in a reliable manner, and reduce the power consumption of the apparatus. In a copier, a photoconductive drum carries a toner image to be transferred to a recording medium, a heater of a fixing unit fixes the transferred toner image on the recording medium, and a cleaning unit removes toner residue on the photoconductive drum after transfer. The whole copier is covered with a housing, a first ventilation system ventilates the inside and outside of the housing, and a controlling section regulates the amount of ventilation by the first ventilation system in accordance with an output from a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cleaning unit. As a result, it is possible to effectively reuse the collected toner and ensure excellent quality images.