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:
Nov. 20, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 19, 2000
Shuuichi Endoh, Kamakura, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus including a photoconductive member, a charging member, a development mechanism, a transfer mechanism, and a power supply source. The development mechanism develops an image on the photoconductive member. The toner is normally charged with a voltage having a same polarity as the charge of the photoconductive member. The transfer mechanism includes a transfer roller to transfer the developed image from the photoconductive member onto a recording sheet. The power supply source supplies a voltage, having the same polarity as the voltage applied during a normal transfer operation, to the transfer roller when a region of the surface of the photoconductive member passes through a development region without a performance of a development operation and reaches a transfer region under a condition in which no recording sheet exists therebetween.