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:
Apr. 29, 2003
Filed:
May. 04, 2001
Kyocera Corporation, Kyoto, JP;
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling toner concentration includes a toner concentration detector, a toner supplier, a wave-former that periodically scrapes off toner from a detecting face of the toner concentration detector and thereby forms a wave of decreasing output of the toner concentration detector, and an about-minimum value detector that detects a minimum of the decreasing output. A toner concentration detection retarder is actuated from the time the minimum is detected. The toner supplier is actuated based on the detected toner concentration after the toner concentration detection retarder is released of action. The toner concentration detector includes a waveform measurer that measures the output of the toner concentration detector over a predetermined period longer than the period of one cycle of a scraping cycle, and an about-minimum value judger determines the minimum or its vicinity of the output value measured by the waveform measuring device; and the toner concentration detector is actuated based on the value judged as the minimum or its vicinity by the about-minimum judger before the toner supplier is actuated.