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:
Mar. 27, 2007
Filed:
Dec. 27, 2004
Hiroaki Umemoto, Neyagawa, JP;
Noritoshi Hagimoto, Toyohashi, JP;
Kuniya Matsuura, Toyohashi, JP;
Akira Hirota, Okazaki, JP;
Naotoshi Kawai, Toyokawa, JP;
Kentaro Katori, Toyokawa, JP;
Hiroaki Umemoto, Neyagawa, JP;
Noritoshi Hagimoto, Toyohashi, JP;
Kuniya Matsuura, Toyohashi, JP;
Akira Hirota, Okazaki, JP;
Naotoshi Kawai, Toyokawa, JP;
Kentaro Katori, Toyokawa, JP;
Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
It is intended to provide an image forming apparatus capable of conducting charge adjustment of post-transfer residual toner appropriately by securing a contact area of a temporarily-collecting member and an electrode, without applying excessive deformation load to the temporarily-collecting member. There are arranged a brush roller for temporarily collecting post-transfer residual toner, and an electrode of which inwardly-curved face being in contact with the brush roller in a toner charge apparatus. Thereby, charged-in-opposite-polarity toner, out of post-transfer residual toner, is collected by the brush roller, polarity of the toner is reversed to original polarity, and then, returned to a photosensitive drum. The inner face of the electrode, i.e., a contact face of the electrode and the brush roller is formed in an inwardly-curved face. Thereby, a large contact area and light pushing force of the electrode to the brush roller can go together.