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:
Jul. 31, 2007
Filed:
May. 11, 2006
Kazuhiko Watanabe, Tokyo, JP;
Kazuhito Watanabe, Kanagawa, JP;
Yasuo Suzuki, Shizuoka, JP;
Nozomu Tamoto, Shizuoka, JP;
Hiroshi Nakai, Shizuoka, JP;
Takahiko Tokumasu, Tokyo, JP;
Kohichi Ohshima, Shizuoka, JP;
Kazuhiko Watanabe, Tokyo, JP;
Kazuhito Watanabe, Kanagawa, JP;
Yasuo Suzuki, Shizuoka, JP;
Nozomu Tamoto, Shizuoka, JP;
Hiroshi Nakai, Shizuoka, JP;
Takahiko Tokumasu, Tokyo, JP;
Kohichi Ohshima, Shizuoka, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.