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:
May. 31, 2011
Filed:
Feb. 26, 2007
Yuji Arai, Kawasaki, JP;
Hiroyuki Nagashima, Yokohama, JP;
Nobuo Kuwabara, Yokohama, JP;
Hirotaka Hatta, Kawasaki, JP;
Hiroshi Hosokawa, Yokohama, JP;
Yuji Arai, Kawasaki, JP;
Hiroyuki Nagashima, Yokohama, JP;
Nobuo Kuwabara, Yokohama, JP;
Hirotaka Hatta, Kawasaki, JP;
Hiroshi Hosokawa, Yokohama, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor and a lubricant applicator. The photoconductor carries a toner image formed by developing an electrostatic latent image with a toner. The lubricant applicator applies a solid lubricant to a surface of the photoconductor, and includes a brush roller, a holder, a pressing member, and a protrusion. The holder holds the solid lubricant. The brush roller scrapes off the solid lubricant from the holder and applies the scraped solid lubricant to the surface of the photoconductor. The pressing member has an ellipse shape and presses the solid lubricant toward the brush roller via the holder. The protrusion is disposed on the holder and contacts an inner circumferential surface of the pressing member at two positions provided in both end portions of the pressing member in a direction of a minor axis of the ellipse formed by the pressing member to support the pressing member.