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. 22, 2014
Filed:
Jul. 29, 2011
Atsushi Takehara, Kyoto, JP;
Tomohiro Kubota, Osaka, JP;
Naoki Nakatake, Hyogo, JP;
Sho Tsuritani, Osaka, JP;
Atsushi Takehara, Kyoto, JP;
Tomohiro Kubota, Osaka, JP;
Naoki Nakatake, Hyogo, JP;
Sho Tsuritani, Osaka, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus, including an image developer to develop an electrostatic latent image and a toner provider to provide a toner from a toner container to the image developer in a direction of gravitational force. The toner container is capable of taking a first position of directing a toner outlet in a horizontal direction; a second position of directing the toner outlet in a direction of gravitational force; and a position of being removed, directing the toner outlet upward relative to the horizontal direction when further rotating from the first position. The toner container includes a main cap member to close the toner outlet when taking the first position and the position of being removed; and a sub-cap member to cover the main cap member while the toner container is displaced from the first position to the position of being removed.