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. 15, 2014
Filed:
Feb. 21, 2012
Yoshihisa Ashikawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Yoshihisa Ashikawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit configured to supply a toner onto a surface of an image carrier to form a toner image carried from a toner container; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image onto a transfer medium; a cleaning unit configured to collect a non-transferred toner that is not transferred onto the transfer medium during the transfer by the transfer unit; a recycle unit configured to carry the non-transferred toner to the developing unit; a non-transferred-toner-amount detecting unit configured to detects an amount of the non-transferred toner; a total-toner-amount calculating unit configured to calculates an amount of the toner carried from the toner container; a consumed-toner-amount calculating unit configured to calculate, based on the amounts, a consumed toner amount; and an environmental-load-information calculating unit configured to calculate, based on the consumed toner amount, environmental load information.