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. 12, 2015
Filed:
Nov. 21, 2013
Tetsushi Sakuma, Osaka, JP;
Takeshi Sakashita, Hyogo, JP;
Kenji Nakamura, Osaka, JP;
Masanari Fujita, Osaka, JP;
Yuuji Meguro, Hyogo, JP;
Mitsutoshi Kichise, Osaka, JP;
Tetsushi Sakuma, Osaka, JP;
Takeshi Sakashita, Hyogo, JP;
Kenji Nakamura, Osaka, JP;
Masanari Fujita, Osaka, JP;
Yuuji Meguro, Hyogo, JP;
Mitsutoshi Kichise, Osaka, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A toner collection unit, which can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes a collected toner container having an opening and storing collected toner, a flexible seal sealing the opening of the collected toner container, having a shape of a recess in an initial condition before toner is collected in the container, and being flexible to change the shape to inflate outwardly due to a pressing force exerted from the toner stored in the container, a moving unit disposed outside the flexible seal and movable both in a positive direction to approach the opening of the container and in an opposite direction to move away from the opening when contacting the flexible seal inflating outwardly, a detector detecting movement of the moving unit, and a regulator regulating the moving unit from coming into the recess of the flexible seal in the initial condition.