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:
Jun. 30, 2015
Filed:
Dec. 28, 2011
Yasuhiro Suzuki, Nagoya, JP;
Yoshiteru Hattori, Ichinomiya, JP;
Yasuhiro Suzuki, Nagoya, JP;
Yoshiteru Hattori, Ichinomiya, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus may include controls for changing a state of a developing roller from a stopped state to a rotating state. The change in state may be used to avoid deterioration of toner and/or a surface of the developing roller. Changes in state may occur at various times including at a timing corresponding to an outside of an image formation area, a timing corresponding to an inside of an image formation area and the like. In one arrangement, a first developing roller may continue to rotate (e.g., during monochrome printing), while one or more other developing rollers are switched between a stopped state and a rotating state. Alternatively or additionally, a roller which is caused to change states may remain stopped between the timing corresponding to a rear end of an image formation area and a timing corresponding to a front end of an immediately subsequent image formation area.