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. 14, 2016
Filed:
Jan. 26, 2015
Yusuke Ishizuka, Kanagawa, JP;
Takeshi Shintani, Kanagawa, JP;
Nobuo Kuwabara, Kanagawa, JP;
Kenji Honjoh, Kanagawa, JP;
Yasuhito Kuboshima, Tokyo, JP;
Yusuke Ishizuka, Kanagawa, JP;
Takeshi Shintani, Kanagawa, JP;
Nobuo Kuwabara, Kanagawa, JP;
Kenji Honjoh, Kanagawa, JP;
Yasuhito Kuboshima, Tokyo, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a controller and multiple image forming units each of which includes an image bearer, a toner image forming device to form a toner image on the image bearer, a transfer device to transfer the toner image from the image bearer onto a transfer medium, a cleaning device to remove toner from a surface of the image bearer, a waste-toner tube through which toner removed by the cleaning device is transported, and a toner conveying member to transport toner by rotation and disposed inside the waste-toner tube. The controller changes a rotation speed of the toner conveying member for each of the multiple image forming units according to toner type including a first toner and a second toner having poorer flow properties than the first toner, and at least one image forming units uses the second toner and the rest use the first toner.