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. 19, 2016
Filed:
Jul. 14, 2015
Tomohiko Fujii, Tokyo, JP;
Masahiro Samei, Osaka, JP;
Yoshiharu Takahashi, Osaka, JP;
Daisuke Inoue, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshihiro Fukuhata, Hyogo, JP;
Minoru Toyoda, Hyogo, JP;
Tomohiko Fujii, Tokyo, JP;
Masahiro Samei, Osaka, JP;
Yoshiharu Takahashi, Osaka, JP;
Daisuke Inoue, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshihiro Fukuhata, Hyogo, JP;
Minoru Toyoda, Hyogo, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device to form a cleaning toner image in a cleaning region on a cleaning sheet and a check toner image in a check region on the cleaning sheet. The image forming apparatus further includes a fixing device including a first rotator and a heater to heat the first rotator to a cleaning temperature that is lower than a fixing temperature to which the first rotator is heated in a print job and higher than a cold offset temperature at which toner adheres to the first rotator by cold offset. Each of the cleaning region and the check region has a length greater than a circumferential length of the first rotator. The cleaning region and the check region are disposed at a leading section and a trailing section of the cleaning sheet in a cleaning sheet conveyance direction, respectively.