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:
Nov. 29, 2016
Filed:
Dec. 29, 2015
Junichi Terai, Kanagawa, JP;
Tadashi Ogawa, Tokyo, JP;
Hiroyuki Mabuchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Yukio Otome, Ibaraki, JP;
Hideki Kimura, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Kikuchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroaki Okamoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Junichi Terai, Kanagawa, JP;
Tadashi Ogawa, Tokyo, JP;
Hiroyuki Mabuchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Yukio Otome, Ibaraki, JP;
Hideki Kimura, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroshi Kikuchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Hiroaki Okamoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a removable unit to be removably installed in the image forming apparatus, having a unit-side opening, a connectable device having an apparatus-side opening to be connected to the unit-side opening to send developer from one of the removable unit and the connectable device to the other, a receptacle disposed below the unit-side opening and the apparatus-side opening to receive and store developer dropping from above, and a drawer unit to be retractably drawn out from the image forming apparatus. The receptacle is united with the drawer unit to be drawn out from the image forming apparatus together with the drawer unit.