Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
399029000 | Deterioration or developability of toner | 12 |
20100150584 | DETECTION APPARATUS AND TONER DETECTION APPARATUS USING THE SAME - To provide a height detection apparatus capable of detecting height information of a subject surface even in a narrow area, the height detection apparatus includes: an illumination optical system for illuminating the subject surface with a light flux emitted from a light source unit; an imaging optical system for causing the light flux reflected on the subject surface to form an image as a line image on an imaging surface; and a light detection unit disposed on the imaging surface. A light detection surface of the light detection unit is positioned in a plane rotated about a rotational axis, the rotational axis being an axis which is perpendicular to an optical axis of an optical element positioned optically closest to the light detection unit among optical elements constituting the imaging optical system, and is perpendicular to the line image to be formed by the imaging optical system. | 06-17-2010 |
20100158548 | FLEXIBLE NANOWIRE SENSORS AND FIELD-EFFECT DEVICES FOR TESTING TONER - A system, including an improved sensor, for determining toner particle uniformity is described. The sensor measures toner particle charge, typically be having the charge on the toner particle control a current flow through the channel of a thin film transistor. By measuring the charge on many toner particles, the system determines whether sufficient toner degradation has occurred that the toner should be replaced. The sensor is particularly suitable for being formed on a thin diagnostic sheet that is input through the paper path of a printing system. | 06-24-2010 |
20100166439 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image fanning apparatus includes: an image carrier, on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing device, which accommodates a developer for developing the electrostatic latent image into a developer image, and which includes a developer carrier that carries the developer and supplies the developer to the image carrier; a remaining quantity calculation part that calculates a remaining quantity of the developer in the developing housing; a deterioration degree storage part that stores a relationship between the remaining quantity of the developer in the developing housing and a deterioration degree of the developer caused by the developing operation; and a life determination part that determines whether the developing device has reached an end of its life based on the remaining quantity calculated by the remaining quantity calculation part and the relationship stored in the deterioration degree storage part. | 07-01-2010 |
20100166440 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a developing housing that accommodates a developer for developing an electrostatic latent image into a developer image; a developer carrier, which carries the developer in the developing housing, and which supplies the developer to the image carrier; a developing bias supply part that supplies a developing bias to the developer carrier; a remaining quantity calculation part that calculates a remaining quantity of the developer in the developing housing; a deterioration grade storage part that stores a relationship between the remaining quantity of the developer in the developing housing and a deterioration degree of the developer caused by the developing operation; and a developing bias setting part that sets a value of the developing bias in accordance with the remaining quantity calculated by the remaining quantity calculation part and the relationship stored in the deterioration grade storage part. | 07-01-2010 |
20100239274 | TONER DETERIORATION JUDGING METHOD, DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner deterioration judging method includes measuring a time taken for a recess formed on a toner surface to be evened due to flowability of the toner, and judging deterioration of the toner in accordance with the measured time. | 09-23-2010 |
20110085809 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF COMPENSATING FOR PRINTING QUALITY OF THE IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A method of compensating for printing quality of an image forming apparatus includes determining a pattern to be printed as a first pattern which is a default pattern and a second pattern obtained by changing the first pattern according to a toner stress index that represents a deteriorated degree of remaining toner, and printing the determined pattern with the remaining toner. | 04-14-2011 |
20110123206 | IN SITU ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER TONER CHARGE MEASUREMENT - A systems and methods for providing an image forming machine capable of monitoring the absolute charge to mass ratio of toner and dielectric thickness of a photoconductor layer on a photoconductor in an image forming device, and for providing warnings, alerts and process controls when the absolute charge to mass ratio of toner in an image forming device or the dielectric thickness of a photoconductor layer falls outside a predetermined range. | 05-26-2011 |
20130004187 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a control device configured to control an information signal that notifies a user of a coming shortage of the developer in a developer storage portion or a usage limit of the developing device. The control device can transmit the information signal in such a way that the amount of the developer remaining in the developer storage portion at the transmission timing of the information signal is variable according to a developer consumption amount per unit number of recording material sheets. | 01-03-2013 |
20130051822 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING A TRANSPARENT TONER - An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image with a color toner and a transparent toner does not always form an image using the transparent toner. Under the circumstance where the image in which the transparent toner is more easily deteriorated than the color toner is output, if the deteriorated transparent toner is frequently discharged, the productivity may be lowered. Thus, when an amount of the transparent toner applied to the recording material that is acquired by an acquisition device is less than a predetermined amount, the transparent toner in the amount more than that acquired by the acquisition device is applied to the recording material. | 02-28-2013 |
20130058664 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming portion that forms an image on a first image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers the image on the first image bearing member to a second image bearing member; a power supply; a detecting portion that detects a voltage value and a current value; a velocity changing portion; an environment detecting portion; and a controller that determines a transfer voltage value in transferring an image based on a result detected at the detecting portion. An image can be formed at the plurality of velocities. The controller determines a transfer voltage value at a velocity other than the plurality of velocities based on a result detected at the detecting portion and a result detected at the environment detecting portion when the first image bearing member is operated at a predetermined velocity. | 03-07-2013 |
20130058665 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; a development device that includes a developer bearing member in a development position opposite to the image bearing member to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, the developer bearing member bearing and conveying a developer; a bias applying portion that applies a development bias to the developer bearing member; a recording-material sensing portion that senses a type of a recording material to which a toner image developed by the development device is transferred; and a controller that controls the bias applying portion to apply the development bias that degrades a development characteristic when the recording material has low smoothness, compared to high smoothness, from a sensing result of the recording-material sensing portion. | 03-07-2013 |
20140270819 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a primary transfer bias adjuster to adjust, in a second mode, a primary transfer bias by a correction amount in accordance with a degree of deterioration of a developing agent detected by a first developing agent condition detector so as to reduce a primary transfer current of the primary transfer bias upon transferring a toner image from a first image bearing member onto an intermediate transfer member, and to adjust, in a first mode, the primary transfer bias by a correction amount less than the correction amount in the second mode or not to adjust the primary transfer bias in accordance with the degree of deterioration of the developing agent detected by the first developing agent condition detector upon primarily transferring the toner image from the first image bearing member onto the intermediate transfer member. | 09-18-2014 |