Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080244402 | INFORMATION PROCESSOR, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM RECORDING MEDIUM - An information processor includes an information processing unit that executes an information process by reference to a setting, a setting unit that executes a provisional selection to select one or more selection items among multiple selection items and a definitive selection for deciding the provisional selection by reference to an operation by a user and determines a setting of the information process by reference to a result of the definitive selection, a determination unit that determines a selection item to be explained by reference to one or more selection item provisionally selected by the setting unit, and an explanation outputting unit that outputs an explanation for the user for the selection item to be explained which is determined by the determination unit. | 10-02-2008 |
20080310884 | BODY MEMBER OF A POWDER CONTAINER - The body member of a powder container of the present invention includes a bag-like powder storing body storing powder and formed with an opening at one end, and a base member affixed to the opening of the powder storing body. The base member allows an outlet member, which is formed with a passage configured to deliver the powder from the powder storing body to an outlet and has a shutter function for selectively blocking or unblocking the passage, to be connected to or disconnected from the base member. | 12-18-2008 |
20090080945 | DEVELOPER CONTAINER FOR AN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer container storing a developer of the present invention includes a developer outlet formed in the side wall thereof, and a shutter member for selectively opening or closing the developer outlet. The shutter member opens the developer outlet when the developer container is mounted to the body of an image forming apparatus or closes it when the former is dismounted from the latter. The toner container with this configuration surely prevents the developer from leaking when the developer container is dismounted from an image forming apparatus. | 03-26-2009 |
20090129811 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, POWDER SUPPLYING UNIT, TONER CONTAINER, POWDER CONTAINER, AND METHOD OF RECYCLING THE POWDER CONTAINER - A part of a toner supply path is formed in a setting unit ( | 05-21-2009 |
20090169264 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, METHOD OF DEVELOPING LATENT IMAGE - A developing device includes a first screw that supplies a developer to a developing roller while agitating/conveying the developer in a first direction, and a screw that collects residual developer from the developing roller, agitates/conveys the residual developer in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and delivers the residual developer to the first screw. Between two points that a magnetic flux density in a normal direction of a magnetic field formed in a developer separating magnetic pole in the developing roller become substantially zero, a point at a downstream side in a rotating direction of the developing roller is formed at an upstream side to a developing roller rotating direction, than a line joining the center of the developing roller and the center of the second screw. | 07-02-2009 |
20090185832 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING A DEVELOPER REPLENISHING DEVICE FOR A TWO-INGREDIENT TYPE DEVELOPER - An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing unit for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with a two-ingredient type developer, i.e., a toner and carrier mixture. A toner replenishing device replenishes toner stored in a toner storing portion to the developing unit. A carrier storing portion, storing a carrier therein, is constructed independently of the toner storing portion. The carrier is fed from the carrier storing portion to the developing unit by a toner conveying force available with the toner replenishing device. | 07-23-2009 |
20090317106 | DEVELOPING DEVICE USING TWO-COMPONENT DEVELOPING AGENT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developing device capable of mixing and agitating toner and a developing agent efficiently and without applying unnecessary stress, efficiently adjusting the amount of charge on the developing agent without being affected by external disturbing conditions, and continuously supplying a developing agent having the appropriate toner concentration and amount of charge in just the necessary quantity. The amount of charge on the developing agent discharged from the developing unit is adjusted (reduced) by an ionized air flow, so that it is possible to improve the dispersability of the replenished toner, and quickly adjust the appropriate amount of charge without applying unnecessary stress. The developing agent that is raised from below upwards by a screw is moved downward by an agitation member, and again gathered in around the screw in a circulating flow. In this way, the developing agent within the whole developing agent agitation unit is uniformly mixed. This circulating flow of the developing agent increases the probability of contact, and decreases the amount of damage to the developing agent. When the amount of charge is reduced before agitation using the ionized air flow, the toner can be uniformly charged up to the appropriate value. | 12-24-2009 |
20090322020 | Decelerator, drive device including same, and image forming apparatus incorporating the drive device - A decelerator for reducing a speed of rotation of a drive source and transmitting drive of the drive source to an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus includes a drive shaft, a drive transmission member, and a pressure regulator. The drive shaft is rotated by the drive source. The drive transmission member is rotated by the drive shaft and includes a peripheral surface that contacts the drive shaft. The pressure regulator presses the drive shaft against a center of rotation of the drive transmission member and includes an alignment regulator to regulate alignment of the drive shaft in a direction of rotation of the drive transmission member. A drive device for rotating an image bearing member includes a drive source including a drive shaft, and the decelerator. An image forming apparatus includes the drive device and an image bearing member rotated by the drive device. | 12-31-2009 |
20090324298 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, POWDER SUPPLYING UNIT, TONER CONTAINER, POWDER CONTAINER, AND METHOD OF RECYCLING THE POWDER CONTAINER - A part of a toner supply path is formed in a setting unit ( | 12-31-2009 |
20100290815 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING SAME - A developing apparatus using a two-component developer constituted by a magnetic carrier and a toner, and an image forming apparatus comprising the developing apparatus. A developing unit and a stirring unit are provided, and in order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, and thereby suppress contamination of the apparatus interior, the developer in a developing machine is transferred to a stirrer serving as a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. Further, to extend the life of the developer, a range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller serving as a developer carrier on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a doctor blade serving as a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0[°] and not more than 60[°] is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 [mT]. | 11-18-2010 |
20110044726 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developing unit, a developer agitating unit, a developer conveying unit, and a toner supplementing unit. The developing unit develops an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier with a developer containing toner and carrier. The developer agitating unit agitates the developer. The developer conveying unit connects the developing unit and the developer agitating unit, and conveys the developer from the developing unit to the developer agitating unit. The toner supplementing unit is connected to the developer conveying unit, and supplements toner to the developer conveyed from the developing unit to the developer agitating unit. | 02-24-2011 |
20110230305 | Driving device and image forming apparatus - A driving device includes a planetary gear deceleration mechanism in a transmission path that transmits driving force from a driving motor to a driven member, in which the deceleration mechanism includes first and second support units into which a housing that constitutes a mechanism main body is divided, the first support unit includes carriers of at least one stage and pinion gears supported thereby, and is provided with an output unit in the carrier of the final stage, the second support unit includes an output shaft that is detachable from the output unit and a supporting unit for the output shaft, and the output shaft is supported in an insertable and removable manner with respect to the output unit of the carriers in the first and the second support units that are joined to each other. | 09-22-2011 |
20110293328 | Rotary drive device and image forming apparatus including same - A rotary drive device to drive a rotary body included in an image forming apparatus. The rotary drive device includes a drive source and a planetary gear mechanism to control torque from the drive source. The planetary gear mechanism includes a sun gear rotated by the torque, an annular gear coaxial to the sun gear and having inward-facing teeth, multiple planetary gears provided within the annular gear, and a carrier rotatable coaxially to the sun gear and the annular gear to rotatably support the multiple planetary gears. The annular gear is formed by injecting molten resin into a mold having a cylindrical cavity with teeth shapes along an inner circumference of the cavity from multiple pin gates provided to the mold at equal intervals along a circumference of the cavity. A number of pin gates is a non-integer multiple of a number of planetary gears. | 12-01-2011 |
20120046142 | REDUCTION GEAR UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A reduction gear unit incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes planetary gear mechanisms each including a sun gear, an outer gear, planetary gears arranged between the outer gear and the sun gear at equal intervals and meshing with the sun gear and the outer gear, and a carrier rotatable coaxially with the sun gear and the outer gear to rotatably support the planetary gears. An extreme upstream mechanism in the drive transmission direction includes an input element connected to a drive source. An extreme downstream mechanism includes an output element connected to a member outputting the drive force to a rotary member. Any mechanism other than the extreme downstream mechanism includes an output element connected to an input element of an adjacent mechanism located downstream of any other mechanism. The sun gear of the extreme downstream mechanism has a larger pitch diameter than any other mechanisms. | 02-23-2012 |
20120070195 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING SAME - A developing apparatus for an image forming apparatus. In order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, the developer is transferred to a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. A range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0° and not more than 60° is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 mT. | 03-22-2012 |
20120196720 | PLANETARY GEAR UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A planetary gear unit including a sun gear rotatable by torque from a drive source, an outer gear disposed coaxially with the sun gear, multiple planetary gears disposed within the outer gear at equal intervals along an inner circumference of the outer gear to engage the sun gear and the outer gear, a carrier pin to rotatably support each of the multiple planetary gears, and a carrier rotatable coaxially with the sun gear and the outer gear to support both ends of the carrier pin. At least a first end of the carrier pin is constructed of a circular portion and a linear portion to form a first supported part. The carrier includes a first support part that supports the first supported part and is formed to position the circular portion of the first supported part downstream from the linear portion in a direction of rotation of the carrier. | 08-02-2012 |
20130109529 | ROTARY BODY DRIVER WITH PLANETARY GEAR TRANSMISSION AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME | 05-02-2013 |