Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080298851 | Image Formation Apparatus and Image Formation System - The invention provides, as an aspect thereof, an image formation apparatus that includes: an image carrier that carries a latent image; a toner carrier that has, on a surface of the toner carrier, a concave portion arrayed in a regular pattern so as to carry toner, and develops the latent image that is carried on the image carrier by means of the toner carried in the concave portion; and a voltage application section that applies a development voltage to the toner carrier for the purpose of the development of the latent image. In the configuration of an image formation apparatus according to the above-described aspect of the invention, immediately after that the toner carrier has developed the latent image, which is carried on the image carrier, by means of the toner carried in the concave portion in response to the application of the development bias to the toner carrier by the voltage application section, at least one layer of the toner remains carried in the concave portion. | 12-04-2008 |
20080298853 | Developing Device, Image Forming Apparatus, Image Forming System, Developing Method, and Toner Bearing Member - The present invention provides a developing device that includes a toner bearing member that includes regularly arranged projection sections and depressed sections for bearing toner, and that develops a latent image borne on an image bearing member with the toner borne on the projection sections and the depressed sections, wherein the latent image is developed in a state in which a projection section covering ratio at which toner contacting the projection sections covers the projection sections is smaller than a depressed section covering ratio at which toner contacting the depressed sections covers the depressed sections. | 12-04-2008 |
20080298855 | Developing Device, Image Forming Apparatus, and Image Forming System - A developing device includes a rotatable toner bearing roller and a regulation blade. The toner bearing roller has regularly-arranged projecting sections and non-projecting sections, bears toner whose volume average particle diameter is smaller than a depth of the non-projecting section relative to the projecting section, and develops a latent image borne on an image bearing member with the toner borne on the toner bearing roller. The regulation blade is for regulating an amount of the toner borne on the toner bearing roller, and abuts, with a predetermined width, against a circumferential surface of the toner bearing roller in a circumferential direction thereof in such a manner that a longitudinal direction of the regulation blade is along a direction of a rotation axis of the toner bearing roller. A tip edge of the regulation blade in a lateral direction and a thickness direction thereof is located within an abutting section having the predetermined width. The predetermined width is larger than a maximum width, in the circumferential direction, of the non-projecting section. | 12-04-2008 |
20090003888 | Developing Apparatus, Image Forming Apparatus, Image Forming System and Image Forming Method - A developer carrier has concave portions regularly arranged on the surface thereof and being rotatable with a developer thereon. A contact member is made of an elastic rubber material, is in contact with the surface of the developer carrier, and vibrates with the rotation of the developer carrier. A value obtained by dividing a movement speed of the surface at the time of rotation of the developer carrier by a pitch of the concave portions in a peripheral direction of the developer carrier is smaller than the number of vibrations of the contact member when a loss tangent obtained by dividing a loss elastic modulus of the contact member by a storage elastic modulus is the greatest. | 01-01-2009 |
20090110442 | Developer Apparatus, Image Forming Apparatus and Developing Method - A developer apparatus, includes: a container which houses toner; a toner carrier roller which is provided, on a surface thereof, with a plurality of convex sections which are regularly arranged and a concave section which surrounds the convex sections, is shaped approximately like a cylinder, and rotates while carrying a toner layer of charged toner supplied from the container on the surface thereof; and a restriction member which abuts on the toner layer on the surface of the toner carrier roller to restrict a thickness of the toner layer, and restricts the toner layer carried by the convex sections within the surface of the toner carrier roller to one layer or less. | 04-30-2009 |
20090110443 | Developer Apparatus, Image Forming Apparatus and Developing Method - A developer apparatus, includes: a container which houses toner; a toner carrier roller that is provided, on a surface thereof, with a plurality of convex sections which are regularly arranged and a concave section which surrounds the convex sections, is shaped approximately like a cylinder, and rotates while carrying a toner layer of charged toner supplied from the container on the surface thereof, and a restriction member that abuts on the surface of the toner carrier roller to form a restriction nip, restricts a thickness of the toner layer carried on the surface of the toner carrier roller in the restriction nip, and removes the toner layer on the convex sections from among the toner layer carried on the surface of the toner carrier roller at an upstream-side end of the restriction nip in a rotation direction of the toner carrier roller. | 04-30-2009 |
20090110444 | Developer Apparatus, Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming Method - A developer apparatus, includes: a toner carrier roller which rotates while carrying a toner layer of charged toner on its surface, the toner carrier being shaped approximately like a cylinder and being provided, on a surface thereof, with a plurality of convex sections, which are regularly arranged along a width direction parallel to a rotation shaft of the toner carrier roller and a circumferential direction which is along a circumferential surface of the toner carrier roller, and concave sections which surround the convex sections; and a restriction member which abuts on the surface of the toner carrier roller, thereby restricting the toner layers which are carried on the surface of the toner carrier roller, the restriction member including an elastic abutting member formed by an elastic material, the elastic abutting member which includes an edge part which extends along the width direction parallel to the rotation shaft of the toner carrier roller and abuts on the surface of the toner carrier roller, wherein within a restriction nip which is created as the toner carrier roller and the restriction member abut on each other, a plurality of abutting segments where the edge part abuts on the plurality of convex sections and opening segments where the edge part and the concave sections are opposed each other with a gap between each other appear alternately along the width direction, and in the opening segments, the edge part of the elastic abutting member bulges toward bottom of the concave sections beyond linear lines which connect top surfaces of two adjacent convex sections which are on both sides to the concave sections which are opposed to the edge part. | 04-30-2009 |
20090148197 | Developer Apparatus, An Image Forming Apparatus and An Image Forming Method - A developer apparatus, includes: a toner carrier roller that is shaped approximately like a cylinder, rotates while carrying a toner layer of charged toner on a surface thereof, and is provided, on the surface thereof, with plural convex section rows, each of which has plural convex sections arranged in a row in a width direction parallel to a rotational axis of the toner carrier roller and which are arranged in a circumferential direction orthogonal to the width direction and parallel to a circumferential surface of the toner carrier roller, the convex sections being so constructed and arranged that top surfaces of the convex sections coincide with a part of a curved surface of a single cylinder; and a restriction member that abuts on the surface of the toner carrier roller to restrict the toner layer carried on the surface of the toner carrier roller, includes an elastic abutting member which is made of an elastic material and has an edge part which extends in the width direction, the edge part being pressed into contact with the surface of the toner carrier roller, wherein a virtual surface which is obtained by extending the top surface of each convex section in the width direction and forms a part of the curved surface of the single cylinder is defined as a convex section extending surface of each convex section, and the convex section extending surfaces overlap each other between the convex sections belonging to the same convex section row, whereas the convex section extending surfaces do not overlap each other between the convex sections belonging to mutually different convex section rows. | 06-11-2009 |
20090190962 | Developing Device and Image-Forming Apparatus - A developing device includes a housing having inner walls, a toner container disposed in the housing, a supply roller disposed in the toner container so as to oppose one of the inner walls and rotating to move a toner, and a development roller to which the toner is supplied from the supply roller. The inner wall of the housing opposing the supply roller has a recess and a protrusion that allow the toner moved by the rotation of the supply roller to flow in a specific direction so as to agitate the toner. | 07-30-2009 |
20090208255 | Development Roller, Development Device, and Image Forming Apparatus - A development roller includes a base unit having a base recess and a base projection formed in a predetermined area of a circumference surface of the base unit, and a surface layer formed on the circumference surface of the base unit and having a recess and a projection formed respectively in accordance with the base recess and the base projection of the base unit. | 08-20-2009 |
20090208256 | Development Roller, Development Device, and Image Forming Apparatus - A development roller includes a base unit having a base recess and a base projection that are formed in a predetermined area of a circumference surface of the base unit by pressing a regular pattern in pressure machining, and a surface layer formed on the circumference surface of the base unit and having a recess and a projection formed respectively in accordance with the base recess and the base projection of the base unit. A thickness of the surface layer is larger than a maximum height of a base swollen portion close to the side edge of the base projection from a regular surface of the base projection. | 08-20-2009 |
20090214271 | Development Roller, Development Device, Image Forming Apparatus, and Method of Manufacturing Development Roller - A development roller includes a base unit having a base recess and a base projection that are formed in a predetermined area of a circumference surface of the base unit, and a surface layer formed on the circumference surface of the base unit and having on the circumference thereof a recess and a projection formed respectively in accordance with the base recess and the base projection of the base unit. Surface hardness of the projection is higher than surface hardness of the recess. | 08-27-2009 |
20090290900 | Developing Device, Image Forming Apparatus, and Method of Manufacturing Developing Device - A developing device includes: a housing that stores toner therein; a toner carrying roller that is attached to the housing by a shaft and is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction while carrying charged toner on a surface of the toner carrying roller to transport the toner to the outside of the housing; and a seal member that extends in a direction of a rotation axis of the toner carrying roller and has one end fixed to the housing and the other end in contact with the surface of the toner carrying roller to prevent the toner from leaking out of the housing, wherein a plurality of convex portions having top surfaces constituting a part of the same cylindrical surface are formed on the surface of the toner carrying roller, and at least a part of the seal member in contact with the surface of the toner carrying roller is made of a material having a contact angle of 105° or more with respect to water. | 11-26-2009 |
20100008699 | Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming Method - An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; an exposure device; a developing device that develops the latent image on the image carrier by using a toner charged to a predetermined polarity and having an external additive; a transfer device that transfers a toner image developed on the image carrier to a transfer medium; a first charging member that charges the external additive and the transfer residual toner remaining on the image carrier and the image carrier after transfer to the same polarity as a polarity of the toner; a cleaning member that electrostatically attracts the external additive and the transfer residual toner charged by the first charging member; and a second charging member that charges the image carrier to an electric potential smaller in absolute value than an electric potential of the image carrier generated after the image carrier passes the cleaning member. | 01-14-2010 |
20100014890 | Image Forming Apparatus - Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a rotatable image carrier; a protective agent supplying unit supplying a protective agent to the image carrier; a first charging unit charging the image carrier to the same polarity as a regular charging polarity of a toner; a second charging unit charging the protective agent supplied to the image carrier to the opposite polarity to the regular charging polarity of the toner; an exposure unit forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a development unit developing the electrostatic latent image of the image carrier; and a transfer unit transferring the image of the image carrier, wherein the second charging unit is disposed between the protective agent supplying unit and the development unit. | 01-21-2010 |
20100021190 | Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming Method - An image forming method includes supplying a protective agent to an image carrier, and charging the image carrier by a plurality of charging units, wherein degrees of discharge deterioration of the surface of the image carrier in the plurality of charging units are different, and wherein, in the amounts of protective agent supplied to charging portions of the plurality of charging units, the amount of protective agent supplied to a charging portion, in which a degree of discharge deterioration of the surface of the image carrier is high, is large. | 01-28-2010 |
20100061775 | Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming Method - An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image holder that holds on its surface an electrostatic latent image in which an image portion and a non-image portion have different potentials; a toner carrying roller that carries a toner layer including both contact toner which directly contacts a surface of the roller and non-contact toner which contacts the contact toner but does not contact the surface of the roller; and an electric field forming unit that forms an alternating electric field to cause an electric field strength exerted between the non-image portion on the surface of the latent image holder and the surface of the toner carrying roller to be lower than a contact toner fly start electric field strength and higher than a non-contact toner fly start electric field strength, between the latent image holder and the toner carrying roller, as a toner fly electric field. | 03-11-2010 |
20100143005 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier; a charging unit; a latent image forming unit; a developing unit; a transferring unit; and a cleaning unit, wherein a voltage of the non-image portion of the latent image carrier is Vo, a voltage of the developing bias at the time when a force generated to bias the toner charged with the regular charging polarity in a direction from the latent image carrier to the toner carrier is maximum is Vmax, and a voltage of the developing bias at the time when a force generated to bias the toner charged with the regular charging polarity in a direction from the toner carrier to the latent image carrier is maximum is Vmin, in the developing position, an equation |Vmax−Vo|>|Vmin−Vo| is satisfied. | 06-10-2010 |
20100150617 | DEVELOPING ROLLER MANUFACTURING METHOD, DEVELOPING ROLLER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A method of manufacturing a developing roller, including: a first rolling process for forming a first inclined groove which is continuous in a helical shape, by rotating a first die having blades inclined with respect to an axial direction and a circumferential direction, and a non-bladed die, and feeding an unprocessed developing roller between the first die and the non-bladed die; and a second rolling process for forming a second inclined groove which is continuous in a helical shape and intersects with the first inclined groove, by rotating a second die having blades inclined with respect to an axial direction and a circumferential direction in the direction opposite to that of the first die, and the non-bladed die in the same direction opposite to that in the first rolling process, and feeding the developing roller between the second die and the non-bladed die. | 06-17-2010 |
20100150619 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Provided is a development device including: a development roller in which continuous spiraling inclined grooves having different inclinations with respect to an axial direction are formed so as to cross each other; and a feed roller which is in contact with the development roller and feeds toner to the development roller, wherein transportation force, which is used for transporting the toner on the development roller from one side to the other side of the axial direction of the development roller, is generated by the rotation of the feed roller. | 06-17-2010 |
20100239272 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a developer carrier configured to carry toner; a toner supply member configured to supply developer to the developer carrier; a developing chamber having the developer carrier and the toner supply member; and a sensing device disposed above a toner level in the developing chamber and configured to sense a toner flow. | 09-23-2010 |
20100247187 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier which circumferentially rotates in a predetermined rotational direction; a lubricant applying unit which applies a lubricant on a surface of the latent image carrier in a predetermined application position; a developing unit which adheres a toner including an additive having an abrasion effect onto the surface of the latent image carrier on which the lubricant is coated to form a toner image, in a development position located on a downstream side of the application position in the rotational direction; and a conductive blade which cleans and removes the toner on the surface of the latent image carrier in contact with the surface of the latent image carrier, and charges the surface of the latent image carrier, in a cleaning and charging position located on an upstream side of the development position in the rotational direction. | 09-30-2010 |
20100248129 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier which circumferentially rotates in a predetermined rotational direction; a conductive blade which cleans a surface of the latent image carrier by being in contact with the surface of the latent image carrier, and charges the surface of the latent image carrier at a first electric potential having the same polarity as normal charged polarity of a toner according to application of direct current voltage having the same polarity as the normal charged polarity of the toner, in a predetermined cleaning and charging position; and a charger which provides electric charge having reverse polarity to the normal charged polarity and adjusts an electric potential of the surface of the latent image carrier to a second electric potential, in a secondary charging position located on a downstream side of the cleaning and charging position in the rotational direction. | 09-30-2010 |
20100248131 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier; a lubricant applying unit configured to bring a conductive contact member into contact with a surface of the latent image carrier; a development unit configured to attach toner to the surface of the latent image carrier; and a conductive blade brought into contact with the surface of the latent image carrier at a cleaning position, wherein a bias is applied to at least one of the conductive contact member and the conductive blade such that the surface of the latent image carrier is electrified, and wherein, as the durability of the conductive blade is prolonged, a ratio of the electrification of the surface of the latent image carrier by the conductive blade and the electrification of the surface of the latent image carrier by the conductive contact member is changed. | 09-30-2010 |
20100261110 | TONER, TONER PRODUCTION METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE USING THE SAME - A toner, has a number mode diameter of 3 μm or more and 6 μm or lower and a particle size distribution of a toner including an externally-applied agent in the range of 0.6 μm to 400 μm in which the number frequency of a toner smaller than the number mode diameter is smaller than the number frequency of a toner equal to or larger than the number mode diameter. | 10-14-2010 |
20120263505 | Toner-Particle Bearing Roller, Developing Device, and Image Forming Apparatus - A developing device includes a toner particle-bearing roller that bears toner particles on its surface and develops a latent image borne by an image-bearing member with those toner particles, the toner particle-bearing roller has a projection portion disposed on its surface, the projection portion having a top surface having a flat portion, and a width of the top surface being equal to or more than a volume average particle diameter of the toner particles. | 10-18-2012 |