G03G2221/0005

CLEANING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
20230123409 · 2023-04-20 ·

A cleaning apparatus includes an endless belt configured to bear a toner image, a rotary member configured to be wound around by the belt, and configured to rotate integrally with the belt, a bearing configured to rotatably support the rotary member, a cleaning unit configured to come into contact with a surface of the belt and collect an adhering matter adhered onto the surface, an urging member configured to urge the cleaning unit toward the surface of the belt, and a support member configured from a single member and including a first supporting portion, a second supporting portion, and a third supporting portion. The first supporting portion rotatably supports the belt via the bearing and the rotary member. The second supporting portion pivotably supports the cleaning unit. The third supporting portion supports the urging member.

IMAGING SYSTEM WITH COLLECTING DEVICE FOR FUSER AND CONTROLLER FOR IMAGING SYSTEM
20230115505 · 2023-04-13 ·

An imaging system includes a housing that defines a housing space, a fuser disposed inside the housing space to fix a toner image onto a print medium, a collecting device including an ionizer and a particle filter, and a controller. The fuser is associated with operation history information. The ionizer of the collecting device includes a first electrode and a second electrode. The ionizer generates a discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode so as to charge floating particles that are discharged from the fuser. The particle filter of the collecting device collects the charged floating particles. The controller controls a current to flow between the first electrode and the second electrode due to the discharging, based on the operation history information of the fuser.

ELECTROSTATIC PRINTING SYSTEM WITH CHARGED VOLTAGE DEPENDENT ON DEVELOPER VOLTAGE

An electrostatic printer comprises a charging unit, a photoconductor member, an imaging unit, a developer unit and a controller. The charging unit is to charge the photoconductor member to a charged voltage. The imaging unit is to generate a latent electrostatic image on the photoconductor member by discharging areas of the charged photoconductor member. The developer unit is to develop a toner image on the photoconductor member using a developer voltage. The controller is to change the developer voltage, and to change the charged voltage dependent on the change of the developer voltage.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, an exposure device, a (hive device, a cleaning body, and an exposure device holder. The exposure device is disposed on a motion trajectory between an exposure position and a retracted position and emits light to the image bearer via a lens having a lens surface at the exposure position. The drive device causes the exposure device to move between the exposure position and the retracted position. The cleaning body disposed on the motion trajectory of the exposure device tilts a cleaning surface when contacting with the lens surface of the exposure device. The exposure device holder supports the exposure device while changing an attitude of the exposure device such that the lens surface remains in contact with the cleaning surface of the cleaning body when the exposure device moves from the retracted position to the exposure position.

OPTICAL SCANNING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME
20170371269 · 2017-12-28 ·

An optical scanning device includes a cleaning member held to a holing member and reciprocally moving on a surface of a transparent cover according to reciprocal movement of the holing member, thereby cleaning the surface. The cleaning member is configured such that a front side surface of the cleaning member in a progress direction during the reciprocal movement serves as an inclination surface obliquely crossing the progress direction when viewed from a direction vertical to the surface of the transparent cover, and at an outer side of the transparent cover in a direction perpendicular to the progress direction, a concave portion is formed to collect foreign matters moving to the outer side along the inclination surface according to the movement of the cleaning member.

WASTE TONER TRANSPORT UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
20170364024 · 2017-12-21 ·

A waste toner transport unit includes a waste toner transport path through which waste toner removed from a circumferential surface of an image carrier is transported, a transport member that transports the waste toner along the waste toner transport path, and a movement restrictor that restricts the movement of the waste toner in a process of waste toner transportation. The waste toner transport path includes an area in which an inner bottom surface is inclined and the area constitutes the movement restrictor. The transport member is disposed such that a rotation shaft extends along the inclined inner bottom surface.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member, a transfer member, and a brush contacting a surface of the image bearing member in a contact portion downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a developing portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner which is not transferred onto a toner image receiving member is collected by the developing member. In a charging series, the toner is positioned on the same side as a normal charge polarity of the toner relative to the brush. In the contact portion, a maximum value of a contact pressure of 0.7 gf/mm.sup.2 or more and 3.5 gf/mm.sup.2 or less, a maximum contact area ratio is 18% or more and 74% or less, and a Clark-Evans index of the brush is 1 or more.

TONER CONTAINER, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
20170357181 · 2017-12-14 ·

A toner container is elongated. A first rotating member is rotatably provided in a first toner storage portion and extends in a depth direction of a container main body. A first drive input portion is provided at an end of a first rotation shaft included in the first rotating member and configured to receive a driving force. A second rotating member rotatably provided in a second toner storage portion and extends in the depth direction. A second drive input portion is provided at an end of a second rotation shaft included in the second rotating member and configured to receive a driving force. The container main body includes a plate-like coupling member coupling a first housing of the first toner storage portion with a second housing of the second toner storage portion.

Automated Lens Cleaning and Shutter System for an Electrophotographic Imaging Device

An electrophotographic imaging device, including at least one photoconductive member, a printhead unit, at least one shutter-wiper member, and at least one shutter actuator. The at least one shutter-wiper member is moveable in a first direction between a first position in which the shutter-wiper covers the at least one exit lens of the printhead unit and a second position in which the at least one shutter-wiper does not cover the at least one exit lens so as to allow the at least one light beam generated by the printhead unit to pass therethrough. The at least one actuator is coupled to the at least one shutter-wiper member such that movement of the at least one shutter actuator in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction causes the corresponding shutter-wiper member to move in the first direction.

IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH DETACHABLE WASTE TONER CONTAINER AND SHEET-CONVEYING GUIDE
20170285566 · 2017-10-05 ·

An image-forming apparatus includes an apparatus body and a process cartridge attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body. The apparatus body includes a sheet-feed roller and a body wall. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; a developing roller; a cleaner; a conveying pipe and a waste-toner container for storing waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaner and conveyed by the conveying pipe. The waste-toner container is detachably mountable on the drum frame. The waste-toner container mounted on the drum frame is positioned opposite to the photosensitive drum with respect to the developing roller. The body wall of the apparatus body and a container wall of the waste-toner container constitute a part of a sheet-conveying guide for guiding conveyance of a sheet from the sheet-feed roller toward the photosensitive drum when the process cartridge is attached to the apparatus body.