Patent classifications
G03G15/0856
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF DETERMINING WHETHER TO ORDER NEW DRUM CARTRIDGE TOGETHER WITH NEW TONER CARTRIDGE
An image forming apparatus includes: a main body; a drum cartridge and a toner cartridge those attachable to the main body; a main memory; and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: determining a number of sheets printable using the toner cartridge attached to the main body; determining a number of sheets printable using the drum cartridge attached to the main body; determining a number of sheets printable using a new toner cartridge; and when determining that a sum of the number of sheets printable using the toner cartridge attached to the main body and the number of sheets printable using a new toner cartridge is greater than or equal to the number of sheets printable using the drum cartridge attached to the main body, transmitting to a server a signal for ordering a new drum cartridge together with a new toner cartridge.
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING A TONER REPLENISHMENT OPERATION
An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable includes an opening/closing portion moving from a closed position to an open position in a case where the toner replenishment container attached to a replenishment port is rotated, and a locking membered to move between a restricting position restricting movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed. In addition, a controller, in a case where a replenishment operation, in which toner is supplied from the replenishment container to the replenishment port, displays, on a display, a ratio corresponding to an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation.
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable includes a replenishment port to allow replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, which is arranged outside of the image forming apparatus, to a developer container therethrough in a state where the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port, an opening/closing portion to open and close the replenishment port, and a locking member to move between a restricting position in which the locking member restricts movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed. A controller maintains, when the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port, the locking member in the restricting position in a case where a lifetime of the cartridge is less than a threshold.
Image forming apparatus having a voltage applying unit that applies voltage to a regulating member
An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member. A charging member charges a surface of the photosensitive member. A developing roller carries developer. The developing roller supplies the developer in normal polarity to the surface of the photosensitive member. A regulating member regulates the developer on the developing roller. A common voltage applying unit applies charging voltage and regulating voltage. The regulating voltage is applied with the developing roller rotating such that a potential difference in a direction in which electrostatic force from the regulating member to the developing roller acts on the developer charged in the normal polarity, is formed between the regulating member and the developing roller, and in which the charging voltage to be applied in a non-image-forming period is controlled so as to be smaller in absolute value than in an image-forming period.
Estimation of toner remaining rate
An image forming apparatus includes a body on which a development cartridge is mountable to form a toner image by supplying toner in the development cartridge to an electrostatic latent image formed, a communicating portion provided on an outer surface of the body to be coupled with a toner refill cartridge to form a connection with the development cartridge to perform a toner refill of the toner in the development cartridge through the connection with the development cartridge, a sensor to detect a remaining toner amount remaining in the development cartridge, and a controller to estimate, based on the sensor detecting the remaining toner amount, an estimated toner remaining rate of the development cartridge, which is an estimated rate of the toner remaining in the development cartridge based on toner consumption, according to the toner refill.
Image forming system capable of predicting consumed amount of consumable, prediction data output method
An image forming system includes a recording processing portion, an acquirement processing portion, and an output processing portion. The recording processing portion records a consumed amount of a consumable consumed by an image forming apparatus per predetermined unit time. The acquirement processing portion acquires prediction data that indicates a predicted consumed amount of the consumable per the unit time for a time period from a predetermined standard time, based on a comparison result between: a first record result corresponding to a first time period extending to a reference time; and a second record result corresponding to a predetermined second time period extending to the standard time, among a record result recorded by the recording processing portion, the reference time being a predetermined specific time period earlier than the standard time. The output processing portion outputs the prediction data acquired by the acquirement processing portion.
Waste toner collecting device for increasing waste toner collecting efficiency
A waste toner collecting device includes a waste toner container, a detector, and an auger. The waster toner container is to collect waste toner. The detector is to detect an amount of waste toner collected and accumulated in the waste toner container. The auger is to disperse the waste toner in the waste toner container. The auger includes a first blade to transport the waste toner in a first direction toward the detector in the waste toner container, and a second blade to transport the waste toner in a second direction opposite to the first direction in the waste toner container. The second blade includes a first blade section having a waste toner transport rate greater than a waste toner transport rate of the first blade.
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
An image forming apparatus, including: a housing; a photoconductor; a developing unit configured to form a developer image on the photoconductor; a developer cartridge storing developer, the cartridge being removably mountable on the housing, a supplier configured to supply the developer from the developer cartridge to the developing unit; and a controller configured to execute a first printing process of forming a developer image by use of the developer supplied from the developer cartridge, when the developer cartridge is being mounted on the housing, and a second printing process of forming a developer image by use of the developer remaining in the developing unit, when a usage amount of the developing unit is not less than a predetermined value and the developer cartridge is not being mounted on the housing, wherein the controller does not execute the second printing process when the usage amount is less than the predetermined value.
Image forming apparatus controlling development contrast according to temperature, humidity and peripheral velocity ratio
When, in a state where a developer borne by a developer bearing member is sandwiched by an opposing portion of an image bearing member and the developer bearing member, C denotes capacitance between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member, ΔV denotes a development contrast, Q/S denotes a charge amount per unit area of the developer borne by the developer bearing member, and Δv denotes a peripheral velocity ratio which is a ratio of a peripheral velocity of the developer bearing member to a peripheral velocity of the image bearing member, a first peripheral velocity ratio is set so that |Q/S×Δv|≤|C×ΔV| is satisfied, and a second peripheral velocity ratio which is larger than the first peripheral velocity ratio is set so that |Q/S×Δv|>|C×ΔV| is satisfied.
TONER LEVEL SENSING USING TONER CONTAINER VIBRATION
A system for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a toner container having a reservoir for storing toner and an impact member configured to selectively impart an impulse force on the toner container to cause vibration of the toner container. A sensor is configured to sense the vibration of the toner container upon the impact member imparting the impulse force on the toner container. Processing circuitry in communication with the sensor is configured to determine an estimate of an amount of toner in the reservoir based on the sensed vibration of the toner container.