Cleaning Of Fixing Member Patents (Class 399/327)
  • Patent number: 11934120
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member and a pressing rotary member. The pressing rotary member and the heating rotary member form a fixing nip portion and are configured to apply heat and pressure to a toner image carried on a recording medium at the fixing nip portion, thereby fix the toner image onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a winding roller configured to wind up a web used to collect toner that is not fixed to the recording medium, a motor configured to rotate the winding roller, a contact member configured to contact an outside surface of the web wound around the winding roller, a variable resistor disposed so as to be able to change a resistance in accordance with a position of the contact member, and a control unit configured to control an amount of rotation of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Takayuki Hata, Junichiro Nakabayashi
  • Patent number: 11874618
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixing portion, and a control portion. The fixing portion forms a nip portion to nip a recording material and includes heat-generating elements along a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording material. The fixing portion fixes the image on the recording material using heat. The image forming apparatus changes a control target temperature for each heating area heated by each of the heat-generating elements in accordance with the image to be formed on the recording material. When forming the image after a jam clearing process in which the recording material nipped in the nip portion is removed, the control portion changes a distribution of a control target temperature of the whole heater in the direction in which the heat-generating elements are aligned to a second distribution different from a first distribution corresponding to the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noriaki Sato
  • Patent number: 11835049
    Abstract: A turbo-molecular pump comprises: a turbine pump portion having rotor blades and stator blades arranged in multiple stages in an axial direction; a drag pump portion provided on a downstream side of the turbine pump portion; a case housing the turbine pump portion; a base housing the drag pump portion; and a temperature adjustment unit provided between the case and the base. The temperature adjustment unit includes a temperature adjustment spacer forming a pump casing together with the case and the base and, the temperature adjustment unit includes a cooler, a heater, and a temperature detector which are provided at the temperature adjustment spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11402779
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixing portion, and a control portion. The fixing portion forms a nip portion to nip a recording material and includes heat-generating elements along a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording material. The fixing portion fixes the image on the recording material using heat. The image forming apparatus changes a control target temperature for each heating area heated by each of the heat-generating elements in accordance with the image to be formed on the recording material. When forming the image after a jam clearing process in which the recording material nipped in the nip portion is removed, the control portion changes a distribution of a control target temperature of the whole heater in the direction in which the heat-generating elements are aligned to a second distribution different from a first distribution corresponding to the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noriaki Sato
  • Patent number: 11392063
    Abstract: An imaging system includes: an endless belt, a tensioning member, a heating member, a pressing member, a cleaning member. The endless belt conveys a printing medium. The tensioning member tensions the endless belt. The heating member heats the endless belt. The pressing member presses the endless belt against the heating member. The cleaning member is located outside the endless belt, between the tensioning member and the heating member, and presses the endless belt inwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Satoshi Ohwada
  • Patent number: 11273657
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a separation and contact mechanism and a controller. The controller includes a separation and contact control unit, a conveyance roller rotation control unit, and a take-up control unit. The separation and contact control unit controls the separation and contact mechanism so as to allow the web to be pressed to the conveyance roller when the conveyance roller is in a non-conveyable state. The conveyance roller rotation control unit rotates the conveyance roller at a cleaning rotational speed lower than a conveyance-time rotational speed of the conveyance roller in a conveyance state. The take-up control unit allows the take-up roller to perform a take-up operation of taking up the web corresponding to a rotation of a take-up roller plural times at a predetermined time interval within a cleaning time in a state where the conveyance roller is being rotated at the cleaning rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Inventors: Takeshi Watanabe, Hiroatsu Tamai, Kenichi Satake, Hiroki Sakane, Masato Usui, Yuzuru Yuasa, Yusuke Tamekuni, Yasuhiro Michishita, Shinobu Ohata, Naoto Miyakoshi, Shunsuke Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 11207906
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning unit which removes foreign matter adhered on a conveyance face of a conveyance member conveying a sheet, by using a belt shaped web; and a unit moving mechanism which displaces the cleaning unit to a cleaning position where the cleaning unit comes into contact with the conveyance face and to a separation position separated away from the cleaning position. The cleaning unit includes a delivery roller delivering the web, a pressure roller bringing the web pressure-contact with the conveyance face and a winding roller winding the web passed the conveyance face. The cleaning unit is tilted such that a cleaning face of the web between the pressure roller and the winding roller faces upward as the cleaning unit is displaced from the cleaning position to the separation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Satake, Takeshi Watanabe, Hiroki Sakane, Yasuhiro Michishita, Masato Usui, Yuzuru Yuasa, Yusuke Tamekuni, Shinobu Ohata, Naoto Miyakoshi, Shunsuke Yamasaki, Hiroatsu Tamai
  • Patent number: 11126117
    Abstract: A fixing device is provided with a first rotating member, a second rotating member in contact with the first rotating member, a first drive motor for rotationally driving the first rotating member, a second drive motor for rotationally driving the second rotating member, a torque limiter provided between the second rotating member and the second drive motor, and a pressure adjusting mechanism for adjusting the nip pressure between the first rotating member and the second rotating member. When the nip pressure is greater than the maximum torque that can be transmitted by driving the torque limiter, the second rotating member rotates following the first rotating member and at the same linear speed as that of the first rotating member, and when the nip pressure is equal to or less than the maximum torque, the second rotating member rotates at a linear speed different from that of the first rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Akihiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 10775724
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a first pressing unit that rotates; a second pressing unit that comes into press-contact with the first pressing unit to form a nip portion at which a toner image is fixed on a recording medium; a heating unit that heats at least one of the first and second pressing units; and a first cleaning unit that comes into contact with a surface of at least one of the first and second pressing units to perform cleaning, the fixing device being configured to perform a high-temperature rotating operation that includes rotating the first or second pressing unit and heating a surface of the first or second pressing unit coming into contact with the first cleaning unit to a temperature higher than a temperature during fixing; and then to perform a cleaning operation that includes causing a cleaning material to pass through the nip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasushi Nagata, Yasutaka Gotoh
  • Patent number: 10754272
    Abstract: A charging device includes a charging member that includes a conductive elastic layer and a conductive surface layer disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the conductive elastic layer and a cleaning member that includes a support and a foamed elastic layer disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the support and having a higher surface free energy than the conductive surface layer of the charging member and that rotates in contact with the conductive surface layer of the charging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Nonaka, Fuyuki Kano
  • Patent number: 10649391
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotary member, a web, a moving unit, a detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined position, and a control portion. The control portion informs, in a case where an actual moving amount per one winding operation is a first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a first number of sheets. The control portion informs, in a case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is a second moving amount which is greater than the first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a second number of sheets which is less than the first number of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Tamaki, Shigeaki Takada, Daigo Matsuura, Yasuharu Chiyoda, Masahiro Tsujibayashi, Kengo Koyama
  • Patent number: 10459376
    Abstract: A fixing device has a fixing member, a cleaning roller, and a web, a first drive mechanism, a rotation drive unit, and a control unit. The first drive mechanism moves the cleaning roller to abut on or separate from the fixing member. The rotation drive unit can rotatingly drive the cleaning roller when the cleaning roller separates from the fixing member. The control unit performs control such that, in a case where a cleaning mode for cleaning the cleaning roller using the web is selected, the cleaning roller moves to separate from the fixing member and is rotatingly driven, and the web abuts on the cleaning roller, in order to clean the cleaning roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Masashi Saito, Atsushi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10350913
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. Upon receiving a borderless printing instruction, the image forming apparatus performs cleaning processing according to a sheet size. The cleaning processing is different from cleaning processing to be performed when a border printing instruction is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kengo Tokuchi
  • Patent number: 10274875
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a stacking portion, a feeding unit, an image forming unit, a storing unit, an inputting unit for inputting paper kind information of the recording material, and a calculating unit. When the paper kind information of the recording material inputted by the inputting unit is different from paper kind information of the recording material stored in the storing unit, the image forming unit forms the image on the recording material in an image forming condition determined on the basis of the paper kind information of the recording material inputted by the inputting unit, and the calculating means calculates the degree of deterioration of the feeding unit depending on the paper kind information of the recording material stored in the storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Sako, Shun-ichi Ebihara, Tomonori Shida
  • Patent number: 10209651
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a pressure rotator to press against a fixing rotator to form a fixing nip therebetween, through which a recording medium is conveyed. A cleaning web cleans one of the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. A web driver displaces the cleaning web to change a contact portion of the cleaning web, which contacts the one of the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. A controller performs a temperature maintenance and rotation control to heat and rotate the fixing rotator at a predetermined time when the fixing device is in a standby mode in which the recording medium is not conveyed through the fixing nip. The controller controls the web driver at a predetermined time to perform a standby mode cleaning control to change the contact portion of the cleaning web according to an implementation status of the temperature maintenance and rotation control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Satoh, Kyohhei Okuno
  • Patent number: 10031455
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion forming a toner image on a sheet, a rotatable heating member and a rotatable pressing member for fixing, at a nip, the toner image formed on the sheet by the image forming portion, an executing portion for executing a cleaning mode for cleaning the rotatable heating member by introducing, into the nip, the sheet on which a predetermined toner image is formed by the image forming portion, a re-introducing mechanism for re-introducing the sheet, into the nip, which has passed through the nip and then has been turned upside down, and a shifting mechanism for shifting a sheet position so that when a single sheet is introduced twice into the nip in the cleaning mode by using the re-introducing mechanism, positional relationships of a first-time sheet and a second-time sheet relative to the rotatable heating member with respect to a widthwise direction of the rotatable heating member are made different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanobu Tanaka, Oki Kitagawa, Akiyoshi Shinagawa
  • Patent number: 10025263
    Abstract: A locking arm for locking a cleaning unit using a cleaning sheet, a sensor for detecting a remaining amount of the cleaning sheet, a CPU for prohibiting an image forming operation depending on an output of the sensor, and an interrelating arm acting on the sensor so as to prohibit the image forming operation when locking by the locking arm is in an unlocked state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Patent number: 9869954
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing side member; a fixing belt; a back side supporting member configured to form a fixing nip for conveying the recording medium in a tightly sandwiching manner; a heating roller configured to heat the fixing belt from inside; a first movement section configured to move the fixing side member between a first pressure contact position where the fixing side member is brought into pressure contact with the back side supporting member with the fixing belt therebetween, and a second pressure contact position where the fixing side member is brought into pressure contact with the heating roller; and a control section configured to control the first movement section to move the fixing side member to the first pressure contact position in a printing operation, and move the fixing side member to the second pressure contact position when the printing operation is not performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masashi Saito
  • Patent number: 9811029
    Abstract: A fixing device has a flexible endless fixing member; a heater to heat the fixing member; a nip forming member to contact the fixing member directly or via a slide member; a pressure member, rotatably disposed opposite the fixing member and the nip forming member; and a back curl correction structure that includes a drive roller disposed on a side where a back curl appears in the recording sheet; a driven roller disposed opposite the drive roller; an auxiliary nip portion to feed the recording sheet; a guide member to guide the recording sheet fed out from the auxiliary nip portion to bend in a direction opposite a curled direction of the back curl of the recording sheet. A driving connection between the drive roller and the pressure member is performed by a connection between a drive roller side connection gear and a pressure member side connection gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruyuki Honda, Ryuuichi Mimbu, Yoshio Hattori, Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Toshihiko Shimokawa
  • Patent number: 9753418
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a roller, a heating rotation member configured to form a pressure portion by coming into contact with the roller, the heating rotation member being rotated by rotation of the roller, and a pressing rotation member configured to form a nip portion by coming into contact with the roller, the pressing rotation member being rotated by the rotation of the roller, wherein micro-hardness of a surface of the heating rotation member at the pressure portion and micro-hardness of a surface of the pressing rotation member at the nip portion are both higher than micro-hardness of a surface of the roller, and wherein frictional force acting on the roller at the pressure portion is larger than frictional force acting on the roller at the nip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isamu Takeda, Takanori Mitani, Akimichi Suzuki, Satoshi Nishida, Hideo Nanataki, Kazuhiro Doda, Yasuhito Minamishima
  • Patent number: 9690240
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a first roller, a second roller, a detector, and an adjustment unit. The fixing member fixes, on a recording medium, a toner image formed on the recording medium. The first roller performs cleaning of toner sticking to a surface of the fixing member. The second roller collects the toner sticking to a surface of the first roller. The detector detects a temperature of the second roller. The adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the second roller on a basis of a result of detection performed by the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Motoki Matsushima, Masahiro Katahira, Yuki Nagamori
  • Patent number: 9575442
    Abstract: An image fixing apparatus includes: a heater for heating and fixing a toner image formed on a recording material; a thermosensitive element for sensing heat from the heater; and a tension spring for urging the thermosensitive element toward the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Jiro Moriya
  • Patent number: 9507298
    Abstract: To provide an image forming apparatus in which the paper is cooled early by blowing air to the paper in the conveying path so as to prevent a sticking phenomenon on a paper output tray while paper turning, paper folding, paper breakage and paper jamming due to influence on paper conveyance by blowing air onto the paper in the conveying path, can be prevented. At the start of paper conveyance, a gate 73 is turned upwards to a first position to thereby close a sixth conveying path 44 and establish communication between a first conveying path 42 and a second conveying path 43 so that the paper having passed through a fixing unit 21 starts to be conveyed from first conveying path 42 to second conveying path 43. At the same time, air is exhausted from an exhausting mechanism 53 arranged upstream of a cooling mechanism 76.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junya Masuda
  • Patent number: 9454111
    Abstract: An image hearing apparatus includes: a rotatable heating member; a rotatable collecting member; a cleaning unit including a cleaning web; a moving mechanism configured to move the cleaning unit between a first position where the cleaning web contacts the rotatable collecting member and a second position where the cleaning web contacts the rotatable collecting member at a contact pressure lower than a contact pressure at the first position; and an urging portion. The cleaning unit also includes a first pressing potion configured to press the rotatable collecting member toward the rotatable heating member in contact with the rotatable collecting member when the cleaning unit is in the first position, and includes a second pressing portion configured to press the rotatable collecting member toward the rotatable heating member in contact with the urging portion without contacting the rotatable collecting member when the cleaning unit is in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Patent number: 9448515
    Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner to a recording medium. The fixing device includes a rotary member, a bearing, and a bearing holder. The rotary member is rotatable about an axis of rotation of the rotary member. The bearing is disposed around an end part of the rotary member. The bearing holder holds the bearing. The bearing has an outer circumferential surface with a flat portion and a bearing groove. The bearing groove has a bottom surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface. The first side surface of the bearing groove is capable of being in contact with the bearing holder. The second side surface of the bearing groove is capable of being in contact with the bearing holder. The bearing holder is engaged with the bearing groove such as to be in contact with the first and second side surfaces of the bearing groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Yamakawa, Masaru Takagi
  • Patent number: 9429889
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: a heater; a supporting member for supporting the heater; and a high heat-conductive sheet sandwiched between a part of the heater and the supporting member. A recording material on which an image is formed is heated by heat from the heater. The supporting member includes a bearing surface contacting the sheet so as to apply pressure between the heater and the sheet and includes an opposing portion opposing a part of the heater not sandwiching the sheet. In a state in which the pressure is applied between the heater and the sheet, the thickness of the sheet is not less than the height of the stepped portion between the bearing portion and the opposing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Fujiwara, Yasuhiro Shimura, Hideaki Yonekubo, Hisashi Nakahara, Akira Kato, Noriaki Tanaka, Hideyuki Matsubara, Hiroyuki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9382069
    Abstract: First and second frame parts 400a and 400b support a belt guide 431 by interposing the belt guide 431 therebetween. The first frame part 400a is disposed at a downstream side of in rotation direction of a pressure roller 44 than the second frame part 400b when seeing it in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the pressure roller 44. A convex-shaped first belt guide support part 401a for supporting the belt guide 431 is provided on a surface of the first frame part 400a, which faces the second frame part 400b. A convex-shaped second belt guide support part 401b for supporting the belt guide 431 is provided on a surface of the second frame part 400b, which faces the first frame part 400a, at a position, which is more separated from the pressure roller 44 than the first belt guide support part 401a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Ando
  • Patent number: 9372449
    Abstract: A peripheral surface of a pressing roller in a fixing device has a pair of drive transmission surface portions and a paper passing surface portion. The drive transmission surface portions are respectively formed at both end portions of the pressing roller in an axial direction to transmit rotational driving force of the pressing roller to the fixing belt. The paper passing surface portion is positioned between the pair of drive transmission surface portions and has a dynamic friction coefficient lower than that of the drive transmission surface portion. It is determined whether a slip of the fixing belt occurs based on a difference between temperatures detected by a first temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the drive transmission surface portion and a second temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the paper passing surface portion. Thereby, even a slight slip of the fixing belt 42 is reliably detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Masaru Torimoto
  • Patent number: 9360808
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member having a medium heating member and rotating while nipping a medium to fix an unfixed image onto a surface thereof; a pressing member disposed facing the fixing member and applying pressure to the medium in a fixing region between the pressing and heating members; a cleaning member; and an antistatic member. The cleaning member is disposed downstream of the fixing region in a rotational direction of the pressing member and comes into contact therewith in a cleaning region extending in a direction orthogonal to a medium transport direction to clean the pressing member. The antistatic member is disposed downstream of the cleaning member and comes into contact with a surface of the pressing member in an antistatic region, which overlaps the cleaning region in the direction orthogonal to the medium transport direction, so as to eliminate static electricity from the pressing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasushi Nagata
  • Patent number: 9329536
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a fixing device configured to include a heating roller heated by a heating section and a pressing roller for pressing the heating roller; and a cleaning sheet configured to be stretched between a first reel and a second reel and wound on at least one of the first reel and the second reel to clean the heating roller; wherein the cleaning sheet is separated from or contacted with the heating roller by a movable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Hatakeyama, Susumu Takahashi, Yoshihiko Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 9310723
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: a heating member; a collecting member; a cleaning web; an urging roller; a moving mechanism configured to move the urging roller between a first position where the cleaning web contacts the collecting member, a second position where the cleaning web contacts the collecting member at a contact pressure lower than a contact pressure at the first position, and a third position where the cleaning web is spaced from the collecting member; an executing portion configured to execute a collecting member cleaning operation at the second position and the first position in this order; and a controller configured to control a temperature of the collecting roller so that the temperature when the urging roller is moved from the third position to the second position is higher than the temperature when the urging roller is moved from the second position to the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Patent number: 9285725
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner image former; a fixing portion including a fixing roller and a pressing roller to fix the image; a feeder for reversing a facing orientation of the paper and refeed it to the image former; an executing portion for executing a cleaning mode in which a predetermined toner image is fixed on one side of paper, and the paper is refed to the image former with the reversed orientation to clean the pressing roller; a first integrator for integrating a number of the simplex mode executions; a notifying portion for prompting the cleaning mode operation upon a predetermined first integrated value; a second integrator for integrating a number of executions of a duplex mode in which toner images are formed on both sides of paper, wherein a corrector corrects the integrated value of the first integrator depending on the integrated value of the second integrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junichiro Nakabayashi
  • Patent number: 9235186
    Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable member; a web; a mechanism; a contact portion; a plurality of displacing portions; a detecting portion; a notifying portion; a first counting portion; a prohibiting portion; and a second counting portion. The prohibiting portion prohibits an image forming process when the detecting portion detects displacement of the contact portion when the number of times of the image forming process counted by the second counting portion is less than a predetermined number. The notifying portion prompts an exchange of the web when the detecting portion detects the displacement of the contact portion when the number of times is not less than the predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Patent number: 9207592
    Abstract: A fixing device in accordance with the present invention comprises: a rotary member for transporting printing paper; a pressure member for press-contacting the rotary member to apply pressure onto the printing paper; and a cleaning member capable of freely moving into contact with, or away from, a peripheral surface of the rotary member and/or a peripheral surface of the pressure member. A toner image formed on the printing paper is fixed while the printing paper is being held between the rotary member and the pressure member. The fixing device further comprises a contact and separation unit for moving the pressure member into contact with, or away from, the rotary member. The cleaning member moves into contact with, or away from, the peripheral surface of the rotary member and/or the peripheral surface of the pressure member in conjunction with the contact and separation unit moving the pressure member into contact with, or away from, the rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nakamura, Kousuke Namisaki, Motoki Ohta
  • Patent number: 9188951
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes: first and second rotatable members configured to heat-fix, at a nip therebetween, a toner image of toner containing a parting agent formed on a sheet; a casing, configured to accommodate the first and second rotatable members, including a sheet introducing opening and a sheet discharging opening; and a suppressing member configured to suppress diffusion, toward the sheet discharging opening, of particles having a predetermined diameter resulting from a parting agent in the neighborhood of the sheet introducing opening. The suppressing member is provided in the neighborhood of the sheet introducing opening so as to block diffusion between the casing and the first rotatable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Nojima
  • Patent number: 9158253
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a generation tendency determining section to determine, before execution of a job, whether or not this job is a large-amount generation tendency job that is likely to generate a large amount of ultrafine particles. When the current job is determined to be the large-amount generation tendency job and a toner adhesion status value is equal to or higher than a first predetermined threshold representing an amount of toner adhering to a surface of a fixing member, cleaning of the fixing unit is performed before execution of the job. On the other hand, when the current job is determined to be a small-amount generation tendency job or the toner adhesion status value is less than the predetermined first threshold, the job is executed without cleaning the fixing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Satoshi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9104156
    Abstract: A fixing device to fix an unfixed image carried on a recording medium includes an endless, rotary fixing member; a heat source to heat the fixing member; an opposed member disposed opposite the fixing member and to form a fixing nip in combination with the fixing member; and a biasing member disposed opposite the opposed member with the fixing member interposed therebetween, to press the fixing member from a back side of the fixing member against the opposed member at the fixing nip; grip portions at which the fixing member and the opposed member contact each other in areas through which the recording medium does not pass, among the fixing nip along a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording medium; and a cleaning member to clean an outer circumference of at least one of the grip portions of the fixing member and the opposed member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Suzuki, Takuya Seshita, Takahiro Imada, Hajime Gotoh, Kensuke Yamaji
  • Patent number: 9086661
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a first cleaning roller that contacts a member to be cleaned and that rotates, separates any matter to be removed that is stuck on the member to be cleaned from the member to be cleaned, and causes the matter to be removed to adhere to the first cleaning roller; a second cleaning roller that contacts the first cleaning roller, separates the matter to be removed that is stuck on the first cleaning roller from the first cleaning roller, and causes the matter to be removed to adhere to the second cleaning roller; a first push member that pushes the first cleaning roller against the member to be cleaned; and a second push member that pushes the second cleaning roller against the first cleaning roller, and pushes the first cleaning roller against the member to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiichiro Arikawa, Hiroko Furukata, Masahiro Ishino, Junichi Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 9042798
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a radiating portion that radiates light on a recording medium on which a toner image is formed and that is transported along a transport path, a partition member that transmits the light radiated from the radiating portion and partitions between the radiating portion and the transport path, and a drive section that moves a scraping member scraping toner that adheres to the partition member and is heated by the radiation of the light from the radiating portion so as to contact a surface of the partition member of the transport path side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Teruki Kishimoto
  • Publication number: 20150125190
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a web sheet, a holding member, a reel member, a drive device, a pressing member, and a rotational load-applying device. The web sheet slides against and cleans a surface of a cleaning target object. The holding member holds the web sheet wound around the holding member to be reeled out. The reel member has the web sheet wound around the reel member to be reeled in. The drive device drives the reel member to rotate. The pressing member presses the web sheet against the cleaning target object. The rotational load-applying device applies a load to rotation of the holding member. The load is changeable depending on an amount of the web sheet held by the holding member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji SAITOH
  • Patent number: 9014607
    Abstract: A heating device includes a fixing member; a pressure member that comes in pressure contact with a surface of the fixing member; and a cleaning web unit. The cleaning web unit includes a contact roller that contacts the pressure member via a web that is impregnated with a lubricant agent, a supplying roller that supplies a new web, a roll-up roller that rolls up and retrieves the web that has been used for wiping off adhering matter from the pressure member, and a lubricant agent absorption member that absorbs the lubricant agent by contacting the web at a web path extending from the supplying roller to the contact roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20150093135
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus of the present invention includes a fixing rotation member, a rotation drive portion that rotates the fixing rotation member, a cleaning web sheet that cleans a circumferential surface of the fixing rotation member, a cleaning web sheet roller that takes up or feeds out the cleaning web sheet, a swing cam rotationally driven by the rotation drive portion, a rotation transmission portion that transmits a rotation drive force to the cleaning web sheet roller, a one way clutch provided on an input shaft of the rotation transmission portion, and a swing lever connected to the one way clutch and biased so as to be brought into slide contact with the swing cam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu NAKAMURA, Masatsugu OHISHI, Noriko INOUE, Masaki AMEMIYA, Masaya ASAKAWA, Takashi YAMANAKA
  • Patent number: 8989641
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation; an opposed rotary body contacting the fixing rotary body to form a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed; a plurality of separation pawls separatably contacting an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body to separate the recording medium discharged from the fixing nip from the fixing rotary body; a temperature detector contacting the outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body to detect a temperature of the fixing rotary body; and a fixing rotary body cleaner interposed between the plurality of separation pawls and the temperature detector in the direction of rotation of the fixing rotary body and contacting the outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body to clean the outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tamotsu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8977176
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image formed on a recording material includes a rotatable member; a cleaning unit for cleaning the rotatable member, the cleaning unit including a cleaning fabric for cleaning the rotatable member, a feeding roller on which the cleaning fabric is wound, and a winding-up roller for winding up the cleaning fabric fed from the feeding roller; and a load applying mechanism for applying a retarding force against a winding-up operation of the winding-up roller such that when a frictional force between the rotatable member and the cleaning fabric which is in a standstill state and which is in contact with the rotatable member which is rotating exceeds the retarding force of the load applying mechanism, the winding-up roller rotates to wind up the cleaning fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Shimizu, Kenji Takagi
  • Patent number: 8977172
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes first and second fixing rotatable members configured to fix a toner image on a sheet at a nip portion therebetween, a rubbing rotatable member configured to rub an outer surface of the first fixing rotatable member, a moving mechanism configured to move the rubbing rotatable member between a contact position, in which the rubbing rotatable member is in contact with the outer surface of the first fixing rotatable member, and a separate position, in which the rubbing rotatable member is away from the outer surface of the first fixing rotatable member, and an air blowing mechanism configured to blow air to between the rubbing rotatable member and the first fixing rotatable member at least when the rubbing rotatable member moves from the contact position to the separate position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiko Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 8970926
    Abstract: A document reading apparatus includes a conveyance unit for conveying a document and a reading unit for reading an image of a document. In the document reading apparatus, the reading unit includes a platen glass. The conveyance unit allows a cleaning member of a cleaning roller to start contact with the front end in a conveyance direction of a document, on the platen glass, upstream in the conveyance direction from a reading position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Tatsuya Shinno
  • Patent number: 8971773
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a first cleaning roller and a second cleaning roller. The first cleaning roller contacts a member to be cleaned and rotates, separates any matter to be removed that is stuck on the member to be cleaned from the member to be cleaned, and causes the matter to be removed to adhere to the first cleaning roller. The first cleaning roller has a diameter that decreases continuously from a center thereof towards both ends thereof in a direction of a rotation axis. The member to be cleaned rotates or circulates. The second cleaning roller contacts the first cleaning roller and rotates, separates the matter to be removed that is stuck on the first cleaning roller from the first cleaning roller, and causes the matter to be removed to adhere to the second cleaning roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiichiro Arikawa, Hiroko Furukata, Masahiro Ishino, Junichi Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 8953992
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing unit, a cleaning unit, and a controller. The fixing unit includes a pair of nipping members and a heat source that heats at least one of the pair of nipping members. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning web wound on a supply core to be supplied from the supply core and taken up on a take-up core, and a pressing roller that is pressed against one of the pair of nipping members. The controller causes the take-up core to rotate in such a manner that, when a leading portion of the cleaning web extending up to 2% of an overall length of the cleaning web from a leading end of the cleaning web is fed, a length of the cleaning web to be fed in one feeding is 10-30% larger than when a subsequent portion of the cleaning web is fed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Ayako Mito, Ryuichi Kikegawa
  • Patent number: 8948670
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus of the present invention includes a fixing rotation member, a rotation drive portion that rotates the fixing rotation member, a cleaning web sheet that cleans a circumferential surface of the fixing rotation member, a cleaning web sheet roller that takes up or feeds out the cleaning web sheet, a swing cam rotationally driven by the rotation drive portion, a rotation transmission portion that transmits a rotation drive force to the cleaning web sheet roller, a one way clutch provided on an input shaft of the rotation transmission portion, and a swing lever connected to the one way clutch and biased so as to be brought into slide contact with the swing cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nakamura, Masatsugu Ohishi, Noriko Inoue, Masaki Amemiya, Masaya Asakawa, Takashi Yamanaka
  • Publication number: 20150016831
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes first and second rotatable members configured and positioned to form a nip for heating a toner image on a sheet; a rubbing rotatable member configured to rub a surface of the first rotatable member; a moving mechanism configured to move the rubbing rotatable member relative to the first rotatable member between a rubbing position for carrying out a rubbing process for the first rotatable member and a retracted position retracted the rubbing position; and an executing portion configured to execute the rubbing process in accordance with a number and a kind of the sheet processed by the image heating apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventor: Yasuharu Chiyoda