# US 10,120,303 B2 · Image forming system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,120,303 B2 - Document ID: US10120303B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/397,553 - Filed: 2017-01-03 - Published: 2017-04-27 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-11-07 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Takeshi Kojima; Tomoya Ohmura; Sho Sekiguchi; Taichi Urayama; Kazuya Saitoh; Takuya Moriyama; Hiroomi Tamura; Tetsuto Ueda; Naoyuki Ozaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10120303B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/161: {with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent} - G03G 15/1665: {by introducing the second base in the nip formed by the recording member and at least one transfer member, e.g. in combination with bias or heat} - G03G 15/168: {with means for conditioning the transfer element, e.g. cleaning} - G03G 15/50: {Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control (sequencing control G03G21/14)} - G03G 15/6538: {Devices for collating sheet copy material, e.g. sorters, control, copies in staples form} - G03G 15/6544: {Details about the binding means or procedure} - G03G 15/6582: {Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching} - G03G 2215/00599: Timing, synchronisation - G03G 2215/00603: Control of other part of the apparatus according to the state of copy medium feeding - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming system includes a post-processing unit capable of performing a post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed. The image forming system is capable of executing a transfer cleaning operation to more toner from a transfer member to an image bearer by electrostatic force caused by cleaning bias applied by a bias applying unit in a state where the image bearer and the transfer member are rotated, to clean the transfer member, as an inter-sheet operation performed when at least one of inter-sheet areas that exist on the image bearer during a successive image forming period. The image forming system is capable of executing a rotation stop operation to stop rotation of the image bearer and the transfer member, as the inter-sheet operation when the post-processing is performed, in addition to the transfer cleaning operation, before or after the transfer cleaning operation is executed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming system comprising: a rotatable image bearing drum to bear a toner image; a transfer roller or belt to form a transfer nip between the image bearing drum and the transfer roller or belt; a power supply to output a bias to transfer the toner image from the image bearing drum to a sheet in the transfer nip; and a sheet processor to perform a post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed, wherein when the post-processing is performed and an inter-sheet area between a plurality of sheets is in the transfer nip, the image forming system stops rotation of the image bearing drum. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processor includes a binding device to bind a bundle of sheets, and the post-processing includes a binding processing on the bundle of sheets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processor includes a folding device to fold the sheet, and the post-processing includes a folding processing on the sheet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply outputs a cleaning bias to move toner from the transfer roller or belt to the image bearing drum when the inter-sheet area is in the transfer nip, and wherein the image forming system stops rotation of the image bearing drum before or after the power supply outputs the cleaning bias. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein the power supply outputs the cleaning bias for a time period during which the transfer roller or belt rotates equal to or more than once. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein the cleaning bias includes a first cleaning bias including a first polarity and a second cleaning bias including a second polarity opposite to the first polarity. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the transfer roller forms the transfer nip between the image bearing drum and the transfer roller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image bearing drum is a photoconductor drum. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply applies the bias to the transfer roller or belt. ### Claim 10 An image forming system comprising: a rotatable image bearing drum to bear a toner image; a transfer roller or belt to form a transfer nip between the image bearing drum and the transfer roller or belt; a power supply to output a bias to transfer the toner image from the image bearing drum to a sheet in the transfer nip; and a sheet processor to selectively perform a first post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed and a second post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed, wherein when the first post-processing is performed and an inter-sheet area between a plurality of sheets is in the transfer nip, the image forming system stops rotation of the image bearing drum, and wherein when the second post-processing is performed and the inter-sheet area is in the transfer nip, the image forming system maintains rotation of the image bearing drum. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image forming system according to claim 10, wherein a length of the inter-sheet area when the first post-processing is performed is longer than the length of the inter-sheet area when the second post-processing is performed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The image forming system according to claim 10, wherein the sheet processor includes a binding device to bind a bundle of sheets, and the first post-processing includes a binding processing on the bundle of sheets. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The image forming system according to claim 10, wherein the sheet processor includes a folding device to fold the sheet, and the first post-processing includes a folding processing on the sheet. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The image forming system according to claim 10, wherein the sheet processor includes a sorting device to sort the sheet, and the second post-processing includes a sorting processing of the sheet. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The image forming system according to claim 10, wherein the power supply outputs a cleaning bias to move toner from the transfer roller or belt to the image bearing drum when the inter-sheet area is in the transfer nip, and wherein when the first post-processing is performed and the inter-sheet area is in the transfer nip, the image forming system stops rotation of the image bearing drum before or after the power supply outputs the cleaning bias. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The image forming system according to claim 15, wherein the power supply outputs the cleaning bias for a time period during which the transfer roller or belt rotates equal to or more than once. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The image forming system according to claim 15, wherein the cleaning bias includes a first cleaning bias including a first polarity and a second cleaning bias including a second polarity opposite to the first polarity. ### Claim 18 An image forming system comprising: a rotatable image bearing drum to bear a toner image; a transfer roller or belt to form a transfer nip between the image bearing drum and the transfer roller or belt; a power supply to output a bias to transfer the toner image from the image bearing drum to a sheet in the transfer nip; and a sheet processor to perform a post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed, wherein a linear velocity of the image bearing drum, when the post-processing is performed and an inter-sheet area between a plurality of sheets is in the transfer nip, is lower than the velocity of the image bearing drum during image formation. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The image forming system according to claim 18, further comprising a charging device that charges a surface of the image bearing drum, and a developing device that develops a latent image formed by exposing the charged surface of the image bearing drum by using toner, wherein the image forming system switches a charging bias of the charging device and a developing bias of the developing device between when image formation is performed and when the inter-sheet area is in the transfer nip. ### Claim 20 An image forming method comprising: transferring a toner image from a rotatable image bearing drum to a sheet at a transfer position; post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed; and stopping rotation of the image bearing drum, when an inter-sheet area between a plurality of sheets is at the transfer position and the post-processing is performed. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The image forming method according to claim 20, further comprising cleaning a transfer roller or belt disposed opposite to the image bearing drum at a transfer portion by applying a cleaning bias to move toner from the transfer roller or belt to the image bearing drum when the inter-sheet area is at the transfer portion.