# US 10,481,517 B2 · Cleaning member, charging device, and image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,517 B2 - Document ID: US10481517B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/715,226 - Filed: 2017-09-26 - Published: 2018-09-27 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-21 - Assignees: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Jin Iwasaki; Ken Ozaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481517B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/0258: {provided with means for the maintenance of the charging apparatus, e.g. cleaning devices, ozone removing devices G03G15/0225, G03G15/0291 takes precedence} - G03G 15/0225: {provided with means for cleaning the charging member} - G03G 15/0233: {Structure, details of the charging member, e.g. chemical composition, surface properties} - G03G 15/0291: {corona discharge devices, e.g. wires, pointed electrodes, means for cleaning the corona discharge device} - G03G 15/161: {with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent} - G03G 15/166: {with means for conditioning the holding member, e.g. cleaning} - G03G 15/168: {with means for conditioning the transfer element, e.g. cleaning} - G03G 15/2025: {with special means for lubricating and/or cleaning the fixing unit, e.g. applying offset preventing fluid} - G03G 21/00: Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge - G03G 21/0035: {using a brush; Details of cleaning brushes, e.g. fibre density (G03G21/0064 takes precedence; magnetic brushes G03G21/0047)} - G03G 21/0058: {using a roller or a polygonal rotating cleaning member; Details thereof, e.g. surface structure (G03G21/0064 takes precedence)} - G03G 21/007: {Arrangement or disposition of parts of the cleaning unit} - G03G 21/0076: {Plural or sequential cleaning devices} - G03G 21/169: {for the cleaning unit} - G03G 21/1814: {Details of parts of process cartridge, e.g. for charging, transfer, cleaning, developing (G03G21/1835 takes precedence)} - G03G 2215/1647: Cleaning of transfer member - G03G 2215/1657: of transfer drum - G03G 2215/1661: of transfer belt - G03G 2221/00: Processes not provided for by group G03G2215/00, e.g. cleaning or residual charge elimination - G03G 2221/0068: Cleaning mechanism - G03G 2221/0089: Mechanical - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract A cleaning member includes plural bristles including tips that come into contact with an object to be cleaned having a surface including recesses and projections; and a brush base to which the bristles are attached. The bristles each have a non-circular cross-section including a projecting portion that projects toward an outer periphery, at least the projecting portion having a size such that the projecting portion is capable of entering the recesses in the object to be cleaned. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cleaning member comprising: a plurality of bristles of non-circular cross section, including tips that come into contact with an object to be cleaned having a surface including recesses and projections; and a brush base to which the bristles are attached, wherein each bristle has a longitudinal axis oriented in a direction from the brush base to the tip of the bristle and comprises a projecting portion that projects radially from the longitudinal axis a projecting length dl, wherein dl is greater than the maximum height Rz of the projections on the surface to be cleaned, wherein the tips are located at the outer periphery of the projecting portion of the bristles, and wherein, the expressions Sm>db and dc>db are satisfied, where Sm is an average value of a distance between the recesses and projections that are adjacent to each other, db is a maximum width of the projecting portion of each bristle in cross section, and dc is a diameter of each bristle in cross section. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cleaning member according to claim 1, wherein, when D is a diameter of a circumcircle of each bristle, each bristle satisfies the following expression: DSm>db is satisfied where Sm is an average value of a distance between the recesses and projections that are adjacent to each other, da is a diameter of each of the first bristles in cross section, and db is a maximum width of the projecting portion of each of the second bristles in cross section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The cleaning member according to claim 6, wherein the brush base includes a region in which only the first bristles are attached and a region in which only the second bristles are attached, and wherein the first bristles and the second bristles both come into contact with the object to be cleaned over an entire region to be cleaned. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The cleaning member according to claim 7, wherein the region in which only the first bristles are attached and the region in which only the second bristles are attached are helically arranged around the brush base, which is shaft-shaped. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The cleaning member according to claim 7, wherein the region in which only the first bristles are attached and the region in which only the second bristles are attached extend continuously in an axial direction of the brush base, which is shaft-shaped, and are alternately arranged in a circumferential direction of the brush base. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A charging device comprising: a charging member that is roller-shaped and that charges a surface of an image carrier; and a cleaning member that is supported so that bristles of the cleaning member contact a surface of the charging member and that cleans the surface of the charging member, wherein the cleaning member is the cleaning member according to claim 1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) A charging device comprising: a charging member that is roller-shaped and that charges a surface of an image carrier; and a cleaning member that is supported so that bristles of the cleaning member contact a surface of the charging member and that cleans the surface of the charging member, wherein the cleaning member is the cleaning member according to claim 5. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier including an endless peripheral surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; and the charging device according to claim 10 that contacts and charges the peripheral surface of the image carrier. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier including an endless peripheral surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; and the charging device according to claim 11 that contacts and charges the peripheral surface of the image carrier. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The cleaning member according to claim 4, wherein a number of projecting portions is 3. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The cleaning member according to claim 1, wherein the non-circular cross-section of each bristle includes a plurality of the projecting portions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The cleaning member according to claim 15, further comprising an angle between each projecting portion, wherein the angle between each projecting portion is substantially equal, wherein the projecting portions of the bristles form arms of an angle and the longitudinal axis of the bristle is a vertex of the angle used to measure the angle between each projecting portion. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The cleaning member according to claim 14, further comprising an angle between each projecting portion, wherein the angle between each projecting portion is approximately 120 degrees, wherein the projecting portions of the bristles form arms of an angle and the longitudinal axis of the bristle is a vertex of the angle used to measure the angle between each projecting portion.