# US 10,768,565 B2 · 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 10,768,565 B2 - Document ID: US10768565B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/424,222 - Filed: 2019-05-28 - Published: 2019-12-26 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-20 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Takahiro Iwasaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10768565B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/505: {Detecting the speed, e.g. for continuous control of recording starting time} - G03G 21/10: Collecting or recycling waste developer - G03G 15/16: of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern {, e.g. magnetic transfer} - G03G 15/5041: {Detecting a toner image, e.g. density, toner coverage, using a test patch (G03G15/553 takes precedence)} - G03G 21/206: {Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus including: a cyclone which centrifugally separates toner from air containing the toner scattered; a storage which stores the toner separated by the cyclone; a filtering portion which allows air to pass, the air being obtained after the toner is separated by the cyclone; a duct which guides the air that passes through the filtering portion; a fan which generates a flow of the air to discharge the air that passes through the filtering portion; and a hardware processor which measures a rotational speed of the fan, detects a full state in which the storage is filled with the toner based on change of the rotational speed of the fan, and issues a warning in a case in which a variation rate of rotational speeds of the fan measured a plurality of times is a predetermined value or more. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a cyclone which centrifugally separates toner from air containing the toner scattered; a storage which stores the toner separated by the cyclone; a filtering portion which allows air to pass, the air being obtained after the toner is separated by the cyclone; a duct which guides the air that passes through the filtering portion; a fan which generates a flow of the air to discharge the air that passes through the filtering portion; and a hardware processor which measures a rotational speed of the fan, detects a full state in which the storage is filled with the toner based on change of the rotational speed of the fan, and issues a warning in a case in which a variation rate of rotational speeds of the fan measured a plurality of times is a predetermined value or more. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the duct is configured by connecting a plurality of duct components. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fan is disposed at a position corresponding to a duct component located on a most downstream side, or on a downstream side with respect to a duct component located on a most downstream side, in the plurality of duct components. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor measures a number of times of rotations of the fan for a predetermined time or more to calculate the rotational speed of the fan. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor calculates the variation rate by using a maximum value and a minimum value of the rotational speeds of the fan measured the plurality of times. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cyclone, the storage, and the filtering portion are integrally formed, are configured so as to be detachably attached to a body of the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor corrects a measurement value of the measured rotational speed of the fan, based on change of an environmental condition for performing image formation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the environmental condition includes at least one of a temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the temperature, the atmospheric pressure, and the humidity are a temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity of air that passes through the fan. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the hardware processor uses, as an initial state of the rotational speed of the fan, a reference rotational speed obtained by correcting a measurement value of a rotational speed of the fan measured at a time of installation of the image forming apparatus based on change of the environmental condition, and detects the full state based on the change of the rotational speed of the fan from the initial state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor corrects a measurement value of the measured rotational speed of the fan based on a total rotating time obtained by summing rotating times of the fan.