US 10,968,062 B2Granted

Transfer transporting device and image forming apparatus

AssigneeFuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

InventorHiromoto Yamaki

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Abstract

A transfer transporting device includes multiple rollers, an endless belt, a pair of support members, and a pair of unloading members. The rollers include a driving roller and a driven roller. The driving roller is disposed closer to an image carrier that has a toner image formed thereon and that holds the toner image. The driven roller is disposed apart from the driving roller downstream in a sheet transport direction. The endless belt is wound around the rollers. The pair of support members each have an outer wall surface facing a side end surface of the belt. The pair of support members are disposed on both sides of the belt to rotatably support a rotation shaft protruding from side end surfaces of the driving roller. The pair of unloading members are interposed between the outer wall surfaces of the pair of support members and the side end surfaces of the driving roller. The pair of unloading members each reduce, while being in contact with a corresponding one of the side end surfaces of the belt, a driving load on the driving roller further than in a case where the side end surfaces of the belt come into direct contact with the outer wall surfaces. The image carrier and the belt hold therebetween a sheet transported thereto to transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the sheet, and transport the sheet downstream.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A transfer transporting device, comprising:

a plurality of rollers including:
a driving roller;
and
a driven roller,
wherein the driving roller is disposed closer to an image carrier configured to carry a toner image, and
wherein the driven roller is disposed apart from the driving roller downstream in a sheet transport direction;
an endless belt wound around the plurality of rollers;
a pair of support members each having an outer wall surface facing a corresponding one of side end surfaces of the belt,
wherein the pair of support members is disposed on both sides of the belt to rotatably support a rotation shaft protruding from side end surfaces of the driving roller;
and
a pair of unloading members interposed between the outer wall surfaces of the pair of support members and the side end surfaces of the driving roller,
wherein the pair of unloading members are configured to reduce, while being in contact with a corresponding one of the side end surfaces of the belt, a driving load on the driving roller more than in a case where the side end surfaces of the belt directly contact the outer wall surfaces,
wherein the image carrier and the belt are configured to hold therebetween a sheet transported thereto to transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the sheet,
wherein the image carrier and the belt are configured to transport the sheet downstream in the sheet transport direction,
wherein each of the unloading members is configured to, when projected in a direction of the rotation shaft, extend to cover a portion of the corresponding side end surface of the belt upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet transport direction,
wherein each of the unloading members is configured to, when projected in the direction of the rotation shaft, cover the portion of the corresponding side end surface of the belt upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet transport direction, and
wherein each of the unloading members extends downstream in the sheet transport direction to at least a portion of a contact area between the belt and the image carrier.

14 more elements

A transfer transporting device comprising:

a plurality of rollers comprising:
a driving roller;
and
a driven roller,
wherein the driving roller is disposed closer to an image carrier configured to carry a toner image,
wherein the driven roller being is apart from the driving roller downstream in a sheet transport direction;
an endless belt wound around the plurality of rollers;
a pair of support members each having an outer wall surface facing a corresponding one of side end surfaces of the belt,
wherein the pair of support members is disposed on both sides of the belt to rotatably support a rotation shaft protruding from side end surfaces of the driving roller;
and
a pair of friction reducing members interposed between the outer wall surfaces of the pair of support members and the side end surfaces of the driving roller,
wherein the pair of friction reducing members each has a coefficient of friction, between the friction reducing member and the corresponding side end surface of the belt, lower than a coefficient of friction between the side end surface of the belt and a corresponding one of the outer wall surfaces,
wherein the image carrier and the belt are configured to hold therebetween a sheet transported thereto to transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the sheet,
wherein the image carrier and the belt are configured to transport the sheet downstream in the sheet transport direction,
wherein each of the friction reducing members is configured to, when projected in a direction of the rotation shaft, extend to cover a portion of the corresponding side end surface of the belt upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet transport direction,
wherein each of the friction reducing members is configured to, when projected in the direction of the rotation shaft, cover the portion of the corresponding side end surface of the belt upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet transport direction, and
wherein each of the friction reducing members extends downstream in the sheet transport direction to at least a portion of a contact area between the belt and the image carrier.

14 more elements

A transfer transporting device comprising:

a plurality of rollers including:
a driving roller;
and
a driven roller,
wherein the driving roller is disposed closer to an image carrier configured to carry a toner image,
wherein the driven roller is disposed apart from the driving roller downstream in a sheet transport direction;
an endless belt wound around the plurality of rollers;
a pair of support members each having an outer wall surface facing a corresponding one of side end surfaces of the belt,
wherein the pair of support members is disposed on both sides of the belt to rotatably support a rotation shaft protruding from side end surfaces of the driving roller;
and
a pair of rotating members each having a hole configured to allow a rotation shaft protruding from the side end surfaces of the driving roller to extend therethrough,
wherein each of the pair of rotating members is rotatably supported by the rotation shaft,
wherein each of the pair of rotating members is configured to allow the corresponding side end surface of the belt to contact a side wall surface of the rotating member facing the side end surface of the belt,
wherein the image carrier and the belt are configured to hold therebetween a sheet transported thereto to transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the sheet,
wherein the image carrier and the belt are configured to transport the sheet downstream in the sheet transport direction,
wherein each of the rotating members is configured to, when projected in a direction of the rotation shaft, extend to cover a portion of the corresponding side end surface of the belt upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet transport direction,
wherein each of the rotating members is configured to, when projected in the direction of the rotation shaft, cover the portion of the corresponding side end surface of the belt upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet transport direction, and
wherein each of the rotating members extends downstream in the sheet transport direction to at least a portion of a contact area between the belt and the image carrier.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/270,229Filed 7 Feb 2019
Priority: JP JP2018-17697121 Sep 2018
Published: US 2020/0095078 A126 Mar 2020
Granted: 6 Apr 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B65H 5/025
By belts: between belts and rotary means, e.g. rollers, drums, cylinders or balls, forming a transport nip
G03G 15/65
Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern: apparatus which relate to the handling of copy material
B65H 2404/211
Plan profile: edge structure
B65H 2404/25
Belts: driving or guiding arrangements