# US 12,045,000 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 12,045,000 B2 - Document ID: US12045000B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/065,200 - Filed: 2022-12-13 - Published: 2023-07-20 - Granted: 2024-07-23 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-19 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Kazuhiko Watanabe; Hiroshi Nakai - Inventors: Kazuhiko Watanabe; Hiroshi Nakai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12045000B2 ## CPC - G03G 21/0094: {fatigue treatment of the photoconductor} - G03G 15/161: {with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent} - G03G 21/0011: {using a blade; Details of cleaning blades, e.g. blade shape, layer forming} - G03G 2215/1661: of transfer belt - G03G 2221/1609: protective arrangements for preventing damage - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus includes a latent image bearer, an intermediate transferor, a primary transferor, a second transferor, and a cleaning blade. The latent image bearer has a surface onto which a lubricant comprising zinc stearate is supplied. The intermediate transferor has a surface onto which the toner image is transferred, the surface including an adhering region to which the lubricant from the latent image bearer adheres. The cleaning blade cleans the surface of the intermediate transferor including the adhering region, after the toner image is secondarily transferred. In a region outside at least a horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor, a ratio of a peak area derived from zinc stearate to a peak area derived from the intermediate transferor in a difference spectrum between attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared absorption spectrums of the intermediate transferor in an unused state and after use is 0.892 or less. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus, comprising: a latent image bearer having a surface onto which a lubricant comprising zinc stearate is supplied, the latent image bearer configured to bear a toner image on the surface; an intermediate transferor having a surface onto which the toner image is transferred, the surface including an adhering region to which the lubricant from the surface of the latent image bearer adheres; a primary transferor configured to primarily transfer the toner image from the surface of the latent image bearer to the surface of the intermediate transferor; a second transferor configured to secondarily transfer the toner image from the surface of the intermediate transferor to a recording sheet; and a cleaning blade configured to clean the surface of the intermediate transferor including the adhering region, after the toner image is secondarily transferred, wherein in a region outside at least a horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor, a ratio between a peak area of the ATR infrared absorption spectrum derived from zinc stearate on the intermediate transferor after use is 0.892 or less. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a lubricant supplier configured to supply the lubricant in powder form to the surface of the latent image bearer, the lubricant in powder form scraped from a solid lubricant, wherein, in the lubricant supplier, a scraping amount of the lubricant in powder form supplied to a region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor is smaller than a scraping amount of the lubricant in powder supplied to a region on the latent image bearer corresponding to a sheet-passing region on the intermediate transferor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a zinc stearate content per unit volume in a first portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width is scraped is lower than a zinc stearate content per unit volume in a second portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the sheet-passing region on the intermediate transferor is scraped. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the solid lubricant further comprises boron nitride; a boron nitride content per unit volume in the first portion of the solid lubricant is lower than a boron nitride content in the second portion of the solid lubricant; and the zinc stearate content per unit volume is uniform in both the first portion and the second portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the solid lubricant is a compression-molded product of a powdery lubricant, and a density of a portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the sheet-passing region is scraped is lower than a density of a portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width is scraped. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein toner of the toner image comprises the lubricant as additive. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary transferor is configured to: cause toner to adhere to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor at a desired filming removal timing. ### Claim 8 An image forming apparatus, comprising: a latent image bearer having a surface onto which a lubricant comprising boron nitride is supplied, the latent image bearer configured to bear a toner image on the surface; an intermediate transferor having a surface onto which the toner image is transferred, the surface including an adhering region to which the lubricant from the surface of the latent image bearer adheres; a primary transferor configured to primarily transfer the toner image from the surface of the latent image bearer to the surface of the intermediate transferor; a second transferor configured to secondarily transfer the toner image from the surface of the intermediate transferor to a recording sheet; and a cleaning blade configured to clean the surface of the intermediate transferor including the adhering region, after the toner image is secondarily transferred, wherein in a region outside at least a horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor, a ratio between a peak area of an attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared absorption spectrum derived from boron nitride on the intermediate transferer in an unused state and a peak area of the ATR infrared absorption spectrum derived from boron nitride on the intermediate transferor after use is 1.152 or less. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a lubricant supplier configured to supply the lubricant in powder form to the surface of the latent image bearer, the lubricant in powder form scraped from a solid lubricant, wherein, in the lubricant supplier, a scraping amount of the lubricant in powder form supplied to a region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor is smaller than a scraping amount of the lubricant in powder form supplied to a region on the latent image bearer corresponding to a sheet-passing region on the intermediate transferor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a boron nitride content per unit volume in a first portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width is scraped is lower than a boron nitride content per unit volume in a second portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the sheet-passing region on the intermediate transferor is scraped. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the solid lubricant further comprises zinc stearate; and a zinc stearate content per unit volume is uniform in both the first portion and the second portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the solid lubricant is a compression-molded product of a powdery lubricant; and a density of a portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the sheet-passing region is scraped is lower than a density of a portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width is scraped. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein toner of the toner image comprises the lubricant as additive. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the primary transferor is configured to: cause toner to adhere the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor at a desired filming removal timing. ### Claim 15 An image forming apparatus, comprising: a latent image bearer having a surface onto which a lubricant comprising zinc stearate and boron nitride is supplied, the latent image bearer configured to bear a toner image on the surface; an intermediate transferor having a surface onto which the toner image is transferred, the surface including an adhering region to which the lubricant from the surface of the latent image bearer adheres; a primary transferor configured to primarily transfer the toner image from the surface of the latent image bearer to the surface of the intermediate transferor; a second transferor configured to secondarily transfer the toner image from the surface of the intermediate transferor to a recording sheet; and a cleaning blade configured to clean the surface of the intermediate transferor including the adhering region, after the toner image is secondarily transferred, wherein in a region outside at least a horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor, a ratio between a first peak area of an attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared absorption spectrum derived from zinc stearate on the intermediate transferor in an unused state and a second peak area of the ATR infrared absorption spectrum derived from zinc stearate on the intermediate transferor after use is 0.892 or less, and a ratio of a third peak area of the ATR infrared absorption spectrum derived from boron nitride on the intermediate transferor in the unused state and a fourth peak area of the ATR infrared absorption spectrum derived from boron nitride on the intermediate transferor after use is 1.152 or less. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: a lubricant supplier configured to supply the lubricant in powder form to the surface of the latent image bearer, the lubricant in power form scraped from a solid lubricant, wherein, in the lubricant supplier, a scraping amount of the lubricant in powder form supplied to a region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor is smaller than a scraping amount of the lubricant in powder form supplied to a region on the latent image bearer corresponding to a sheet-passing region on the intermediate transferor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein with respect to a content of at least one of zinc stearate or boron nitride per unit volume of the solid lubricant, the content in a first portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width is scraped is lower than the content in a second portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the sheet-passing region on the intermediate transferor is scraped. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a boron nitride content per unit volume in the first portion of the solid lubricant is lower than a boron nitride content per unit volume in the second portion of the solid lubricant; and a zinc stearate content per unit volume is uniform in both the first portion and the second portion. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the solid lubricant is a compression-molded product of a powdery lubricant, and a density of a portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the sheet-passing region is scraped is lower than a density of a portion of the solid lubricant from which the lubricant in powder form supplied to the region on the latent image bearer corresponding to the region outside at least the horizontal A4 sheet passing width is scraped. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein toner of the toner image comprises the lubricant as additive.