US 12,072,641 B2Granted

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorChikara Imaizumi

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a belt, a contact member, a rotation shaft member, a cam, an opposing member, and a damper. The belt receives a toner image from the image bearing member. The cam rotates in tandem with the rotation shaft member and contacts or separates the contact member and the belt. The opposing member is disposed to face the rotation shaft member in a direction intersecting with a rotation shaft member shaft direction. The damper member has a first flexible portion and a second flexible portion that are elastically deformable by contacting with the opposing member. In either contact operation or separation operation of the contact member to/from the belt, the damper member rotates in tandem with rotation of the rotation shaft member so that both the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion contact with the opposing member and are elastically deformed.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearing member configured to carry a toner image;
a belt that is endless and onto which the toner image carried on the image bearing member is to be transferred;
a contact member that is disposed to be contactable with/separable from the belt;
a rotation shaft member;
a cam configured to rotate in tandem with the rotation shaft member and to contact or separate the contact member with/from the belt;
an opposing member that is disposed to face the rotation shaft member in a direction intersecting with a shaft direction of the rotation shaft member;
and
a damper member that includes a first flexible portion and a second flexible portion that are elastically deformable by contacting with the opposing member,
wherein, in either contact operation or separation operation of the contact member to/from the belt, the damper member rotates in tandem with rotation of the rotation shaft member so that both the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion contact with the opposing member and are elastically deformed.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/318,255Filed 16 May 2023
Priority: JP 2022-08221419 May 2022
Published: US 2023/0375955 A123 Nov 2023
Granted: 27 Aug 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G03G 15/0189
Using more than one reusable electrographic recording member, e.g. one for every monocolour image: primary transfer to an intermediate transfer belt
G03G 15/0136
For transferring a pattern to a second base: transfer member separable from recording member or vice versa, mode switching
G03G 15/0283
For laying down a uniform charge, e.g. for sensitising; Corona discharge devices: arrangements for supplying power to the sensitising device
G03G 15/1605
Of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer: using at least one intermediate support