# US 12,117,768 B2 · Image forming apparatus including a filter for collect foreign substances in air sucked into at least one intake > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,117,768 B2 - Document ID: US12117768B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/163,591 - Filed: 2023-02-02 - Published: 2023-09-21 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-17 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Takayuki Andoh; Masahiro Samei; Kota Shiodera; Hiroshi Yoshinaga; Toshiyuki Kabata; Tomoyuki Nishikawa - Inventors: Takayuki Andoh; Masahiro Samei; Kota Shiodera; Hiroshi Yoshinaga; Toshiyuki Kabata; Tomoyuki Nishikawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12117768B2 ## CPC - G03G 21/206: {Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone} - G03G 15/2053: {Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating} - G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus includes a heating device, a recording medium ejector, a recording medium tray, an outer wall having an intake, and a filter. The heating device heats a recording medium having an image on one side of the recording medium. The recording medium ejector ejects the recording medium with the one side facing downward. On the recording medium tray, the recording medium ejected by the recording medium ejector is stacked. The intake is open toward the recording medium tray and is disposed at a position below the recording medium ejector. At the position, a maximum amount of recording media placeable on the recording medium tray does not cover at least a part of the intake. The filter collects foreign substances in air sucked from the intake. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a heating device configured to heat a recording medium having an image on one side of the recording medium; a recording medium ejector configured to eject the recording medium with the one side facing downward; a recording medium tray on which the recording medium ejected by the recording medium ejector is stacked; an outer wall including a first intake, the first intake being open toward the recording medium tray and at a first position below the recording medium ejector, the first position being a position at which a maximum amount of recording media placeable on the recording medium tray does not cover at least a part of the first intake; and a filter configured to collect foreign substances in air sucked into the first intake, wherein the outer wall further includes second and third intakes, the second and third intakes facing both end portions of the heating device, and wherein each of the end portions of the heating device has a length of one third of a total length of the heating device in a width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the first intake is above an edge of an uppermost recording medium of the maximum amount of recording media on the recording medium tray, the edge adjacent to the first intake. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter is further configured to: collect the foreign substances in the air sucked into the first intake and air sucked into the second and third intakes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a fan configured to suck the air into the first intake; and a duct configured to guide the air from the first intake to an exhaust port, wherein the exhaust port, the fan, and the filter are closer to one end of the duct in the width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction than to a center of the duct in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the outer wall has a plurality of intakes including the first intake, the plurality of intakes arranged along the width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction; and the duct includes a partition extending from a portion between the plurality of intakes toward the exhaust port. ### Claim 6 An image forming apparatus comprising: a heating device configured to heat a recording medium having an image on one side of the recording medium; a recording medium ejector configured to eject the recording medium with the one side facing downward; a duct including a first intake configured to face the one side of the recording medium conveyed from the heating device to the recording medium ejector; and a filter configured to collect at least one of fine particles or ultrafine particles in air sucked into the first intake, wherein the duct further includes second and third intakes facing both end portions of the heating device, and each of the end portions of the heating device has a length of one third of a total length of the heating device in a width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of intakes, the plurality of intakes including the first, second, and third intakes; a plurality of fans configured to suck air into the plurality of intakes; and a plurality of filters configured to collect foreign substances in the air sucked into the plurality of intakes, the plurality of filters including the filter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a conveyance passage configured to convey the recording medium from the heating device to the recording medium ejector; and a fourth intake in an interior cavity of the image forming apparatus, the fourth intake facing the conveyance passage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the filter is further configured to: collect the at least one of fine particles or ultrafine particles in the air sucked into the first intake and air sucked into the second and third intakes. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a fan configured to suck the air from the first intake of the duct; the duct has an exhaust port and the duct is configured to guide the air from the first intake to the exhaust port; and the exhaust port, the fan, and the filter are closer to one end of the duct in the width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction than to a center of the duct in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the duct has a plurality of intakes including the first intake, the plurality of intakes arranged along the width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction; and the duct includes a partition extending from a portion between the plurality of intakes toward the exhaust port. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a recording medium tray on which the recording medium ejected by the recording medium ejector is stacked; and at least a part of the first intake is above an edge of an uppermost recording medium of the maximum amount of recording media on the recording medium tray, the edge adjacent to the first intake. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a plurality of intakes, the plurality of intakes including the first, second, and third intakes; a plurality of fans configured to suck air into the plurality of intakes; and a plurality of filters configured to collect foreign substances in the air sucked into the plurality of intakes, the plurality of filters including the filter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a conveyance passage configured to convey the recording medium from the heating device to the recording medium ejector; and the first intake in an interior cavity of the image forming apparatus, the first intake facing the conveyance passage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: the second intake and the third intake in the interior cavity of the image forming apparatus; and the first, second, and third intakes being below the conveyance passage, the first intake facing the conveyance passage, and the second and third intakes facing the heating device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: a recording medium tray on which the recording medium ejected by the recording medium ejector is stacked; and a fourth intake included in an outer wall of the image forming apparatus, the fourth intake open to the recording medium tray, and the fourth intake at a position below the recording medium ejector. ### Claim 17 An image forming apparatus comprising: a heating device configured to heat a recording medium having an image on one side of the recording medium; a recording medium ejector configured to eject the recording medium with the one side facing downward; a recording medium tray on which the recording medium ejected by the recording medium ejector is stacked; an outer wall including a first intake, the first intake being open toward the recording medium tray and at a first position below the recording medium ejector, the first position being a position at which a maximum amount of recording media placeable on the recording medium tray does not cover at least a part of the first intake; and a filter configured to collect foreign substances in air sucked into the first intake; a fan configured to suck the air into the first intake; a duct configured to guide the air from the first intake to an exhaust port; the exhaust port, the fan, and the filter being closer to one end of the duct in a width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction than to a center of the duct in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction; the outer wall having a plurality of intakes including the first intake, the plurality of intakes arranged along the width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction; and the duct including a partition extending from a portion between the plurality of intakes toward the exhaust port. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein at least a part of the first intake is above an edge of an uppermost recording medium of the maximum amount of recording media on the recording medium tray, the edge adjacent to the first intake. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of intakes further includes second and third intakes, the second and third intakes facing both end portions of the heating device; and each of the end portions of the heating device has a length of one third of a total length of the heating device in the width direction of the recording medium orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: a plurality of fans configured to suck air into the plurality of intakes; and a plurality of filters configured to collect foreign substances in the air sucked into the plurality of intakes, the plurality of filters including the filter.