Image forming apparatus with ozone removal
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYoshiki Kogiso
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a charger, a ventilation mechanism, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a controller. The ventilation mechanism guides ozone generated in the charger to an ozone discharge port. The exposure device forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor charged by the charger. The transfer device transfers a toner image on the photoconductor developed by the developer supplied from the developing device to a medium. The controller allows the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated in the charger from the ozone discharge port after stopping supply of the developer from the developing device to the photoconductor in an operation mode in which the ozone is discharged.
Claims16
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a photoconductor;
- a charger that charges the photoconductor;
- a ventilation mechanism that guides ozone generated by the charger to a first discharge port or a second discharge port;
- an exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor charged by the charger;
- a developing device that supplies a developer comprising toner for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor;
- a transfer device that transfers a toner image from the photoconductor to a medium;
- a controller that allows the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated in the charger from the first discharge port after stopping supply of the developer from the developing device to the photoconductor in an operation mode, in a mode other than the operation mode, allows the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated in the charger from the second discharge port;
- and
- a shutter that prevents the ozone generated by the charger from being discharged from the first discharge port or the second discharge port,
- wherein, in the operation mode in which the ozone is discharged, the controller stops the supply of the developer from the developing device to the photoconductor and, thereafter, allows the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated by the charger from the first discharge port or the second discharge port by opening the shutter,
- the image forming apparatus further comprising a motion sensor that detects a person being present in a periphery of the image forming apparatus,
- wherein the controller closes the shutter when the motion sensor detects the person being present in the periphery of the image forming apparatus.
A method of processing ozone in an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- charging a photoconductor thereby generating ozone;
- guiding ozone generated to a first discharge port or a second discharge port through a ventilation mechanism;
- forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor charged;
- supplying a developer comprising toner for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor;
- transferring a toner image from the photoconductor to a medium;
- allowing the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated from the first discharge port after stopping the supplying of the developer to the photoconductor in an operation mode, in a mode other than the operation mode, allowing the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated during the charging from the second discharge port;
- preventing the ozone generated from being discharged from the first discharge port or the second discharge port using a shutter;
- and
- in the operation mode in which the ozone is discharged, stopping the supply of the developer to the photoconductor and, thereafter, allowing the ventilation mechanism to discharge the ozone generated from the first discharge port or the second discharge port by opening the shutter,
- the method further comprising:
- detecting a person being present in a periphery of the image forming apparatus;
- and
- closing the shutter when detecting the person being present in the periphery of the image forming apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.