Apparatus, method, and program for image forming
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsKiyonori Tsuda, Misaki Uchiyama
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Abstract
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention, includes an image forming apparatus comprising a toner storage device storing a toner, an image forming device including a developer, and a toner transfer device provided between the toner storage device and the image forming device. The toner transfer device has a transfer passage, in which a powder is placed before activation of the toner transfer device.
Claims23
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a toner storage device removably installed on the image forming apparatus and configured to store a toner;
- an image forming device removably installed on the image forming apparatus independently from the toner storage device and provided with a developer;
- and
- a toner transfer device, comprising a transfer passage therein, provided between the toner storage device and the image forming device and configured to supply the toner from the toner storage device to the developer through the transfer passage, wherein a powder is placed in the transfer passage at a first time point before activation of the toner transfer device.
A toner transfer device for use in an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- means for inputting a toner;
- means for outputting the toner;
- means for transferring the toner from the inputting means to the outputting means;
- and
- means for driving the transferring means according to a signal generated by the image forming apparatus,
- wherein a powder is placed near the transferring means at a first time point before the driving means drives the transferring means.
A method for transferring a toner from a toner storage device to an image forming device through a transfer passage in an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:
- placing a powder in the transfer passage before activation of the toner storage device;
- transferring the powder together with the toner to the image forming apparatus after activation of the toner storage device.
A method for forming a toner image, comprising the steps of:
- providing a toner storage device storing a toner and an image forming device, which are communicated through a transfer passage;
- placing a powder in the transfer passage before activation of the toner storage device;
- transferring the powder together with the toner to the image forming device after activation of the toner storage device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.