US 2010/0166441 A1Published application

Image forming apparatus and method for detecting the fullness of waste-toner container

AssigneeKyocera Mita Corporation

InventorKimihiko Kobayashi

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a waste-toner container, a light sensor having a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion, a light-blocking member for covering the light sensor to detect the attachment of the container, and a control unit. When the waste-toner container is determined to be full based on the output voltage of the light sensor, the printing operation is stopped or is not started until it is determined that the container is removed and then attached, and that the waste-toner container is not full. A method for detecting the fullness of a toner container includes the steps of detecting the fullness of the toner container, prohibiting printing, detecting whether or not the waste-toner container is attached, and permitting printing.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming section that forms an image using toner;
a discharge port for discharging waste toner from the image forming section;
a translucent waste-toner container having an opening for receiving the waste toner discharged from the discharge port;
a light sensor having a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion whose output voltage varies according to the amount of light received, the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion being positioned so as to oppose each other with the opening being located therebetween;
a light-blocking member that is projectable and retractable between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion, the light-blocking member being retracted when the waste-toner container is attached to the image forming apparatus and projecting to block light when the waste-toner container is removed from the image forming apparatus;
a storage unit that stores an output voltage from the light-receiving portion for detecting the fullness of the waste-toner container as a first threshold and an output voltage from the light-receiving portion for detecting whether or not the light-blocking member is projected as a second threshold;
and
a control unit for controlling operation of the image forming section based on the output voltage of the light-receiving portion, when the control unit has determined that the waste-toner container is full, by referencing the output voltage of the light-receiving portion and the storage unit, the control unit prohibits printing and does not permit the image forming apparatus to perform printing until the control unit detects that the light-blocking member is projected, the light-blocking member is then retracted, and the waste-toner container is not full.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/554,370Filed 4 Sep 2009
Priority: JP 2008-33284926 Dec 2008
Published: 1 Jul 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G03G 15/556
Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job: for…
G03G 21/12
Collecting or recycling waste developer: toner waste containers
G03G 2215/0894
Optical detection: through a light transmissive window in the developer container wall
G03G
Electrography

Family

US 8,204,390 B2Related patent
US 2010/0166441 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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