US 2012/0269557 A1Published application

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsKazuhiro DODA, Masaru SHIMURA, Shigeru HOASHI, Kenji KANARI, Seiji SAITO, Takashi SHIMADA, Takaaki AKAMATSU, Michio UCHIDA, Ken NAKAGAWA, Takamitsu SODA, Shuuichi TETSUNO

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member for bearing a toner image; a belt for conveying the toner image; and a transfer device for rubbing the belt, and a surface of the transfer device, which is brought into contact with the belt includes linear concave portions or linear convex portions. The image forming apparatus of the present invention prevents a friction force between the belt and the transfer device rubbing the belt from increasing and brings a transfer member into a stable contact with the belt for conveying the toner image, thereby suppressing increase in drive torque of the belt which rubs the transfer device and suppressing occurrence of image failure.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image bearing member that is capable of bearing a toner image;
a belt that is movable in a moving direction, which is configured to convey a recording material on which a toner image is transferred, or on which a toner image is directly transferred;
a transfer device including a contact member that contacts said belt and a support member that supports the contact member;
and
a power supply that is capable of supplying a voltage to said transfer device, wherein said transfer device to which a voltage is applied transfers a toner image from said image bearing member to said belt or a recording material conveyed by said belt,
wherein the contact member does not move in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of said belt in a case where said transfer device transfers a toner image and the contact member contacts said belt without rotating with respect to the support member while said belt moves, and
wherein the contact member has a contact surface which includes at least one recess portion extending in a direction which is angled with respect to the moving direction of said belt.

4 more elements

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image bearing member that is capable of bearing a toner image;
a belt that is movable in a moving direction, which is configured to convey a recording material on which a toner image is transferred, or on which a toner image is directly transferred;
a transfer device including a contact member that contacts said belt and a support member that supports the contact member;
and
a power supply that is capable of supplying a voltage to the transfer device, wherein said transfer device to which a voltage is applied transfers a toner image from said image bearing member to said belt or a recording material conveyed by said belt,
wherein the contact member does not move in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of said belt in a case where said transfer device transfers a toner image and the contact member contacts said belt without rotating with respect to the support member while said belt moves,
wherein the contact member includes at least one contact portion that opposes and contacts said belt and at least one non-contact portion that opposes and does not contact said belt,
wherein at least one of the contact portions and at least one of the non-contact portions are provided in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of said belt in an area in which said image bearing member contacts said belt and said belt contacts the contact member, and
wherein at least one of the contact portions and at least one of the non-contact portions are provided in the moving direction in the area in which said image bearing member contacts said belt and said belt contacts the contact member.

6 more elements

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image bearing member that is capable of bearing a toner image;
a belt that is movable in a moving direction, which is configured to convey a recording material on which a toner image is transferred, or on which a toner image is directly transferred;
a transfer device including a contact member that contacts said belt and a support member that supports the contact member;
and
a power supply that is capable of supplying a voltage to the transfer device, wherein said transfer device to which a voltage is applied transfers a toner image from said image bearing member to said belt or a recording material conveyed by said belt,
wherein the contact member does not move in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of said belt in a case where said transfer device transfers a toner image and the contact member contacts said belt without rotating with respect to the support member while said belt moves,
wherein the contact member includes a plurality of contact portions that opposes and contacts said belt and a plurality of non-contact portions that opposes and does not contact said belt,
wherein said plurality of contact portions and said plurality of non-contact portions are provided in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of said belt in an area in which said image bearing member contacts said belt and said belt contacts the contact member, and
wherein said plurality of contact portions and said plurality of non-contact portions provided in the moving direction in the area in which said image bearing member contacts said belt and said belt contacts the contact member, and
wherein said plurality of non-contact portions is provided not continuously in the moving direction of said belt.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/533,210Filed 26 Jun 2012
Priority: JP 2007-29905519 Nov 2007
Published: 25 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G03G 15/1615
Using at least one intermediate support: relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning
G03G 15/1605
Of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer: using at least one intermediate support
G03G 15/1685
At least one of the recording member or the transfer member being rotatable during the transfer: structure, details of the transfer member, e.g.…
G03G 2215/0129
The linear arrangement being horizontal or slanted: horizontal medium transport path at the secondary transfer

Family

Application12/425,086Continuation · filed 16 Apr 2009
Application13/328,637Continuation · filed 16 Dec 2011
Application13/533,210Continuation
US 2009/0202281 A1Published application
US 2012/0087700 A1Published application
US 8,165,512 B2Related patent
US 8,238,807 B2Related patent
US 8,750,772 B2Related patent
US 2012/0269557 A1This patent

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