US 2013/0279934 A1Published application

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsHideaki Hasegawa, Motoki Adachi, Takayoshi Kihara

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus including: image forming stations each including: a photosensitive drum; a charger configured to charge the drum; a transfer device configured to transfer a developer image on the drum onto an intermediate transfer member; and a cleaner configured to remove developer from the drum; an exposure device configured to expose the drum to form a latent image; the intermediate transfer member; a memory storing information on the drum; and a controller configured to control at least one of the charger, transfer device, and exposure device in the station based on the information in the memory to provide a predetermined potential difference between the drum and the transfer device to form an electric field therebetween in a reverse direction to that in an image formation in order to move the developer from the intermediate transfer member to the drum to collect the developer by the cleaner.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image forming stations each including:
an image bearing member;
a charging device configured to charge the image bearing member;
a transfer device configured to transfer a developer image formed on the image bearing member onto an intermediate transfer member;
and
a cleaning device configured to remove developer adhering to the image bearing member;
an exposure device configured to expose the image bearing member with light to form a latent image on the image bearing member;
the intermediate transfer member which is configured to circulate and onto which the developer image formed on the image bearing member is transferred;
a storage portion having information relating to the image bearing member stored therein;
and
a control portion configured to execute a developer collecting operation of causing the developer adhering to the intermediate transfer member to move to the image bearing member to collect the developer by the cleaning device,
wherein the control portion controls, when executing the developer collecting operation, at least one of the charging device, the transfer device, and the exposure device in at least one of the plurality of image forming stations based on the information stored in the storage portion, to provide a predetermined potential difference between the image bearing member and the transfer device and form an electric field between the image bearing member and the transfer device in a direction opposite to a direction of an electric field formed during image formation.

9 more elements

An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image forming stations each including:
an image bearing member;
a charging device configured to charge the image bearing member;
a transfer device configured to transfer a developer image formed on the image bearing member onto the recording material conveyed by a recording material conveying member;
and
a cleaning device configured to remove developer adhering to the image bearing member;
an exposure device configured to expose the image bearing member with light to form a latent image on the image bearing member;
the recording material conveying member which is configured to circulate and convey the recording material;
a storage portion having information relating to the image bearing member stored therein;
and
a control portion configured to execute a developer collecting operation of causing the developer adhering to the recording material conveying member to move to the image bearing member to collect the developer by the cleaning device,
wherein the control portion controls, when executing the developer collecting operation, at least one of the charging device, the transfer device, and the exposure device in at least one of the plurality of image forming stations based on the information stored in the storage portion, to provide a predetermined potential difference between the image bearing member and the transfer device and form an electric field between the image bearing member and the transfer device in a direction opposite to a direction of an electric field formed during image formation.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/860,707Filed 11 Apr 2013
Priority: JP 2012-09468618 Apr 2012
Published: 24 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G03G 21/10
Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge: collecting or recycling waste developer
G03G 15/161
Using at least one intermediate support: with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent
G03G 15/166
Comprising a rotatable holding member to which the second base is attached or attracted, e.g. screen transfer holding drum: with means for…
G03G 2215/0132
The linear arrangement being horizontal or slanted: vertical medium transport path at the secondary transfer

Family

US 9,342,033 B2Related patent
US 2013/0279934 A1This patent

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

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