# US 2014/0193172 A1 · Cleaner, and process cartridge and image forming apparatus using the cleaner > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0193172 A1 - Document ID: US20140193172A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/089,970 - Filed: 2013-11-26 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Takaaki TAWADA; Takatsugu FUJISHIRO; Kazuhiko WATANABE; Hisashi KIKUCHI; Naomi SUGIMOTO; Yuu SAKAKIBARA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193172A1 ## CPC - G03G 21/0017: {Details relating to the internal structure or chemical composition of the blades} - G03G 21/0029: {Details relating to the blade support} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract A cleaner is provided. The cleaner includes a cleaning blade having an edge to be contacted with a surface of a member to be cleaned while moving relative to the member to clean the surface of the member. The cleaning blade includes the edge, and first and second side surfaces, wherein the edge is disposed between the first and second side surfaces. When the cleaning blade is not contacted with the surface of the member to be cleaned, the first side surface is opposed to the surface of the member, and when the cleaning blade is contacted with the surface of the member, the edge, and the first and second side surfaces of the cleaning blade are contacted with the surface of the member. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cleaner comprising: a cleaning blade having an edge to be contacted with a surface of a member to be cleaned while moving relative to the member to clean the surface of the member, wherein the cleaning blade includes: the edge; and a first side surface; and a second side surface, wherein the edge is disposed between the first and second side surfaces, and wherein when the cleaning blade is not contacted with the surface of the member to be cleaned, the first side surface is opposed to the surface of the member, and when the cleaning blade is contacted with the surface of the member, the edge, and the first and second side surfaces of the cleaning blade are contacted with the surface of the member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade includes: an edge layer, wherein a surface of the edge layer serves as the first side surface, another surface of the edge layer serves as at least part of the second side surface, and an edge of the edge layer serves as the edge of the cleaning blade; and a second layer located on the edge layer, wherein the edge layer has a higher hardness than the second layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the edge layer has a 100% modulus value of from 6 MPa to 12 MPa at 23° C. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the edge layer is formed of a material having a tan δ peak temperature of lower than 10° C. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the second layer is formed of a material having a tan δ peak temperature of lower than 10° C. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A process cartridge comprising: an image bearing member to bear an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof; a charger to charge the surface of the image bearing member; a developing device to develop the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a toner image on the surface of the image bearing member; and the cleaner according to claim 1 to clean the surface of the image bearing member, wherein the process cartridge is detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus as a unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the surface of the image bearing member to be contacted with the cleaner includes a particulate inorganic material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The process cartridge according to claim 6, further comprising: a protective agent applicator to apply a protective agent including a fatty acid metal salt and an inorganic lubricant to the surface of the image bearing member to be contacted with the cleaner. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the protective agent applicator is located on a downstream side from the cleaning blade relative to a moving direction of the image bearing member. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the toner includes a lubricant including a fatty acid metal salt. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member to bear a toner image on a surface thereof; a transferring device to transfer the toner image onto a recording medium; and the cleaner according to claim 1 to clean the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image on the image bearing member is transferred to the recording medium. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image bearing member is a photoreceptor including: an electroconductive support; a photosensitive layer located overlying the electroconductive support; an outermost layer located overlying the photosensitive layer and including a resin having no charge transport structure, and a particulate inorganic material, and wherein the outermost layer has a surface resistivity R1 of not less than 1013 Ω/cm2 at an electric field strength of 1×104V/cm, and a ratio R1/R15 of the surface resistivity R1 to a surface resistivity R15 of the outermost layer, which is measured at an electric field strength of 1.5×105V/cm, is from 100 to 5,000. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a ratio R1/R3 of the surface resistivity R1 to a surface resistivity R3 of the outermost layer, which is measured at an electric field strength of 3×104V/cm, is from 0.1 to 10. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the resin having no charge transport structure in the outermost layer is a crosslinked resin, and wherein the outermost layer has a universal hardness of not less than 250 N/mm2.