# US 2025/0085656 A1 · Image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 2025/0085656 A1
- Document ID: US20250085656A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/796,857
- Filed: 2024-08-07
- Published: 2025-03-13
- Earliest claimed: 2023-09-12
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Takaaki TAWADA; Shotaro HOSHI; Kazuhiko WATANABE; Hirofumi FUJII
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250085656A1

## CPC

- G03G 15/5054: {by measuring the characteristics of an intermediate image carrying member or the characteristics of an image on an intermediate image carrying member, e.g. intermediate transfer belt or drum, conveyor belt}
- G03G 15/0131: {for transferring a pattern to a second base}
- G03G 15/0136: {transfer member separable from recording member or vice versa, mode switching}
- G03G 15/0189: {primary transfer to an intermediate transfer belt (G03G15/0184 takes precedence)}
- G03G 15/161: {with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent}
- G03G 15/5058: {using a test patch}
- G03G 2215/1661: of transfer belt
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an image bearer movable in a moving direction, a transferor, a cleaner, a sensor, and circuitry. The circuitry controls the image forming unit to form multiple toner patches arranged at a first interval on the image bearer in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the moving direction and controls the sensor to detect the multiple toner patches. The circuitry adjusts the image forming unit based on a detection of the multiple toner patches by the sensor as an adjustment operation. The circuitry is configured to separate the transferor from the image bearer during the adjustment operation and control the image forming unit to form multiple patterns arranged at a second interval in the moving direction. Each of the multiple patterns has a band shape extending in the orthogonal direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit to form a toner image;
an image bearer contacting the image forming unit to bear the toner image, the image bearer movable in a moving direction;
a transferor contacting the image bearer to transfer the toner image from the image bearer to a recording medium;
a cleaner contacting the image bearer to clean a surface of the image bearer;
a sensor; and
circuitry configured to:
control the image forming unit to form multiple toner patches arranged at a first interval on the image bearer in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the moving direction;
control the sensor to detect the multiple toner patches;
adjust the image forming unit based on a detection of the multiple toner patches by the sensor as an adjustment operation;
separate the transferor from the image bearer during the adjustment operation; and
control the image forming unit to form multiple patterns arranged at a second interval in the moving direction, each of the multiple patterns having a band shape extending in the orthogonal direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the multiple patterns has a length longer than a length of each of the multiple toner patches in the moving direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
multiple image forming units including the image forming unit,
the multiple image forming units arranged in the moving direction,
the multiple image forming units containing different color toners,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the multiple image forming units to form the multiple patterns having different colors.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the multiple image forming units to form the multiple patterns having colors arranged from downstream to upstream in a first order in the moving direction, and
the different color toners in the multiple image forming units are arranged from downstream to upstream in a second order that coincides with the first order in the moving direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the second interval between the multiple patterns is longer than a length of each of the multiple patterns in the moving direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the image forming unit to change an image density of each of the multiple patterns.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the multiple patterns has a length equal to or longer than the maximum width of recording media usable in the image forming apparatus in the orthogonal direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
two sensors including the sensor,
the two sensors disposed to face both ends of the image bearer in the orthogonal direction,
wherein a first length of each of the multiple patterns is equal to or longer than a second length between the two sensors in the orthogonal direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the image forming unit to form the multiple patterns following the multiple toner patches on the image bearer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein an amount of toner adhering to a unit area of each of the multiple patterns is larger than an amount of toner adhering to a unit area of a monochrome solid image.