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US 2026/0252003 A1Published application
Image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsYASUKAZU IKAMI, HIROKI TANAKA, TSUGUHIRO YOSHIDA, KAZUNARI HAGIWARA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an image forming apparatus, when a first total toner used amount in a first image forming station is larger than a second total toner used amount in a second image forming station, first toner is supplied to a cleaning blade from the first image forming station via an intermediate transfer belt in a non-image-forming period.
Claims10
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a first image forming station;
- a second image forming station;
- an intermediate transfer belt;
- an abutting member;
- and
- a secondary transfer roller,
- wherein:
- the first image forming station includes:
- a first photosensitive drum configured to bear at least a portion of an image;
- a first development container configured to accommodate first toner;
- a first development roller configured to bear the first toner and develop a first toner image on the first photosensitive drum;
- and
- a first primary transfer member, and
- the second image forming station includes:
- a second photosensitive drum configured to bear at least a portion of the image;
- a second development container configured to accommodate second toner;
- a second development roller configured to bear the second toner and develop a second toner image on the second photosensitive drum;
- and
- a second primary transfer member,
- the first toner image developed on the first photosensitive drum is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt by a first primary transfer roller,
- the second toner image developed on the second photosensitive drum is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt by a second primary transfer roller,
- the first toner image and the second toner image that have been primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt are secondarily transferred by the secondary transfer roller to a transfer material, and
- the abutting member is configured to contact the intermediate transfer belt and collect residual toner from the intermediate transfer belt after the first toner image and the second toner image are transferred to the transfer material,
- an accumulated value of a used amount of the first toner in the first image forming station is a first total toner used amount, and an accumulated value of a used amount of second toner in the second image forming station is a second total toner used amount,
- when the first total toner used amount is larger than the second total toner used amount, first toner is supplied to the abutting member from the first image forming station via the intermediate transfer belt in at least one non-image-forming period, and
- in a region of the intermediate transfer belt to which the first toner image and the second toner image are primarily transferred, one end side in a rotational axis direction of the secondary transfer roller is a first region, and another end side excluding the first region is a second region, and
- when the first total toner used amount is larger than the second total toner used amount in the first region and the first total toner used amount is less than the second total toner used amount in the second region, first toner is supplied in the first region to the intermediate transfer belt from the first image forming station in at least one non-image-forming period, and second toner is supplied in the second region to the intermediate transfer belt from the second image forming station in at least one non-image-forming period.
24 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a first image forming station including a first photosensitive drum configured to bear at least a portion of an image, and a first development roller configured to bear first toner and develop a first toner image on the first photosensitive drum;
- a second image forming station including a second photosensitive drum configured to bear at least a portion of the image, and a second development roller configured to bear second toner and develop a second toner image on the second photosensitive drum;
- an intermediate transfer belt;
- and
- an abutting member configured to contact and collect residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt after transfer of the first toner image and the second toner image, wherein:
- the first toner image and the second toner image are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt by respective transfer rollers,
- an accumulated value of a used amount of the first toner in the first image forming station is a first total toner used amount,
- an accumulated value of a used amount of second toner in the second image forming station is a second total toner used amount, and
- when the first total toner used amount is larger than the second total toner used amount, first toner is supplied to the abutting member from the first image forming station via the intermediate transfer belt in at least one non-image-forming period.
6 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a first image forming station;
- a second image forming station;
- an intermediate transfer belt;
- an abutting member;
- and
- a secondary transfer roller, wherein:
- the first image forming station includes:
- a first photosensitive drum configured to bear at least a portion of an image;
- a first development container configured to accommodate first toner;
- and
- a first development roller configured to bear the first toner and develop a first toner image on the first photosensitive drum,
- the second image forming station includes:
- a second photosensitive drum configured to bear at least a portion of the image;
- a second development container configured to accommodate second toner;
- and
- a second development roller configured to bear the second toner and develop a second toner image on the second photosensitive drum,
- the first toner image developed on the first photosensitive drum is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt by a first primary transfer roller,
- the second toner image developed on the second photosensitive drum is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt by a second primary transfer roller,
- the first toner image and the second toner image that have been primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt are secondarily transferred by the secondary transfer roller to a transfer material, and
- the abutting member is configured to contact the intermediate transfer belt and collect residual toner from the intermediate transfer belt after the first toner image and the second toner image are transferred to the transfer material,
- in a region of the intermediate transfer belt to which the first toner image and the second toner image are primarily transferred, one end side in a rotational axis direction of the secondary transfer roller is a first region, and another end side excluding the first region is a second region, and
- when a first total toner used amount is larger than a second total toner used amount in the first region and the first total toner used amount is less than the second total toner used amount in the second region, first toner is supplied in the first region to the intermediate transfer belt from the first image forming station in at least one non-image-forming period, and second toner is supplied in the second region to the intermediate transfer belt from the second image forming station in at least one non-image-forming period.
19 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.