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AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTetsuo Katoh
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for controlling the supply of a developing agent, installed in a developer, is equipped with a developing-agent amount detector to detect an amount of the developing agent consumed by the developer; a driving-time detector to detect a driving time for actually shaking the developing agent provided in the developer; a developing-agent density calculator to calculate an actual density of the developing agent in the developer based on the consumed amount of the developing agent detected by the developing-agent amount detector and the actual driving time detected by the driving-time detector; a developing-agent amount controller to compare the actual density detected by the developing-agent density calculator and a reference developing-agent density to perform forcible supply of the developing agent when the actual density is lower than the reference density whereas forcible consumption of the developing agent when the actual density is equal to or higher than the reference density; and a consumed-amount adjuster to adjust the consumed amount of the developing agent per unit of time under control by the developing-agent amount controller.
An apparatus for controlling the supply of a developing agent, installed in a developer, comprising:
A method of controlling the supply of a developing agent for a developing-agent supply control apparatus installed in a developer, comprising the steps of:
An apparatus for controlling the supply of a developing agent, installed in a developer, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
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Toner cartridge or other attachable and detachable container for supplying developer material to replace the used material: fulfilling a…
Term ended 10 Jun 2022 (estimated)
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer. Particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer used in an image forming apparatus such as a plain paper color copy machine and a printer, for printing data transferred from an image-data supplying device such as a personal computer and a digital camera, on plain papers or OHP sheets.
Developers used in image forming apparatus are usually equipped with an automatic supplying mechanism for toner to be consumed in printing. A popular developing technique is two-component developing using developing agent including toner to be used in printing characters and carriers having electrostatic property. Repeated image-forming operations require the supply of toner to cover a detected consumed amount while the carrier amount is almost constant in alternately-performed charging and charge-removing operations.
The amount of toner to be consumed varies between printing a large number of characters and information with a large white area such as a picture and a graph on a sheet of paper. Several factors such as a low printing rate and a high intermittent-printing rate cause variation in toner-consuming rate versus developer-driving time. Discussed below is a relation between a toner amount to be consumed and a developer-driving time.
In the attached drawings:
FIG. 1 is block diagram indicating functions of a first embodiment of apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer;
FIG. 2 is block diagram indicating functions of a second embodiment of apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer;
Embodiments for image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be disclosed with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is block diagram of a first embodiment of apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer. FIG. 2 is block diagram of a second embodiment of apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer. Moreover, FIG. 11 is block diagram of a third embodiment of apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer. Disclosed first are schematic structures of a developer and an image forming apparatus in which the developer is installed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 before disclosing the first to third embodiments of apparatus for controlling the supply of developing agent to a developer.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a schematic structure of a full-color image forming apparatus in which a developer of the present invention is installed. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 has a photosensitive drum 1 that rotates in clockwise while carrying images. Provided around the image forming apparatus are a charger 2, a first developer 6, a second developer 7, a third developer 8, a fourth developer 9, a pre-cleaning remover 10, a photosensitive-drum cleaner 11 and a transfer drum 12 for carrying a transfer agent.