US 8,798,511 B2Granted

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorOsamu Ichihashi

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of N image carriers including first through Nth image carriers, a transfer unit including an endless transfer belt, a plurality of M belt supporting members including a plurality of first through Nth nip opposing members contacting the inner surface of the endless transfer belt at positions corresponding to where the plurality of N image carriers contacts the outer surface of the endless transfer belt to form N transfer nips thereat, the first opposing member defining a first supported area of the endless transfer belt, a contact and separation mechanism including a retaining unit to move the first supported area of the endless transfer belt into and out of contact with the first image carrier, and a mark detector to detect a plurality of adjacent marks formed at a predetermined pitch in a circumferential direction of the endless transfer belt.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image carrier configured to carry a toner image thereon;
a belt configured to contact the image carrier;
first and second end rollers which support the belt and around which the belt is wrapped;
a first intermediate roller configured to support the belt;
a second intermediate roller disposed downstream from the first intermediate roller in a moving direction of the belt and configured to support the belt;
a detector disposed downstream from the first intermediate roller and upstream from the second intermediate roller in the moving direction of the belt and configured to detect a mark formed on the belt;
a supporter configured to support the detector, the first intermediate roller and the second intermediate roller;
and
a contact and separation mechanism configured to move the supporter between a first position and a second position, the belt contacting the image carrier when the supporter is in the first position and being separate from the image carrier when the supporter is in the second position, the contact and separation mechanism arranged so that movement thereof moves the detector, the first intermediate roller, and the second intermediate roller without moving the first end roller or the second end roller.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/028,082Filed 16 Sep 2013 · continuation
Priority: JP 2009-10387922 Apr 2009
Published: US 2014/0016970 A116 Jan 2014
Granted: 5 Aug 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G03G 15/0136
For transferring a pattern to a second base: transfer member separable from recording member or vice versa, mode switching
G03G 15/1605
Of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer: using at least one intermediate support
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 15/1615
Using at least one intermediate support: relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning

Family

Application12/762,678Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Apr 2010
US 2014/0016970 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 Jan 2014
US 8,571,450 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2010/0272478 A1Published application
US 8,798,511 B2This patent

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