# US 9,436,152 B2 · Lubricant supplying device, image forming apparatus and process cartridge > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,436,152 B2 - Document ID: US9436152B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/836,105 - Filed: 2015-08-26 - Published: 2015-12-24 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-21 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Kenji Honjoh; Takeshi Shintani; Kohsuke Yamamoto; Daisuke Tomita; Norio Kudo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9436152B2 ## CPC - G03G 21/0094: {fatigue treatment of the photoconductor} - G03G 15/553: {Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract A lubricant supplying device used with a solid lubricant, includes a supplying member to supply lubricant taken from the solid lubricant to an object to be supplied with the lubricant, and a remaining amount detecting section to detect a remaining amount of the solid lubricant becoming below a predetermined value. A detection of the remaining amount of the solid lubricant is executed when an operation to supply the lubricant to the object to be supplied with the lubricant stops. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus, comprising: a supplier that rotates to supply a solid lubricant to an object; and a detector to detect, when a rotation of the supplier stops, an amount of the solid lubricant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the supplier stops when a motor that drives the supplier is switched from ON to OFF. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the supplier stops when a motor that drives a photoreceptor is switched from ON to OFF. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector detects a conductive state of the conductive materials to detect the amount of the lubricant. ### Claim 5 An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearing member; a supplier that rotates to supply a lubricant to the image bearing member; a detector to detect a conductive state of conductive materials when a rotation of the supplier stops; and a controller to determine, based on the conductive state detected by the detector, an amount of the lubricant. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation of the supplier stops when a motor that drives the supplier is switched from ON to OFF. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation of the supplier stops when a motor that drives a photoreceptor is switched from ON to OFF. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller determines the amount of the lubricant after the rotation of the supplier has stopped and after a bias has been applied to the conductive materials. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the detector repeatedly detects the conductive state of the conductive materials when the rotation of the supplier stops, and the controller determines, when the detector has detected the conductive state more than once, whether the amount of the lubricant is less than or equal to a predetermined amount. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein during a period after the rotation of the supplier has stopped until a next image forming operation starts, the controller determines the amount of the lubricant while a bias is applied to the conductive materials. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the next image forming operation is requested before completing determining the amount of the lubricant, the controller stops determining the amount of the lubricant and starts the next image forming operation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the conductive materials include a first electrode and a second electrode, and when the lubricant is consumed so that the first electrode and second electrode contact each other, the detector detects the conductive state. ### Claim 13 An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearing member a supplier that rotates to supply a lubricant to the image bearing member; a detector to measure a resistance between conductive materials when a rotation of the supplier stops; and a controller to determine, based on the resistance measured by the detector, an amount of the lubricant. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller determines, when the detector has detected that the resistance being measured is less than or equal to a predetermined value, whether the amount of the lubricant is less than or equal to a predetermined amount. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the rotation of the supplier stops when a motor that drives the supplier is switched from ON to OFF. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the rotation of the supplier stops when a motor that drives a photoreceptor is switched from ON to OFF. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the detector measures the resistance by applying a bias to the conductive materials. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the detector repeatedly confirms whether the resistance between the conductive materials is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the controller determines, when the detector has confirmed more than once that the resistance is less than or equal to the predetermined value, that the amount of the lubricant is less than or equal to a predetermined amount. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein during a period after the rotation of the supplier has stopped until a next image forming operation starts, the controller determines the amount of the lubricant while a bias is applied to the conductive materials. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the conductive materials include a first electrode and a second electrode, and when the lubricant is consumed to make the first electrode and second electrode contact each other, the detector detects the resistance.