US RE48,108 E1Granted

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and computer program product for causing a computer to execute the method

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorsEmiko Shiraishi, Yasuhiko Ogino, Reki Nakamura, Keigo Nakamura, Takahiro Seki

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on the image carrier; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the image carrier to a transfer target having ridges and valleys on a surface thereof; an adjusting unit that adjusts a ratio of A/B, where A is a transfer ratio [%] from the image carrier to a valley portion of the transfer target while B is a transfer ratio [%] from the image carrier to a ridge portion of the transfer target, based on an adjustment input by a user; and a control unit that controls a transfer condition of the transfer unit based on the ratio of A/B adjusted by the adjusting unit.

Claims26

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image carrier;
a transfer unit roller that transfers a toner image on the image carrier to a sheet;
a transfer bias application unit power source that applies, to the transfer unit roller, a transfer bias in which an alternating-current component is superimposed on a direct-current component;
an adjusting unit input device hardware that adjusts a level of the alternating-current component and a level of the direct-current component a user operates only when a predetermined kind of the sheet having ridges and valleys on a surface thereof is selected to input a ratio between a selectable image density in a valley portion of the sheet and a selectable image density in a ridge portion of the sheet;
and
a processing circuitry configured to adjust a level of the alternating-current component and a level of the direct-current component based on the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware, and to control unit that controls the transfer bias application unit power source to apply the transfer bias based on according to the level of the alternating-current component and the level of the direct-current component that is adjusted based on the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the adjusting unit input device hardware,
wherein a value of the level of the alternating-current component increases and a value of the level of the direct-current component decreases as the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware increases, the value of the level of the alternating-current component being greater than zero when the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware is greater than or equal to 1.

4 more elements

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image carrier;
a transfer unit roller that transfers a toner image on the image carrier to a sheet having ridges and valleys on a surface thereof;
a transfer bias application unit power source that applies, to the transfer unit roller, a transfer bias in which an alternating-current component is superimposed on a direct-current component;
an adjusting unit input device hardware that adjusts a level of the alternating-current component and a level of the direct-current component a user operates only when a predetermined kind of the sheet having ridges and valleys on a surface thereof is selected to input a ratio between a selectable image density in a valley portion of the sheet and a selectable image density in a ridge portion of the sheet;
and
a processing circuitry configured to adjust a level of the alternating-current component and a level of the direct-current component based on the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware, and to control unit that controls the transfer bias applied to the transfer unit based on roller according to the level of the alternating-current component and the level of the direct-current component that is adjusted based on the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the adjusting unit input device hardware,
wherein a value of the level of the alternating-current component increases and a value of the level of the direct-current component decreases as the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware increases, the value of the level of the alternating-current component being greater than zero when the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware is greater than or equal to 1.

4 more elements

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image carrier;
a transfer unit roller that transfers a toner image on the image carrier to a sheet;
a transfer bias application unit power source that applies a transfer bias to the transfer unit roller;
a selecting unit input device hardware that a user operates only when a predetermined kind of the sheet having ridges and valleys on a surface thereof is selected to select the transfer bias from any one of a first direct-current voltage and a superimposed voltage in which an alternating-current voltage is superimposed on a second direct-current voltage input a a ratio between a selectable image density in a valley portion of the sheet and a selectable image density in a ridge portion of the sheet;
and
a processing circuitry configured to select the transfer bias from any one of a first direct-current voltage and a superimposed voltage in which an alternating-current voltage is superimposed on a second direct-current voltage based on the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware, and to control unit that controls the transfer bias applied to the transfer unit roller according to the transfer bias that is selected based on a selection result of the selecting unit ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware,
wherein a level of the first direct-current voltage is greater than a level of the second direct-current voltage, and
wherein a value of the level of the alternating-current voltage increases and a value of the level of the direct-current voltage decreases as the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware increases, the value of the level of the alternating-current voltage being greater than zero when the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware is greater than or equal to 1.

5 more elements

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image carrier;
a transfer unit roller that transfers a toner image on the image carrier to a sheet;
a transfer bias application unit power source that applies a transfer bias to the transfer unit roller;
a selecting unit to select the transfer bias from any one of a first direct current and a superimposed current in which an alternating current is superimposed on a second direct-current voltage input device hardware that a user operates only when a predetermined kind of the sheet having ridges and valleys on a surface thereof is selected to input a ratio between a selectable image density in a valley portion of the sheet and a selectable image density in a ridge portion of the sheet;
and
a processing circuitry configured to select the transfer bias from any one of a first direct current and a superimposed current in which an alternating current is superimposed on a second direct current based on the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware, and to control unit that controls the transfer bias applied to the transfer unit roller according to the transfer bias that is selected based on a selection result of the selecting unit ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware,
wherein a level of the first direct current is greater than a level of the second direct current, and
wherein a value of a level of the alternating current increases and a value of a level of the direct current decreases as the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware increases, the value of the level of the alternating current being greater than zero when the ratio between the selectable image density in the valley portion of the sheet and the selectable image density in the ridge portion of the sheet that is input by the input device hardware is greater than or equal to 1.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/263,064Filed 12 Sep 2016 · reissue
Priority: JP 2010-05866016 Mar 2010
Granted: 21 Jul 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G03G 13/16
Transferring a pattern to a second base: of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern
G03G 15/1605
Of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer: using at least one intermediate support
G03G 15/1675
At least one of the recording member or the transfer member being rotatable during the transfer: with means for controlling the bias applied in…
G03G 15/6594
Characterised by the copy material, e.g. postcards, large copies, multi-layered materials, coloured sheet material: characterised by the format or…

Family

Application13/042,635Parent of this continuation · filed 8 Mar 2011
Application14/068,557Reissue · filed 31 Oct 2013
US 8,600,247 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Dec 2013
US 8,837,969 B2Reissue · filed 16 Sep 2014
Application14/068,557Parent of this continuation
US 2011/0229168 A1Published application
US 2014/0079423 A1Published application
US RE48,108 E1This patent

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