IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND FOAM APPLICATION DEVICE

• US 20090151625A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Kazuyoshi, Izumikawa, Manabu, Katano, Yasuo, Kato, Yasuhisa, Imoto, Shinji, Ichimura, Minori
• Granted Patent: US 8,127,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/467 Foam spreading or levelling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2114 Ejecting transparent or white coloured liquids, e.g. processing liquids B41J2/211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2096 using a solvent

Abstract

A disclosed image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; and a foam application unit configured to apply foam generated by foaming a liquid and/or a gel onto the recording medium. The foam application unit includes an application part configured to apply the foam onto the recording medium, a supply opening configured to supply the foam to the application part, and a spreading part configured to spread the foam on the application part. The spreading part is disposed at an angle with respect to the movement direction of the application part; and the supply opening is disposed near the most upstream portion of the spreading part with respect to the movement direction of the application part.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; and

a foam application unit configured to apply foam generated by foaming a liquid and/or a gel onto the recording medium and including;

an application part configured to apply the foam onto the recording medium,

a supply opening configured to supply the foam to the application part, and

a spreading part configured to spread the foam on the application part;

wherein

the spreading part is disposed at an angle with respect to a movement direction of the application part; and

the supply opening, supplying the foam, is disposed near the most upstream portion of the spreading part with respect to the movement direction of the application part.

2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the foam application unit further includes a foam thickness control part disposed downstream of the spreading part and configured to control the thickness of a layer of the foam on the application part;

and

the distance between the foam thickness control part and the application part is less than the distance between the spreading part and the application part.

3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the application part is a roller-like part;

and

the distance between a surface of the roller-like part and the spreading part is uniform in the width direction of application.

4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application part is a belt-shaped part.

5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the foam application unit further includes an intermediate part disposed between the application part and the recording medium and configured to apply the foam onto the recording medium;

and

the application part is configured to apply the foam onto the intermediate part.

6. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foam application unit is configured to apply the foam onto the recording medium before the image is formed by the image forming unit.

7. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foam application unit is configured to apply the foam onto the recording medium after the image is formed by the image forming unit.

8. A foam application device for applying foam generated by foaming a liquid and/or a gel onto a target object, comprising:

an application part configured to apply the foam onto the target object;

a supply opening configured to supply the foam to the application part; and

a spreading part configured to spread the foam on the application part;

wherein

the spreading part is disposed at an angle with respect to a movement direction of the application part; and

the supply opening, supplying the foam, is disposed near the most upstream portion of the spreading part with respect to the movement direction of the application part.