CLEANING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME

• US 20090185842A1
• Filed: 01/08/2009
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ono, Hiroshi, Itoh, Fumihito, Nagashima, Hiroyuki, Yoshino, Kaoru, Muraishi, Takaya, Shintani, Takeshi, Akiba, Yasushi, Hatori, Satoshi, Kosuge, Akio, Kuwabara, Nobuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,204,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/346
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/0011 using a blade; Details of cleaning blades, e.g. blade shape, layer forming
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/0005 Cleaning of residual toner
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1627 Details concerning the cleaning process

Abstract

A cleaning device for cleaning a surface of a rotatable image carrier includes a cleaning blade disposed to contact the image carrier and configured to remove toner on the surface of the image carrier, a lubricant applicator unit disposed above the cleaning blade, downstream from the cleaning blade in a surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to apply lubricant onto the surface of the image carrier, and an accumulation preventer configured to prevent the toner and excessive lubricant from the lubricant applicator unit from accumulating on the cleaning blade.

Claims

1. A cleaning device for cleaning a surface of a rotatable image carrier,

the cleaning device comprising:

a cleaning blade disposed to contact the image carrier and configured to remove toner on the surface of the image carrier;

a lubricant applicator unit disposed above the cleaning blade, downstream from the cleaning blade in a surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to apply lubricant onto the surface of the image carrier; and

an accumulation preventer configured to prevent the toner and excessive lubricant from the lubricant applicator unit from accumulating on the cleaning blade.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the accumulation preventer is a catcher disposed downstream from the cleaning blade and upstream from the lubricant applicator unit in the surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to prevent the toner and the excessive lubricant from dropping onto the cleaning blade.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a storage portion in which the toner and the excessive lubricant dropped from the lubricant applicator unit is stored.

4. The cleaning device according to claim 3, further comprising a transport member to discharge the toner and the excessive lubricant stored in the storage portion outside the cleaning device.

5. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the lubricant applicator unit comprises a lubricant applicator configured to lubricate the surface of the image carrier by contacting the image carrier while rotating, and

the cleaning device further comprises a remover configured to remove the toner and the excessive lubricant adhered to the lubricant applicator after the lubricant applicator contacts the surface of the image carrier.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a toner discharging member disposed upstream from the cleaning blade in the surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to collect the toner removed by the cleaning blade from the image carrier;

a toner discharge path through which the toner removed by the cleaning blade from the image carrier is transported to the toner discharging member; and

a collection path, provided separately from the toner discharge path, through which the toner and the excessive lubricant removed by the remover from the lubricant applicator is transported to the toner discharging member.

7. The cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the collection path is located downstream from a portion where the remover removes the toner and the excessive lubricant from the lubricant applicator in a direction in which the lubricant applicator rotates.

8. The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the lubricant applicator unit further comprises:

a solid lubricant member disposed to contact the lubricant applicator and configured to supply the lubricant thereto;

a lubricant holder that holds the solid lubricant member;

a biasing member that biases the lubricant holder to the lubricant applicator; and

a lubricant guide configured to guide a direction in which the lubricant holder moves, biased by the biasing member,

wherein a distance between a contact portion between the lubricant applicator and the lubricant member and a contact portion between the remover and the lubricant applicator increases as the lubricant member is consumed and becomes smaller.

9. The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the remover is provided on the catcher.

10. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the catcher and the cleaning blade are integrated into a single unit.

11. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein:

the image carrier is drum-shaped and rotates on a rotary shaft;

the catcher comprises a contact portion that contacts the image carrier, and a catcher holder formed with a material identical to that of the cleaning blade and configured to hold the contact portion; and

a distance between the rotary shaft of the image carrier and an edge portion of a bonded portion between the contact portion and the catcher holder is longer than a distance between the rotary shaft and a portion of the catcher holder closest to the image carrier.

12. The cleaning device according to claim 1, incorporated into an image forming apparatus comprising the image carrier and a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image into a toner image.

13. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the accumulation preventer is an engaging and disengaging member that engages and disengages the cleaning blade from the image carrier.

14. The cleaning device according to claim 13, wherein the engaging and disengaging member disengages the cleaning blade from the image carrier multiple times in a single disengagement operation.

15. The cleaning device according to claim 13, wherein the engaging and disengaging member performs a disengagement operation at a timing determined by toner consumption,

the toner consumption being predicted by an area of an image formed on the image carrier and the number of copies.

16. The cleaning device according to claim 13, wherein the engaging and disengaging member performs the disengagement operation while image formation is not being performed.

17. A process cartridge configured to be removably insertable in an image forming apparatus and accommodate a rotatable image carrier and a cleaning device for cleaning a surface of the image carrier,

the cleaning device comprising:

a cleaning blade disposed to contact the image carrier and configured to remove toner on the surface of the image carrier;

a lubricant applicator unit disposed above the cleaning blade, downstream from the cleaning blade in a surface rotation direction of the image carrier and configured to apply lubricant onto the surface of the image carrier; and

an accumulation preventer configured to prevent accumulation of the toner and excessive lubricant on the cleaning blade.