CLEANING DEVICE, INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20140153956A1
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Yonemoto, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,146,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/101
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0817 characterised by the lateral sealing at both sides of the donor member with respect to the developer carrying direction
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/161 with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/0058 using a roller or a polygonal rotating cleaning member; Details thereof, e.g. surface structure G03G21/0064 takes precedence

Abstract

A cleaning device has housing, cleaning member, pair of bearing portions, toner receiving seal, and end seal. The housing is formed with opening facing, and waste toner retaining portion. The cleaning member is rotatably borne by the pair of bearing portions at both ends of rotation axis. The toner receiving seal is disposed facing to entire area in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member, and extends to be laid across each end portion of the cleaning member and outer periphery of the bearing portion. The bearing portion has the same outer diameter in contact portion where the toner receiving seal contacts, as outer diameter of the cleaning member. The end seal is disposed, in gap between the housing and each of the bearing portions, facing to the contact portion with the toner receiving seal interposed therebetween, and prevents leakage of waste toner from both end portions of the housing.

Claims

1. A cleaning device comprising:

a housing formed with an opening facing to an image carrier, and a waste toner retaining portion for retaining toner scraped from a surface of the image carrier;

a roller-shaped cleaning member disposed near the opening of the housing, for removing residual toner on the surface of the image carrier;

a pair of bearing portions that rotatably bear both ends of a rotation axis of the cleaning member;

a toner receiving seal, disposed facing to the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member, configured to prevent reverse flow of waste toner toward the opening from the waste toner retaining portion; and

an end seal, disposed in a gap between the housing and each of the bearing portions, configured to prevent leakage of waste toner from both end portions of the housing,

wherein the toner receiving seal extends to be laid across each end portion of the cleaning member and outer periphery of the bearing portion,

the bearing portion has the same outer diameter in a contact portion where the toner receiving seal contacts, as an outer diameter of the cleaning member, and

the end seal is disposed facing to the contact portion with the toner receiving seal interposed therebetween.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein

the cleaning member includes a cleaning roller for scraping off residual toner on the surface of the image carrier, and a recovery roller for recovering waste toner adhered to a surface of the cleaning roller, and

the toner receiving seal is disposed facing to the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the recovery roller.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein

a scraper configured to scrape off waste toner on a surface of the recovery roller is disposed to be in contact with the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the recovery roller from a counter direction to a rotation direction of the recovery roller, and

both end portions of the scraper are disposed facing to the bearing portions.

4. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the image carrier is an intermediate transfer belt, and the cleaning roller is a fur brush for scraping off residual toner on a surface of the intermediate transfer belt.

5. An intermediate transfer unit comprising a cleaning device, and an intermediate transfer belt from which residual toner is to be removed by the cleaning device, wherein

the cleaning device includes:

a housing formed with an opening facing to the intermediate transfer belt, and a waste toner retaining portion for retaining toner scraped from a surface of the intermediate transfer belt;

a roller-shaped cleaning member disposed near the opening of the housing, for removing residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt;

a pair of bearing portions that rotatably bear both ends of a rotation axis of the cleaning member;

a toner receiving seal, disposed facing to the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member, configured to prevent reverse flow of waste toner toward the opening from the waste toner retaining portion; and

an end seal, disposed in a gap between the housing and each of the bearing portions, configured to prevent leakage of waste toner from both end portions of the housing,

the cleaning member includes a fur brush for scraping off residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt, and a recovery roller for recovering waste toner adhering to a surface of the fur brush,

the toner receiving seal is disposed facing to the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the recovery roller and extends to be laid across each end portion of the cleaning member and outer periphery of the bearing portion,

the bearing portion has the same outer diameter in a contact portion where the toner receiving seal contacts, as an outer diameter of the cleaning member, and

the end seal is disposed facing to the contact portion with the toner receiving seal interposed therebetween.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising a cleaning device, wherein

the cleaning device includes:

a housing formed with an opening facing to an image carrier, and a waste toner retaining portion for retaining toner scraped from a surface of the image carrier;

a roller-shaped cleaning member disposed near the opening of the housing, for removing residual toner on the surface of the image carrier;

a pair of bearing portions that rotatably bear both ends of a rotation axis of the cleaning member;

a toner receiving seal, disposed facing to the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member, configured to prevent reverse flow of waste toner toward the opening from the waste toner retaining portion; and

an end seal, disposed in a gap between the housing and each of the bearing portions, configured to prevent leakage of waste toner from both end portions of the housing,

the toner receiving seal extends to be laid across each end portion of the cleaning member and outer periphery of the bearing portion,

the bearing portion has the same outer diameter in a contact portion where the toner receiving seal contacts, as an outer diameter of the cleaning member, and

the end seal is disposed facing to the contact portion with the toner receiving seal interposed therebetween.