IP Library Granted Patent US 12699339
Granted Patent B2
US 12699339 · App. 19/104,612 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Movable cleaning device

Inventors: Kensuke Nakajima (Yokohama, JP); Satoru Hori (Yokohama, JP); Koji Miyake (Yokohama, JP); Shun Ikeura (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
G03G15/161G03G15/6529G03G21/0076G03G2215/1661
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12699339
App. No.
19/104,612
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A cleaning device includes a contact member that contacts a rotation surface and a lever device which displaces the contact member. The lever device includes a roller which contacts the rotation surface and a lever which supports the roller to rotate in response to a forward rotation of the rotation surface. The lever is displaced by receiving a force of the rotation surface through the roller and separates the contact member from the rotation surface, in response to a backward rotation of the rotation surface.

Claims (70)

1 . A movable cleaning device comprising:

a contact member to clean a rotation surface; and

a lever device comprising:

a roller contacting the rotation surface; and

a lever axially supported to be rotatable, the lever to:

support the roller to rotate in response to a rotation of the rotation surface;

displace the contact member to a first state in which the contact member contacts the rotation surface, in response to a rotation of the rotation surface in a first direction; and

displace the contact member to a second state in which the contact member separates from the rotation surface, in response to a rotation of the rotation surface in a second direction.

2 . The movable cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein:

the lever comprises a hole to support a shaft of the roller to be rotatable, the hole comprising:

a low-friction region in which the roller rotates in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the first direction; and

a high-friction region in which the roller engages with the lever in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the second direction.

3 . The movable cleaning device of claim 2 , wherein:

the lever is to:

press the shaft of the roller into the low-friction region in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the first direction; and

press the shaft of the roller into the high-friction region in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the second direction.

4 . The movable cleaning device of claim 2 , wherein:

the hole is an elongated hole shape, the hole comprising:

a circular arc surface in the low-friction region; and

a tapered surface in the high-friction region.

5 . The movable cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein:

the contact member comprises:

a head which is to be movable between the first state and the second state; and

an arm that extends from the head, the arm to move the head.

6 . The movable cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein:

the rotation surface comprises a transfer belt to which a toner is transferred; and

the lever comprises a concave portion to collect a remaining toner removed from the transfer belt by the contact member.

7 . The movable cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein:

the contact member in the second state is to press the lever by a first pressing force to hold a rotation position of the lever; and

the lever is to displace the contact member to the first state against the first pressing force in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the first direction.

8 . The movable cleaning device of claim 7 , wherein:

the contact member in the first state is to press the rotation surface by a second pressing force; and

the lever is to displace the contact member to the second state against the second pressing force in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the second direction.

9 . The movable cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein:

the contact member in the second state is to press the lever at a lower portion of a rotation shaft of the lever.

10 . A conveying device comprising:

a conveying body comprising a rotation surface;

a contact member which is to be movable between a contact state and a separation state, wherein the contact state indicates that the contact member contacts the rotation surface of the conveying body, and the separation state indicates that the contact member separates from the rotation surface;

a roller contacting the rotation surface; and

a lever comprising:

a rotation shaft fixed in a shaft hole to displace the contact member; and

a hole to support a shaft of the roller,

the lever to:

support the roller to rotate in response to a rotation of the rotation surface;

displace the contact member to the contact state against a friction force between the rotation shaft and the shaft hole in response to a rotation of the rotation surface in a first direction; and

displace the contact member to the separation state against the friction force between the rotation shaft and the shaft hole in response to a rotation of the rotation surface in a second direction.

11 . The conveying device of claim 10 , wherein:

the hole comprises:

a low-friction region for rotating the roller in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the first direction; and

a high-friction region for suppressing the rotation of the roller in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the second direction.

12 . The conveying device of claim 10 , wherein:

the contact member in the separation state is to press the lever by a first pressing force to hold a rotation position of the lever; and

the contact member in the contact state is to press the rotation surface by a second pressing force, wherein:

the lever is to displace the contact member to the first state against the first pressing force in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the first direction; and

the lever is to displace the contact member to the second state against the second pressing force in response to the rotation of the rotation surface in the second direction.

13 . An image forming apparatus comprising:

a conveying body comprising a rotation surface;

a contact member which is to be movable between a contact state and a separation state, wherein the contact state indicates that the contact member contacts the rotation surface of the conveying body, and the separation state indicates that the contact member separates from the rotation surface;

a roller contacting the rotation surface; and

a lever comprising:

a rotation shaft fixed in a shaft hole; and

a hole to support a shaft of the roller, the lever to:

support the roller to rotate in response to a rotation of the rotation surface;

displace the contact member to the contact state against a friction force between the rotation shaft and the shaft hole in response to a rotation of the rotation surface in a first direction; and

displace the contact member to the separation state against the friction force between the rotation shaft and the shaft hole in response to a rotation of the rotation surface in a second direction.

14 . The image forming apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:

the conveying body comprises a transfer belt to which a toner is transferred; and

the transfer belt rotates in the first direction, when the transfer belt is controlled to print a toner image on a medium.

15 . The image forming apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:

the transfer belt rotates in the second direction in a predetermined period of time after the transfer belt is controlled to print the toner image on the medium.