IP Library Granted Patent US 8,862,019
Granted Patent B2
US 8,862,019 · App. 13/481,131 · Granted Oct 14, 2014

Cleaning device and image forming apparatus including the same

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,862,019
App. No.
13/481,131
Granted
Oct 14, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A cleaning device includes at least one first cleaning member that removes residual substances that remain on a surface of an endless belt by being in contact with the surface of the endless belt while rotating in a direction that is opposite to a movement direction in which the endless belt moves; a second cleaning member that is brought into contact with and separated from the surface of the endless belt at a predetermined timing and removes the residual substances that remain on the surface of the endless belt; and a switching unit that switches a rotation direction of the first cleaning member to a direction the same as the movement direction of the endless belt when the second cleaning member is brought into contact with the surface of the endless belt and cleans the surface.

Claims (20)

1. A cleaning device comprising:

at least one first cleaning member configured to remove residual substances that remain on a surface of an endless belt by being in contact with the surface of the endless belt while rotating in a direction that is opposite to a movement direction in which the endless belt moves;

a second cleaning member that is brought into contact with and separated from the surface of the endless belt at a predetermined timing and that is configured to remove the residual substances that remain on the surface of the endless belt; and

a switching unit configured to switch a rotation direction of the first cleaning member to a direction the same as the movement direction of the endless belt when the second cleaning member is brought into contact with the surface of the endless belt and cleans the surface.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first cleaning member includes a rotatable cleaning brush, and a bias voltage is applied to the cleaning brush in response to the second cleaning member being in contact with the surface of the endless belt and configured to clean the surface of the endless belt.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first cleaning member includes two rotatable cleaning brushes, and

wherein a bias voltage having an opposite polarity is applied to one of the two cleaning brushes, the opposite polarity being opposite to a normal charge polarity with which the residual substances are charged, and a bias voltage having a polarity the same as the normal charge polarity is applied to the other of the two cleaning brushes.

4. An image forming apparatus comprising:

at least one image carrier configured to carry a toner image;

an intermediate transfer member to which the toner image is transferred from the image carrier;

the cleaning device according to claim 1 ; and

the endless belt configured to transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the endless belt is looped over a plurality of rollers including a second transfer roller, a meandering control roller, and a peel-off roller; the second transfer roller is disposed at a second transfer position at which the endless belt is in contact with the intermediate transfer member, the second transfer roller driving the endless belt; the meandering control roller is disposed upstream of the second transfer roller in a movement direction in which the endless belt moves, the meandering control roller controlling meandering of the endless belt; and the peel-off roller is disposed downstream of the second transfer roller in the movement direction of the endless belt, the peel-off roller peeling the recording medium off the endless belt.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the endless belt is disposed so as to be brought into contact with and separated from the intermediate transfer member, and the second transfer roller is rotated by a driving unit at a circumferential speed that is larger than a movement speed of the intermediate transfer member through a torque limiter that transmits only a torque that is equal to or smaller than a set value.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the endless belt is disposed so as to be always in contact with the intermediate transfer member.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 12, 2021
From: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
To: FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP.
Reel/Frame 058287/0056 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 25, 2012
From: KOMIYAMA, TSUTOMU; TOKUNAGA, MASAAKI; SHIRAI, MASAKAZU; HAGIWARA, KAZUYOSHI; SUGITANI, KAZUTOSHI; SATO, KOICHI; TAKAHASHI, MASAAKI
To: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 028272/0816 →