Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12222671-B2
Application number	US-202318387848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2023
Priority date	Nov 10, 2022
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a unit, a housing, an outer cover, a lock, a detector, and circuitry. The unit is disposed in the image forming apparatus. The housing stores a toner bottle and has an insertion opening and an inner cover openably closable the insertion opening. The outer cover is openably closable to expose the inner cover and the unit or cover the inner cover and the unit. The lock locks the inner cover at a closed position. The detector detects an amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle. The circuitry controls the lock to unlock the inner cover based on the amount of the toner detected by the detector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a unit disposed in the image forming apparatus;
a housing to store a toner bottle, the housing having:
an insertion opening; and
an inner cover openably closable the insertion opening;

an outer cover openably closable to expose the inner cover and the unit or cover the inner cover and the unit;
a lock to lock the inner cover at a closed position;
a detector to detect an amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle; and
circuitry configured to control the lock to unlock the inner cover based on the amount of the toner detected by the detector.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
an another detector to detect an opening of the outer cover from the closed position,
wherein the circuitry unlocks the inner cover based on:
the amount of the toner detected by the detector; and
the opening of the outer cover detected by the another detector.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the lock includes:
a locking portion; and
a locked portion in the inner cover, the locked portion locked by the locking portion,

the locking portion is downstream from the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position in an opening direction of the inner cover,
the locking portion includes a contact portion to contact with the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position, and
a gap between the inner cover at the closed position and the outer cover at a closed position is smaller than a distance, in the opening direction of the inner cover, between the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position and the contact portion of the locking portion unlocking the locked portion.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the lock includes a solenoid energized to unlock the inner cover, and
the circuitry is configured to:
energize the solenoid to unlock the inner cover; and
stop energization of the solenoid after an elapse of a predetermined time after an unlock of the inner cover.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising
an electric component,
wherein the another detector includes an interlock switch to cut off energization of the electric component in response to an opening of the outer cover.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a fuse,
wherein the lock includes a solenoid to receive power via the fuse to unlock the inner cover.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein an opening angle of the inner cover is 90° or mom.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry unlocks the inner cover based on the amount of the toner detected by the detector,
the lock includes:
a locking portion; and
a locked portion in the inner cover,
the locked portion locked by the locking portion,

the locking portion is downstream from the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position in an opening direction of the inner cover,
the locking portion includes a contact portion to contact with the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position, and
a gap between the inner cover at the closed position and the outer cover at a closed position is larger than a distance, in the opening direction of the inner cover, between the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position and the contact portion of the locking portion unlocking the locked portion.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a housing to store a toner bottle, the housing having:
an insertion opening; and
an inner cover openably closable the insertion opening;

an outer cover openably closable to expose the inner cover or cover the inner cover;
a lock to lock the inner cover at a closed position,
the lock including:
a locking portion; and
a locked portion in the inner cover, the locked portion locked by the locking portion,
the locking portion downstream from the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position in an opening direction of the inner cover,
the locking portion including a contact portion to contact with the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position;

a detector to detect an amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle;
an another detector to detect an opening of the outer cover from the closed position; and
circuitry configured to control the lock to unlock the inner cover based on the amount of the toner detected by the detector and the opening of the outer cover detected by the another detector,
wherein a gap between the inner cover at the closed position and the outer cover at a closed position is smaller than a distance, in the opening direction of the inner cover, between the locked portion of the inner cover at the closed position and the contact portion of the locking portion unlocking the locked portion.

Assignees

• Nieda Hiroaki
• Matsuda Naoki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nieda Hiroaki
• Matsuda Naoki

Classifications

• E05B47/0002 Primary

  with electromagnets · CPC title

• E05B2047/0067

  Monitoring · CPC title

• E05B2047/0073

  Current to unlock only · CPC title

• G03G15/556

  for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement · CPC title

• G03G21/1633 Primary

  using doors or covers (G03G21/1638 takes precedence) · CPC title