Image forming apparatus, image reading device, and liquid discharge device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12479214-B2
Application number	US-202318205821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2023
Priority date	Jun 14, 2022
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; an image former configured to form an image on the medium on the drum; a reader downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the image former; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably close the path. The image former and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; an image former configured to form an image on the medium on the drum; a reader downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the image former; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably move toward the drum to close the path when the image former is forming an image on the medium, wherein the image former and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum.

2 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising multiple readers including the reader, the multiple readers including:
a first reader configured to read the image in a first range in an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis; and a second reader configured to read the image in a second range different from the first range in the axial direction.

3 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a support supporting the reader and thermally insulating the first space from the second space, and wherein the support includes the shield.

4 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a support supporting the reader and thermally insulating the first space from the second space, wherein the shield is adjacent to the support.

5 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reader is drawable from the opening of the housing in an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the drum.

6 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third space between the first space and the second space, the third space including the path,
wherein the second space accommodates a heat source configured to generate gas, the shield is closed to restrict the gas flowing from the second space into the first space, the image former discharges a liquid onto the medium to form the image on the medium, and the reader includes an optical portion to read the image.

7 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid discharge apparatus comprises an image forming apparatus.

8 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; an image former configured to form an image on the medium on the drum; a reader downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the image former; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably close the path, wherein the image former and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum, wherein the reader is drawable from the opening of the housing in an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the drum; wherein a drawing movement of the reader is restricted within a predetermined distance in the axial direction, and the predetermined distance is equal to or more of a half of an entire length of the reader in the axial direction.

9 . An image reading device comprising:
a reader configured to read an image formed by an image former on a medium conveyed by a drum in a conveyance direction; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably move toward the drum to close the path when the image former is forming an image on the medium, wherein the reader is:
radially arranged with respect to a rotation axis of the drum; and
disposed downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction.

Assignees

• Tokunaga Yusuke
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tokunaga Yusuke

Classifications

• B41J25/34

  Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages · CPC title

• B41J2025/008

  comprising a plurality of print heads placed around a drum · CPC title

• G03G21/1633

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

• G06K15/16

  Means for paper feeding or form feeding · CPC title

• B41J2202/21

  Line printing · CPC title