Cleaning device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018224797-A1
Application number	US-201815881964-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 29, 2018
Priority date	Jan 30, 2017
Publication date	Aug 9, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cleaning device includes a blade and a seal member including a first portion having first, second and third surfaces and including a second portion having a fourth surface. The first surface opposes a free end surface of the blade. The second surface is connected with the first surface. The third surface is connected with the first and second surfaces and is perpendicular to the free end surface. The fourth surface is parallel to the third surface and the free end surface. A first interior corner line is formed by the free end surface and the third surface so as to be substantially parallel to a thickness direction of the blade. A second interior corner line is formed by the third surface and the fourth surface so as to be connected with said first interior corner line and be substantially parallel to a height direction of the blade.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cleaning device, capable of being provided at a predetermined position adjacent to an image bearing member carrying a liquid developer, for cleaning a surface of the image bearing member, said cleaning device comprising:
a blade configured to scrape the liquid developer off the surface of the image bearing member with movement of the image bearing member when said cleaning device is in the predetermined position, wherein said blade has a free end on one side and is supported on the other side by a supporting portion, and when said cleaning device is in the predetermined position, said blade satisfies the following i) to iv) : i) a front surface which is one of widthwise-height surfaces opposes the image bearing member, ii) an edge portion, formed at a crossing portion of the front surface and a free end surface which is a widthwise-thickness surface on a free end side, contacts the image bearing member at a contact portion, iii) the free end surface faces an upstream side of a movement direction of the image bearing member at the contact portion, and iv) said supporting portion is positioned above the free end surface with respect to a vertical direction, an accommodating portion configured to accommodate the liquid developer scraped off by said blade; and a pair of seal members provided adjacent to the free end surface in a position which is spaced from each of end portions of said edge portion toward a central portion of said edge portion and which corresponds to a neighborhood of each of the end portions, wherein said seal member positioned on one end side of said image portion with respect to a widthwise direction of said blade includes a first portion and a second portion adjacent to said first portion on the one end side, said first portion including a first surface, a second surface and a third surface, and said second portion including a fourth surface, wherein the first surface is provided opposed to and adjacent to the free end surface when said cleaning device is in the predetermined position, wherein the second surface is connected with the first surface in a neighborhood of said edge portion and is provided opposed to and adjacent to the surface of the image bearing member when said cleaning device is in the predetermined position, wherein the third surface is connected with the first surface and the second surface on the one end side and is provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the free end surface and front surface and so as to face the one end side, wherein the fourth surface crosses substantially perpendicularly to the third surface and to the free end surface at a position adjacent to the third surface in the one end side and is opposed to the surface of the image bearing member in a position spaced more from the surface of the image bearing member than the second surface is when said cleaning device is in the predetermined position, wherein a first interior corner line is formed by the free end surface and the third surface so as to be substantially parallel to a thickness direction of said blade, and wherein a second interior corner line is formed by the third surface and the fourth surface so as to be connected with said first interior corner line and be substantially parallel to a height direction of said blade.

2 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein each of said first portion and said second portion is constituted by an individual member.

3 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein said first portion and said second portion contact each other at the adjacent portion or are close to each other with a gap of 1.0 mm or less at the adjacent portion.

4 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein said first portion and said second portion are integrally constituted with each other.

5 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface and the free end surface contact each other at the adjacent portion or are close to each other with a gap of 1.0 mm or less at the adjacent portion.

6 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the second surface and the surface of the image bearing member contact each other at the adjacent portion or are close to each other with a gap of 1.0 mm or less at the adjacent portion.

7 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sheet configured to guide the liquid developer, scraped off from the surface of the image bearing member by said blade, to said accommodating portion along a surface thereof,
wherein a liquid developer of said sheet extends along the widthwise direction of said blade, and one end portion of said sheet with respect to a widthwise direction thereof is contacted to the surface of the image bearing member at a position upstream of said edge portion with respect to the movement direction of the image bearing member.

8 . A cleaning device according to claim 7 , wherein said sheet contacts at least a part of said seal member.

9 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein said seal member is formed with a sponge.

10 . A cleaning device according to claim 9 , wherein the sponge is a fluorine-containing sponge selected from the group consisting of a fluorine-containing rubber foam member and a foam member coated with a fluorine-containing resin material.

11 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein with respect to the widthwise direction, a minimum distance from each of height-thickness surfaces of said blade to a corresponding second portion with respect to the widthwise direction of said blade is 3 mm or more.

12 . A cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the second interior corner line and an exterior corner line formed at a crossing portion of the second surface and the third surface with respect to the thickness direction decreases to zero with an increasing distance, with respect to the height direction, from the free end surface of said blade.

13 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a movable image bearing member configured to carry a liquid developer; a blade configured to scrape the liquid developer off the surface of the image bearing member with movement of the image bearing member, wherein said blade has a free end on one side and is supported on the other side by a supporting portion, and said blade satisfies the following i) to iv): i) a front surface which is one of widthwise height surfaces opposes the image bearing member, ii) an edge portion, formed at a crossing portion of the front surface and a free end surface which is a widthwise thickness surface on a free end side, contacts the image bearing member at a contact portion, iii) the free end surface faces an upstream side of a movement direction of the image bearing member at the contact portion, and iv) said supporting portion is positioned above the free end surface with respect to a vertical direction, an accommodating portion configured to accommodate the liquid developer scraped off by said blade; and a pair of seal members provided adjacent to the free end surface in a position which is spaced from each of end portions of said edge portion toward a central portion of said edge portion and which corresponds to a neighborhood of each of the end portions, wherein said seal member positioned on one end side of said image portion with respect to a widthwise direction of said blade includes a first portion and a second portion adjacent to said first portion on the one end side, said first portion including a first surface, a second surface and a third surface, and said second portion including a fourth surface, wherein the firs

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Komatsu Isao
• Kitayama Kunihiko

Classifications

• G03G2215/1652

  of transfer roll · CPC title

• G03G2215/025

  using contact charging means having lateral dimensions related to other apparatus means, e.g. photodrum, developing roller · CPC title

• G03G2215/1661

  of transfer belt · CPC title

• G03G15/095

  Removing excess solid developer {, e.g. fog preventing} · CPC title

• G03G15/161

  with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent · CPC title