Image forming apparatus and process cartridge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9031491-B2
Application number	US-201313765090-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2013
Priority date	Mar 8, 2012
Publication date	May 12, 2015
Grant date	May 12, 2015

Abstract

An image forming apparatus, including a photoreceptor; a charger; an irradiator; an image developer; a transferer; a fixer; and a cleaning blade formed of a strip-shaped elastic blade, removing a powder from the surface of the photoreceptor passing an edge line of the blade while contacting thereto, wherein the photoreceptor includes a crosslinked resin surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, and the cleaning blade includes a contact point with the photoreceptor, including a substrate; a mixed layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located at the surface of the substrate; and a surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located on the surface of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a photoreceptor;
a charger configured to charge a surface of the photoreceptor;
an irradiator configured to irradiate the surface of the photoreceptor to form an electrostatic latent image thereon;
an image developer configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a toner image;
a transferer configured to transfer the toner image onto a recording medium;
a fixer configured to fix the toner image on the recording medium; and
a cleaning blade formed of a strip-shaped elastic blade, configured to remove a powder from the surface of the photoreceptor passing an edge line of the blade while contacting thereto,
wherein the photoreceptor comprises a crosslinked resin surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, and
the cleaning blade comprises a contact point with the photoreceptor, comprising:
a substrate;
a mixed layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located at the surface of the substrate; and
a surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located on the surface of the substrate,

wherein the crosslinked resin surface layer of the photoreceptor has a Martens hardness from 167 N/mm 2 to 195 N/mm 2 .

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the surface layer of the cleaning blade has a thickness of from 0.5 to 1.0 μm.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mixed layer of the cleaning blade has a thickness of from 10 to 30 μm.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinked resin surface layer of the photoreceptor has an elastic power ratio (We/Wt value) not less than 38.0%.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinked resin surface layer of the photoreceptor comprises a particulate material.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the surface layer of the cleaning blade comprises a fluorine-containing resin.

7. A process cartridge, comprising at least a photoreceptor and one of a charger, an irradiator, an image developer, a transferer, a cleaner and a discharger, wherein the photoreceptor and the cleaner are the photoreceptor and the strip-shaped elastic cleaning blade according to claim 1 , respectively.

Assignees

• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Asano Tomoharu
• Nakamori Hideo
• Sugino Akihiro
• Toriu Noboru
• Shimoyama Keisuke
• Hirose Mitsuaki
• Sakon Yohta
• Ohmori Masahiro

Classifications

• G03G5/14791

  Macromolecular compounds characterised by their structure, e.g. block polymers, reticulated polymers, or by their chemical properties, e.g. by molecular weight or acidity · CPC title

• G03G21/1814 Primary

  Details of parts of process cartridge, e.g. for charging, transfer, cleaning, developing (G03G21/1835 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G5/14734 Primary

  Polymers comprising at least one carboxyl radical, e.g. polyacrylic acid, polycrotonic acid, polymaleic acid; Derivatives thereof, e.g. their esters, salts, anhydrides, nitriles, amides · CPC title

• G03G2221/183

  Process cartridge · CPC title

• G03G2215/00957

  Compositions · CPC title