US5204716A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Side-free recording apparatus
Assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1991-08-06
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Granted: 1993-04-20
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Expires: 2011-08-06
Abstract
Abstract An image recording apparatus capable of forming an image freely on the front side and the back side of a paper sheet and applicable to a laser printer, digital copier, etc. A toner image is formed on either one or both of a photoconductive element and an intermediate transfer body in the form of a belt and transferred to the adjoining side of a paper sheet. The paper sheet carrying a toner image on one or both sides thereof is fixed when passed through a fixing section only once.
Inventors
- 👤 Nobuo Kasahara
- 👤 Katsuo Sakai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 07:02
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/14; G03G15/16; G03G15/1605; G03G15/22; G03G15/23; G03G15/231; G03G15/232; G03G2215/00; G03G2215/01; G03G2215/0167; G03G2215/0187; G03G2215/20; G03G2215/207; G03G2215/2074; G03G2215/208; G03G2215/2083; G03G2215/209
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
227 words
An image recording apparatus capable of forming an image freely on the front side and the backs side of a recording sheet, comprising: an image carrier for carrying an electrostatically formed latent image representative of an image to be recorded; image forming means for forming the latent image on said image carrier as a non-inverted image or an inverted image; developing means for developing latent images formed on said image carrier by said image forming means to produce a primary toner image; an intermediate transfer body located to face said image carrier for moving the recording sheet between said intermediate transfer body and said image carrier; intermediate transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to said intermediate transfer body to form a secondary toner image on said intermediate transfer body; polarity inverting means for inverting a polarity of said primary toner image such that polarities of said primary and secondary toner images are different from each other; discharge removing means for dissipating charge of said primary toner image; primary toner image transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to the recording sheet from said image carrier; and secondary toner image transferring means for transferring said secondary toner image to the recording sheet from said intermediate transfer body, said intermediate transferring means and said primary toner image transferring means being constituted by a single charging unit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
227 words
An image recording apparatus capable of forming an image freely on the front side and the backs side of a recording sheet, comprising: an image carrier for carrying an electrostatically formed latent image representative of an image to be recorded; image forming means for forming the latent image on said image carrier as a non-inverted image or an inverted image; developing means for developing latent images formed on said image carrier by said image forming means to produce a primary toner image; an intermediate transfer body located to face said image carrier for moving the recording sheet between said intermediate transfer body and said image carrier; intermediate transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to said intermediate transfer body to form a secondary toner image on said intermediate transfer body; polarity inverting means for inverting a polarity of said primary toner image such that polarities of said primary and secondary toner images are different from each other; discharge removing means for dissipating charge of said primary toner image; primary toner image transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to the recording sheet from said image carrier; and secondary toner image transferring means for transferring said secondary toner image to the recording sheet from said intermediate transfer body, said intermediate transferring means and said primary toner image transferring means being constituted by a single charging unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said intermediate transfer body comprises a belt.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which said single charging unit is disposed between the upper, and lower runs of the belt.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising fixing means for fixing a toner image carried on the recording sheet, said belt serving as means for transporting the recording sheet with the toner image to the fixing means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which said fixing means comprises a pair of rollers which face each other.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which each of said of rollers comprises a heat roller.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
233 words
An image recording apparatus capable of forming an image freely on the front side and the back side of a recording sheet, comprising: an image carrier for carrying an electrostatically formed latent image representative of an image to be recorded; image forming means for forming the latent image on said image carrier as a non-inverted image or an inverted image; developing means for developing latent images formed on said image carrier by said image forming means to produce a primary toner image; an intermediate transfer body located to face said image carrier for moving the recording sheet between said intermediate transfer body and said image carrier; intermediate transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to said intermediate transfer body to form a secondary toner image on said intermediate transfer body; polarity inverting means for inverting a polarity of said primary toner image such that polarities of said primary and secondary toner images are different from each other; discharge removing means for dissipating charge of said primary toner image; primary toner image transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to the recording sheet from said image carrier; and secondary toner image transferring means for transferring said secondary toner image to the recording sheet from said intermediate transfer body, said intermediate transferring means, said primary toner image transferring means and second secondary toner image transferring means being constituted by a single charging unit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
233 words
An image recording apparatus capable of forming an image freely on the front side and the back side of a recording sheet, comprising: an image carrier for carrying an electrostatically formed latent image representative of an image to be recorded; image forming means for forming the latent image on said image carrier as a non-inverted image or an inverted image; developing means for developing latent images formed on said image carrier by said image forming means to produce a primary toner image; an intermediate transfer body located to face said image carrier for moving the recording sheet between said intermediate transfer body and said image carrier; intermediate transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to said intermediate transfer body to form a secondary toner image on said intermediate transfer body; polarity inverting means for inverting a polarity of said primary toner image such that polarities of said primary and secondary toner images are different from each other; discharge removing means for dissipating charge of said primary toner image; primary toner image transferring means for transferring said primary toner image to the recording sheet from said image carrier; and secondary toner image transferring means for transferring said secondary toner image to the recording sheet from said intermediate transfer body, said intermediate transferring means, said primary toner image transferring means and second secondary toner image transferring means being constituted by a single charging unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which said intermediate transfer body comprises a belt.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said single charging unit is disposed between the upper and lower runs of the belt.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising fixing means for fixing a toner image carried on the recording sheet, said belt serving as means for transporting the recording sheet with the toner image to the fixing means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 10, in which said fixing means comprises a pair of rollers which face each other.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 11, in which each of said pair of rollers comprises a heat roller.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-04-19 | 1996-10-19 | 1997-04-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-04-19 | 2000-10-19 | 2001-04-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-04-19 | 2004-10-19 | 2005-04-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |