Belt device and image forming apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US2009016772A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Belt device and image forming apparatus",
  "abstract": "A belt is supported by a plurality of rollers and is driven to move in a predetermined direction. A flange member is configured to make contact with a portion of an edge surface of the belt in its width direction. A pressing member presses on a surface of the belt in its thickness direction at a position near a contact portion of the belt with the flange member.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A belt device comprising: a belt that is supported by a plurality of rollers and is driven to move in a predetermined direction; a flange member configured to make contact with a portion of an edge surface of the belt in its width direction; and a pressing member that presses on a surface of the belt in its thickness direction at a position near a contact portion of the belt with the flange member.",
    "2. The belt device according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning unit that cleans a toner attached on the belt, wherein the pressing member has a tapered shape such that the pressing member tapers toward a medial side of the belt.",
    "3. The belt device according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning unit collects a toner moved from the pressing member to the medial side of the belt.",
    "4. The belt device according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member is arranged outside of an image area for forming an image on the belt, and an end of the pressing member on the medial side of the belt is located on a line extending from an end of the cleaning unit or an inside the line in a direction of the medial side of the belt.",
    "5. The belt device according to claim 2, further comprising a toner storing unit that temporarily stores therein the toner, being arranged on an upstream side of a position where the pressing member presses on the belt in a moving direction of the belt.",
    "6. The belt device according to claim 2, wherein a first end of the pressing member is attached to the flange member or a fixed member of the belt device located outside the flange member, and a second end of the pressing member presses on the belt.",
    "7. The belt device according to claim 6, wherein when the flange member moves in conjunction with a rotation of a roller that supports the belt, the first end of the pressing member is attached to the fixed member, and the second end of the pressing member presses on the belt with striding over the flange member.",
    "8. The belt device according to claim 6, wherein when the flange member does not move in conjunction with a rotation of a roller that supports the belt, the first end of the pressing member is attached to the flange member, and the second end of the pressing member presses on the belt.",
    "9. The belt device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a slidable member.",
    "10. The belt device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a felt member.",
    "11. An image forming apparatus comprising a belt device that includes a belt that is supported by a plurality of rollers and is driven to move in a predetermined direction; a flange member configured to make contact with a portion of an edge surface of the belt in its width direction; and a pressing member that presses on a surface of the belt in its thickness direction at a position near a contact portion of the belt with the flange member.",
    "12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the belt device further includes a cleaning unit that cleans a toner attached on the belt, and the pressing member has a tapered shape such that the pressing member tapers toward a medial side of the belt."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThe present invention relates to a belt device used in an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, and a facsimile machine, and more particularly, to a belt device including a belt used as an intermediate transfer unit and an image forming apparatus including the belt device.\n\n2. Description of the Related Art\n\nIn a typical image forming apparatus, such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a printing press, an endless belt is used as a latent-image carrier, an image transfer medium, or a conveying member for conveying a recording medium such as a recording sheet.\n\nSuch an endless belt is generally supported by a plurality of rollers, and is driven to move in a predetermined direction by any one of the rollers.\n\nNamely, the endless belt moves by having frictional contact with the rollers. While the belt is moving, it may happen that the belt meanders due to a friction acting in an axial direction of the rollers, a tilt of an axis line, or the like. In this case, the meandering of the belt means that the belt moves by being biased toward either one side of the belt in a width direction, which is parallel to the axial direction of the rollers.\n\nWhen a full-color image is formed by a color image forming apparatus employing an intermediate transfer method, a plurality of different color toner images are sequentially transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt in a superimposed manner.",
  "cpc": [
    "G03G 15/1615",
    "G03G 15/161",
    "G03G 2215/00151"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G03G 15/00"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Tomoya Adachi",
    "Takafumi Miyazaki",
    "Mitsutoshi Kichise",
    "Takeshi Yamashita"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2008-07-11",
  "publication_date": "2009-01-15",
  "priority_date": "2007-07-13",
  "application_number": "US-17161308-A",
  "family_id": "40253240",
  "cited_by_count": 20,
  "citations": [
    "US4196803A",
    "US6053832A",
    "US6970674B2",
    "US7815042B2",
    "US7735634B2"
  ]
}