| US 7,539,439 B2 | ||
| Image carrier toner unit and image forming apparatus | ||
| Masanori Saito, Tokyo (Japan); Nekka Matsuura, Kanagawa (Japan); and Nobuyuki Yanagawa, Kanagawa (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Dec. 27, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/616,488. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2006-000467 (JP), filed on Jan. 05, 2006; application No. 2006-144106 (JP), filed on May 24, 2006; and application No. 2006-174771 (JP), filed on Jun. 26, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0154235 A1, Jul. 05, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. G03G 21/18 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 399—113 [399/116] | 19 Claims |
| 1. An image carrier toner unit comprising:
an image carrier;
a supporting member configured to be integrated with the image carrier, the supporting member supporting the image carrier;
and
a toner storage unit configured to be integrally molded with the supporting member, the toner storage unit storing toner for
developing a latent image on the image carrier as a visible image, wherein
the image carrier toner unit is detachably attached to a device on which the image carrier toner unit is installed, wherein
a time when toner stored in the toner storage unit is completely consumed from image forming and a time when life of the image
carrier is ended are substantially the same by comparison or the life of the image carrier is longer.
|