PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15901357
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-02
Publication Date: 2018-08
Patent Classification: ["399", "043000"]

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus executes charging, exposure, toner-supply suspension, and electric-field generation while a photosensitive member rotates at least a full turn. In the charging, a charger charges a portion of a circumferential surface of the photosensitive member. In the exposure, an exposure device exposes the portion, which has been charged in the charging, of the circumferential surface. In the toner-supply suspension, before the portion, which has been exposed in the exposure, of the circumferential surface passes a position at which developer from a developing unit is configured to initially adhere to the circumferential surface, a developing unit stops supplying developer to the photosensitive member. In the electric-field generation, an electric field is generated in a portion of the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive member corresponding to the portion, which has been exposed in the second exposure, of the circumferential surface.

Claim (Index 1):
An image forming apparatus comprising:\n an image forming unit including:\n a photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer; \n a charger configured to charge a circumferential surface of the photosensitive member to generate a first electric field in the photosensitive layer; \n an exposure device comprising a light source, the exposure device configured to expose the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member; and \n a developing unit configured to supply developer onto the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member; and \n an electric circuit electrically connected to the image forming unit and configured to apply a voltage to generate, in conjunction with an electric field generating member, a second electric field in the photosensitive layer, wherein the second electric field is directed in a direction opposite to the first electric field,\n wherein the image forming unit is configured to perform a printing process in which an image is formed on a recording medium, the printing process including a first charging, a first exposure, and a toner supplying in which toner is supplied from the developing unit to the photosensitive member; and \n a controller electrically connected to the image forming unit, the controller configured to perform:\n second charging in a period different from an execution period of the first charging and while the photosensitive member rotates at least a full turn, the second charging including controlling the charger to charge a portion of the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member, thereby generating the first electric field in a corresponding portion of the photosensitive layer; \n second exposure while the photosensitive member rotates at least a full turn, the second exposure including controlling the exposure device to expose the portion, which has been charged in the second charging, of the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member; \n toner-supply suspension before the portion, which has been exposed in the second exposure, of the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member passes a position at which developer from the developing unit is configured to initially adhere to the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member, the toner-supply suspension including controlling the developing unit to stop supplying the developer to the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member; and \n second-electric-field generation while the photosensitive member rotates at least a full turn, the second-electric-field generation including controlling the electric circuit to apply the voltage to generate the second electric field in the corresponding portion of the photosensitive layer when the portion, which has been charged in the second charging and subsequently exposed in the second exposure, of the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member reaches a position facing the electric field generating member.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 19.0
- Percentile: 88.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.66667
- Patent Class: 399.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: True
- Related Applications: ['15901457', '15585440', '12946099', '12822273', '14704773']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8151749122092982
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5365983123844432
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7873172522268127
- Mean Citation Score: 280.45331600000003
- Max Citation Score: 408.09195
- Similarity Product: 347.3472832825184

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 0
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 0
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test