US 12,222,671 B2
Image forming apparatus
Hiroaki Nieda, Kanagawa (JP); and Naoki Matsuda, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to RICOH COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Hiroaki Nieda, Kanagawa (JP); and Naoki Matsuda, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Nov. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/387,848.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-180632 (JP), filed on Nov. 10, 2022; and application No. 2023-165227 (JP), filed on Sep. 27, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0241474 A1, Jul. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01); E05B 47/00 (2006.01); G03G 15/00 (2006.01); G03G 21/16 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 21/1633 (2013.01) [E05B 47/0002 (2013.01); G03G 15/556 (2013.01); E05B 2047/0067 (2013.01); E05B 2047/0073 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a unit disposed in the image forming apparatus;
a housing to store a toner bottle, the housing having:
an insertion opening; and
an inner cover openably closable the insertion opening;
an outer cover openably closable to expose the inner cover and the unit or cover the inner cover and the unit;
a lock to lock the inner cover at a closed position;
a detector to detect an amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle; and
circuitry configured to control the lock to unlock the inner cover based on the amount of the toner detected by the detector.