Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an optical member, a drive device, a motive device, and a control device. On a surface of the image carrier, a scanning line is formed, through a scanning operation with scanning light. The optical member emits the scanning light to the image carrier. The drive device changes a posture of the optical member, to adjust a skew of the scanning line on the image carrier. The motive device drives the drive device. The control device controls the motive device. Further, the control device decides that at least one of the drive device and the motive device are malfunctioning, when a skew amount remains higher than a predetermined permissible value, despite changing the posture of the optical member a predetermined number of times, through control of the drive device by the motive device.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container and a developer carrying member. The developer carrying member includes a shaft, a sleeve that rotates while carrying toner on its outer circumferential face, and a magnet that extends along the axis of the developer carrying member. The developer container includes a duct, an intake port which opens above the developer carrying member and through which the inside of the developer container and the inside of the duct communicate with each other, and a first filter that covers the intake port. The edges of the first filter at one side and at the other side in the axial direction of the developer carrying member are both located within a range opposite the magnet as seen from the direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a developing part and a vibration generating part. The vibration generating part vibrates a filter provided in the developing part. The developing part includes a development container, a developer carrier, and a toner trapping mechanism. The development container includes a first conveyance chamber and a second conveyance chamber placed in parallel juxtaposition. The toner trapping mechanism has a duct, an air inlet port, an air exhaust port, and a filter. The air inlet port is opened along the longitudinal direction of the second conveyance chamber so as to allow air present in the second conveyance chamber to flow into the duct. The vibration generating part is placed outside the developing part so as to be opposed to the development container and positioned on a downstream side in a developer conveyance direction of the second conveyance chamber.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a holder, a blade and a biasing member. The holder faces a nozzle surface of an inkjet head and moves in a predetermined traveling direction along the nozzle surface. The blade is provided in the holder and swung about a shaft crossing the traveling direction. The biasing member is provided in the holder and biasing the blade in a direction in which a tip end portion of the blade is pressed against the nozzle surface.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a first transport route, a roller, a second transport route, a switching nail, a lever, a sheet detection piece, a cam, an intermediate rotary member, a rotary member, a sensor, a driver, and a controller. The controller controls the driver to switch the switching nail between a first transport position and a second transport position, decides that the sheet is transported through first transport route, when the sheet detection piece retreats contacted by the sheet on the first transport route, with the switching nail being set to the first transport position, and the sensor detects that the rotary member is in the second posture, and decides that the switching nail has been switched from the first transport position to the second transport position, when the sensor detects that the rotary member is in the second posture, after the sheet has passed the sheet detection piece.

Abstract: The developing device includes a development container, a developer carrier, and a toner trapping mechanism. The development container includes a first conveyance chamber and a second conveyance chamber placed in parallel juxtaposition and communicated with each other at their longitudinal both end portions, and the development container contains a toner-containing developer to be fed to an image carrier. The toner trapping mechanism includes a duct, an air inlet port, a trapping filter, and a fan. The duct is connected to the second conveyance chamber, and allows air present in the second conveyance chamber to flow therethrough. The development container has an air vent opened in the first conveyance chamber and communicated with outside of the development container.

Abstract: The developing device includes a development container, a developer carrier, and a toner trapping mechanism. The development container includes a first conveyance chamber and a second conveyance chamber placed in parallel juxtaposition and communicated with each other at their longitudinal both end portions, and the development container contains a toner-containing developer to be fed to an image carrier. The toner trapping mechanism includes a duct, an air inlet port, an air exhaust port, a filter, and a fan. The air inlet port is placed at a connecting portion between the duct and the second conveyance chamber, and opened along the longitudinal direction of the second conveyance chamber so as to allow air present in the second conveyance chamber to flow into the duct. The air exhaust port is placed downstream of the air inlet port as viewed in a developer conveyance direction of the second conveyance chamber.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a transport device, and a suction device. The transport device includes an endless belt that transports a sheet along a first direction, and a transport plate. The suction device adsorbs the sheet to the endless belt. The endless belt includes a plurality of air intake holes, penetrating in a second direction, intersecting the first direction and corresponding to an ink ejecting direction from the recording head toward the sheet. The transport plate includes a plurality of suction holes penetrating in the second direction, and a plurality of divided transport plates aligned in the first direction. The suction device includes a plurality of suction chambers divided along the first direction. A joint between the divided transport plates adjacent to each other, and a joint between the suction chambers adjacent to each other, are positionally shifted from each other in the first direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an attachment part and a sheet feeding cassette attached to the attachment part. The sheet feeding cassette includes a cassette main body, a lift plate, a lock member and a biasing member. The lift plate is supported in a turnable manner. The lock member is movable between a lock position where a turning of the lift plate is restricted and a release position where the turning of the lift plate is permitted. The biasing member biases the lock member to the lock position. In a state where the sheet feeding cassette is not attached to the attachment part, the lock member is biased by the biasing member to be positioned at the lock position. In a state where the sheet feeding cassette is attached to the attachment part, the lock member is movable either to the lock position or the release position by hand.

Abstract: An inkjet ink contains pigment particles and an aqueous medium. The pigment particles contain a pigment and a resin. The resin has a mass ratio to the pigment in the pigment particles of at least 1.40 and no greater than 3.10. The resin includes a polyester resin. The inkjet ink does not contain free resin dispersed in the aqueous medium or contains the free resin at a rate to the total amount of the free resin and the resin contained in the pigment particles of greater than 0.00% by mass and no greater than 3.00% by mass.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus connectable to a network includes a non-volatile auxiliary storage device containing firmware that causes the image forming apparatus to operate, a manipulation detection device that decides whether the firmware stored in the auxiliary storage device has been manipulated, using the digital signature, a firmware restoration device that deletes the firmware decided to have been manipulated, and installs the firmware provided by another image forming apparatus, a firmware provision device, and a control device. The auxiliary storage device contains firmware that realizes the manipulation detection device, the firmware restoration device, the firmware provision device, and the control device in a boot block writing in which is restricted.

Abstract: Tension rollers are each supported by, at one end regarding the axial direction thereof, a first supporting member fastened to a first tensional force adjusting member by fastening members and, at the other end regarding the axial direction thereof, a second supporting member fastened to a second tensional force adjusting member by fastening members. The first and second supporting members each include elongate insertion holes as insertion holes in which the fastening members are inserted. The first and second tensional force adjusting members each include elongate insertion holes as insertion holes in which the fastening members are inserted. The elongate insertion holes each extend in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the tension roller.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately setting and adjusting the order of printing jobs by presenting an internal priority. An instruction acquiring unit presents a job list in which the plurality of jobs is arranged in the printing order and acquires a change instruction of the printing order. The instruction acquiring unit also presents the internal priority to the job list and acquires a change instruction to change the internal priority. An internal priority setting unit sets, based on the change instruction, an internal priority that is different from set priority specified for each of the plurality of jobs. The internal priority setting unit changes the internal priority according to the change instruction to change the internal priority. An image forming unit that outputs each of the plurality of jobs in the printing order corresponding to the internal priority.

Abstract: A cover member includes: a fittable recess that opens to one side of the cover member in a direction orthogonal to an axis of a shaft member, receives a torsion coil spring from the one side, and fits on an outer periphery of the torsion coil spring; and an anchoring counter element to which one end of the torsion coil spring is anchored. The torsion coil spring is engaged with a hook member while being fitted in the fittable recess, thus biasing the hook member toward movement about the axis of the shaft member to a locking position and supporting both ends of the shaft member rotatably around an internal surface of the coil to function as a bearing member.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink set, a conveyance section that conveys a recording medium, an image forming section disposed opposite to one side of the conveyance section for performing inkjet recording on the recording medium with the ink set, and a heating section disposed opposite to the image forming section with the conveyance section therebetween for heating the recording medium. The ink set includes an ink of a first color, an ink of a second color, an ink of a third color, and an ink of a fourth color. The ink of the first color, the ink of the second color, the ink of the third color, and the ink of the fourth color each contain a pigment, a polysaccharide, an aqueous medium, and binder resin particles. The aqueous medium includes a glycol ether. The glycol ether has a boiling point of no greater than 200° C.

Abstract: An inkjet ink contains a quinacridone pigment, a pigment dispersion resin, and an aqueous medium. The pigment dispersion resin includes an adsorption resin adsorbed to the quinacridone pigment and a non-adsorption resin not adsorbed to the quinacridone pigment. The non-adsorption resin has a percentage content in the pigment dispersion resin of at least 20% by mass and no greater than 50% by mass. A supernatant obtained by centrifugation of the inkjet ink at 1,050,000 G for 3 hours has a phosphorous concentration of at least 1.0 ppm and no greater than 6.0 ppm. The supernatant has a sulfur concentration of at least 1.0 ppm and no greater than 6.0 ppm.

Abstract: A sheet folding device includes a sheet conveyance path, first and second side plates, a first folding roller pair, a first folding guide, and a guide drive mechanism. The first folding guide is reciprocatable between a folding position and a retracted position, and includes a guide main body and first and second arms provided respectively at both ends of the guide main body. The guide drive mechanism includes a drive source provided on the first side plate, a first drive transmission portion that transmits a drive force of the drive source to the first arm, a second drive transmission portion that transmits the drive force to the second arm, and a drive coupling portion that couples the first drive transmission portion to the second drive transmission portion and transmits the drive force from the first drive transmission portion to the second drive transmission portion.

Abstract: An example embodiment may involve obtaining an input pixel map of a digital image containing an array of a×b pixel macro-cells; classifying each of the a×b pixel macro-cells as P class cells for substantially lossless compression or Q class cells for lossy compression; creating a first intermediate pixel map representing: the P class cells as is, and the Q class cells with all zero values; creating a second intermediate pixel map representing: the P class cells with all zero values, and the Q class cells as is; encoding the first intermediate pixel map into a first output stream by using substantially lossless compression; and encoding the second intermediate pixel map into a second output stream by: downsampling the P class cells and the Q class cells therein, and serializing representations the downsampled cells.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a common transport route, a first and a second transport route, a first and a second image sensor, a first and a second discharge tray, and a controller. The controller executes a first reading mode including guiding the document from the common transport route to the first transport route, reading the image on the first face of the document with the first image sensor, and discharging the document to the first discharge tray, or a second reading mode including reading the image on the second face of the document with the second image sensor, guiding the document from the common transport route to the second transport route, and discharging the document to the second discharge tray, inhibits the first reading mode, upon deciding that the first discharge tray is full, and inhibits the second reading mode, upon deciding that the second discharge tray is full.

Abstract: A display control device includes a display section and a display controller. The display controller controls the display section so as to cause the display section to display a first image (703a to 703f) and a second image. The first image (703a to 703f) is displayed in an upper layer for the second image. The first image (703a to 703f) represents a category item. The second image represents a setting item belonging to the category item. The display controller controls the display section so as to cause the display section to display a predetermined image (705) in the first image (703a to 703f) according to the setting item that has been entered.