Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive body including a photosensitive layer having a first end and a second end, the first end having a larger thickness than the second end; a charging portion charges the photosensitive layer; a light irradiation portion applies light to the photosensitive layer; a developing device develops by toner charged with the same polarity as charge polarity of the photosensitive layer; an intermediate transfer medium including a surface layer having a third end and a fourth end, the third end having a larger thickness than the fourth end, the third end being opposed to the second end, the fourth end being opposed to the first end; and a transfer portion transfers a toner image developed on the photosensitive layer, onto the surface layer when a voltage having polarity opposite to the charge polarity is applied to the transfer portion.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that performs primary transfer by allowing a current to flow to an intermediate transfer belt in the circumferential direction of the belt, the image forming apparatus has a control unit that can execute a second mode in which a second current amount which is larger than a first current amount is supplied from a current supply unit to an intermediate transfer belt and a toner image is primarily transferred only from a first photosensitive body to the intermediate transfer belt. The control unit can adjust surface potentials of the first photosensitive body and a second photosensitive body, and makes the absolute value of the surface potential of the second photosensitive body less than the absolute value of the surface potential of the first photosensitive body when the second mode is executed.

Abstract: A driving force transmission mechanism includes a body that includes a transmission member, which transmits a driving force and includes a rotatable first surface and two first projections, and an installation unit that includes a receiving member including a second surface, which faces the first surface and which is rotatable by receiving the force when the installation unit is installed, and two second projections, which receive the force from the first projections by contacting the first projections when the first surface rotates, and that is removably installed in the body in a direction, in which the second surface moves parallel to the first surface, to couple the transmission member and the receiving member. The body includes a contact member that contacts, to rotate the receiving member, one of the second projections when the installation unit is installed while a line segment connecting the second projections is intersecting an installation direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer; a developing device; a transfer device; a waste-developer container; a developer collecting device including a collected-developer conveyor, a waste channel, a reuse channel, and a channel switching member to switch a route between the waste channel and the reuse channel; a switching determiner to determine whether to dispose or reuse collected developer; an operating condition data collector to collect and store operating condition data used as a degradation speed index of developer in the developing device; a determination type selector to select, according to the degradation speed index, one of a first determination type based on an operating amount and a second determination type based on developer replacement data indicating an amount of developer replaced with supplied developer in the developing device; and a switching controller to control the channel switching member according to determination made by the switching determiner.

Abstract: The systems, methods and apparatuses described herein provide a chip for a cartridge with dispensable material may be provided. In one aspect, the chip may comprise a non-volatile memory for storing a number tracking amount of dispensable material in the cartridge, a circuit with permanently and irreversibly changeable state and circuit components configured to receive and process a first message, and receive a second message. The first message may comprise a first command and an operation input value for a print job at the cartridge, and to process the first message may comprise decreasing the amount of dispensable material. The second message may comprise a second command to increase the amount of dispensable material. The circuit components may be further configured to ignore the second command if the circuit has permanently and irreversibly changed its state to prevent responding to requests to increase the number tracking amount of dispensable material.

Abstract: A powder container, storing powder used for an image forming apparatus, includes a container body, an opening, and a shutter. The opening discharges or introduces the powder, and the shutter opens and closes the opening. The shutter includes a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion. The first engaging portion engages a shutter switch, provided to an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, in a first trajectory. The second engaging portion engages the shutter switch in a second trajectory different from the first trajectory. The shutter approaches and contacts the shutter switch in the first trajectory or the second trajectory to open and close the opening.

Abstract: A cooling device including at least two cooling members to cool a recording medium passing thereover, a coolant circulation unit to circulate a coolant, and tubing that connects the coolant circulation unit to the cooling members and through which the coolant circulates. Each of the cooling members includes a heat-absorbing surface that directly contacts the recording medium or indirectly contacts the recording medium via a thermal transmission member, an internal channel provided within each of the cooling members through which the coolant circulates, and a channel inlet and outlet formed at downstream and upstream ends of each of the cooling members in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, respectively. One of an interval and a thermal insulator is provided between the cooling members.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes a casing, a developer-carrying member, a supply member, a developing electrode, a supply electrode, and an insulating member. The casing is configured to accommodate therein developer. The developer-carrying member is configured to rotate about a rotational axis and carry the developer thereon. The supply member is configured to supply the developer to the developer-carrying member. The developing electrode is configured to be electrically connected to the developer-carrying member. The supply electrode is configured to be electrically connected to the supply member. The insulating member insulates the developing electrode and the supply electrode with each other. The developing electrode, the insulating member, and the supply electrode are overlapped in this order in an axial direction of the rotational axis.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is intended to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method through which an effect of granting flavor to a printing object is excellent. In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a developing device and a fixing device. A toner is housed in the developing device. The fixing device includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller. The toner contains binder resin and a microcapsule in which perfume is encapsulated. A glass transition temperature of the toner is below 60 degrees centigrade. A nip part is formed by the fixing roller and the pressure roller. A pressure applied to an image receiving medium passing through the nip part is below 0.19 N/mm2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include a casing, and a plurality of image carriers arranged in parallel along one direction in the casing and formed with an electrostatic latent image. The apparatus can further include a plurality of developing agent carriers opposed to the image carriers, for visualizing the electrostatic latent image by feeding a developing agent to the image carriers, and a plurality of developing agent cartridges, arranged in parallel in the one direction to be opposed to the developing agent carriers in the longitudinal direction of the developing agent carriers, and configured to be together attachable/detachable to/from the casing along the one direction, for accommodating the developing agent fed to the developing agent carriers.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying member, a first chamber, a second chamber, a first feeding member, and a second feeding member. The second feeding member includes first to third spiral portions and a disk portion. The disk portion includes a projected portion. When the disk portion is seen in an axial direction of the second feeding member, on the basis of a line connecting a rotation center of the disk portion and an upstream end portion of the third spiral portion with respect to a feeding direction of the third spiral portion, the projected portion is provided within a range from a position deviated by 90 degrees toward a downstream side with respect to a rotational direction of the disk portion to a position deviated by 30 degrees toward an upstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the disk portion.

Abstract: A bearing member is configured to be arranged in an end portion of a columnar rotary body, in which a shaft member is attached to the bearing member. The bearing member includes a body which includes a cylindrical body and a holding portion which is arranged inside the cylindrical body, and an intermediate member which is held by the holding portion of the body. The holding portion includes an intermediate member guide which guides the intermediate member so that the intermediate member rotates. The intermediate member includes a portion in which the shaft member is arranged.

Abstract: To downsize a housing and reduce a possibility that different parts of a cable contact with each other, an image forming apparatus includes a first reading unit configured to move between a movement start position and a movement end position; a second reading unit configured to move at a speed half of a moving speed of the first reading unit in conjunction with movement of the first reading unit; a control portion disposed below the first reading unit and more on the movement end position side than a movement range of the second reading unit; a cable connected from the first reading unit to the control portion via the second reading unit; and a guide member that is formed to project from the second reading unit toward the first reading unit and supports part or all of the cable between the first reading unit and the second reading unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an accommodating container provided at one end thereof with a toner supply port, a stirring conveying member that conveys toner to the supply port, a rotational driving unit that rotationally drives the stirring conveying member, a current detection unit that detects a driving current, an overload detection section that detects that the stirring conveying member is in an overload state when the driving current is within a range of an excess current, an unevenness determination section that determines whether the toner has been unevenly accumulated at the one end or the other end of the accommodating container, and a cause determination section that determines that a cause of the overload is uneven distribution of the toner when the overload state of the stirring conveying member is detected and being determined that the toner has been unevenly accumulated at the one end or the other end.

Abstract: A lubricant supplying device includes a lubricant supplier contacting an image bearer, a solid lubricant contacting the roller, a detector detecting a lubricant amount, and a controller controlling a supplying of the roller based on a detector detection. The detector outputs to the controller a first signal of a near-end state when the amount reaches a first amount, a second signal of an end state when the amount reaches a second amount smaller than the first amount, and a third signal of an absolute end state when the amount reaches a third amount smaller than the second amount. The controller temporarily stops the supplying when the second signal is output, cancels a roller temporary stopped state even when lubricant replacement is not completed after this state, stops the supplying when the third signal is output, and maintains a roller stopped state until the replacement is completed after this state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum; a charger; an intermediary transfer belt; a transfer member; a constant voltage element; a switch for selectively providing a first state using the constant voltage element and a second state not using the constant voltage element; a voltage source for applying a current to the constant voltage element by applying a voltage of a second polarity opposite the first polarity to the transfer member to form a secondary electric field in the secondary-transfer position and a primary electric field in the primary transfer position; and a controller for executing an adjustment applying the second polarity voltage to the transfer member when neither the primary-transfer operation nor the secondary-transfer is carried out, wherein the controller provides the second state using the switching portion in a period in which the second polarity voltage is applied to the transfer member.

Abstract: In a constitution provided with no primary-transfer roller, in order to ensure a contact length between each of photosensitive drums and an intermediary transfer belt, the photosensitive drums are disposed with projecting amounts of a plurality of levels with respect to a stretching surface of the intermediary transfer belt, and therefore an apparatus is liable to be increased in a height direction. In order to avoid this, four image bearing members are arranged, along the intermediary transfer belt, with the same projection amount with respect to the stretching surface of the intermediary transfer belt, and a depressing member for depressing a belt surface between two central image bearing members toward an outside is provided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes at least one image bearer; multiple developing devices to develop the latent images with developers including toner and carrier into a toner image; multiple developer supply devices to supply the developers to the multiple developing devices, respectively; and a fixing device to fix the toner image on a sheet of recording media. When one of the multiple developing devices positioned at a shortest distance from an outline of the fixing device is referred to as a first developing device, and one of the multiple developer supply devices that supplies developer to the first developing device is referred to as a first developer supply device, the first developer supply device is greater in percentage by weight of carrier in developer supplied to the first developing device than rest of the multiple developer supply devices.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge with a developing roller for developing a latent image and a development coupling for receiving a driving force from a main assembly coupling for rotating the developing roller. The apparatus also includes a contacting and spacing member provided on a drum supporting frame, with the contacting and spacing member being movable between a first position for contacting the developing roller to a photosensitive drum and a second position for spacing the developing roller from the photosensitive drum. The developing cartridge is provided with a projection that the contacting and spacing member contacts, and the projection projects in a longitudinal direction of the developing roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly, a developing cartridge, and a drum supporting frame detachably mountable to the main assembly while supporting the developing cartridge. The main assembly includes a door for opening and closing the main assembly, and a main assembly coupling engageable with a development coupling in interrelation with a closing operation of the door to transmit a driving force to the development coupling.