Abstract: The engagement between a fixing member and a resin member is released and the resin member is separated from a frame thereby separating a bearing member from the frame. Parts to be used in a developing device are replaced or the developing device is replenished with a developer. The resin member is connected to the frame to connect the bearing member to the frame. The fixing member is inserted into a through hole to engage with the resin member and fix the resin member to the frame, thereby fixing the bearing member to the frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main assembly, a controller provided in the apparatus main assembly, an operating portion mounted to the apparatus main assembly, a cable configured to electrically connect the controller and the operating portion, the cable having a connectable length with the operating portion mounted at a predetermined position, and an accommodating portion provided in the apparatus main assembly and configured to accommodate an excessive length portion of the cable connected with the operating portion mounted to the apparatus main assembly, the accommodating portion including a space for accommodating the cable in a wound state.

Abstract: A door holding device for apparatus includes an door mounted to the apparatus; an attraction member including a magnet and fixed the apparatus; an attracted member fixed on a mounting surface provided on the door and including a magnetic member when the door is in a closing position, the members being opposed and attracted to each other at an attraction plane when the door is closed; and a fastening member fastening the attracted member on the mounting surface. The mounting surface is provided opposed to the attracted member disposed in a side opposite from the plane, and the mounting surface and the plane are inclined, and wherein a fixed position of the attracted member to the mounting surface is adjustable in a direction perpendicular to an intersection line between planes parallel with the mounting surface and the attraction plane.

Abstract: A developing device, including a casing and a seal member is provided. The casing includes a divider wall, dividing a space inside the casing into a container chamber and a developing chamber, and a developing roller. The divider wall includes an opening. The container chamber accommodates a developing agent. The seal member is configured to seal the opening. The seal member includes a ventilation section configured to allow air to pass there-through but restrict the developing agent from passing there-through at least at a part of an area that seals the opening.

Abstract: A method is described for calibrating a linear printhead including an array of light sources. A test target is printed by activating the light sources in the printhead in accordance with digital image data for the test target, wherein a current value for each light source is controlled responsive to an initial set of current control parameters. A digital image capture system is used to capture an image of the printed test target, and the captured digital image is analyzed to determine an estimated exposure gain error for each light source. An updated set of current control parameters is then determined which is adapted to compensate for the estimated exposure gain errors.

Abstract: An image forming system includes a post-processing unit capable of performing a post-processing on the sheet on which the toner image is formed. The image forming system is capable of executing a transfer cleaning operation to more toner from a transfer member to an image bearer by electrostatic force caused by cleaning bias applied by a bias applying unit in a state where the image bearer and the transfer member are rotated, to clean the transfer member, as an inter-sheet operation performed when at least one of inter-sheet areas that exist on the image bearer during a successive image forming period. The image forming system is capable of executing a rotation stop operation to stop rotation of the image bearer and the transfer member, as the inter-sheet operation when the post-processing is performed, in addition to the transfer cleaning operation, before or after the transfer cleaning operation is executed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer member configured to abut against an image carrier for carrying a toner image to form a transfer nip; and a power supply configured to output a bias voltage for transferring the toner image on the image carrier onto a recording medium nipped in the transfer nip. The bias voltage includes a first voltage for transferring the toner image from the image carrier onto the recording medium in a transfer direction and a second voltage having an opposite polarity of the first voltage, the first and the second voltages being alternately output. A time-averaged value of the bias voltage is set to a polarity in the transfer direction and is set in the transfer direction side with respect to a median between a maximum and a minimum of the bias voltage.

Abstract: A belt has an endless shape, and is driven to rotate by a driving roller provided on an inner side thereof. The belt includes a detection target portion on an outer surface at an end of the belt in a widthwise direction of the belt. The detection target portion includes an uneven pattern.

Abstract: A toner guide member includes a toner discharge port that is located above and faces a toner introduction port of a waste toner container, and the toner guide member forms, in its inside, a passage of waste toner from an end portion of a drum cleaning device to a toner discharge port. A first paddle conveyance member including a plurality of first blade portions rotates in a first rotation direction in the toner guide member. A second paddle conveyance member including a plurality of second blade portions rotates in a second rotation direction that is opposite to the first rotation direction, at a position lower than the first paddle conveyance member. A pivotal trajectory of the plurality of first blade portions partially overlaps with a pivotal trajectory of the plurality of second blade portions.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: an electrostatic latent image retainer; an intermediate transfer body; a primary transfer member to transfer toner image retained by the electrostatic latent image retainer to an imaging region of the intermediate transfer body; a secondary transfer member to transfer the transferred toner image from the intermediate transfer body to a transfer medium; a toner forcible discharger to forcibly discharge toner into a non-imaging region of the intermediate transfer body; and a controller to control a volume of the toner to be forcibly discharged. The intermediate transfer body is a multi-layer belt including a base layer and an outermost coating layer. The coating layer contains silicon dioxide. The controller reduces the volume of the toner to be forcibly discharged based on use history information of the intermediate transfer body, compared to the volume at an initial stage of use.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that attaches a consumable including a memory that stores information for indicating use results of a consumable material and that forms an image by using the consumable material accommodated in the consumable, in a case that an obtainment of information from the attached consumable succeeds, creates a record of the attached consumable based on the obtained information, and in a case that the obtainment of the information fails, creates a record of the attached consumable that makes identification information of the attached consumable be predetermined information. Then, in a case that identification information of the consumable included in obtained the information does not match identification information of the consumable obtained previously, changes the identification information of the consumable obtained previously based on the information obtained currently.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a flexible endless belt formed into a loop and having an inner circumferential surface, a heater to heat the endless belt, and a nip formation assembly disposed inside the loop formed by the endless belt. The nip formation assembly includes a pressure pad made of heat-resistant resin including a hollow filler, and a supplementary thermal conductor having a belt sliding-contact face over which the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt slides. The supplementary thermal conductor is interposed between the endless belt and the pressure pad to conduct heat from the heater in an axial direction of the endless belt. The fixing device further includes a pressure rotator to press against the nip formation assembly via the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt being applied with a lubricant on an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt. A pressure rotator presses against a nip formation pad via the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the pressure rotator. A radiant heater heats the endless belt. At least one contact heater heats at least one lateral end of the endless belt in an axial direction of the endless belt. At least one temperature detector detects a temperature of the endless belt. A controller controls the at least one contact heater to generate heat, controls the endless belt to rotate, and controls the radiant heater to generate heat sequentially based on the temperature of the endless belt that is detected by the at least one temperature detector.

Abstract: A method is described for controlling a printhead including an array of light sources. An aim exposure function is provided which gives an aim exposure as a function of an integer pulse count. An initial pulse timing function is also provided which defines an exposure time as a function of pulse count. A light output function for the light sources is determined responsive to the pulse timing function, wherein the light output function gives a light output of the light sources as a function of exposure time. The pulse timing function is updated responsive to the light output function and the aim exposure function. The process is repeated until a predefined iteration termination criterion is satisfied. The determined pulse timing function is used to control the printhead, wherein each light source is activated for a pulse count corresponding to a pixel code value of an associated image pixel.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus having a recording medium held between a photosensitive drum and a transfer belt and transferring a toner image from the photosensitive drum to the recording medium includes: a first heating unit to which power is supplied directly from outside when power of the apparatus is off; a second heating unit used in heating control when the power of the apparatus is on; a humidity detection unit configured to detect humidity inside the apparatus; and a control unit configured to, when the power of the apparatus is on, heat the transfer belt by controlling the first heating unit and the second heating unit on the basis of output of the humidity detection unit, wherein the transfer belt is heated by the first heating unit when the power of the apparatus is off.

Abstract: A developer supply device includes: a device main body having a fixed portion; a developer accommodating member including a stationary portion fixed to the fixed portion, a rotary portion, and a seal member provided on one of an outer circumferential portion of the rotary portion and the stationary portion and being in contact with the other, a developer to be supplied to a developing device being accommodated in the rotary portion; and a motor that rotates the rotary portion, wherein the developer supply device has a first torque mode in which the motor rotates the rotary portion with a first rotational torque and a second torque mode in which the motor rotates the rotary portion with a second rotational torque higher than the first rotational torque when the motor rotates the rotary portion after a preset time or more elapses since the rotary portion stops rotating.

Abstract: A cleaner assembly for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a cleaner blade having a pair of longitudinal ends and a cleaning edge that extends between the pair of longitudinal ends for contacting a surface of a photoconductive drum to remove toner from the surface of the photoconductive drum. An end seal is positioned at one of the pair of longitudinal ends of the cleaner blade. The end seal includes a front side positioned to contact the surface of the photoconductive drum and a rear side opposite the front side. A tab extends from the end seal across the cleaning edge of the cleaner blade for preventing a longitudinal end section of the cleaning edge of the cleaner blade from contacting the surface of the photoconductive drum. The tab does not obstruct the front side of the end seal.

Abstract: An image forming device is provided. The image forming device includes: a conveyance unit that conveys a continuous paper, an image forming unit that forms an image on a continuous paper conveyed by the conveyance unit, a job selection unit that selects a job to be executed, and a processor that calculates an image forming distance and indicates the calculated image forming distance on a display. The image forming distance is a length in a conveyance direction of the continuous paper needed to execute the selected job.

Abstract: A position detection apparatus detects a position of a target object. One end of a swinging member contacts the target object, and the other end contacts a moving member. (M+1) pieces of sensors are arranged to output signals corresponding to a position of the moving member. Measured parts are disposed on the moving member along loci of measuring positions of the sensors. A detection unit detects the position of the target object based on the output signals of M pieces of sensors when the other sensor outputs a predetermined signal. The measured parts corresponding to the other sensor are provided in 2M pieces of divided areas that are disposed along a locus corresponding to the other sensor. Each of the measured parts corresponding to the other sensor is disposed in a center portion except both ends in the moving direction in each of the divided areas.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of performing color misregistration correction at image forming speeds while reducing downtime. Image forming units form images of different colors. The formed images are transferred to an intermediate transfer belt. A pattern sensor detects color misregistration amounts of color patterns formed on the intermediate transfer belt. A CPU causes the image forming units to form first color patterns at a first speed and the pattern sensor to detect first color misregistration amounts, and causes the former to form second color patterns at a second speed different from the first speed and the latter to detect second color misregistration amounts. The CPU determines third color misregistration amounts at a third speed based on the first and second color misregistration amounts. The third speed is different from the first and second speeds.