Abstract: A developer includes a developer frame in which a developing agent is contained, a development roller that is rotatably disposed inside the developer frame. Coupling means couples the development roller to the developer frame. The coupling means includes a gear member that is rotatably mounted to the developer frame and engages a first gear disposed outside the developer to transfer a rotational force. A development roller end portion rotates with the gear member in the same direction about the same rotational shaft as the gear member. An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive medium on which an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be printed is formed through light scanning and the developer, which applies a developing agent to the photosensitive medium to develop the image into a visible image.

Abstract: A convenient environment flexibly coping with an environment in which an image forming apparatus capable of accepting a plurality of jobs is used can be constructed. For this purpose, in a job processing method of an image forming system including the image forming apparatus capable of accepting a plurality of jobs including a first job, print processing of the first job is performed by the image forming apparatus, and performance of print processing of a second job input after the first job can be prohibited based on checking information including at least any one of information associated with the first job subjected to the print processing and information associated with the second job although print processing of the second job can be performed by the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus can easily attach or detach a plurality of attachable and detachable units to or from the apparatus main body as a single unit or individually. An intermediate transfer apparatus is supported on a left guide rail and a right guide rail, and is attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. A cleaning apparatus that cleans the intermediate transfer belt of the intermediate transfer apparatus is supported by an upper rail and a lower rail so as to be attachable to and detachable from the intermediate transfer apparatus. The detachment direction of the intermediate transfer apparatus and the direction of detachment of the cleaning apparatus are configured to be the same.

Abstract: A developer cartridge including a frame, a developer housing section, a developer supplying section, and at least one projecting portion is provided. The frame includes a first side wall, a second side wall, and a third side wall. The developer housing section houses a developer and the developer supplying section supplies the developer to a photosensitive member and houses a developer carrying member that extends in the width direction and is rotatably supported by the first side wall and the second side wall. The at least one projecting portion is located above the developer carrying member and extends from the frame beyond the back end substantially in the length direction, and the at least one projecting portion is provided integrally on the frame.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which a process cartridge and a developer cartridge are independently attachable. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a first developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer used by the roller, a developer receiving port for receiving the developer from the developer cartridge into the first developer accommodating portion when the process cartridge is mounted to the apparatus, a cleaning member for removing the developer from the drum, first and second removed developer accommodating portions for accommodating the developer removed from the drum by the cleaning member, and a developer feeder device for feeding the developer from the first to the second portions. When the process and developer cartridges are mounted to each other, the developer cartridge is disposed above the first developer accommodating portion and at a side of the second removed developer accommodating portion.

Abstract: A charging member is disclosed having a support and at least one cover layer provided on the support., The cover layer has an outermost layer of the cover layer placed at the outermost surface of the charging member; the outermost layer contains i) composite particles composed of first metal oxide particles coated with carbon black, ii) second metal oxide particles and iii) a binder.

Abstract: A developer feeding member for use with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to feed a developer accommodated in a developer accommodating portion, includes a shaft for receiving a driving force to rotate when the shaft is mounted in the developer accommodating portion; a flexible sheet for feeding the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion when the flexible sheet is mounted in the developer accommodating portion; a mounting member for mounting the flexible sheet on the shaft such that the flexible sheet is movable relative to the shaft in a longitudinal direction, in a widthwise direction and in a thickness direction.

Abstract: A developing cartridge including: a developing part having a developer bearing member; a developer container which is constituted by coupling a container body having an opening part and a developer supplying port, and a lid member for closing the opening part, and which houses developer therein; and a developer stirring member which stirs the developer inside this developer container and supplies the developer to the developer bearing member, wherein the shape and the capacity of the developer container are changed by changing the shape of the lid member.

Abstract: A tandem type color image forming machine comprises a plurality of image forming units, a belt mechanism comprising an endless belt including a linear moving area, and a paper feed cassette in its image information machine body. The image forming units are arranged along the linear moving area of the belt with a space therebetween. The belt mechanism is arranged longitudinally so that the linear moving area of the belt extends almost in the vertical direction. The paper feed cassette is arranged longitudinally in the lateral direction of the belt mechanism or below the belt mechanism.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus of a type wherein toner is replenished to a developing unit by turning or rotating a toner bottle, a phenomenon that a toner replenishment amount per turn of the bottle (replenishing rate) is decreased as the toner remaining quantity in the bottle is decreased, is utilized to provide a method and an apparatus for easily and reliably determining a toner near empty state when a number of the turns measured by counting a number of detection of an object to be sensed formed on an outer surface of the toner bottle.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer support member and a developing blade having a curved portion abutting against the developer support member. When Rc represents a minimum curvature radius of the curved portion of the developing blade and R represents a curvature radius at an abutting point where the curved portion abuts against the developer support member, a ratio of R to Rc (R/Rc) meets the following relation. 1.0?R/Rc?1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention has a developer recycle apparatus. The developer recycle apparatus reuses a developer, which has been used once for a developer image formed on a surface of an image carrier and is recovered when the image carrier is subjected to cleaning. The developer recycle apparatus has a structure in which a toner dropping position is not vertically aligned with an axis of rotation of a carrying member which receives the dropped recycle toner, in a dropping/connecting portion in a carrying path for the recycle toner.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus has a first heating member and a second heating member provided in a heating portion, and a current control unit which controls an AC current to be supplied to the heating portion, The current control unit executes a wave number control, on the AC current supplied to the heating portion, in a unit of predetermined number of half-waves so that an AC current to the first heating member is supplied in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern in the unit of predetermined number of half-waves; an AC current to the second heating member is supplied in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern in the unit of predetermined number of half waves; AC currents to the first and second heating members are supplied in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern in total in the unit of predetermined number of half-waves and the current control unit increases the duty ratio alternately for the first heating member and the second heating member.

Abstract: A printer includes a first paper tray carrying a selected print medium and a user interface having a control associated with a selected attribute of the set of attributes defining all print media. The control has a first input device providing a control system input selectively associating a range of values of the selected attribute with the first paper tray. The printer control system feeds the print mechanism from the first paper tray when a print job is received, designating media having a value for the selected attribute falling within the range of values associated with the first paper tray.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus operates in a power saving mode or in the normal printing mode. An image forming section forms an image in accordance with print data received from an external apparatus. A state detecting section detects a state of the image forming apparatus. A controller causes the image forming apparatus to enter into a power saving mode where the controller terminates supply of electric power to a section of the image forming apparatus that consumes a large electric power. A data detecting section detects whether the print data exists in the image forming apparatus. When the state detecting section detects a change in the state of the image forming apparatus and the data detecting section fails to detect print data in the image forming section, the controller causes the image forming apparatus to enter the power saving mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller controlling a movement of a moving member to successively move a plurality of developing devices to a developing position in an image forming operation. A moving distance in at least one moving operation is different from a moving distance in other moving operations. A controller performs at least one moving operation and other moving operations during a transfer operation by a primary transferring device. The controller controls a moving speed of the moving member so that a relative position of a trailing edge of an image forming region on the image bearing member with respect to the developing position is controlled for the at least one moving operation and the other moving operations and so that the moving speed is uniform when the moving member performs a developer supplying operation in a non-image forming operation.

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a drum unit for rotatably supporting the drum, first and second portions to be positioned relative to the main assembly, a rotatable developing unit, and first and second portions to be supported on first and second supporting portions to permit a rotation of the developing unit in the crossing direction when the process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, and a driving force receiving member, rotatably supported on an outer surface of the second portion to be supported, for receiving a driving force for rotating the developing roller from a driving force transmission member provided in the main assembly when the process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus.

Abstract: A belt device includes an endless belt, a plurality of rollers around which the endless belt is wound, and a foreign material entry preventing member disposed on at least one side of the endless belt in the width direction. The foreign material entry preventing member prevents the entry of the foreign material into a region surrounded by the endless belt.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image forming apparatus that has two operation panels—a standard operation panel and an optional operation panel. The image forming apparatus has a standard mode and a professional mode which provide different displays on the operation panels. In addition, custom displays may be stored and recalled by the users.

Abstract: An amount of toner transfer on a reference pattern is calculated by using an optical detecting unit that detects both regular reflection light and diffuse reflection light from a detection target simultaneously, based on a relative ratio between a value obtained by subtracting a result of multiplying a “diffuse reflection output” by a “minimum value of a ratio between a regular reflection output and the diffuse reflection output” from the “regular reflection output” of the density detection reference pattern, and a value obtained by subtracting a result of multiplying the “diffuse reflection output” by a “minimum value of a ratio between the regular reflection output and the diffuse reflection output” from the “regular reflection output” in the background of a transfer belt or an intermediate transfer body.