Abstract: A developer container, which is configured to contain developer therein, includes a developer conveyance plate configured to allow the developer to be placed thereon and convey the developer, an opening member including an opening for discharging the developer, and a coupling member coupling the opening member and the developer conveyance plate with each other. The developer conveyance plate includes a vibration target unit configured to receive a vibration. The coupling member extends/compresses, or swings when the developer conveyance plate conveys the developer toward an opening side where the opening is located.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner container information storage section, a toner container information acquisition section, a toner container information readout section, a number-of-refills comparing section, a genuine product determining section, and a toner container information update section. The toner container information acquisition section is configured to acquire an identification code and a number of refills from a toner container. The number-of-refills comparing section is configured to read out, based on the acquired identification code, the number of refills of the corresponding toner container from the toner container information storage section and determine whether or not the number of refills acquired from the toner container is smaller than the read number of refills. If the number of refills acquired from the toner container is smaller than the read number of refills, the genuine product determining section determines that the toner container is a non-genuine product.

Abstract: An optical writing control device controls emission or lighting of a light source onto a photoconductor surface in a latent image forming process and a discharge process, by either setting a light emission time longer in the discharge process or setting a resolution in a sub-scanning direction lower in the discharge process, compared to the latent image forming process.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, an electric current detector, and a controller. The image forming device includes a latent image bearer, a charging rotator, a charging power supply, a latent image writing unit, and a developing unit. The controller (i) determines an uneven electric resistance of the charging rotator in a direction of rotation of the charging rotator, based on a detection result by the electric current detector, (ii) perform, at a predetermined timing, data construction processing to construct change pattern data to change an output value of a voltage from the charging power supply according to a predetermined pattern, based on the uneven electric resistance, and (iii) perform, in a print job to form a toner image in response to an instruction, voltage changing processing to charge the latent image bearer while changing the output value of the voltage, based on the change pattern data.

Abstract: A cartridge for an image forming apparatus including a movable member is provided with a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion movable between a first position and a second position. The cartridge includes a first engaged portion engageable with the first engaging portion, and a second engaged portion engageable with the second engaging portion. By the first engaged portion being engaged with the first engaging portion in the process of mounting, the movable member is moved from the first position to the second position to permit the second engaged to pass the second engaging portion in a mounting direction.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support and a photosensitive layer in this order. The photosensitive layer contains a chlorogallium phthalocyanine crystal. The chlorogallium phthalocyanine crystal has one or more peaks in each of a wavelength range of 646 nm or more and 668 nm or less and a wavelength range of 782 nm or more and 809 nm or less in an absorption spectrum. When a peak with a maximum absorbance among the peaks in the wavelength range of 646 nm or more and 668 nm or less is assumed to be a first peak and a peak with a maximum absorbance among the peaks in the wavelength range of 782 nm or more and 809 nm or less is assumed to be a second peak, an absorbance of the first peak is larger than an absorbance of the second peak.

Abstract: The sensitivity of a sensor that detects the amount or density of magnetic substance is raised. The sensor includes an oscillation circuit, a differential transformer, and an amplification circuit. The oscillation circuit includes a resonance circuit having a coil. The differential transformer includes the coil, as a primary coil, and a secondary coil, and is configured such that, as the amount or density of magnetic substance as a detection target increases, a signal output from the secondary coil increases, and as the amount or density of magnetic substance decreases, the signal decreases. The amplification circuit amplifies the signal, and has, as its frequency characteristics, a frequency band such that, as the frequency of the signal decreases, the amplification factor of the signal increases, and as the frequency of the signal increases, the amplification factor of the signal decreases. The resonance frequency of the resonance circuit falls within the frequency band.

Abstract: A belt device for an image forming apparatus, includes an endless belt; a first and second support rollers, each including a rotary shaft, that support the belt with tension; a contacted member that contacts the belt; a shaft displacement device to displace any of the rotary shafts of the support rollers; and a main rotary shaft disposed at a side of the rotary shaft of the first support roller moved by the shaft displacement device along a stretching direction of the stretched surface of the endless belt that the contacted member contacts, relative to a contact portion between the endless belt and the contacted member, and at an opposite side of the contacted member in a direction perpendicular to the stretching direction of the endless belt. As the first support roller and the second roller rotate about the main rotary shaft, the endless belt is separated from the contacted member.

Abstract: An incidence angle of laser light with respect to a photosensitive member in a main-scanning direction is different depending on an exposure position. Hence, the spot shape of the laser light on the photosensitive member is different in the main-scanning direction. A filter coefficient is changed in the main-scanning direction, and image data is corrected with the filter coefficient.

Abstract: A toner cartridge for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A rotatable drive shaft is positioned within the reservoir. A partition is mounted on the drive shaft and axially movable along the drive shaft when the drive shaft rotates. The partition divides the reservoir into a first compartment for storing fresh toner and a second compartment for storing waste toner. An expandable agitator is positioned within the second compartment and rotatable with the drive shaft. When the drive shaft rotates and the partition moves along the drive shaft expanding a volume of the second compartment, the agitator expands along a length of the drive shaft and rotates with the drive shaft for agitating waste toner in the second compartment.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit in which multiple chips including multiple light emitting elements are arranged in a main scanning direction, the image forming unit forming an image on a recording medium, a reading unit that reads the image fixed on the recording medium by a fixing unit, a density specification unit that specifies a density of a region in the image for each of the chips, the region corresponding to each of the chips, a correction amount specification unit that specifies a correction amount of light quantity from the chip based on an approximate value obtained by approximating the density of a region corresponding to a chip arranged in a predetermined range from a chip for which the correction amount of the light quantity is specified, and a correction unit that corrects the light quantity in accordance with the correction amount.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a guide groove for a rotation shaft; a positioning groove provided on a guide surface, for the rotation shaft, in the guide groove; a pressing member provided so as to be rotatable about a support shaft provided at the opening side with respect to the positioning groove, and configured to press the rotation shaft in a groove depth direction of the positioning groove; and a lower surface portion configured to apply a first pressing force in the groove depth direction to the rotation shaft in a fit-in state where the rotation shaft is located at a fit-in position, and apply a second pressing force in the inserting direction to the rotation shaft against the first pressing force in an escape state where the rotation shaft is located at an escape position.

Abstract: Provided is a developing device configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing member by feeding a toner to the electrostatic latent image. The developing device includes a developing frame configured to form an inner space in which the toner and a carrier are to be mixed, a developing roller including an outer periphery to which the developer attaches where the developing roller feeds the toner included in the developer to the image bearing member. The developing device includes an agitator installed in the inner space and configured to mix and deliver the toner and the carrier in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the developing roller, and a plurality of concave portions arranged on a bottom surface of the developing frame.

Abstract: An image forming device includes: first and second photosensitive drums; first and second drum cleaners for removing waste developer on the first and second photosensitive drums respectively; first developer cartridge having a first waste developer chamber; a second developer cartridge having a second waste developer chamber; a belt in contact with the first and second photosensitive drums; a belt cleaner for removing waste developer on the belt; a belt waste developer conveyer for conveying the waste developer removed by the belt cleaner; a first conveyer for conveying the waste developer removed by the first drum cleaner; a second conveyer for conveying the waste developer removed by the second drum cleaner to the second waste developer chamber; and a third conveyer for conveying the waste developer conveyed by the first conveyer and the waste developer conveyed by the belt waste developer conveyer to the first waste developer chamber.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on a latent image bearer with light from a light source; and a correction data generating unit that includes: an acquiring unit that acquires, for each position, a correction value of an intensity of the light source to equalize a density distribution of a latent image; a quantizing unit that generates a correction data for each position by quantizing a correction value for each position; and an excessive correction suppressing unit that outputs the correction data after reducing an amount of change from an immediately preceding latent image formation position, with respect to a position at which an absolute value of a restored value indicating a correction amount and generated based on the correction data exceeds an absolute value of the correction value.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit and a storage part, the fixing unit includes: two rollers forming a fixing nip part; a pressure adjustment mechanism varying fixing nip pressure; one driving input gear receiving: a rotational power in a first direction for driving the two rollers and a rotational power in a second direction for actuating the pressure adjustment mechanism; and a gear cover supporting, with a long hole, a bearing supporting a rotary shaft of the driving input gear. The gear cover has a convex part, and the storage part has a receiving part supporting the bearing of the driving input gear at time of insertion of the fixing unit. The receiving part has a concave part fitted with the convex part of the gear cover moving with respect to the bearing of the driving input gear at the time of insertion of the fixing unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process cartridge, which comprises a process cartridge housing, a photosensitive member, a driving force receiving opening, a retractable mechanism and a control mechanism, wherein the photosensitive member is arranged inside the process cartridge housing; the driving force receiving opening is connected with the photosensitive member and provides a driving force for the photosensitive member; the retractable mechanism allows the driving force receiving opening to extend or retract in the axial direction of the photosensitive member; and the control mechanism controls the extension and retraction of the retractable mechanism.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a charging lateral stripe liable to generate at a last stage of a lifetime of a photosensitive member while suppressing a density fluctuation is provided. A constitution which includes a photosensitive member 1, a charging portion 2, a charging voltage source S1, an exposure portion 3, a developing portion 4, an obtaining portion 120 for obtaining information relating to a cumulative operating amount and a controller 110 for effecting control so that a discharging operation for discharging the photosensitive member 1 by exposing the photosensitive member 1 to light by the exposure portion 3 is executed is used.

Abstract: A fuser unit of this disclosure includes: an endless belt, a nip member; a belt guide; a first member, which has a contact surface configured to be in contact with the belt guide; and a second member, which includes a guide portion to guide the belt guide in a guide direction, wherein the belt guide comprises: a restraining part, which is arranged to be in contact with an end surface of the endless belt and which is spaced apart from the first member, an inner surface guide, which guides the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, and a protrusion, which protrudes from the restraining part towards the contact surface of the first member and is arranged to be in contact with the contact surface of the first member.

Abstract: Provided is an optical scanning apparatus, including: a deflection unit; and an imaging optical element (IOE) guiding a light flux deflected by deflection unit onto a scanned surface, in which, an f? coefficient of IOE, a focal length of IOE, and when an intersection between deflection unit and an optical axis of IOE is set as an origin, a coordinate in an optical axis direction (OAD) of an intersection between a principal ray of an outermost off-axis light flux and an incident surface of IOE, a coordinate in OAD of an intersection between principal ray of outermost off-axis light flux and an exit surface of IOE, a coordinate in OAD of an intersection between a principal ray of an on-axis light flux and the incident surface, and a coordinate in OAD of an intersection between principal ray of on-axis light flux and the exit surface are appropriately set.