Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive unit having a surface portion of negatively charging property and moved in a predetermined direction; a first charging device disposed opposite to the photosensitive unit with a first spacing therebetween and for charging the surface of the photosensitive unit to a first charged potential of negative polarity by a negative voltage; a second charging device disposed opposite to the photosensitive unit with a second spacing therebetween at a position downstream of the first charging device in a movement direction of the photosensitive unit and for charging the surface of the photosensitive unit charged by the first charging device to a second charged potential of negative polarity by a positive voltage, the second charged potential having an absolute value smaller than an absolute value of the first charged potential; an electrostatic latent image forming device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive unit; and a developer carrying de

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of forming a high quality image by eliminating an expansion/contraction, displacement in color or nonuniformity of color of the image formed on a transfer member. An image carrier gear for driving an image carrier is driven by a driving means gear at an image carrier driving position and transmits driving force to conveying force transmitting gear at a transfer driving position. The conveying force transmitting gear transmits conveying force to the transfer member. A time during which the image carrier moves from a latent image forming position to a transferring position is made substantially equal to a time during which the image carrier gear moves from an image carrier driving position to a transfer driving position.

Abstract: The input device for controlling an apparatus includes: a display device for displaying an image represented by a plurality of dots; a touch panel disposed over the display face of the display device for outputting information of a position where the panel is operated in accordance with the displayed image on the display device; a command content determining device for determining the content of the command selected, based on the relationship between the positional information output from the touch panel and the image displayed on the display device, wherein the image displayed on the display device includes an external outline of the apparatus having the input device; and a switching device for switching the display on the display device, into the display frame for setting the operation of a unit corresponding to the operated part of the external outline of the apparatus when part of the external outline of the apparatus displayed on the display portion is operated through the touch panel.

Abstract: A fixing device of the belt system is provided in which slippage of a heating belt is prevented from occurring so that a recording member is stably transported, and the inner face of an end portion of the heating belt is prevented from being damaged. In a fixing device, an endless heating belt 34 is supported by a driving roller 31 and a heating roller 33, a pressure roller is pressingly contacted with an outer peripheral portion of the belt so as to form a nip portion, and an unfixed image on a recording medium transported to the nip portion is fixed to the recording medium. The axial lengths L2 of the driving roller 31 and the heating roller 33 are set to be shorter than the width L1 of the belt 34, and the axial length L3 of an oil applying roller 51 which abuts against the outer peripheral portion of the belt 34 to apply oil thereto is set to be shorter than the axial lengths L2 of the driving roller 31 and the heating roller 33.

Abstract: An image forming method and a image forming apparatus which make use of a liquid developer capable of changing in surface tension upon exposure or heating. The liquid developer is fed to the surface of a developer holding means on the surface of which the liquid developer to holdable, the surface of the developer holding means on which the liquid developer is held is subjected to selective exposure or heating in accordance with image information to form a latent image, and the latent image is transferred to a recording medium to form a visible image. This method and apparatus make it possible to form highly minute images at a high speed, and promise a high reliability and a low power consumption.

Abstract: A printer is disclosed and which includes a frame; a movable lifting member borne by the frame; a rotatable pressure drum borne by the frame; a rotatable fusing drum borne by the lifting member; a rotatable image drum borne by the frame and positioned in contact with the fusing drum; an articulation assembly pivotally borne by the frame and movable along a course of travel, the lifting arm engaging the articulation assembly, and wherein movement of the articulation assembly imparts movement to the lifting arm, the lifting arm carrying the fusing drum along a course of travel into, and out of, contact with pressure drum; and an image forming assembly borne by the frame oriented adjacent to the image drum.

Abstract: An information card on which calculation information on photo-processing prices in accordance with orders and/or photo-printing information is recorded, wherein the information card is an index print. A photo-finishing method, a photo-finishing apparatus, a reprinting method, a reprinting apparatus, an information card preparation apparatus and a photo-printing apparatus are provided which employ the index print.

Abstract: A Release Agent Management (RAM) system for a heat and pressure fuser apparatus utilized for fixing color toner images on substrates such as plain paper and transparency material such as Mylar.TM.. A donor/metering roll arrangement is provided with two oil metering blades, one of which is operative during two modes of operation and the other of which is operative during only one of the two modes of operation. During one mode of operation when color toner images are formed on a substrate such as plain paper, only one of the two blades is utilized. During a second mode of operation when color toner images are created on a transparent substrate such as Mylar.TM., both blades engage the surface of the metering roll so that a lesser amount of oil is ultimately conveyed to the surface of the heated fuser roll.

Abstract: A fuser having an oil applying felt composed of fluororesin fibers and touching to an oil applying roller. The oil applying felt is dipped in oil preserved in an oil tank at one end, so that the oil is elevated through capillarity and supplied to the oil applying roller. The oil applied over the oil applying roller is leveled by an oil limiting blade, and the oil thus leveled is applied to a fusing roller touching the oil applying roller. Meanwhile, a sheet having thereon formed a non-fused toner image is heated and pressed respectively by the fusing roller and a pressure applying roller, whereupon the non-fused toner on the sheet adheres to the fusing roller. The toner then adheres to the oil applying felt through the oil applying roller. However, the oil applying felt is not clogged with the toner because it is made of the fluororesin fibers.

Abstract: An electroconductive elastic member including an electroconductive material prepared from a polyurethane foam or polyurethane elastomer using a polyester polyol and a quaternary ammonium salt to impart electroconductivity. The polyurethane foam or polyurethane elastomer can be produced using, as a polyisocyanate component, a hydrogenated product from diphenyl-methane diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, or any of various modified diphenylmethane/hexamethylene diisocyanate The elastic member may be used in an electrophotographic apparatus. Thus the member is well suited for producing an elastic roller with intermediate electric resistance in an electrophotographic process.

Abstract: An electrostatographic reproduction method and apparatus includes an electrostatic recording member moving in a process direction. A plurality of recording elements on a writer imagewise expose the recording member to form electrostatic latent images on the recording member. The writer includes driver circuitry for actuating selected recording elements. The exposed recording member is then moved through a development station to develop the latent images. The developed images are transferred to a record member. An operator selectable adjustment controller is manually adjusted for generating adjustments in operation of the recording elements to compensate for a misalignment of a process station in the apparatus.

Abstract: The illuminance of illumination light from an exposure light source is switched over in a plurality of steps in an open loop control, whereby, when a plurality of shot areas on one substrate to be exposed to light are exposed to the light with various integrated exposure quantities, the exposure quantity with respect to each shot area is correctly controlled. Pulse illumination light from an excimer laser light source is attenuated by a rough energy adjuster and a fine energy adjuster and then illuminates a reticle, while the reticle and a wafer are scanned with respect to a projection optical system, such that a pattern of the reticle is successively transferred to individual shot areas on the wafer. When the extinction ratio of the rough energy adjuster is switched over in an open loop control, the illuminance on the image surface is measured by an illuminance fluctuation sensor so as to adjust, based on the result of this measurement, the illuminance on the image surface.

Abstract: A photographic printer has an exposure station for exposing and printing images of photographic film on printing paper, a cutter for cutting the photographic film, after a printing process, to film pieces of a length having a predetermined number of frames, and cartridges for collecting the film pieces as sorted into separate orders. Each cartridge stores a group of film pieces stacked one upon the other, and transports the group of film pieces to a film outlet.

Abstract: A photographic film and printing method and apparatus for the film are disclosed. The apparatus comprises reading means which reads an ID number at the time of print with film processing of the photographic film having the ID number printed thereon; print data entering means which enters print data about the exposure amount; storage means which associates and stores the ID number and the print data so that the print data obtained at the time of the print with film processing is saved; exposure controlling means which reads the ID number of said photographic film, retrieves the print data which corresponds to the ID number from said storage means, and automatically controls the exposure amount based on said print data when said photographic film is reprinted. As a result, the quality of the photographic film can be maintained constant without operator's help in either case of the print with film processing and the reprint.

Abstract: In a scanning-type exposure apparatus, a mask and a light-sensitive substrate are disposed substantially vertically in opposed relation to each other, with an optical projection system disposed between the mask and the substrate. Optical projection system includes a plurality of optical elements for projecting an equal-size, erected image of a mask pattern onto the light-sensitive substrate, and these optical elements are arranged in a predetermined direction. A scanning device scanningly moves the mask and the light-sensitive substrate in synchronism with each other relative to the optical projection system in a direction which is perpendicular to both of the predetermined direction and an optical axis of the optical projection system.

Abstract: A sealing mechanism for preventing the leakage of powder from between a through-hole and a rotary shaft which is supported between one side wall of a container containing said powder and the other side wall thereof and of which one end protrudes outwardly beyond said through-hole formed in said one side wall. A circular flange is formed on the rotary shaft, and a seal ring member is fitted between the circular flange of the rotary shaft and said one side wall. A to-be-engaged groove is formed in one end of the rotary shaft. An input gear made of a synthetic resin is fitted to the one end of the rotary shaft, and an engaging projection that engages with said to-be-engaged portion is formed in a portion of the input gear that is fitted to the rotary shaft.

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including an electrophotographic photosensitive member; a developing member for developing a latent image formed on the photosensitive member; a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner to be used for development of the latent image by the developing member; a toner stirring member for stirring the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; a driving force transmission member for transmitting rotational driving force to the toner stirring member to rotate the stirring member; wherein the driving force transmission member is penetrated through an opening provided in the toner accommodating portion; a locking member, provided inside of the toner accommodating portion to prevent the driving force transmission member from dropping out of the toner accommodating portion through the opening; a driving member for driving the driving force transmission member, wherein the driving member

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for exposure by projection, having the step of determining an error in magnification of a projection optical system in a position at each of plural image heights of an image, a projection optical system being for projecting an image of a pattern of a mask onto a photosensitizable substrate; and the step of correcting a magnification of projection of the image of the pattern of the mask onto said photosensitizable substrate on the basis of the error in magnification determined in the previous step. Further disclosed is a projection exposure apparatus so adapted as to implement of the method for exposure by projection.

Abstract: A fuser member having a polyimide substrate, an optional solventless intermediate adhesive layer, an outer polyphenylene sulfide layer, and an optional outer release layer, which provides enhanced bonding and decreased occurrence of delamination is provided. An image forming apparatus using the fuser member is also disclosed.

Abstract: In a projection exposure apparatus for projecting an image of a pattern on a reticle through a projection optical system onto a wafer, in order to quickly measure imaging characteristics of the projection optical system without actual exposure, an enlarging optical system consisting of an objective lens and a relay optical system, and an image pickup element are provided on a Z-stage on which the wafer is mounted. Illumination light illuminates an index pattern formed on the reticle to form an image thereof near a first lens in the objective lens through the projection optical system, the enlarging optical system enlarges the thus formed image of the index pattern to form an enlarged image thereof on a receiving surface of the image pickup element, the image pickup element converts it into a signal, and an image processing system processes the signal from the image pickup element, thereby measuring the imaging characteristics of the projection optical system, based on the processing results.