Abstract: A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that includes a cam movable between first and second positions. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the drum, a first frame for supporting the drum, a second frame for supporting the roller and connected with the first frame for relative rotation about a shaft disposed downstream of the roller with respect to a cartridge mounting direction, an entering portion at one end of the second frame with respect to a drum longitudinal direction and downstream of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction, permitting at least a part of the cam to enter when the process cartridge is mounted to the apparatus, and a cam engaging portion engaging the cam to receive a force for spacing the drum and the roller from each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus to which a developing device is detachably attachable, wherein the developing device includes an element necessary for image formation and a memory, includes an image forming unit adapted to form an image; a controller adapted to set an image forming condition, such that a density of the image formed by the image forming unit is a desired density; a storage unit adapted to store in the memory, data regarding a density control result of the controller; a reading unit adapted to read the data stored in the memory; and a determination unit adapted to determine an interval of a density control by the controller based on the data read from the memory.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a first feeding unit for feeding a recording sheet, a detachable second feeding unit provided in the lower part of an image forming apparatus main body, an image forming portion for forming an image on the recording sheet, a first feeding path for feeding the recording sheet from the first feeding unit to the image forming portion, a second feeding path for feeding the recording sheet from the second feeding unit to the image forming portion, and a guide member for guiding the recording sheet fed at a merge portion of the second feeding path merged with the first feeding path, wherein the guide member is pivoted on the upstream side in the recording sheet feed direction, rotatably by the recording sheet fed from the second feeding path.

Abstract: A process cartridge is detachably attachable to the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a laser beam applying member, a shutter for shutting off the optical path of a laser beam emitted from the laser beam applying member, a portion for moving the shutter to a retracted position retracted from a shutting-off position for shutting off the optical path, a main body frame provided upstream of the shutter with respect to the attachment direction of the process cartridge, and an opening portion provided in the main body frame. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a process device for acting on the drum, and a cartridge abutting portion adapted, when the cartridge is to be attached to the main body of an apparatus functionally differing from the main body of the image forming apparatus, to abut against a main body frame provided on the main body of the functionally different apparatus to thereby block the attachment of the process cartridge.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member rotated at a peripheral speed of 150 mm/second or more and a specific toner. The toner has a weight-average particle diameter from 5 to 12 &mgr;m, and of the toner having a circle-equivalent diameter of 3 &mgr;m or more, particles with a circularity of 0.900 or more are present at a rate of 90% or more in a number-based cumulative valve. The toner also satisfies one of two sets of conditions defined by the relationship between a cut rate and a weight-average particle diameter and the relationship between a number-based cumulative valve and a weight-average particle diameter. The cut rate Z is represented by the expression: Z=(1−B/A)×100 wherein A is a concentration of all the measured particles and B is a concentration of the measured particles whose circle-equivalent diameters are 3 &mgr;m or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an intermediate transfer body for carrying a color image, a transferring device for conveying a recording medium while causing the recording medium to bend toward and move along a part of the intermediate transfer body at an upstream side in a direction of conveyance in a transfer region in which a color image on the intermediate transfer body is transferred to the recording medium, and a contact assisting member positioned upstream of the transfer region in the direction of conveyance for maintaining the recording medium and the intermediate transfer body in close contact with each other.

Abstract: An electro photo multi functional peripheral apparatus comprises a main body which is provided with an optional device such as a duplex module, a sorter, a power stacker and a large scale paper feeding unit at one side thereof. A feeding unit for feeding a recording paper is mounted at the other side of the main body. A feeding cassette is mounted at a lower portion of the main body. A multipurpose feeding unit assembly is removably mounted at a center portion of the main body and horizontally transports the recording paper fed from the feeding unit. The main body is formed with a first, a second and a third paper transport paths for discharging the recording paper fed from the multipurpose feeding unit assembly, the feeding cassette and the duplex module, respectively.

Abstract: When an engine test print switch specifies execution of an image forming operation test mode, a trouble state of a printer engine is detected. Based on the trouble state detection result, a driving operation of a main motor is varied, and a notice of the trouble state of the printer engine is issued, thereby easily discriminating trouble contents by using only the printer engine without any personal computer or another specific jig, etc. when the printer engine falls in a trouble state.

Abstract: A developer-carrying member having a rigid electroplating surface layer free from locally abnormal metal deposition and exhibiting a high-accuracy surface roughness is provided so as to be free from occurrence of tailing of images even in high-speed image formation. The developer-carrying member has a substrate, and laminate coating layers successively formed thereon including an intermediate layer, a joint layer and a rigid electroplating layer, and is characterized in that the joint layer inserted between the intermediate layer and the electroplating layer for improving the adhesion therebetween having a substantially non-magnetic material as represented by a volume susceptibility of at most 1 &mgr;H/m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sliding member, and a pressure member which, together with the sliding member, forms a nip part, wherein a sliding surface of the nip part of the sliding member is crown shaped along a longitudinal direction of the sliding member, and the pressure roller is an inverse crown shape along the longitudinal direction. In accordance therewith, wrinkles in a recording material and springing-up of a conveying direction of the recording material can be suppressed.

Abstract: A liquid discharging head has a heat generating member in which there is a bubbling region involved in the generation of the bubble. A center of the width of the heat generating member and a center of the width of an effective bubbling region with respect to a flow direction of the liquid are identical. The conditions of the bubble generation region are given as follows: the width of the effective bubbling region≦a width of the bubble generation region<the width of the heat generating member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an apparatus body having a document table portion on which a document is placed, a scanning unit provided inside the apparatus body to optically scan an image of the document placed on the document table portion, an image forming unit for forming a developer image on a photosensitive drum in accordance with the image information scanned by the scanning unit, a transfer charger for transferring the developer image formed by the image forming unit on a sheet, a fixing unit for fixing the developer image transferred by the transfer charger on the sheet, an ejecting roller for ejecting the sheet on which the developer image is fixed by the fixing unit to the outside, a sheet receiving unit provided below the scanning unit inside the apparatus body to receive the sheet ejected from the ejecting roller, and a blowing unit for blowing cool air to the sheet receiving unit along a lower surface part of the scanning unit.

Abstract: A method of forming an image, including emitting a plurality of light beams from a plurality of vertically arranged light emitting devices; passing the plurality of light beams through corresponding slots of a vertical stay; receiving the plurality of light beams which have passed through the corresponding slots of the vertical stay by a plurality of photosensitive surfaces contained in a corresponding plurality of vertically arranged detachable cartridges, thereby forming a plurality of latent images; developing the plurality of latent images into a corresponding plurality of different colored toner images using different colored toner contained in the plurality of detachable cartridges; and transferring each of the plurality of different colored toner images onto a medium by moving the medium in a vertical direction.

Abstract: The present invention is pertained to a cleaning member of a corona wire. An operating screw includes a core and an outer member enclosing the core. The core is rotatable about a rotation axis. The outer member is formed with a spiral groove. The outer member is provided with a plurality of curved surfaces and flat surfaces. The curved surfaces alternate with the curved surfaces, as viewed along the spiral groove of the outer member. The flat surfaces are retreated toward the rotation axis of the core than the curved surfaces.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which includes a photoreceptor having a substrate whose surface having been subjected to a surface processing with a cutting tool, and a photosensitive layer formed on the substrate; an exposure device for exposing an image on the photoreceptor to form a latent image, having a light source for emitting a light beam, and carrying out exposure in a manner of dot arrangement through a main scanning by the deflection of the light beam and a sub-scanning by a movement of the photoreceptor; a developing device; and a transfer device. The apparatus is characterized in that the exposure device carries out scanning exposure with a spatial frequency of dot arrangement pitch of not less than 4 dots/mm in the main scanning direction, and surface roughness Rz of the substrate in the main scanning direction is not greater than 1.5 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes an induction coil for generating a magnetic field upon electric power supply thereto; a fixing rotatable member for induction heat generation by the magnetic field generated by the induction coil; temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the fixing rotatable member; determining unit for determining an electric power value to be supplied to the induction coil on the basis of a detected temperature by the temperature detector; and a controller for controlling the electric power supply to the induction coil on the basis of the electric power value determined by the determining unit. The controller substantially continues to supply the electric power while the electric power value determined by the determining unit is higher than a predetermined value, and effects an ON/OFF control of rendering on and off the electric power supply when the electric power value is lower than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A method for determining an altitude with a corona generating device having a grid and a coronode and a power supply for supply power to the grid and coronode, including: setting the grid at a predefined voltage with the power supply; applying a charge output voltage and a charged output current to the coronode with the power supply; monitoring the charged output voltage and the charge output current to the coronode from the power supply until a predefined charge output voltage is reached; correlating charged output current to an altitude when the predefined charge output voltage is reached.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having a plurality of image forming cartridges arranged one above another and configured to form an image on a medium; a plurality of optical writing devices arranged one above another respectively corresponding to the plurality of image forming cartridges and configured to emit light beams to the plurality of image forming cartridges so as to form the image on the medium; and a vertical stay disposed between the plurality of image forming cartridges and optical writing devices and including slots configured to allow the light beams emitted from the plurality of optical writing devices to pass therethrough to the plurality of image forming cartridges.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided, with which it is possible to reduce the overall size of an apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member including a plurality of switching elements that are arranged in a moving direction and a generatrix direction of the image bearing member, and a latent image forming unit for forming a latent image on the image bearing member, the latent image forming unit including a voltage generating unit for generating a voltage in each switching element in accordance with an image signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a paper sensor disposed in a fixing device downstream of a fixing roller pair in a direction of paper conveyance. When a jam occurs in the fixing device without the paper sensor sensing a paper sheet and if the fixing device is not pulled out of the apparatus body, it is determined that a paper left in the fixing device has not been removed. The apparatus is then inhibited from resuming its operation with a jam status being maintained.