Abstract: A cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, includes: a rotatable member; a blade member contacted to the rotatable member; a frame, formed of a resin material, for supporting the blade member; and a seal member provided on the frame to be contacted to a portion of the blade member, opposite from a portion where the blade member is contacted to the rotatable member, in each of one end side and anther end side of the blade member with respect to an axial direction of the rotatable member, wherein the seal member is formed on the frame by injection molding for sealing a gap between the blade member and the frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, an exposure unit, a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image using toner, a detection unit that detects an amount of the toner contained in the developing unit, and a calculation unit that calculates a difference value between the amount of detected toner detected and a target toner amount. In addition, an accumulation unit accumulates the calculated difference value, and a controller controls toner replenishing based on the calculated difference value and the accumulated value. A determination unit determines, based on an amount of the consumed toner and an amount of the contained toner, whether or not an error of an amount of replenished toner is larger than a threshold value, and determines, based on the number of times that the error is determined, whether or not replacement of the container is required.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an unfixed image onto a recording medium includes a fixing belt, a nip forming member, an opposing rotary member, a heater, and a temperature detector. The fixing belt is formed into a loop to move endlessly and fix the unfixed image on the recording medium. The nip forming member is disposed inside the loop formed by the fixing belt. The opposing rotary member contacts the nip forming member via the fixing belt to form a nip portion therebetween while rotating. The heater heats the fixing belt at a place other than the nip portion. The temperature detector detects a temperature of the surface of the fixing belt. The temperature detector detects the temperature near a place of the fixing belt that easily deforms as the fixing belt is heated by the heater.

Abstract: A lubricant application device includes: a lubricant supply unit; a roller-type rotatable lubricant application member that applies a lubricant agent to a lubricant-applied member, the lubricant agent being supplied from the lubricant supply unit; and a flicking member to be brought into contact with the lubricant application member in a position that is on the downstream side of the lubricant supply unit and is on the upstream side of the lubricant-applied member in the rotation direction of the lubricant application member, the flicking member being brought into contact with the lubricant application member so that the amount of the lubricant agent to be applied to either end portion of the lubricant-applied member becomes smaller than the amount of the lubricant agent to be applied to the middle portion of the lubricant-applied member in the axial direction of the lubricant application member.

Abstract: A roller member used in an image forming apparatus including: a metallic shaft; and a covering layer, wherein the metallic shaft has a cylindrical shape formed so that one end portion and the other end portion of the metallic plate oppose each other, the one end portion and the other end portion each include a straight portion, a projection, and a depression, the projections on the one end portion engage the depressions on the other end portion, a straight area is located outside a projection and depression area in which the projection on the one end portion and the projection on the other end portion are aligned in an axial direction of the metallic shaft, and the projection and depression area is entirely covered with the covering layer and at least part of the straight area is exposed from the covering layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid toner dispersion which has a relative low shear viscosity between 1.25 and 225 and a relative conductivity between 0.3 and 30. The liquid toner dispersion includes toner particles in a non-polar carrier liquid, as well as a dispersing agent. This liquid toner dispersion is used in a digital printing process including adding dispersing agent during recycling of excess liquid toner dispersion remaining on a development member after patterned transfer of liquid toner dispersion to the imaging member.

Abstract: A development rotating member for liquid development includes a base material, an elastic layer that is provided on the base material, and a surface layer that is provided on the elastic layer and contains a polyimide resin, wherein a JIS-A hardness of the development rotating member is in a range of 40 degrees to 80 degrees.

Abstract: A developing apparatus, includes a developer carrying member; a containing portion configured to contain developer; a discharge outlet through which a surplus of the developer is discharged; a first conveying portion configured to convey the developer; a second conveying portion provided downstream of the first conveying portion in a conveying direction of the first conveying portion and having a spiral blade portion configured to convey the developer in a conveying direction opposite to the conveying direction of the first conveying portion; and a disk portion provided upstream of the second conveying portion in the conveying direction of the second conveying portion, the disk portion being formed to project radially-outwardly from a whole circumference of a rotary shaft. An upstream end of the spiral blade portion of the second conveying portion in the conveying direction of the second conveying portion and the disk portion are arranged with an interval therebetween.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conversion unit configured to convert image data based on a conversion condition, an image forming unit configured to be controlled based on an image forming condition, and to form an image based on the converted image data, a measurement unit configured to measure a plurality of measurement images, a first determination unit configured to determine the image forming condition based on a first measurement result of a first measurement image, a generation unit configured to generate the conversion condition based on second measurement results of second measurement images and a feedback condition, and a second determination unit configured to determine the feedback condition based on the first measurement result. The image forming unit sets the determined image forming condition in next timing. The conversion unit updates the conversion condition after the generation unit generates the conversion condition and before the next timing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising sheet cassettes accommodating different kinds of sheets, respectively; an image forming station for forming images on the sheets fed from the accommodating portions in response to image formation instructions; a heater for heating the images on the sheets; an acquiring portion for acquiring information corresponding to kinds of the sheets; a controller configured to control a target temperature when the heater heats the image on the sheet, on the basis of the information; a selector for selecting one of modes including a first mode in which the target temperatures are set for the kinds of the sheets, respectively and a second mode in which the target temperatures are set commonly to the kinds of the sheets, wherein the controller sets the target temperature of the heater in a stand-by state, at a common temperature, when the selector selects the second mode.

Abstract: A developing device includes: an agitation member including an agitation film; and a housing including a first frame and a second frame jointed to the first frame. The second frame includes: a first contact part configured to contact the agitation film, and a second contact part configured to contact the agitation film, arranged at a downstream side of the first contact part, the second contact part protruding towards the first frame. A first distance from the rotational axis line to the first contact part, as seen from a direction of the rotational axis line, is gradually increased towards a downstream side with respect to the rotating direction. A second distance from the rotational axis line to the second contact part is equal to or greater than a maximum distance from the rotational axis line to the first contact part.

Abstract: An image forming device includes an image forming unit configured to continuously form images on continuous paper, a conveying unit configured to convey the continuous paper, and a control unit configured to start an image quality adjusting operation for adjusting image quality of a subsequent image to be formed by the image forming unit after formation of a last image by the image forming unit is completed while the conveying unit conveys the continuous paper until the last image arrives at a predetermined position.

Abstract: An exposure device includes: a substrate having a first and second surface opposed to each other, wherein a light-emitting element array is mounted on the first surface; a protective sheet covering the second surface while exposing a part of the second surface in the vicinity of an edge of the substrate to define an exposed part of the second surface; a holder that supports a condenser lens array and that supports the substrate, with a gap formed between the holder and the exposed part of the substrate, to position the substrate such that light emitted from the light-emitting element array is condensed on a predetermined irradiation location through the condenser lens array; and a thermally-conductive sealant that covers the exposed part of the second surface of the substrate and seals the gap.

Abstract: A fixing device, including a heat roller, a temperature detector member to detect temperature of the heat roller, a supporting member to support the temperature detector member, and a fixer frame to support the heat roller and the supporting member, is provided. The supporting member includes a supporting part to support the temperature detector member, a first part, a second part which is less rigid than the first part, and an attaching part to be attached to an attachable surface of the fixer frame. The attaching part is arranged on one end of the supporting member along the axial direction. The supporting part is arranged in an intermediate position along the axial direction in the supporting member. The first part and the second part are arranged in positions between the attaching part and the supporting part along the axial direction in the supporting member.

Abstract: A powder container includes a powder chamber for containing powder for forming images, a powder outlet formed in a face of the powder container, and a shutter assembly to open and close the powder outlet and including first and second shutters. The first shutter is movable between a sealing position to close the powder outlet and an open position to open the powder outlet and includes a pressed member to cancel retention of the first shutter at the sealing position. The second shutter includes a pressing projection that interferes with the pressed member of the first shutter and is movable between a shielding position to cover the pressed member without interference between the pressing projection and the pressed member and a releasing position to press the pressed member with the pressing projection.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a lid pulling mechanism that includes a hook to open a toner discharge opening by pulling, from the bottle head section, a lid member that is in contact with a bottle head section of a toner bottle to close the toner discharge opening, and the lid pulling mechanism pulls the lid member in a direction inclined upward with respect to a virtual line that extends in a horizontal direction. Therefore, the distance is decreased between the lid member and the bottle head section and above the toner discharge opening through which air easily passes; thus, intake of air from the outside to the inside of the bottle head section is prevented. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of spread of toner from the inside of the bottle head section to the outside of the container.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a developing cartridge for a laser printer, comprising a stirring wheel and an activation mechanism, the activation mechanism comprising a diameter-changing wheel, a return spring and a sliding block, wherein the diameter-changing wheel is parallel with an axial direction of the stirring wheel and includes two sections of arcs, a larger diameter arc of the two sections of arcs is meshed with the stirring wheel, a protruding block is provided on a lateral end wall at a side of the axial direction of the diameter-changing wheel facing the end cover, a part of the end cover corresponding to the diameter-changing wheel is provided as an inclined wall, the inclined wall is provided with a sliding groove, the sliding block is mounted in the sliding groove, the return spring presses the sliding block in the sliding groove at one end close to the diameter-changing wheel.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a first blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; and a second blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the pressurizing member. Upon the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member exceeding a threshold temperature, the first blower blows without the second blower blowing, then the two blowers start blowing together.

Abstract: A contamination control apparatus for controlling contamination in an image forming device is provided. The apparatus includes an air mover located in the image forming device; a first duct, a first end of the first duct receiving non-contaminated air, and a second end of the first duct being fluidly connected to an air input of the air mover such that the air input receives the non-contaminated air from the first duct; an exhaust duct, a first end of the exhaust duct being fluidly connected to an air output of the air mover such that the exhaust duct receives the non-contaminated air from the air output; and a second duct, a first end of the second duct being positioned such that contaminated air is drawn into the second duct, and a second end of the second duct being fluidly connected to the exhaust duct at a position downstream of the air output of the air mover and upstream of the second end of the exhaust duct.

Abstract: Provided is a recovery device including a recovery mechanism that recovers a liquid developer from a holding member which revolves while holding the liquid developer, the liquid developer being not delivered from the holding member to a delivery target member and remains on the holding member, a reception section that receives the liquid developer which the recovery mechanism recovers, an addition member that adds a diluent, which reduces a toner concentration of the liquid developer, to the liquid developer that the reception section receives, a porous section through which the liquid developer passes, and a transport member that moves to transport the liquid developer which the reception section receives to the porous section, and causes the liquid developer to pass through the porous section.