Abstract: A disclosed image carrier toner unit includes: an image carrier; a supporting member configured to be integrated with the image carrier, the supporting member supporting the image carrier; and a toner storage unit configured to be integrated with the supporting member, the toner storage unit storing toner for developing a latent image on the image carrier as a visible image, wherein the image carrier toner unit is detachably attached to a device on which the image carrier toner unit is installed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is caused when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combinations relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is cause when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combination relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abstract: An abnormality determining apparatus includes an information storage unit for storing normal index information serving as an index of a normal state of the detection subject, an information obtaining unit for obtaining a plurality of types of information, and an abnormality determining unit for determining the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject on the basis of the normal index information stored in the information storage unit, and the information obtained by the information obtaining unit. The information storage unit stores a plurality of normal index information having different values. The abnormality determining unit selects, at a predetermined timing, normal index information to be used to determine the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject from the plurality of normal index information.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: A time point at which a predetermined period elapses since the start of use of a copying machine as a detection subject after factory shipment or repair is obtained. Pieces of set information, which are combinations of various types of information until the time point is reached are sequentially stored to construct a normal set information group. After the time point is reached, presence of abnormality in the copying machine is determined based on the normal set information group and the various types of information obtained.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of components that form image forming means and should be mounted or dismounted in a preselected order. Following one of the components with respect to the preselected order cannot be dismounted from the apparatus until preceding one of the same has been dismounted. The components are mounted to the apparatus in the reverse order. The components unremovable from the apparatus and positioned above the removable components in a preselected dismounting direction are retractable.

Abstract: A charging device of the present invention includes a charging member and a body to be charged forming a nip therebetween. Charge-promoting conductive grains, frictionally charged to polarity opposite to the polarity of a voltage applied to the charging member, are held at the above nip. The charging device is operable in a cleaning mode for cleaning the body to be charged.

Abstract: A device for processing images includes a compressing/coding unit which encodes image data including a plurality of color components to produce fixed-length codes, a memory unit which stores therein the codes produced by the compressing/coding unit, a distribution-measurement unit which measures a distribution of the color components concurrently with the encoding of the image data performed by the compressing/coding unit, and a memory-control unit which releases a memory space assigned to part of the codes relating to colors in the memory unit if the distribution-measurement unit detects that the distribution concentrates on a particular color composition, and records data indicative of the particular color composition in the memory unit.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus of the present invention charges the surface of a photoconductive belt with a charger, exposes the charged surface with an exposing unit to form a latent image, develops the latent image with a developing unit to thereby form a corresponding toner image, repeats such a process a plurality of times to form toner images of different colors on the belt one above the other, and transfers the resulting composite color image to a recording medium with an image transferring unit. At least a second-color and successive developing units each are implemented as an electrostatic developing unit including an electrostatic toner conveying device having a number of electrodes arranged at preselected small intervals in a direction of toner conveyance and each extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the above direction.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus and process cartridge exhibiting high durability, in which such disadvantages as irregular recovery of untransferred toner and the advance of carrier degradation are not produced even when jointly using a trickle development system and a cleanerless system, comprising an image support member on which a latent image is formed; a developing unit that houses developer having carrier and toner, develops the latent image formed on the image support member, and recovers untransferred toner remaining on the image support member; a carrier supply unit that supplies carrier to the developing unit; carrier discharge means that discharges carrier housed in the developing unit to outside of the developing unit; and lubricant supply means that supplies lubricant onto the image support member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of color toner development devices, a recycled toner development device, at least one cleaning device, a toner collecting and supplying device, and an image pattern generation device. The plurality of color toner development devices store separate color toners, and the recycled toner development device stores recycled toner. The at least one cleaning device removes toner remaining on at least one image carrying member after a transfer operation. The toner collecting and supplying device stores and supplies the removed toner to the recycled toner development device. The image pattern generation device generates image patterns developed by the plurality of color toner development devices and the recycled toner development device based on a characteristic of developer and a color of the recycled toner stored in the recycled toner development device.

Abstract: An image processing system which compresses an image including both a binary image and a continuous tone image by a sub-band transform method with a high compression rate. A 2×2 pixel matrix block is extracted from image data. A transform factor having a plurality of frequency components is obtained from the 2×2 pixel matrix block data. The transform factor is quantized by a fixed-length quantizing method by deleting a predetermined number of lower order bits of each of the frequency components.

Abstract: A recording medium conveyance failure occurrence predicting apparatus predicts an occurrence of a conveyance failure of a recording medium conveyed in a conveyance path in an image forming apparatus including a recording medium conveyance member that conveys the recording medium while moving and contacting the recording medium, and a separation portion where the recording medium is separated from the recording medium conveyance member. The recording medium conveyance failure occurrence predicting apparatus includes a recording medium abnormal separation detecting unit that detects an abnormal separation of the recording medium from the recording medium conveyance member, and a determining unit that predicts an occurrence of a conveyance failure of the recording medium in the separation portion based on a detection result of the recording medium abnormal separation detecting unit.

Abstract: An abnormality determining apparatus includes an information storing device that stores information, an information obtaining device that obtains information of a detection subject, a receiving device that receives abnormality presence/absence information indicative of the presence or absence of an abnormality in the detection subject detected by a user, a normal group data set constructing device that constructs a normal group data set that is a collection of normal data indicating that the detection subject is in a normal state based on the abnormality presence/absence information received by the receiving device and based on the information obtained by the information obtaining device during a preset period, and a determining device that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the detection subject by performing calculations based on the normal group data set stored in the information storing device and based on the information obtained by the information obtaining device.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention frees images from various defects including the thinning of horizontal lines, the omission of the trailing edge of an image, background contamination, granularity particular to a halftone image, carrier scattering, and image noise. Further, the apparatus of the present invention solves problems ascribable to patches used to sense image density. Moreover, the apparatus of the present invention faithfully reproduces tonality and has a high developing ability.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that employs a system of charging by adjacent discharge, not only can degradation of the photoreceptor surface caused by adjacent discharge be prevented, but also there is no side effect on the developer, and at the same time size reduction is achieved. The image forming apparatus comprises an object to be charged whose surface moves; a charging device for charging the object to be charged using an electrical discharge generated by applying a voltage comprising an alternating current component to a charging member provided in contact with or in proximity to the object to be charged; a latent image forming device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the object charged by the charging device; and a developing device for causing a two-component developer to come into contact with the image portion of the electrostatic latent image formed by the latent image forming device and affixing toner thereto.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus comprising at least a moving body to be charged, a charging device for charging the body to be charged using discharge caused by applying a voltage to a charging member provided in contact with or proximity to the body to be charged, a latent image formation device for forming a latent image on a surface of the body to be charged which is charged by the charging device, and a development device for depositing toner on an image portion of the latent image formed by the latent image formation device, wherein an elastic displacement ratio ?e for the surface of the body to be charged is equal to or greater than 40% which is defined by the following formula, elastic displacement ratio ?e(%)=[(maximum displacement)?(plastic displacement)]/(maximum displacement)×100, and the image formation apparatus further comprises a protective material feeding device for depositing a protective material on at least a discharge area of the surface of the body to be charged.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is caused when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combinations relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage means of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, comprising first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abstract: An abnormality determining apparatus is capable of avoiding mistaken determinations due to the normal value of information obtained by an information obtaining unit differing according to the content of specific information such as the operating mode setting, and deterioration of the determination precision due to a change in the user of a detection subject. The abnormality determining apparatus comprises an information storage unit for storing normal index information serving as an index of a normal state of the detection subject, an information obtaining unit for obtaining a plurality of types of information, and an abnormality determining unit for determining the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject on the basis of the normal index information stored in the information storage unit, and the information obtained by the information obtaining unit. The information storage unit stores a plurality of normal index information having different values.