Abstract: A cleaning apparatus includes an endless belt configured to bear a toner image, a rotary member configured to be wound around by the belt, and configured to rotate integrally with the belt, a bearing configured to rotatably support the rotary member, a cleaning unit configured to come into contact with a surface of the belt and collect an adhering matter adhered onto the surface, an urging member configured to urge the cleaning unit toward the surface of the belt, and a support member configured from a single member and including a first supporting portion, a second supporting portion, and a third supporting portion. The first supporting portion rotatably supports the belt via the bearing and the rotary member. The second supporting portion pivotably supports the cleaning unit. The third supporting portion supports the urging member.

Abstract: An inorganic compound particle supply member includes inorganic compound particles, and the Young's modulus of the inorganic compound particle supply member is lower than the Young's modulus of a supply object to be supplied with the inorganic compound particles.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt unit including a cleaning unit and an opposing roller, and a swinging mechanism. The swinging mechanism includes a swingable member which is provided in a position different from a rotation center of the opposing roller while holding the opposing roller and the cleaning unit without changing a relative positional relationship between the opposing roller and the cleaning unit and which is swingable about a swing axis.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a forming unit, a heating unit, a temperature sensor, and a driving unit. The forming unit is configured to attach toner to a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium. The heating unit is configured to heat the toner that is attached to the recording medium by the forming unit to fix the image to the recording medium. The temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the heating unit. The vibration unit is configured to apply vibration to the temperature sensor in a waiting period in which the image formation by the forming unit is not executed and the heating control by the heating unit is executed.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a contact part coming into contact with a member to be cleaned, the contact part being constituted by a member containing polyurethane rubber produced by polymerizing at least a polyol component and a polyisocyanate component. The ratio (M100/Re) of 100% modulus (M100 [MPa]) to rebound resilience coefficient (Re [%]) of the member is 0.25 or more. The rebound resilience coefficient (Re [%]) of the member is less than 25%. The tensile stress at 23° C. and 200% strain of the member is 15 MPa or more.

Abstract: A conveying device includes a conveying member that conveys a spray-receiving medium to be sprayed with pressure sensitive adhesive particles having a pressure-induced phase transition property, containing at least a binder resin, and having a sulfur content of 0.1 mass % or more and 0.5 mass % or less relative to an entirety of the pressure sensitive adhesive particles as measured by X-ray fluorescence; and a removing member that contacts the conveying member and removes the pressure sensitive adhesive particles remaining on the conveying member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating device, a rotator, and a blade. The heating device includes a heater extending in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a recording medium. The heater includes a heat generator and generates a larger heat amount at one end than at a center. The blade includes a rubbing portion extending in the direction. Both ends of the rubbing portion face both ends of the heater. The rotator and the blade are configured such that a friction force between the rotator and one end of the rubbing portion is smaller than a friction force between the rotator and the center of the rubbing portion in the direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing case, a developing sleeve, a doctor blade, a first engaging section, and a second engaging section. The developing sleeve is supported by the developing case at both ends. The doctor blade includes both end portions in a longitudinal direction and a straight end face. The first engaging section is provided in the center in the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade. The second engaging section is provided in the developing case and engages with the first engaging section. One of the first engaging section and the second engaging section includes a shaft member having a predetermined axis. The other of the first engaging section and the second engaging section includes a recess including a pair of guide sections inclined with respect to the end face of the doctor blade.

Abstract: The present invention is aimed at providing an electrophotographic cleaning blade that has excellent chipping resistance and can exhibit excellent cleaning performance. This cleaning blade is provided with an elastic member that includes a polyurethane and a support member that supports the elastic member, and cleans the surface of a member to be cleaned that is moving, by bringing a part of the elastic member into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned. The average value of the elastic modulus of the elastic member obtained when measured using SPM is at least 15 MPa and not more than 470 MPa, and the coefficient of variation thereof is not more than 6.0%.

Abstract: A cleaning component that cleans an image holding section having a high-hardness surface layer, the cleaning component including: a plate-shaped cleaning member coming into contact with a surface of the image holding section, in which a portion of the cleaning member coming into contact with the surface of the image holding section has 100% modulus equal to or more than 7 Mpa and rebound resilience equal to or less than 30%, as physical properties.

Abstract: An electrostatic charge image developing carrier includes a magnetic particle and a coating resin layer that covers the magnetic particle, and an amount of the coating resin layer that is peeled off from the magnetic particle when the carrier dispersed in water is irradiated with ultrasonic waves, relative to a coating amount of the coating resin layer before ultrasonic irradiation, is 800 mass ppm or more and 2,000 mass ppm or less, and a difference between an initial coating amount of the coating resin layer of a carrier having no travel history and a coating amount of the coating resin layer of a carrier having a travel history and being taken out from an electrostatic charge image developer, relative to the initial coating amount of the coating resin layer, is 0 mass ppm or more and 3,000 mass ppm or less.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaner that cleans a body to be cleaned, wherein the cleaner includes: an elastic member in which a contact portion in contact with the body to be cleaned is formed in an uneven shape continuous in a predetermined direction; and a support member that supports the elastic member, and the cleaner is configured so that a contact pressure of the elastic member to the body to be cleaned is constant in the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade, a supporting portion, a housing, and a blade pressing spring. The blade pressing spring includes a first coil portion formed of a single wire material and provided between the supporting portion and the housing so as to capable of being expanded and contracted, a second coil portion provided between the supporting portion and the housing so as to be capable of being expanded and contracted, and a connecting portion connecting the first coil portion and the second coil portion. The first coil portion and the second coil portion are disposed side by side with respect to a direction crossing a center axis direction of the first coil portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier having a first rotation axle, a charging roller having a second rotation axle, a conductive member to contact a surface of the image carrier, a gap size acquisition device, and a gap adjustment device. The charging roller is disposed adjacent to the image carrier in a non-contact manner across a gap to charge the image carrier. The gap size acquisition device acquires a size of the gap. The gap adjustment device adjusts a distance between the first rotation axle and the second rotation axle based on information from the gap size acquisition device to maintain the size of the gap within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a blade member including a ridgeline portion. The ridgeline portion contains polyrotaxane. A sheet conveyance roller includes a core and a surface layer. The surface layer contains polyrotaxane.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a developing device that supplies a toner to the image carrier, and a cleaning member. The cleaning member includes a blade that contacts the image carrier and applies a pressure onto the image carrier. The blade has two ends that are bent in a direction toward the image carrier, wherein the blade forms cleaning angles with the image carrier at the two ends of the blade, that are smaller than cleaning angles formed with the image carrier in other portions of the blade.

Abstract: An electrophotographic blade to be brought into contact with a contact member, comprises a plate spring, and a resin layer that covers at least a part of a surface of the plate spring to form a contact region that comes into contact with a contact member. In the state where one of ends of the plate spring is fixed, a length (L) from the fixed end to the another end is 5 mm to 20 mm, and a force needed to displace the another end by 1 mm is 5 N/m to 100 N/m. The resin layer satisfies the requirements: (1) the thickness of the resin layer is 0.05 mm to 2.00 mm, (2) the tan ? value of the resin layer in the range of 5° C. to 40° C. is 0.05 to 0.70, and (3) the elastic modulus of the resin layer is 1.0 to 60.0 MPa.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a blade for cleaning a toner image retainer, the method including: binding an abutting layer that abuts against the toner image retainer and a supporting layer that supports the abutting layer, wherein the maximum value D of a difference between a first loss tangent at 1 Hz and a second loss tangent at 100 Hz of the blade that includes the abutting layer and the supporting layer satisfies the formula: 0.2?D?0.7, wherein the maximum value D is a maximum value of a difference between the first loss tangent and the second loss tangent at temperatures within a range of 0° C. to 50° C.

Abstract: The present application discloses a method for making a rubber blade. The method includes applying a first coating composition and a second coating composition in separate steps on at least a part of a surface of a polyurethane elastic substrate; and solidifying the first coating composition and the second coating composition by ultraviolet light irradiating to form a hardened layer on the surface of the polyurethane elastic substrate. The first coating composition includes an isocyanate-group-terminated polyisocyanate and a first solvent. The second coating composition includes a first monomer, a photoinitiator, and a second solvent. The first monomer is at least one of an acrylate monomer and a methacrylate monomer each having an reactive hydroxyl group. The isocyanate group of the polyisocyanate is reacted with the reactive hydroxyl group of the first monomer to generate a urethane group to form a polyurethane acrylate. The present application also discloses a rubber blade.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a detection device having a detection surface includes a cleaning unit provided with a cleaning member for performing a cleaning and configured to perform a wipe-off cleaning in a state where the cleaning member is in contact with the detection surface, a drive unit configured to press the cleaning member onto the detection surface, a detection unit configured to detect a force with which the cleaning member presses the detection surface, and a control unit configured to, while controlling the drive unit based on a result of the force detection by the detection unit to control the force, drive the cleaning unit to perform the wipe-off cleaning.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance portion including a rotary member, and a counter member, a first contact member, a second contact member, and a contacting and separating mechanism. The contacting and separating mechanism causes the second contact member to separate from the surface of a rotary member of a conveyance portion when the rotary member rotates in the first direction, and causes the second contact member to abut against the surface of the rotary member when the rotary member rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Abstract: An optical scanning device (30) includes a first elastic member (51) fixed to a bottom wall of a casing (31) and compressed by a lower surface of an image forming lens (36) and the bottom wall to close a gap between the lower surface of the image forming lens (36) and the bottom wall, and a second elastic member (52) fixed to a lid member (37) and compressed by an upper surface of the image forming lens (36) and the lid member (37) to close a gap between the upper surface of the image forming lens (36) and the lid member (37).

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a blade for electrophotographic devices and a blade for electrophotographic devices are provided. The method includes: an impregnation step of impregnating, from the surface of at least a part of a blade-shaped substrate containing urethane rubber, with a blocked isocyanate in which an isocyanate group is blocked with a blocking agent, wherein the part includes a portion that comes into contact with a mating member; and a curing step of dissociating the blocking agent from the blocked isocyanate impregnated into the substrate in the impregnation step, and then curing the released isocyanate in the substrate to form a cured portion in at least the part of the substrate including the portion that comes into contact with the mating member. In the method, the isocyanate released from the blocked isocyanate includes an aromatic isocyanate.

Abstract: A cleaning device that cleans a surface of an image holding unit capable of holding an image formed using an image forming material includes: a cleaning tool that is movable along an intersecting direction intersecting with a moving direction of the image holding unit and cleans the surface of the image holding unit when placed in a contact position where the cleaning tool is in contact with the surface of the image holding unit; and a guiding unit that guides the cleaning tool so that the cleaning tool moves from a non-contact position where the cleaning tool is not in contact with the image holding unit to the contact position for cleaning the surface of the image holding unit, wherein when the image holding unit is moved, the cleaning tool placed in the contact position cleans the surface of the image holding unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearer and a cleaning blade is provided. The cleaning blade comprises an elastic member configured to contact a surface of the image bearer to remove toner particles remaining thereon. The elastic member comprises a substrate and a surface layer comprising a cured product of a curable composition and a siloxane compound. The surface layer is disposed on at least a part of a lower surface of the substrate. The surface layer has a hardness gradient in which a Martens hardness HM measured using a nanoindenter decreases from a surface of the surface layer toward the lower surface of the substrate in a thickness direction, and the Martens hardness HM measured in a region extending from a vicinity of the surface (with a load of 1 ?N) to a deepest part in the thickness direction (with a load of 1,000 ?N) ranges from 2.5 to 32.5 N/mm2. The toner has a tensile breaking force F of from 200 to 450 gf (from 1.96 to 4.

Abstract: A cleaning device has: a cleaning frame; a cleaning member which, after transfer through contact with an image bearing member, removes a developer remaining on the image bearing member; and a sheet member having flexibility and coming into contact with the image bearing member at an upstream side of a contact position between the cleaning member and the image bearing member in the rotation direction of the image bearing member. An external additive is an inorganic salt having a charging polarity on the positive side with respect to the developer, and work functions ?(S), ?(A), ?(T) of the sheet member, the external additive and the developer satisfy 0?|?(A)??(S)|<0.57; and ?(A)<?(T).

Abstract: A toner conveying device includes a case, a conveying screw, a film member and a supporting member. The conveying screw conveys a toner stored in the case in a predetermined direction inside the case. The film member includes a base part elongated in an axial direction of the conveying screw as a longitudinal direction and a plurality of protruding pieces formed so as to protrude in one direction intersecting the longitudinal direction from the base part, and has flexibility. The supporting member includes an attaching part elongated in the axial direction as the longitudinal direction to which the film member is attached, and an axis part being in parallel to the longitudinal direction. The film member and the supporting member are disposed at an upper side of the conveying screw so that the protruding pieces come into contact with the conveying screw, and are rotatable around the axis part.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes an elastic material, a first surface, a second surface and an end surface. The end surface includes a first region and a second region provided on opposite sides of the first region. The elastic material of the cleaning blade has indentation elastic modulus E0 [MPa] of 3 or more and 20 or less, and indentation elastic modulus E1 [MPa] of the end surface in the first region is (E0+1) or more and 40 or less. Dynamic hardness DH1 [mN/?m2] of the first region is 0.10 or more and 0.20 or less, dynamic hardness DH2 [mN/?m2] of the second region is 0.15 or more and 0.50 or less, and a difference (DH2?DH1) is 0.05 [mN/?m2] or more. A difference in thickness between the end surface in the first region and the end surface in the second region is 25 ?m or less.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a contact part coming into contact with a member to be cleaned, the contact part being configurated by a member containing polyurethane rubber produced by polymerizing at least a polyol component, which contains over 50 mol % and 75 mol % or less of 1,4-butanediol relative to the entire polyol components, with a polyisocyanate component. The ratio (M100/Re) of 100% modulus (M100 [MPa]) to rebound resilience coefficient (Re [%]) is 0.25 or more. The rebound resilience coefficient (Re [%]) is 25% or more.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a cleaning blade having a blade portion. The blade portion has a blade tip equipped with an edge constituted by a ridge line between the tip surface the blade portion and a blade surface arranged near a photosensitive drum. The blade portion satisfies the following expressions: a?50 ?m, and 0.1?b/a?0.6 where, when the blade portion is viewed along blade longitudinal direction with the edge in sliding contact with the photosensitive drum for measurement rotating in one direction, a represents a maximum amplitude of the edge which vibrates with the rotation of the photosensitive drum for measurement, and b represents a maximum amplitude when a position separated from the edge by 200 ?m on the blade surface of the blade tip vibrates with the oscillation of the edge.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image bearer capable of bearing a toner image, where a latent image is formed on the image bearer, a developing unit configured to develop the latent image formed on the image bearer with a toner, and a cleaning unit including a blade-shaped elastic body, where the elastic body is brought into contact with a surface of the image bearer, wherein a friction coefficient Ft/Fn between the image bearer and the elastic body is 0.85 or greater but 1.1 or less, and self-excited vibration WRFt(LMH) of shear force of the elastic body in a LMH band is 1.5 gf or greater but 3.5 gf or less.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a case, a blade, a swing member, a first coil spring, a second coil spring, and a plurality of first engaging portions. The first coil spring is provided on a first end side of the blade in the longitudinal direction and configured to pull the swing member. The second coil spring is provided on a second end side of the blade in the longitudinal direction and configured to pull the swing member. The plurality of first engaging portions are provided on one of the case or the swing member at the first end side of the blade and configured to selectively engage a one end side of the first coil spring at different positions with respect to the longitudinal direction of the blade so that a contact pressure of the blade against the image bearing member caused by the first coil spring is changed.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a cleaning blade capable of improving chipping resistance. A cleaning blade includes a blade part made of polyurethane and having an edge that comes in slidable contact with a mating part. The edge includes: a base material containing polyurethane; an impregnated layer containing polyurethane in the base material and a cured acrylic product and present from the surface through to the inside of the base material; and a particle layer containing particles supported by the surface of the base material. The average particle diameter of the particles is between 3 nm and 100 nm, inclusive. The thickness of the impregnated layer is 30 nm or greater and less than 1000 nm. The edge has an area ratio of the particle layer to the impregnated layer that is between 5% and 30%, inclusive in a cross section perpendicular to the surface of the base material.

Abstract: A cleaning blade that removes a foreign matter adhering to a rotational body includes: an abutment member; a supporting member that supports the abutment member; and a holding member that holds the supporting member, wherein the abutment member includes: an abutment layer abutting on the rotational body; and an adjustment layer that is a part other than the abutment layer, and an elongation percentage of the adjustment layer is larger than an elongation percentage of the abutment layer in a case where frictional force is applied from the rotational body to the abutment member during rotation of the rotational body.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes an edge portion made of an elastic material having a rebound resilience value R35 at 35° C. and a 100% modulus value M35 at 35° C. that satisfy the relation R35??4.8 M35+42.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member, an exposing device, a developing device, a transfer member, and a rubbing member. The image bearing member includes a plurality of recess portions on a surface thereof. The rubbing member is configured to come into contact with the image bearing member to form a rubbing nip portion between the rubbing member and the image bearing member. The recess portions each have an opening portion whose maximum length in the rotational direction is 20 ?m to 120 ?m. When a linear speed of the image bearing member in the rubbing nip portion is S1 and a linear speed of the rubbing member in the same direction as the linear speed of the image bearing member in the rubbing nip portion is S2, a relationship of a linear speed ratio of S2/S1<1.0 is satisfied.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a conductive base and a single-layer photosensitive layer disposed on the conductive base, the single-layer photosensitive layer including a binder resin, a charge-generating material, a hole-transporting material, and an electron-transporting material; and a developing unit including a developing roller that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member with a developer including a toner in order to form a toner image, the developing roller being arranged to come into contact with the photosensitive layer. The ratio R/P of the content R [mass %] of the binder resin in the photosensitive layer to the pressing force P [N/mm] at which the developing roller is pressed against the photosensitive layer is about 11.5 or more and about 19.6 or less.

Abstract: A cleaning blade 1 includes an elastic body 11 that is a molded body of a rubber base material, and which has at least a surface treatment layer 12 in a portion of the elastic body 11, the portion coming into contact with an object to be contacted. The surface treatment layer 12 is formed by impregnating a surface portion of the elastic body 11 with a surface treatment liquid, which contains an isocyanate compound and an organic solvent, and curing the surface treatment liquid; the surface treatment layer 12 has an elastic modulus of 95 MPa or less; the elastic body 11 has an elastic modulus of from 20 MPa to 60 MPa (inclusive); and the difference between the elastic modulus of the surface treatment layer 12 and the elastic modulus of the elastic body 11 is 1 MPa or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to carry a toner image; a cleaning member contacted to the image bearing member to clean a surface of the image bearing member by movement of the surface of the image bearing member: a supporting member configured to support the cleaning member; a case provided with a space configured to hold the supporting member therein; a viscoelasticity member; and a vibration controlling member configured to suppress vibration of the cleaning member, wherein the vibration controlling member is mounted on an outer surface of the case by the viscoelasticity member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning member, a container, a feeding screw including a blade for feeding toner inside the container toward an outside of the container, and a loosening member, stretching along a rotation axis direction of the feeding screw, for loosening toner on a container wall surface provided around the feeding screw by being swung about a rotational axis along the rotation axis direction in a direction crossing the rotation axis direction, and the loosening member includes a contact portion for rotating the loosening member in a first direction with rotation of the feeding screw in contact with the blade when the feeding screw is in a predetermined phase range and includes an urging portion for imparting, to the loosening member, a force for rotating the loosening member in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Abstract: A cleaning blade has a contact portion contacting a surface of an image bearing body. The contact portion removes a developer remaining on the surface of the image bearing body when the image bearing body rotates. Using coefficients ? and ? and a temperature T, a loss elastic modulus E? of the cleaning blade is represented by: E?=?×e?T; 1.36×103???2.24×109; ?0.12????0.005; and 0° C.?T?100° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus (1) includes a photosensitive drum (50), a cleaning blade (81), and a drive mechanism (90). The cleaning blade (81) is in pressed contact with a circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum (50). The drive mechanism (90) causes one of the photosensitive drum (50) and the cleaning blade (81) to reciprocate in a rotational axis direction (D) of the photosensitive drum (50). The drive mechanism (90) for example causes the photosensitive drum (50) to reciprocate in the rotational axis direction (D). The photosensitive drum (50) includes a photosensitive layer (85). An outermost layer of the photosensitive layer (85) contains a plurality of particles.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a support and an elastic member with a flat shape. The elastic member has a secured end secured to the support and a free end. A ridgeline of the free end contacts a cleaning target to remove substances adhering to a surface of the cleaning target. The elastic member includes a base and a surface layer made of a cured product of a curable composition. The surface layer is disposed on at least a part of an opposite face disposed to oppose a downstream side of the cleaning target downstream from a contact portion of the elastic member with the cleaning target in a direction of movement of the cleaning target. A thickness of the surface layer progressively decreases toward the secured end along a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the surface layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charging device, an electrostatic latent image forming device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a cleaning device, and further includes an intercepting device that includes an intercepting member separated from the electrophotographic photoreceptor by a gap so that a distance from the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor to the intercepting member is about 0.3 to 0.9 (inclusive) times a volume-average particle size of toner particles. The intercepting member is used to intercept residual toner particles at a position downstream of the transfer device and upstream of the cleaning device in a rotation direction of the electrophotographic photoreceptor, the residual toner particles remaining on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor.

Abstract: A cleaning blade including an elastic member configured to be in contact with a surface of a cleaning-target member to remove deposited matter deposited on the surface of the cleaning-target in member, wherein the elastic member includes a base and a surface layer formed of a cured product of a curable composition, the surface layer is formed on at least part of a bottom surface of the base including a contact part to be in contact with the cleaning-target member, where the bottom surface of the base is a surface of the base facing a downstream side along a traveling direction of the cleaning-target member relative to the contact part, and an average film thickness of the surface layer at the contact part is 10 ?m or greater but 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer member bearing a toner image and image forming units arranged side by side, with each image forming unit having a developing device forming the toner image, a magnetic permeability sensor detecting a toner density of a developer in the developing device, and a cleaning unit having a cleaning member which removes toner remaining on an image bearing member and a conductive support member which supports the cleaning member. The apparatus further includes a conductive member facing the magnetic permeability sensor of the most upstream image forming unit and arranged upstream of that image forming unit. The developing device of one of adjacent image forming units is opposed to the cleaning unit of another unit which is arranged downstream and is next to the developing device of the one of the adjacent image forming units.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which transfers a toner image formed on an image carrier onto a transfer object and forms an image, the apparatus including: a cleaner which has a rigid blade made of metal that contacts the image carrier after transferring of the toner image onto the transfer object and cleans a residue attached to a surface of the image carrier, wherein the image carrier has a base layer and an elastic layer, and a surface hardness of the elastic layer measured by a nanoindentation method is 70 MPa or more and 150 MPa or less, and a thickness of the rigid blade is 100 ?m or more and 300 ?m or less.

Abstract: There is provided a cleaning blade including an elastic member and a supporting member, in which a free end of the elastic member has an edge and a hardened surface constituting the edge. The cleaning blade satisfies a relationship of 0.10?DHs?0.40 and DHs?DHm where DHs (mN/?m2) represents a dynamic hardness of the hardened surface and DHm (mN/?m2) represents a maximum value of a dynamic hardness obtained in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on a straight line that bisect an angle of the edge satisfies 0 ?m<L?200 ?m and in AFM-IR spectrum of the hardened surface, peak intensity ? C?O free (1724 to 1736 cm?1) derived from a urethane group and peak intensity ? C?O bond (1708 to 1720 cm?1) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond has a specific relationship.

Abstract: A cleaning device detachable from an image forming apparatus, the cleaning device including a frame that includes a waste toner containing unit that contains toner removed with a cleaning member, a vent hole that communicates an inside and an outside of the waste toner containing unit and that is covered with a filter, and a partitioning portion that protrudes inside the waste toner containing unit. In a state in which the cleaning device in mounted in the image forming apparatus, there is a contact position where the image bearing member and the cleaning member come in contact with each other, and the partitioning portion is positioned between the vent hole and the contact position in a vertical direction.

Abstract: An elastic blade includes a contact edge to contact a contact object, an edge region including the contact edge and having a thickness smaller than or equal to 0.50 mm, and a backup region different in material or property from the edge region. The backup region is adjacent to the edge region on a cross section perpendicular to a direction in which the contact edge extends. The elastic blade has a converted Martens hardness X (N/mm2) in a range of from 0.9 to 2.9. The converted Martens hardness is defined as: X = S A S A + S B × h A + S B S A + S B × h B where SA represents a cross-sectional area (mm2) of the edge region, SB represents a cross-sectional area (mm2) of the backup region, hA represents a Martens hardness (N/mm2) of the edge region, hB represents a Martens hardness (N/mm2) of the backup region, and t represents the thickness (mm) of the edge region including the contact edge.