Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying the root causes of image artifacts visible in the printed output of an electrophotographic printer, activating a special operating mode for the marking engine, and referencing the printing process intentionally to each rotating member of the electrophotographic process in turn. The referencing insures that image artifacts and/or non-uniformities originating from each rotating member are visible in the same location on each printed output. Since the rotating members employed are intentionally designed to be different in diameter, the referencing of the printing process to each one of the rotating members in conjunction with variable receiver sizes enables an operator to associate each image artifact or non-uniformity with a specific rotating member causing it. The appearance of image artifacts is enhanced through zero offset voltage printing and flat-field exposure of the rotating member images as appropriate.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus for heating an image formed on a recording material includes a heating member, an excitation coil for generating a magnetic flux to induce an eddy current in the heating member, and a magnetic flux shield member coupled to the heating member for making the magnetic flux small. The magnetic flux shield width of the magnetic flux shield member in the longitudinal direction of the heating member differs in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction, and the magnetic flux shield member is movable in the direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A cleaning blade for a latent image holding member, an apparatus for forming an image and a process for forming an image are provided at a low cost, in which even in an apparatus for forming an image using a spherical toner, good cleaning property of the latent image holding member is ensured irrespective to the temperature environment upon use without deteriorating an image quality. The cleaning blade for removing a remaining toner by making in contact with a latent image holding member under pressure, as well as an apparatus for forming an image and a process for forming an image using the same are provided. The cleaning blade contains an elastic material having a 300% modulus of about from 14,700 to 29,400 kPa and a tearing strength of about 68,600 N/m or more.

Abstract: A charging device comprises a conductor, which is in contact with a photoconductor, and a power source circuit, which applies a voltage to the conductor and electrically charges the photoconductor as to have a predetermined level of potential. The power source circuit includes a resistor having a predetermined level of resistance, and provides the conductor with a voltage through the resistor, thereby to stabilize the charged potential of the photoconductor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member which bears a toner image, a transferring member which forms the image bearing member and a nip and transfers the toner image onto a transferring material, a bias applying unit for applying a transferring bias to the transferring member, the bias applying unit changing from the transferring bias to a low bias lower than the transferring bias at the rear end portion of the transferring material, and a control unit for controlling a position at which the transferring bias is changed to the low bias.

Abstract: A combined printer/scanner is provided with a passive heat shield between the printer's fuser unit and the scanner's scanning cavity.

Abstract: A color image forming device capable of preventing image from being degraded due to image transfer operations. A plurality of photosensitive drums are positioned in alignment in a rotational direction of intermediate recording medium. A plurality of developing rollers are provided in confrontation with corresponding photosensitive drums. Layer thickness regulating blades are provided in contact with corresponding developing rollers so as to form a thin toner layer having a two-layer thickness on the developing rollers.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus, which has an image bearing body for bearing a toner image, transferring device for transferring a toner image on the image bearing body to a transferring material, a charging member for charging the image bearing body, having a residual toner after the transfer on a surface thereof by being brought into contact therewith, electrostatic image forming device for forming an electrostatic image on the image bearing body charged by the charging member, developing device for collecting the residual toner on the image bearing body while developing the electrostatic image on the image bearing body by using a toner charged in the same polarity as a charging polarity generated by the charging member, control device for controlling a voltage to be applied to the charging member, and a cleaning sequence for performing a cleaning of the charging member by applying a voltage not higher than a discharge threshold and equal to the polarity of the toner after a discha

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus which applies a curl to a transfer material to prevent the transfer material from winding around an image bearer. The apparatus comprises control means that reduces the transfer current to the rear end portion of the transfer material in order to curl the transfer material.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrographic printing or photocopying device and method. A toner mark (10) is provided on a photoconductive drum and printed with toner using a developing station. The toner mark (10) is scanned by a sensor at two points of measurement (a1,a2). The amount of toner in a developing mixture consisting of two components depends upon the difference (&Dgr;U) or the quotient of the amount of the signals of the sensor at both points of measurement. A device which is also disclosed enables the exact length of the toner mark (10) to be determined.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charge member, contactable to the image bearing member, for electrically charging the image bearing member, the charge member being capable of being supplied with a voltage; developing means for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with a developer; wherein the charge member is rotatable so as to provide a first peripheral speed difference between a surface of charge member and a surface of the image bearing member when the image bearing member is charged for image formation; wherein there is provided a cleaning period for transferring the developer from the charge member to the image bearing member with a second peripheral speed difference, which is smaller than the first peripheral speed difference, between the surface charge member of and surface of the image bearing member, when a charging operation for the image formation is not effected to the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image scanning machine includes a document feeder for feeding sheets into a first paper path from a stack one sheet at a time if a one-side scanning mode is selected. If a both-side scanning mode is selected, a sheet is introduced into a second paper path which is an inverting path that turns a sheet, which is fed from the document feeder, upside down prior to scanning. Rollers located at a downstream end of the inverting path reverse a transportation direction of the sheet and feed the sheet to a scanner through a return path. The transportation direction of the sheet is reversed after the scanner scans one side of the sheet, and the sheet is then fed to the scanner again to scan the other side of the sheet. This transportation direction reversal results in turning the sheet upside down. A guide member is located a bifurcation of the return path and the inverting path for opening one of the return and inverting paths and closing the other of the return and inverting paths.

Abstract: Apparatus for precisely positioning the various work stations (e.g., image-forming, cleaning and image-transfer stations) of an electrophotographic printer/copier relative to the outer surface of a rotating drum, e.g., an image-forming drum or an image-transfer drum. Such apparatus comprises a pair of drum-support members, each having associated reference surface features adapted to mate with complimentary reference surface features on the individual work stations. Preferably, the placement of the reference surface features of the drum-support members are factory set to account for any idiosyncrasies (e.g., run-out) of a drum supported by such members.

Abstract: A reader controller is connected to a printer controller which controls a engine controller provided in a printer. The printer includes a controlling unit for controlling a document reader which reads documents, a receiving unit for receiving a command for the engine controller from the printer controller, and a counting unit for counting a number of documents processed by the reader controller in accordance with a control of the controlling unit, and counting a number of sheets processed by the printer controller in accordance with the command received by the receiving unit. The printer further includes a causing unit for causing a display of the reader to display the number counted by the counting unit.

Abstract: The length of a conveying sheet is set to be greater than the rotational radius of an agitating element so that the distal end of the conveying sheet will slide over the inner wall of the toner container. A slider element having a low frictional resistance is attached at the distal end of the conveying sheet. The slider element preferably has a low coefficient of dynamic friction and is preferably made of a soft resilient material having a thickness smaller than the conveying sheet. Cutouts or openings may be preferably formed at the distal part. A multiple number of ribs are attached to the wall surface of the toner container at the highest position at which the wall and the top plate meet. The ribs are arranged apart from each other in the direction parallel to the agitating shaft of the agitating element. Each rib is a plate-like element projected inward from the wall surface in the toner container with its width put in the direction of the spacing.

Abstract: A method and system senses the attitude of an accelerating object. Attitude sensing is accomplished by measuring acceleration in three orthogonal axes and measuring angular rate about each such axis to compute attitude accurately relative to a vertical axis. The system includes accelerometers and angular rate sensors for sensing the acceleration and the angular rate, respectively, of the object. A processor updates a quarternion representation of attitude based upon the angular rate of the object and a corrective rate signal to obtain the attitude of the object. Temperature compensation and frequency compensation may also be performed to update the quarternion.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developing frame having an opening portion a developer carrying member provided in the opening portion and is adapted to carry developer a developer charging member contacted with the developer carrying member and is adapted to charge the developer carried by the developer carrying member. A voltage is applied to the developer charging member. A holding member, provided at a longitudinal end portion of the developing frame, is adapted to hold the developer carrying member and the developer charging member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus operable in a duplex image transfer mode of the present invention stores image data to be transferred and transfers the image data to a recording medium at an image forming section. In the duplex image transfer mode, a reversing section reverses a paper sheet or similar recording medium passed the image forming section and again delivers it to the image forming section. When image data does not have to be transferred to the rear side of the last paper sheet, the last paper sheet carrying an image on its front side is driven out of the apparatus from the halfway point of a reversal path via an outlet path without the intermediary of the image forming section. The apparatus successfully reduces the conveying time.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a plurality of print engine aligned in a advance direction in which a transporting member transports a recording medium. A first one of the plurality of image-forming sections records a first detection pattern on the transporting member and a second one of the plurality of image-forming sections records a second detection pattern on the first detection pattern. A color shift detecting section detects the amount of color shift between the first and second ones of the print engines by measuring an intensity of light reflected by the first and second detection patterns. Based on the amount of color shift, a correcting section corrects a position of the image recorded on the recording medium. The detection pattern may be of different configurations, depending on the direction in which color shift occurs, i.e., traverse, advance, and oblique directions.

Abstract: Machine discrimination data stored in an information storage area of a memory in a body of an image formation apparatus is read, and data stored in a machine information storage area of a memory in a cartridge mounted in the image formation apparatus is read. If the data in the cartridge is not “0”, it is judged whether or not the data in the body is identical with the data in the cartridge. If not identical, an error flag is set into “1”, and it is considered that a mounting error occurs, and controlling to prohibit image formation is performed. On the other hand, if the data in the cartridge is “0”, the mounted cartridge is considered as an unused cartridge, and the machine discrimination data of the body is stored in the mounted cartridge.