Abstract: An image-forming device includes a belt based fuser for fixing an image to a media substrate. The fuser includes a heater having a base component with at least one heating element disposed thereon. The heater further includes a covering layer covering the at least one heating element providing a substantially even surface to abut a belt. Unevenness, which may be present on the substantially even surface, has a height, defined by a base and a peak, of less than about 10 ?m. A process for producing the heater is also disclosed. The process includes disposing one or more heating elements on a base component of the heater, covering the heating elements of the fuser heater with a covering layer and providing a substantially even outer surface to abut a fuser belt.

Abstract: A powder supplying device includes a powder container frame, a powder container detachably installable in the powder container frame horizontally and including a container body in which a discharge port through which powder is discharged from the container body is formed, a shutter member attached to the container body to open and close the discharge port by moving along the container body in a direction in which the powder container is installed, and at least one shutter control member movably attached to the powder container frame. The shutter control member opens and closes the shutter member by moving together with the powder container as the powder container is fitted into and pulled out from the powder container frame.

Abstract: A developing unit comprises a developing portion, a first developer storage portion and a partitioning wall. The developing portion includes a rotatable developer carrier, a rotatable supply member configured to supply the developer to the developer carrier, a regulating member contacting with the developer carrier to regulate the thickness of the developer on the developer carrier, and a developer feeding member arranged below the regulating member and configured to feed the developer. The partitioning wall is configured to partition between the developing portion and the first developer storage portion. The partitioning wall has a supply port for supplying the developer from the first developer storage portion to the developing portion. The regulating member is contacting with the developer carrier at a contact position located above an upper level of the developer in the developing portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing a copier job and a printer job includes a controller operatively connected to a fixing rotary body heater and a pressing rotary body heater to control the fixing rotary body heater and the pressing rotary body heater. The controller activates a standby mode after the copier job and the printer job are finished in which the controller turns off at least the fixing rotary body heater and a subsequent off mode in which the controller turns off the pressing rotary body heater and the fixing rotary body heater, and identifies which of the copier job and the printer job is to be performed to turn on and off the pressing rotary body heater in the standby mode according to the identified job.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a substantially cylindrical metal member, a heater, an endless, flexible fixing member, a rotary pressing member, a stationary member, a first temperature detector, and a second temperature detector. The first temperature detector is disposed upstream from a nip in a rotation direction of the fixing member to detect a surface temperature of the fixing member. The second temperature detector is disposed downstream from the nip in a rotation direction of the pressing member to detect a surface temperature of the pressing member. When a difference between a surface temperature of the fixing member detected by the first temperature detector and a surface temperature of the pressing member detected by the second temperature detector after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first temperature detector detects the surface temperature of the fixing member is greater than a predetermined threshold, the heater stops heating the metal member.

Abstract: Of a cooling device that is for use in an image forming apparatus and that includes: a heat receiving unit that receives heat from a cooling target and that is disposed to come into and away from contact with the cooling target; a heat radiating unit that radiates the heat received by the heat receiving unit; a heat conductive member disposed on at least one of a surface of the heat receiving unit on the side facing the cooling target and a surface of the cooling target on the side facing the heat receiving unit; and a protection member that is disposed on the heat conductive member to protect the heat conductive member, the protection member is substantially incompatible with binder resin of toner for use in the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A cleaning device cleaning a moving surface of a cleaning target includes a laminate-structured blade member including multiple layers made of materials different in permanent set value, a holding member to hold a proximal end of the laminate-structured blade member, and a plurality of slits. An edge layer of the multiple layers is formed of a material higher in permanent set value than any other one of the materials of the multiple layers and includes a distal-end edge portion corresponding to a leading end ridgeline portion contacting the cleaning target. The plurality of slits are formed over an area of a surface of the edge layer ranging from the proximal end of the blade member where the holding member holds the blade member toward the distal-end edge portion and extend in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the surface of the cleaning target.

Abstract: A rotary developing device that rotates about a rotational axis includes plural developing units, an energized member, a hollow cylindrical unit, a first energizing member, a rotatable unit, a second energizing member, a first conductive member, and a second conductive member. Each developing unit develops a latent image formed on an image holding member into a visible image, and is rotatable about the rotational axis so as to be sequentially movable to a developing position facing the image holding member. The hollow cylindrical unit is arranged along the rotational axis. The rotatable unit is supported rotatably with respect to the hollow cylindrical unit. One end of the first conductive member is connected to the first energizing member supported on an outer periphery of the hollow cylindrical unit. The second conductive member connects the second energizing member supported by the rotatable unit to the energized member supported in a developing unit.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes a belt member, a bending roller, a transfer section, and a bias application unit. The belt member is extended between rollers and has a movable surface on which a toner image is transferred from an image carrier. The bending roller externally contacts the surface of the belt member to bend the belt member and rotates in conjunction with the belt member. The transfer section includes one of the rollers and a surface moving member. The surface moving member rotates at least one full turn while cleaning is performed on the surface moving member and the bending roller. A surface moving speed of the bending roller is equal to or greater than a surface moving speed of the surface moving member. A circumferential length L1 of the surface moving member and a circumferential length L2 of the bending roller satisfy L1?L2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include a photosensitive member, a developing device including a developing roller, pressing members configured to engage with the developing device and springs configured to urge the pressing members. In some examples, each of the pressing members may be configured to contact and move the developing device between various positions based on the urging of the springs. Additionally or alternatively, various ends of a contact surface of the developing roller configured to contact developer may be disposed relative to an axis line of the developing roller and pressing surfaces of the pressing members.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heat roller heated to a preset temperature; a pressure roller for having conductivity and forming a nip by pressure-contacting with the heat roller; a power supply unit to apply a bias voltage to the pressure roller; and a controller to, when a printing paper enters the nip, control the power supply unit to apply the bias voltage to the pressure roller. When a time interval is longer than a preset time, the controller can control the power supply unit not to apply the bias voltage when the printing paper is not placed in the nip, and when the time interval is shorter than the preset time, the controller can control the power supply unit to apply the bias voltage when the printing paper is not placed in the nip.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of preventing erroneous reading of an information recording part on a toner container from occurring when the distance between a reading unit and the information recording part changes due to the rotational deflection of the toner container. The reading unit reads information from the information recording part formed on the outer periphery of the toner container. A holding roller comes into contact with the outer periphery of the toner container to position the toner container. The reading unit and the holding roller are arranged on respective lines substantially identical to each other in a direction of a normal to the rotation axis of the toner container.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second developer carrying members and a control device. The apparatus is operable in a first mode where an image of a single color is formed using the first developer carrying member and is operable in a second mode, wherein an image of a plurality of colors is formed using the first and second developer carrying members. The control device controls a first discharging operation for discharging developer from the first developer carrying member and a second discharging operation for discharging developer from each of the first and second developer carrying members. When the apparatus executes only the first mode, the control device performs more image formations, in a period between completion of the second discharging operation and start of the first discharging operation, compared to a period between completion of the first discharging operation and start of a subsequent first discharging operation.

Abstract: In an apparatus for the electrographic printing or copying of an object wherein a toner is applied to a medium according to the object to be printed or copied and the toner is fixed to the medium by the application of heat, a hot air blower is provided which directs hot air onto the medium and whose inlet is connected to a suction line having an intake end which is arranged remote from the hot air blower in close proximity of the medium being heated.

Abstract: A developer-conveying apparatus is provided, the developer-conveying apparatus including: a conveying member that has a rotational axis rotatably set in a container and a blade formed around the rotational axis, the conveying member conveying a developer along the rotational axis by rotation; and a static eliminating member set in the container and eliminating static electricity of the developer in the container by being brought into contact with the developer.

Abstract: A control method for a control apparatus includes obtaining an amount of a recording material applied on a first area of a sheet and an amount of a recording material applied on a second area of the sheet on the basis of image data recorded on the sheet stacked on a stacking unit; and performing control, in a case where a plurality of sheets are stacked on the stacking unit, so that a difference between a total amount of the recording material applied on the first area of the sheets and a total amount of the recording material applied on the second area of the sheets does not exceed a predetermined value on the basis of the obtained amount of the recording material. With this method, a limit of the number of stacked sheets is relieved while stability of the stacked sheets is maintained.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that creates an image and a liquid cooling unit. The liquid cooling unit includes a heat receiving disposed in contact with a temperature rising portion, in the image forming unit, in which a temperature rises due to an image forming operation by the image forming unit, a heat radiating unit that radiates heat of a cooling liquid, a flow passage forming member that allows the cooling liquid to circulate between the heat receiving unit and the heat radiating unit, and a conveying unit that conveys the cooling liquid through the flow passage forming member. The heat radiating unit includes a radiator, and the radiator is disposed at a downstream side of the conveying unit in a cooling liquid flow direction and at an upstream side of the heat receiving unit in the cooling liquid flow direction.

Abstract: A powder container includes a body and a pair of walls that block one end of the body and the other end. The powder container is mountable in an apparatus. The body has an opening in a location closer to the one end to supply the powder to the apparatus. The powder container includes a shutter, a guide portion and a boss. The shutter is situated in a closed location before the powder container is mounted in the apparatus and is moved to an opened location to open the opening when the powder container is mounted in the apparatus. The guide portion maintains the shutter on the body and guides the shutter. The boss is located between the shutter and an outer wall surface of the one of walls and next to the end of the shutter at the closed location in a movement direction of the shutter.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, a toner cartridge includes a container body, a first cover, and a second cover. The container body contains toner and that has an opening portion provided on an outer face of the container body and a guide piece provided on the outer face. The first cover opens and closes the opening portion. The second cover is supported by the guide piece and that is movable in an noncontact state with a bottom portion of the first cover to cover the first cover when the container body is pulled out from an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A cleaning member 100 is constituted, for example, by a roll-shaped member having a shaft 100A and an elastic layer 100B. The elastic layer 100B is spirally disposed on the surface of the shaft 100A. A space 100C enclosed by the spirally disposed elastic layer 100B (side surface thereof) and the shaft 100A (outer circumferential surface thereof) is provided and a filling member 100D for filling the space 100C is disposed in a portion of the space 100C.