Abstract: An image forming operation forms an image on a transfer target in a state in which a developing member is located at a first position where a developer is supplied to an image bearing member and a first charging voltage is applied to a charging unit. The image forming operation is followed by: a first rotating operation of rotating the image bearing member in a state in which the developing member is located at the first position and a second charging voltage smaller in absolute value than the first charging voltage is applied; and a second rotating operation of rotating the image bearing member in a state in which the developing member is located at a second position where the developer is not supplied to the image bearing member and a third charging voltage smaller in absolute value than the second charging voltage is applied.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer belt, an outer roller, a power source, and a regulation member. The outer roller transfers a toner image onto a recording material. The power source applies a voltage to the outer roller. The regulation member regulates orientation of the recording material. Information is acquired regarding a timing at which orientation of a recording material first portion, passing through the transfer portion that is located between the outer roller and the regulation member, can change to move closer to the intermediate transfer belt. Based on the acquired information, a transfer voltage target value for transfer onto the recording material is changed between a first target value of a period anterior to the timing and a second target value of a period posterior to the timing that is larger in absolute value than the first target value.

Abstract: An abutting portion that abuts on an operation lever for moving a pressure roller is provided on an inner side of an exterior cover provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to a housing that accommodates a fixing unit. The pressure roller is movable to a first pressing position where the pressure roller presses a heating roller with a first pressing force and to a second pressing position where the pressure roller presses the heating roller with a second pressing force smaller than the first pressing force. In addition, the operation lever is moved to a first position for positioning the pressure roller at the first pressing position and to a second position for positioning the pressure roller at the second pressing position. When the exterior cover is closed while the operation lever is located at the second position, the abutting portion abuts on the operation lever.

Abstract: An action member is movable between a first position at which a unit bias member is sandwiched between the action member and a heating unit and a second position. A movement mechanism operates in conjunction with a movement of an operation portion to cause the action member to move from one of the first position and the second position to another one of the first position and the second position. A contact portion of the heating unit comes into contact with a fixing unit by a bias force received from the unit bias member when the action member is at the first position. The action member includes an engagement portion which engages with a part of the heating unit when the action member moves from the first position to the second position. The heating unit engages with the engagement portion to move from a reference position to an evacuation position.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to an image forming apparatus that includes a latent image bearer, an exposure device, a detector, and processing circuitry. The exposure device exposes the latent image bearer to form a latent image based on image data. The detector detects density unevenness, in a main scanning direction, of a toner image obtained by developing the latent image. The processing circuitry corrects only an exposure amount of the exposure device based on the density unevenness to form an image portion with a higher gradation than a prescribed gradation, the processing circuitry further configured to correct the exposure amount and the image data based on the density unevenness in the main scanning direction detected by the detector to form an image portion with a gradation equal to or lower than the prescribed gradation.

Abstract: An example image forming apparatus includes a main body, a driving motor, a developing cartridge, and a clutch. The developing cartridge includes a toner container, a mounting portion to receive a toner refill cartridge, a toner inlet portion to connect the mounting portion to the toner container, and a toner inlet shutter to be switched between a blocking location for blocking the toner inlet portion and an inlet location for opening the toner inlet portion. The clutch is to selectively transmit a driving force of the driving motor to the toner inlet shutter.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section that forms an image on a document; a first ejection section that ejects the document on which the image has been formed; an exterior portion which is movable and a part of which constitutes an exterior of the apparatus; an entrance portion that is exposed by movement of the exterior portion and that constitutes an entrance for the document to be transported to an image reading section that reads the image formed on the document; the image reading section that reads the image formed on the document transported after the entrance portion is exposed; and a second ejection section that ejects the document which has been read by the image reading section. An ejecting direction of the first ejection section, an ejecting direction of the second ejection section, and a moving direction of the exterior portion coincide with each other.

Abstract: A heating device includes a belt, an opposed rotator, a heater, a nip formation pad inside the belt, a holder holding the nip formation pad, a stay supporting the holder. The nip formation pad or the holder includes pad positioning portions and a holder positioning portion. The pad positioning portions includes a first and second pad positioning portions at both ends of the nip formation pad or the holder with respect to a center of the heater, and a third pad positioning portion near the center. The holder positioning portion is nearer to the center than the first or the second pad positioning portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a developer container, a data recording medium, a contact terminal, a detector, and control circuitry. The developer container is detachably attached in the apparatus body. The data recording medium is on the developer container. The contact terminal is disposed in the apparatus body and contacts the data recording medium. The detector detects a communication failure between the data recording medium and the apparatus body. The control circuitry executes a control mode to vibrate the data recording medium when the detector detects the communication failure.

Abstract: A toner conveyance device includes a vertical conveyance portion, a horizontal conveyance portion, a conveyance member, and a loosening member. The vertical conveyance portion conveys a toner or developer conveyed therein through an entry port connected to a main-body-side conveyance path by causing the toner or developer to fall vertically. The horizontal conveyance portion is connected to a lower end of the vertical conveyance portion and conveys the toner or developer in a horizontal direction by using the conveyance member. the loosening member is arranged at a first position below a connection portion between the main-body-side conveyance path and the entry port and at a second position protruding upward beyond the connection portion. A toner loosening mode is executable in which the toner or developer is fed into the vertical conveyance portion so as to cause the loosening member to reciprocate at the second position.

Abstract: A development device includes a development container, a first conveying member, a second conveying member, a toner concentration sensor, and a developer carrier. The toner concentration sensor is arranged at a wall portion of the first conveying chamber in which the first conveying member is arranged. The first and second conveying members are equal to each other in outer diameter and shaft diameter, the outer diameter being 2.3 times the shaft diameter or more but 3.0 times the shaft diameter or less. Where D represents the shaft diameter of the first conveying member, L represents an axial length of the first conveying member, and K represents a distance of a center position of a sensing surface of the toner concentration sensor from a downstream end of the first conveying chamber in the first direction, formula (1) is satisfied: 500<(L2×K)/D4<2500 (1).

Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.

Abstract: A development device includes a development container, a first conveying member, a second conveying member, a toner concentration sensor, and a developer carrier. The first and second conveying members are equal to each other in outer diameter and shaft diameter, the outer diameter being 1.3 times the shaft diameter or more but 1.6 times the shaft diameter or less. Where L represents an axial length of the first conveying member, K represents a distance of a center position of the sensing surface of the toner concentration sensor from a downstream end of a first conveying chamber of the development container in the first direction, P represents a pitch of the conveying blade of the first conveying member, and R represents a rotational speed of the first conveying member, formula (1) is satisfied: 30000<(P×R×L)/K<45000 (1).

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless fixing rotator, a temperature detector, a pressure rotator, a nip formation pad, and a plurality of heaters. The temperature detector detects a temperature of the fixing rotator. The pressure rotator is in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The nip formation pad is disposed inside a loop of the fixing rotator to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The plurality of heaters heat an inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator and includes a first heater and a second heater. The first heater uniformly generates heat in a longitudinal direction of the fixing rotator and independently receives power. The second heater generates different heat generation amounts at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the fixing rotator and receives power together with the first heater.

Abstract: A drum frame includes a first regulating portion located between a transfer nip and a downstream end of a conveyance surface in a conveyance direction. The first regulating portion faces the conveyance surface from above the conveyance surface. The first regulating portion includes a first horizontal portion and a pair of first inclined portions. The first horizontal portion extends in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The pair of first inclined portions extends from both ends of the first horizontal portion in the width direction. Each first inclined portion has one end adjacent to the first horizontal portion and an other end away from the one end in the width direction. Each first inclined portion is inclined to be closer to an endless belt from the one end toward the other end.

Abstract: A fixing device (50) includes a fixing belt (70), a pressure member (80), and a heating section (90). The heating section (90) faces an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt (70). The heating section (90) includes a heater (HT), a first heat sensitive body (SM11), and a second heat sensitive body (SM21). The second heat sensitive body (SM21) differs from the first heat sensitive body (SM11). The heater (HT) has a first heater portion (AE1). The first heater portion (AE1) is one end portion of a pair of end portions of the heater (HT) in a longitudinal direction thereof. The first heat sensitive body (SM11) and the second heat sensitive body (SM21) face the first heater portion (AE1) and are aligned in a conveyance direction (DC) of a sheet (S).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction; a developing cartridge; a transfer unit; a solvent cartridge accommodating solvent for dissolving toner; an applicator applying the solvent to the toner on a sheet; and a cover movable between an open position and a closed position. The developing cartridge and the solvent cartridge are detachably attachable to the main casing independently of each other. The developing cartridge and the solvent cartridge are positioned between the applicator and the cover in a second direction crossing the first direction, and the solvent cartridge is positioned closer to the applicator than the developing cartridge is to the applicator in a state where the developing cartridge and the solvent cartridge are attached to the main casing and the cover is at the closed position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a detection unit configured to detect an amount of developer stored in a developing container and to output remaining amount information; and a control unit configured to perform control, during a replenishment of the developer to the developing container using a replenishment container, to cause a display unit to display a message related to the replenishment. When the replenishment is instructed, the control unit is further configured to perform a first control during the replenishment in a case where the remaining amount information indicates a first remaining amount, and configured to perform a second control different from the first control during the replenishment in a case where the remaining amount information indicates a second remaining amount greater than the first remaining amount.

Abstract: A toner conveying device includes a conveying screw and a swinging member. The conveying screw includes a shaft portion and a screw portion spirally wound around the shaft portion. The swinging member has a substantially comb shape and swings between the shaft portion and the screw portion with rotation of the conveying screw, and includes a plurality of overhanging portions arranged side by side at intervals in an axial direction of the conveying screw and a plurality of tip portions, each one of which is bent at a predetermined angle from a free end side of a corresponding one of the plurality of overhanging portions in a direction away from the shaft portion. A width of each one of the plurality of tip portions gradually increases at least from a portion to contact the screw portion toward a free end side of each one of the plurality of tip portions.

Abstract: A toner conveying device includes a toner conveying section and a toner conveyor. The toner conveying section includes a bent portion and an outlet port. The bent portion bends in a predetermined direction. The outlet port discharges toner. The toner conveyor is bendable and driven by a driving device to rotate to convey toner. The toner conveyor is disposed in the toner conveying section such that a first end of the toner conveyor is coupled to the driving device and a second end of the toner conveyor is a free end. The toner conveyor includes a reverse-flow conveying portion, between the outlet port and the free end, to convey the toner from the second end to the first end.