Abstract: A unit includes: a conveying member that conveys developer; a frame that stores the developer and includes a first chamber storing the conveying member, a second chamber, a first opening connecting the first chamber and the second chamber, and through which the developer is passed, and a second opening connecting the interior of the second chamber and the exterior of the frame in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to a direction of a rotation axis line of the conveying member; and a filter that allows air to pass the second opening and restricts the developer from passing the second opening, and is fixed to the frame, wherein the frame is displaceable with respect to an apparatus main body in a state where the unit is attached to the apparatus main body, and the filter is displaced with respect to the apparatus main body by the displacement of the frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing device, and a control circuit. The control circuit acquires a selection signal indicating which mode is selected from among options. The options include at least two modes, including a first mode in which an image is formed using a non-decolorable first toner, a second mode in which the image is formed using a decolorable second toner, and a third mode in which the image is erased by heating a sheet on which the image is formed by the second toner using the fixing device at a decolorizing temperature. The control circuit sets a different standby temperature in accordance with the mode indicated by the selection signal, and controls a temperature of the fixing device to be the standby temperature, in a standby state before an operation start reception.

Abstract: A print agent application assembly is disclosed. The print agent application assembly may include a first roller to remove print agent from a surface of a print agent transfer roller. The print agent application assembly may include a second roller having an absorbent element to engage the first roller as the second roller rotates relative to the first roller, the absorbent element to absorb print agent from the first roller. The print agent application assembly may include a wiper assembly. The wiper assembly may include a wiper element to scrape print agent from the surface of the first roller as the first roller rotates, and an engagement element to engage with and compress a portion of the absorbent element of the second roller as the second roller rotates relative to the wiper assembly. A method and a roller cleaning assembly are also disclosed.

Abstract: An image forming unit including a photosensitive member including a gear portion on a one end side of the photosensitive member in a rotational axis direction, a roller that comes in contact with the photosensitive member, a bearing member that rotatably supports the roller, and an elastic member that urges the bearing member. In the image forming unit, directions of moments about a rotational axis of the roller acting on the bearing member disposed on the one end side of the photosensitive member in the rotational axis direction are the same in a case in which the roller is rotated and in a case in which the roller is stopped.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developer carrying member configured to carry developer, and a developer supply member configured to supply the developer to the developer carrying member, the developer supply member including a shaft, first and second driving members disposed at a first end and a second end of the shaft, respectively, and a toner supply unit disposed between the first end and the second end of the shaft, wherein the first driving member receives a driving force for rotating the developer supply member, and the second driving member outputs the driving force, and wherein the second driving member is mounted to the shaft without play in a rotational direction of the developer supply member with respect to the shaft.

Abstract: A developing roller is capable of preventing the generation of a difference in image density between a central portion and an end portion of an electrographic image. The developing roller has an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer on the mandrel, the electro-conductive layer has a crown shape in which an outer diameter of a central portion in a direction along the mandrel is larger than outer diameters of both end portions in the direction along the mandrel, an outer surface of the developing roller includes a first region having an electrically insulating property and a second region having a higher conductive property than the first region, and the first region and the second region are disposed adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A pressure roller, and the pressure roller to be used in a fixing apparatus of in an image forming apparatus, the fixing apparatus configured to heat a toner image formed on a recording material and fix the toner image on the recording material, the pressure roller including a first elastic layer, and a second elastic layer provided on an outside of the first elastic layer, wherein a thermal conductivity of the first elastic layer is higher than a thermal conductivity of the second elastic layer, and wherein the first elastic layer contains a plurality of void portions, hole pathway portions joining the plurality of void portions to each other, and a needle-shaped high thermal conductive filler.

Abstract: A static eliminating device includes a light guide body formed in a bar shape and attached to a drum frame, and a light source. The light source is arranged at one end side in a longitudinal direction of the light guide body. The light guide body includes a plurality of reflection parts and an attachment part. The plurality of reflection parts is arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction within a range at the other end side from a start position spaced a predetermined distance from one end in the longitudinal direction. The attachment part is arranged between one end in the longitudinal direction and the start position to act as a start point of thermal deformation in the longitudinal direction. The attachment part is composed of two protrusions to interpose an edge of a positioning hole provided in the drum frame at one end side in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating member heating a toner on a medium, a pressuring member, a pressure applying member, a pressure adjusting mechanism and a separating member. The pressuring member pressure-contacts with the heating member to form a pressuring area and pressurizes the medium passing through the pressuring area. The pressure applying member presses the pressuring member to generate fixing pressure in the pressuring area. The pressure adjusting mechanism switches the fixing pressure between first pressure and second pressure lower than the first pressure. The separating member contacts with the heating member to release the medium from the heating member. The separating member contacts with the heating member by interlocking with the pressure applying member when the pressure applying member applies the first pressure, and is separated from the heating member by interlocking with the pressure applying member when the pressure applying member applies the second pressure.

Abstract: An air blowing cooling mechanism includes a duct, a fan, a first shutter member, a second shutter member, a first drive transmitting portion for transmitting a driving force to the second shutter member, and a second drive transmitting portion for transmitting the driving force from the second shutter member to the first shutter member. The second shutter member is supported by the duct so as to be slidable relative to the duct. The first shutter member is supported by the second shutter member so as to be slidable relative to the second shutter member. The second shutter member includes a slidable portion slidable relative to the first shutter member when said first shutter member slides.

Abstract: A heating device includes a heater including a heat generator that generates heat as the heat generator is supplied with power. A feeding member contacts the heater and feeds the power to the heat generator. An endless belt rotates and is heated by the heater. A driving roller contacts an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt. A driving force transmitter is disposed at one lateral end of the driving roller in an axial direction of the driving roller. The driving force transmitter transmits a driving force that drives and rotates the driving roller. The feeding member is made of a corson copper alloy and is disposed in a non-driving side defined by a center of the heat generator in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The non-driving side is opposite a driving side in the longitudinal direction of the heater, where the driving force transmitter is disposed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit, a fixing device, and circuitry is provided. The image forming unit is configured to perform a special image forming operation that forms a color toner image and a special toner image with a color toner and a special toner, respectively, on a recording medium and a normal image forming operation that forms the color toner image without forming the special toner image on the recording medium. The fixing device is configured to fix the color toner image and the special toner image on the recording medium. The circuitry is configured to perform, in the special image forming operation, a toner amount suppression control that makes an amount of the color toner on the recording medium per unit area smaller than that in the normal image forming operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit to fix a toner image which has been transferred onto a sheet by a transfer portion, a loop detector to detect an amount of a loop formed on the sheet at a position between the transfer portion and the fixing unit, and a controller to control a sheet conveyance speed of the fixing unit based on a detection result of the loop detector and control a rotational speed of rotary members to convey the sheet based on an area ratio which is a ratio of an area in which the toner image is formed by the transfer portion within a predetermined region set on a printing surface of the sheet onto which the toner image is transferred. The predetermined region is located at a position distant from a leading edge of the sheet more than a distance between the transfer portion and the fixing unit in the sheet conveyance direction.

Abstract: A particle collecting device includes a vent pipe having a channel space through which air flows, a first air blower that delivers air including a particle at a first end of the vent pipe into the channel space, a collector that is disposed to block a channel in the channel space at an intermediate part of the vent pipe and that collects the particle included in the air delivered by the first air blower, and a second air blower that collects the air traveling through the collector at a second end of the vent pipe and that delivers the air outward from the channel space. The first and second air blowers operate such that a first pressure in a first channel space extending from the first air blower to the collector and a second pressure in a second channel space extending from the collector to the second air blower are maintained to have a relationship in which the second pressure<the first pressure?atmospheric pressure. The first and second channel spaces are included in the channel space of the vent pipe.

Abstract: An abnormality detection device is configured to detect abnormality in a subject to be driven by a motor via a drive transmission member. The abnormality detection device includes an output signal acquisition unit, a rotational frequency acquisition unit, and a determining unit. The output signal acquisition unit is configured to acquire a rotational frequency output signal output from the motor. The rotational frequency acquisition unit is configured to acquire a motor rotational frequency calculated from the rotational frequency output signal acquired by the output signal acquisition unit. The determining unit is configured to distinctively determine abnormality in the subject to be driven and abnormality in the motor based on the rotational frequency output signal acquired by the output signal acquisition unit and the motor rotational frequency acquired by the rotational frequency acquisition unit.

Abstract: In an optical scanning device, a light source includes a first light emitting point of an amount of light corresponding to a first mode and a second light emitting point of an amount of light corresponding to a second mode, and a control unit uses light beams emitted from a light emitting point of an amount of light corresponding to a mode set by a setting unit when the writing of image data is performed and uses light beams emitted from one prescribed light emitting point as light beams for synchronization detection, regardless of the mode set by the setting unit, when synchronization detection is performed before the writing of the image data is started.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing drum; a drum charging member, disposed at a charging position opposed to the drum, for applying the drum with a charging bias; a developing member for developing an electrostatic image formed on the drum with toner, with a developing bias; a transfer member for transferring a toner image from the drum onto a sheet, with a transfer bias; a transfer bias source for outputting the transfer bias; and a controller for effecting control to start raising of the transfer bias so as to correspond to a timing at which an area of the drum passing at a timing of starting of raising of the charging bias passes the transfer position and to complete the raising of the transfer bias so as to correspond to a timing at which an area of the drum passing at a timing of completion of raising of the charging bias passes the transfer position.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including a main body and a cartridge having an image carrier and a first coupling configured to rotate the image carrier. The main body includes a second coupling, a rotator and a receiving member. The second coupling is configured to rotate together with the first coupling about a rotation axis coaxially with the first coupling. The rotator includes gear teeth. The rotator is configured to rotate the second coupling in response to receiving the drive force from the drive source, and to rotate together with the second coupling about the rotation axis coaxially with the second coupling. The rotator, which is configured to rotate about the rotation axis coaxially with the first coupling configured to rotate the image carrier, overlaps with the receiving member when viewed from an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis.

Abstract: A developing device includes a housing, a developer carrier, a regulating blade forming a regulating portion for regulating the layer thickness of developer on the developer carrier, a magnetic member arranged inside the developer carrier and having a plurality of magnetic poles including S and N poles, and a blade magnet inducing a magnetic pole at the tip end of the regulating blade. The magnetic member is movable between a first position where a magnetic pole having the same polarity as that of the facing magnetic pole of the blade magnet facing the developer carrier is arranged at a regulating portion and a second position where a magnetic pole having a different polarity is arranged at the regulating portion. The developing device can perform a first developer eliminating mode where the magnetic member is moved to a second position and the developer carrier is rotated forward during non-image forming period.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body including a first guide portion and a second guide portion, a process cartridge including a photosensitive drum, a support frame configured to support the process cartridge and move between an inside position and an outside position. The support frame includes a first side frame. The first side frame includes a first guided portion to be guided by the first guide portion. The second side frame includes a second guided portion guided by the second guide portion. A dimension of the process cartridge is greater than or equal to a dimension of the first side frame. A dimension of the process cartridge is greater than or equal to a dimension of the second side frame.