Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a collecting container; connecting portions; shutters; first urging members for urging the shutters; a movable member which is accommodated toward the collecting container by contact with the main assembly when the collecting container is mounted in a mounting portion and which is projected outwardly from a side portion of the collecting container when the collecting container is dismounted from the mounting position; and a second urging member for urging the movable member. When the collecting container is mounted in the main assembly, the first urging members and the second urging member are provided so that a sum of rotation moment acting on the collecting container by the first urging members and rotation moment acting on the collecting container by the second urging member are directed opposite to each other.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a development cartridge are provided. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a body including an opening, a photoreceptor cartridge attached to, or detached from, the body through the opening, and including a mounting portion, and a development cartridge attached to, or detached from, the mounting portion through the opening while the photoreceptor cartridge is mounted in the body. The mounting portion includes first and second guide rails, and both side portions of the development cartridge respectively include first and second guide protrusions having different protrusion amounts from the both side portions to be respectively guided by the first and second guide rails.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an elastic rotator and a cooler disposed opposite the rotator to cool the rotator with cooling air. A mover contacts and moves the rotator to a first position where the rotator is disposed opposite the cooler with an increased first interval therebetween and a second position where the rotator is disposed opposite the cooler with a decreased second interval therebetween. A rectification plate is movably mounted on the cooler to contact the rotator constantly to guide the cooling air to the cooler.

Abstract: A fixing unit includes a current detection portion configured to detect a drive current of a pump unit and determines whether a valve unit is in an abnormal state corresponding to the output of the current detection portion.

Abstract: Techniques to determine concentration parameters of conductive liquid electrophoretic (LEP) inks are illustrated herein. In an example, a layer of conductive LEP ink is formed on a developer roller using electrostatic forces acting on the conductive LEP ink. A current is generated in response to a voltage between a measurement electrode and a developer roller. The current flows through the conductive LEP ink layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a sheet heating element includes preparing a sheet member containing a metal or alloy, and performing anodic oxidizing treatment on the sheet member until only a surface layer of the sheet member is oxidized while a center portion thereof is not oxidized.

Abstract: Provided is a fixing device including an endless belt that rotates around an axis, transmits light, and has an inner peripheral surface to which a lubricating liquid adheres, a lens that has a curved surface having a top portion closest to the inner peripheral surface at one end when viewed in the axial direction, and concentrates light incident on the curved surface on a developer image on a medium that comes in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the belt that comes in contact with the other end, and a light source that allows the light to be concentrated on the developer image to be incident on a portion on an upstream side of the belt of an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the belt facing the top portion in the rotation direction.

Abstract: A cleaning blade failure prediction processor for an image forming apparatus includes a pixel count acquisition circuit to acquire pixel count data of a cleaning target of a cleaning blade. The cleaning target is divided into a plurality of areas in a main scanning direction of the cleaning target. The pixel count acquisition circuit acquires a pixel count for each of the plurality of areas of the cleaning target. The cleaning blade failure prediction processor also includes a first cumulative pixel count calculation circuit to calculate a cumulative pixel count for each of the plurality of areas of the cleaning target, a second cumulative pixel count calculation circuit to calculate a cumulative pixel count per distance traveled of the cleaning target, and a deformation identification circuit to determine whether or not the cleaning blade shows signs of deformation according to the cumulative pixel count per distance traveled.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a heater disposed opposite the endless belt to heat the endless belt, and a pressing rotary body contacting an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt. A nip formation pad presses against the pressing rotary body via the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the pressing rotary body, through which a recording medium is conveyed. The nip formation pad includes a nip face disposed opposite the endless belt. The nip face includes a first region having an increased thermal conductivity and a second region having a decreased thermal conductivity and being adjacent to the first region in an axial direction of the endless belt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a job executing portion, a mode setting portion, and an operating portion. The operating portion accepts a function unit setting operation for setting a job executing mode in a function unit, the mode setting portion sets the job executing mode in the function unit based on the function unit setting operation accepted by the operating portion, and the job executing portion executes a job in the job executing mode set by the mode setting portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: image bearing members; a belt unit including an endless belt; a slackness forming unit for performing a first function of forming a belt slacking region, at least at a portion where the belt opposes the image bearing members, by causing the slackness forming unit to act on the belt unit and for performing a second function of eliminating the belt slacking region; and a guiding unit for guiding the belt unit so that the slackness forming unit performs the first function in a state in which the belt is spaced from the image bearing members and so that the slackness forming unit performs the second function in a state in which the belt slacking region contacts the image bearing members.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member (drum); a rotatable charging member for electrically charging the drum; a bias applying device for applying a charging bias to the charging member in the form of a DC voltage biased with an AC voltage; a current detector for detecting an AC current passing between the charging member and the drum; a temperature and humidity detector; a setting device for setting a condition of the charging bias on the basis of a plurality of detected AC currents passing between the charging member and the drum when a plurality of AC voltages depending on an output of the temperature and humidity detector are applied to the charging member; and a corrector for correcting the set condition of the charging bias on the basis of an output of the current detector when a predetermined AC voltage is applied to the charging member.

Abstract: A method of printing is provided comprising: assigning a first set of image performance parameters from a plurality of image performance parameters to an associated image job; communicating the initially assigned first set of image performance parameters of the associated image job to an image marking engine; determining a queue of other image jobs assigned to the image marking engine, wherein the other image jobs are queued before the associated image job; and, assigning a second set of image performance parameters to the associated image job. The second set of image performance parameters can alter the first set of image performance parameters. The altering of the first set of image performance parameters to the second set of image performance parameters reduces a print duration to complete printing of the associated image job. The altering can further include reordering the queue of print jobs.

Abstract: A conductive support for an electrophotographic photoreceptor contains aluminum, in which the conductive support has a Young's modulus of from 32,000 MPa to 55,000 MPa.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: photoconductor; charging unit; exposing unit; developing unit containing toner; transfer unit; and fixing unit, wherein the toner includes external additive and base particles containing binder resin, colorant, and release agent, the toner has melt viscosity at 100° C. of 500 Pa·s to 8,000 Pa·s and the release agent has melt viscosity at 100° C. of 20 mPa·s to 30 mPa·s, the fixing unit includes fixing member that has roller or belt shape and contacts toner image transferred onto recording medium, and the fixing member includes release layer on surface thereof that is to be brought into contact with the toner image transferred onto the recording medium, and wherein the release layer satisfies the following expressions: 45??c1?60, and 10??c1??c2, where ?c1 denotes receding contact angle [°] of the release agent to the release layer and ?c2 denotes receding contact angle [°] of the release agent to the toner.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material, while conveying the recording material bearing the toner image, at a nip portion includes a tubular film, a heater configured to heat the film, and a pressure member configured to form the nip portion with the film, wherein the film has a property that a resistance value per unit area between an outer surface of the film and an inner surface of the film becomes 5×1011 (?·cm2) or more when a voltage of 500 V or less is applied between the outer surface and the inner surface, and a resistance value per unit area between the outer surface and the inner surface becomes 5×109 (?·cm2) or less when a voltage of 1000 V or more is applied between the outer surface and the inner surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes a main body, a developing unit for forming an visible image, a transfer unit for transferring the visible image formed by the developing unit onto a recording medium, the transfer unit being disposed in the main body, a tray loaded with the developing unit and installed to be inserted or withdrawn into or from the main body, a power supply unit for supplying a power supply to the developing unit, the power supply unit being disposed in the main body, and a conductive member that is connected to the power supply unit, intersects an insertion or withdrawal direction of the tray, and directly contacts an electrical contact portion of the developing unit.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry developer, disposed facing an image bearer, a developer conveyance member disposed facing the developer bearer, to agitate and supply developer to the developer bearer, a decompression portion surrounded by upper walls of the developing device and including multiple vents arranged in a longitudinal direction of the developing device and a filter. A number of the multiple vents is greater in either end portion than in a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the developing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image carrier, a developing unit, a toner container, a pixel counter, and a used toner amount estimator. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrier's surface. The developing unit feeds toner on the image carrier's surface. The toner container with a transport screw supplies toner to the developing unit. The pixel counter counts the number of pixels in toner images formed on the image carrier's surface since the toner container started being used. The used toner amount estimator estimates the amount of toner used, until the cumulative value of the number of revolutions of the transport screw reaches a predetermined number, based on the cumulative value and, thereafter, by multiplying the pixel count of the pixel counter by a coefficient. The estimator corrects the coefficient based on the pixel count as observed when the cumulative value reaches the predetermined number.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a waste toner accommodating unit, a movement member, and a driving mechanism. The image forming unit forms an image by using a toner. The waste toner accommodating unit accommodates a waste toner after being used in the image forming unit. The movement member is supported so as to move in a direction parallel with a falling direction of the waste toner in a toner falling path, through which the waste toner falls, of a movement path of the waste toner that moves from the image forming unit to the waste toner accommodating unit. The driving mechanism reciprocates the movement member in the direction parallel with the falling direction of the waste toner.