Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a high toner containing efficiency of a waste toner-collecting container is provided. Piled toner is broken by an vibrating imparting operation and at the same time, a toner feeding member such as a feeding screw disposed inside the toner-collecting container is rotated by changing a reciprocating operation by the vibrating impartment to a rotational operation in a direction. As a result, the piled toner which cannot be completely broken by the vibrating imparting operation is broken and fed, so that driving noise is reduced and the toner containing efficiency is improved.

Abstract: This is a method for placing test patches along the surface of a photoconductive belt. A novel feature of this invention is locating optimum times and locations for placing the test patches by rotating the belt backwards after the first normal forward rotation of the belt.

Abstract: A developing device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus of a premix developing system, with which developer splashed by the transport member is not discharged from the device, fluctuations of the amount of developer discharged to the outside are not produced, and the output image quality is stable. This developing device is provided with a pocket part, which is installed in a depressed manner facing the outside in relation to the transport route formed by the transport member, and into and out of which part of the developer transported in the transport route flows. This pocket part is provided with a discharge port for discharging developer to outside the device when the surface of the developer flowing into the pocket part exceeds a specified height.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to diagnose modular printing systems having two or more interchangeable modules. In addition, methods and systems are provided to generate instructions for configuring the interchangeable modules within the printing system to produce optimal results.

Abstract: A cleaning blade is provided which does not cause contamination of other parts even when being stored for a long period of time in a high temperature and high humidity environment. The cleaning blade is set in an image forming apparatus employing an electrostatic transfer process, including a blade member and a support member to rub and remove residual toner remaining on a photosensitive drum provided to the image forming apparatus, in which the total amount of nitrogen-containing compounds extracted with methanol from the cleaning blade is 12 ?g or less per cm of the cleaning blade in its longitudinal direction.

Abstract: The invention provides an annular body having an inner surface including a base material layer, the base material layer having a resin and a conductive agent, and the inner surface comprising a carbonized region. The invention further provides an annular body stretching device having: the annular body; and a stretching unit pushing outward the annular body with tension from an inner circumferential side of the annular body. The invention further provides an image forming apparatus having the annular body as an intermediate transfer body provided thereto. The invention further provides a method for forming the annular body, having forming a carbonized region by a process to give conductivity to the inner surface of the annular body.

Abstract: A process cartridge is configured to perform a contact and separation operation between a developing roller and a photosensitive drum. The process cartridge is provided with a toner scattering prevention sheet. The process cartridge includes a container a part of which is provided with a contact portion for regulating a spacing range between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: Provided are a developing device and an image forming apparatus which employ a hybrid development method, have a toner-collecting developer supporting member and keep toner collecting ability stable for a long period of time to form high-quality images without development hysteresis (ghost) over a long period of time. A toner separation member abutting the toner-collecting developer supporting member through a toner-collecting developer layer is provided, and the toner separation member is applied with a bias voltage to form an electric field in such a direction as to pull toner away from the toner-collecting developer supporting member to prevent the toner from accumulating on the surface of the toner-collecting developer supporting member.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, the number of components and a size of the apparatus is reduced by realizing both functions for detecting a toner patch image to perform image quality adjustment and for performing precise color adjustment depending on a sheet color with one color sensor. The color sensor is disposed in a vicinity of a transport belt, a reference toner image is formed on the transport belt at a predetermined timing. A color of the reference toner image formed on the belt is detected by the color sensor to adjust development conditions. Further, the sheet is transported in a state where the transport belt is separated from a photoreceptor drum, and the sheet color is detected by the color sensor, and thereafter the transport belt touches the photoreceptor drum to transport the sheet to a transfer portion.

Abstract: An exit blade is arranged on a downstream side of a transfer nip formed between a photosensitive element and a primary transfer roller, with an intermediate transfer belt being put therebetween, and brought into contact with an internal surface of the intermediate transfer belt. A neutralizing bias of the same polarity as that of the toner is applied to the exit blade, rather than a primary transfer bias voltage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material includes a cartridge, a main assembly including a positioner positioning the cartridge and an urger urging the cartridge to the positioner, a mover supporting the cartridge and movable between a pulled out position outside of the main assembly and an inside position inside the main assembly, and a gripper mounted to the mover and movable between a reference position and an outward position located outwardly with respect to the pull out direction of the mover. When the mover is at the inside position, the cartridge is positioned to the positioner by the urger to be placed in a positioning state when the gripper is at the reference position and the positioning state of the cartridge is released by moving the gripper from the reference position to the outward position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which includes a multiplexer (MUX) which is able to be connected to at least one developer supplier, at least one pull-up resistor which is connected in parallel to at least one connection line between the at least one developer supplier and the MUX, and a central processing unit (CPU) which detects a connection signal from the at least one pullup resistor and the at least one connection line, and determines whether an initial developer supplier is mounted according to the value of the connection signal.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide bias-able devices for use in electrostato-graphic printing apparatuses using conformable and electrically relaxable rubber materials. The rubber material can include a plurality of nanotubes distributed uniformly and/or spatially-controlled throughout a rubber matrix for providing the rubber material with a uniform mechanical conformability and a uniform electrical resistivity. The rubber material can be used as a functional layer disposed over a conductive substrate such as a conductive core depending on the specific design or engine architecture. Other functional layers can also be disposed over the conductive substrate and/or the rubber material of the bias-able devices including bias charging rolls (BCRs) and bias transfer rolls (BTRs).

Abstract: A developer recovering unit is provided with a recovery vessel that contains a developer to be recovered, a transporting device that includes a transporting member that transports the developer through a tubular transport path connecting a portion where the developer is generated to the recovery vessel, and a detecting device that detects an amount of the developer contained in the recovery vessel, wherein the transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded at least in a most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery vessel.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image supporting member; a developer supporting member for attaching developer to the image supporting member to form a developer image; a transfer unit for transferring the developer image to a recording medium; a driving unit for driving at least one of the image supporting member, the developer supporting member, and the transfer unit; an external temperature detection unit for detecting an environmental temperature outside the image forming apparatus; and a control unit for setting a driving speed of the driving unit according to the environmental temperature.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting blade life in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include retrieving a number of print starts, a number of print cycles, a wear rate for print starts, and a wear rate for print cycles from a memory, calculating wear of a cleaning blade based on the number of print starts, the number of print cycles, the wear rate for print starts, and the wear rate for print cycles, wherein the wear rate for print starts and the wear rate for print cycles are weighed differently, determining if the calculated wear of the cleaning blade exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein if it is determined that the calculated wear of the cleaning blade exceeds a predetermined threshold, sending a notification that the cleaning blade needs to be replaced.

Abstract: A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The main assembly includes first and second transmitters, a cartridge positioner, a movable member, and a lock. The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a drum coupler transmitting a first driving force to the drum of the mounted cartridge and a shaft coupler, transmitting a second driving force from the second transmitter with a deviation permitted between axes of the second transmitter and the roller. The shaft coupler includes an engager engaging the second transmitter and receiving the second driving force for the mounted cartridge. When the cartridge is moved by the movable member, the engager is positioned to the lock and the distance between the engager and roller axes is smaller when the cartridge is positioned to the positioner than when the engager is positioned by a cartridge holding portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming unit for effecting an image forming operation to form toner image on a recording material, wherein the toner image comprises chromatic toner image components with different colors and a transparent toner image component overlaid thereon; a fixing unit for effecting a fixing operation to heat and fix the toner image on the recording material; a switching unit for switching, in accordance with information relating to a maximum toner amount per unit area in a zone in which the transparent toner component is present, operations to a mode in which the formation of the toner image is effected through a plurality of such image forming operations, and the fixing of the toner image is effected through a plurality of such fixing operations.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a container accommodating toner, a light emitting unit emitting light to be transmitted through the container, a light receiving unit receiving the light transmitted through the container, an efficiency determining unit determining a light receiving efficiency based on a light intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit, an execution amount determining unit determining an execution amount of image forming operations that represents an accumulated amount of image forming operations executed since first use of the container, a correction coefficient determining unit determining a correction coefficient based on the execution amount of image forming operations, an efficiency modifying unit modifying the light receiving efficiency with the correction coefficient, and an estimating unit estimating an amount of the toner remaining in the container based on the modified light receiving efficiency.

Abstract: A method and system to sense an amount of material such as toner in a container held in a horizontal position within a machine, such as a printing machine. A level sensor senses an amount of material within a dispensing unit which causes the level sensor to issue a signal. The dispensing unit is external to the container. The container holding the material is rotated, and a rotation direction reversed to a direction normally used to dispense the material. The reverse rotation direction moves the material to a closed end of the container. The container is then moved in a forward direction following the rotation of the container in the reverse direction. The forward rotation moves the material to the open end of the container, and the material further moves into the dispensing unit. A signal is generated when a sufficient amount of material has been moved into the dispensing unit.