Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing device including a sleeve and a magnet roller fixedly accommodated in the sleeve. The magnet roller includes a main magnetic pole and an auxiliary magnetic pole adjoining it at a downstream side in the direction of rotation of the sleeve. A magnetic collection pole is positioned on the edge of an opening formed in a casing and facing a photoconductive drum. The collection pole forms a magnetic field that prevents a developer falling away from the sleeve from escaping the developing device via the opening.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming device for forming an image on a first image bearing member, a transfer member, capable of contacting the first image bearing member, for transferring the image on the first image bearing member to a second image bearing member, a power supply for applying a bias to the transfer member, detection device for detecting a voltage value and a current value at the time of applying the bias to the transfer member, speed change member capable of changing a moving speed of the first image bearing member, environment detection element for detecting a temperature or a humidity, and control device for determining a transfer voltage value at the time of image transfer on the basis of an output of the detection device at the time of applying the bias to the transfer member other than the time of image transfer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for an image-forming device having at least one patterned roller for affecting the amount of toner present on a print medium when the print medium is advanced through a paper path of the image-forming device and contacts the at least one patterned roller. The roller includes a purposeful pattern that is formed in an outer surface of the roller. The purposeful pattern is configured to form an identifying mark on a print medium as a result of the amount of toner present on the print medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming unit and a film-heat-type fuser over which a sheet with an unfixed toner image passes and on which are positioned a first temperature-measuring device centered on the fuser so that a sheet always passes over that device and a second temperature measuring device disposed away from the center so that large sheets will pass over the second temperature measuring device and small sheets will not pass over the device when being conveyed correctly. The device also has a temperature control mechanism, a sheet size detector and throughput control, so that the throughput control changes throughput when the sheet size detector determines that a small sheet is being conveyed and the difference between the temperatures of the first and second temperature measuring devices is less than a predetermined value as the sheet passes over the fuser.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a rotatable charging member, forming a nip with the image bearing member, for electrically charging the image bearing member; developing structure for developing an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member to form a toner image, the developing structure supplying electroconductive particles to the image bearing member, wherein the electroconductive particles are fed to the nip by the image bearing member; and transferring structure for transferring the toner image onto a recording material at a transfer position.

Abstract: An image forming system of the present invention includes an image forming method and section for forming an image on a sheet fed thereto. A stapler included in a finisher staples a stack of sheets each carrying image formed by the image forming section thereon. A controller causes the image forming section to form an image in accordance with input image data and causes the stapler to staple the stack of sheets at a preselected point or points. When sheets of different sizes are mixed together, the controller inhibits the stapler from stapling the stack except when the short edges of a large size sheet and the long edges of a small size sheet are identical in length in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sheet feed and when all the images printed on the sheets have the same orientation when the stapled stack is spread.

Abstract: A method and device for discharging paper, the paper discharging device having a rotary shaft rotating by a driving source, a hollow shaft into which the rotary shaft is slidably inserted, the hollow shaft rotating with the rotary shaft and reciprocating on the rotary shaft, a driving shaft disposed at a predetermined distance from and parallel to the rotary shaft to rotate with the rotary shaft, a driven gear rotatably disposed at the driving shaft and engaging a driving gear on an end of the rotary shaft, an electrical clutch selectively transmitting rotation power of the driven gear to the driving shaft, and a reciprocating portion reciprocating the hollow shaft according to rotation of the driving shaft. The paper is discharged in an oblique, rightward, or leftward direction with respect to a discharging direction due to the reciprocal movement of the hollow shaft, thereby stacking the paper on a stacker in a zigzag fashion.

Abstract: A terminal of a service provider is characterized in that it includes: a storage unit for registering unique information on a machine of a contract signer; a communications unit for detecting information on a remaining amount of a consumable article in the machine via telephone lines as a network; and a processing unit for making an instruction to dispatch a new machine to the contract signer if the remaining amount of the consumable article has reached a specified value. A comprehensive and essential service is provided covering from sales to continuous use of the machine, by which consumable articles are managed, replaced, and collected without requiring any work done by machine users or any financial burden borne by manufacturers selling the machine.

Abstract: A transfer bias applying power supply 81 applies a transfer bias current of a fixed amount to a transfer roller 31 by executing a constant current control operation. A voltmeter 78 measures the amount of voltage generated by the transfer roller 31. The generated voltage amount indicates the resistance of the transfer roller 31. A sheet type detecting program is executed to detect the size and thickness of a sheet 3. An amount of transfer bias current is selected dependently on: the detected size and thickness of the sheet 3; and the measured generated voltage amount. The transfer bias applying power supply 81 is controlled to apply the transfer roller 31 with the transfer bias current of the selected amount.

Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided which includes a print mechanism configured to print in a plurality of color modes, and a controller configured to select an active color mode switching option from among a plurality of color mode switching options, and instruct the print mechanism to switch between the color modes according to the active color mode switching option. Each of the color mode switching options defines a manner in which the printing apparatus and method will switch between the plurality of color modes when printing a document.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus including a photoreceptor, a charger having a charger member for charging the photoreceptor, a latent image write unit for writing an electrostatic latent image onto the photoreceptor charged by the charger, and a developing device having a developer support with a magnetic field production member, for rendering visible the electrostatic latent image written by the latent image write unit with a developer. Further, the charging member of the charger is disposed under effect of a magnetic field produced by the magnetic field production member of the developing device, and the charging member is made of a nonmagnetic material.

Abstract: A user-replaceable fuser cartridge (32) for an electrophotographic printing system. The fuser cartridge (32) includes a first mechanism (40) for partially encasing a fuser (34). When installed, the first mechanism (40) moves in a predetermined direction relative to the fuser (34) but is substantially fixed relative to the surrounding electrophotographic printing system (10). A second mechanism (42) facilitates gripping the first mechanism (40). When the fuser cartridge (32) is removed from the electrophotographic system (10) via the second mechanism (42), a third mechanism (38) selectively encases a portion of the fuser (34) not encased by the first mechanism (40).

Abstract: The toner cartridge of the present invention has a container for storing toner which is mounted and rotated on a cartridge holder, a toner feed port formed on the mount on the cartridge holder of the container, a shutter for opening and closing the toner feed port by rotating round the toner feed port, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the shutter by a linear operation for mounting and demounting the container from the cartridge holder, and furthermore, such a toner cartridge mounted feeds toner to the developing apparatus.

Abstract: This invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit which includes a heat section having a resilient body and a release layer that covers the resilient body, and a press section having a resilient body and a release layer that covers the resilient body and pressed by the heat section, and which heats and fixes a transfer medium at a nip portion as a press contact portion of the two sections. This fixing unit satisfies at least one of the following three conditions: (a) the tensile strength of the resilient body of the heat section upon a lapse of an arbitrary use time is higher than its initial tensile strength or is not lower than the initial tensile strength by 0.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a drive source for producing driving force; an image carrier driven by the driving force; and a driving force transmission apparatus for transmitting the driving force produced by the drive source to the image carrier, wherein the driving force transmission apparatus includes a first endless-shaped flat belt having a plurality of through holes along a travel direction thereof; and a rotation member having a plurality of projections to which said plural through holes of the first flat belt are fitted.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device for forming an image which is capable of forming a toner image for density detection, and a detector for irradiating light to the toner image for density detection and detecting light obtained from the toner image for density detection, in which: the image forming device is controlled based on an output from the detector; the toner image for density detection includes a first toner image and a second toner image having a light reflectance lower than that of the first toner image; and the detector detects the first toner image formed on the second toner image in the case where a density of the first toner image is detected.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for forming images on recording media of different sizes are provided. The image forming procedure may include reading setting information which includes the size of a substitute recording medium from a storage and, when the size of the recording medium specified by the print instruction is not available, executing a print instruction by automatically changing the size of a recording medium to be used to the size of the substitute recording medium based on the setting information. The image forming procedure may further include invalidating the setting information with respect to second and subsequent pages of the recording medium of identical size during one print job. Additional computer-readable storage media storing image forming procedures are also provided.

Abstract: An image formation and control method and apparatus enabling a user to print data to be printed reliably up to the limited reproduction number permitted to the user even if troubles at the time of printing occur when the number of reproductions of the data to be printed is limited, is presented. With reference to the printing management information added to the data to be printed, when the number of reproductions of the data to be printed is limited, the mode is changed from the performance priority mode for normally reproducing data to be printed into the safety priority mode capable of carrying out the required reproduction more reliably than in the performance priority mode, the number of printing of the data to be printed is managed as a printing history, and the printing of the data to be printed is controlled based on the number of reproductions of the data to be printed and the managed printing history.

Abstract: A backer bar assembly for supporting a photoreceptor belt, including a substantially rigid first backer bar having first and second ends and a second developer backer bar having first and second ends. The first and second ends of the first backer bar are substantially fixed, the first end of the lower developer backer bar is substantially fixed, and the second end of the lower developer backer bar is free to travel a short distance in response to an externally applied force.

Abstract: An exposure amount control device for controlling an integrated exposure amount of pulsed light to a photosensitive substrate within a predetermined range in which a pattern of a mask is successively exposed on the substrate by synchronously scanning the mask forming the pattern to be exposed and the photosensitive substrate relatively with respect to a predetermined illumination area illuminated with pulsed light from a pulsed light source, satisfies the following relationship:.DELTA.D.sub.12 .gtoreq.D/(2N.sub.min)wherein luminous intensity distribution of the predetermined illumination area in a scan direction is shaped to be a trapezoid, .DELTA.D.sub.12 is an average value of half of the widths of the slope portions on the lateral sides of the trapezoid-shaped luminous intensity distribution in the scan direction, D is the width, at half peak value points, of the luminous intensity distribution on the predetermined illumination area of the substrate in the scan direction and N.sub.