Abstract: A fixing device includes an abutting member arranged at a position between an upstream side of a fixing roller and a downstream side of a heating roller in a moving direction of a fixing belt so as to abut against the fixing belt and expand a fixing region. The fixing device may also include a first supporting member and a second supporting member, which supports the fixing belt, etc., with respect to the first supporting member. An angle, formed between an approaching direction of a sheet-like recording medium and a line tangential to an upstream end of the fixing region in the moving direction of the fixing belt, is set equal to 20° or larger.

Abstract: A charging member for charging a member to be charged includes: an electrically conductive member to which a voltage is applicable; and a coating layer that coats the electrically conductive member, in which when a d.c. voltage of |10| to |300| (V) is applied to the electrically conductive member, the following relationship is satisfied: Z/Ra is 0.7 or less, where Z is the standard deviation of a resistance of the charging member, and Ra is an average value of the resistance of the charging member.

Abstract: An image-forming machine has a development station with a dusting control system that generates a flow barrier adjacent to a development region.

Abstract: A method for determining a present air density for an imaging mechanism is presented. During a first time period: in a determining and storing action, a nominal air density is stored. In an increasing action, a fan input is increased until a known pressure in a cavity coupled to a fan receiving the fan input has been reached. In a determining and storing action, a nominal fan parameter is determined and stored after the known pressure is reached. During a second time period: in an increasing action, the fan input is increased until the known pressure in the cavity has been reached. In a determining action, a present fan parameter is determined after the known pressure is reached. In a calculating action, the present air density is calculated from the present fan parameter, the nominal fan parameter, and either the known pressure or the nominal air density.

Abstract: A multi-function actuator of a duplex printer selects one of movement passages of a printing medium according to whether to print one side or on both sides of the printing medium and includes a duplex guide, a jam removing mechanism, a sensor arm, and a sensor. The duplex guide is rotatable disposed above a pressure roller of a duplex printer frame and includes a hollow cylinder and a plurality of bar-shaped guide pins at one side thereof guiding the printing medium. The jam removing mechanism is rotatable disposed inside of the hollow cylinder to allow the pressure roller to be separated from the heat roller when a jammed material is removed. The with arm is disposed co-axially with the duplex guide and rotates by a weight thereof. The sensor is disposed at the duplex printer frame and operates by the sensor arm. Accordingly, the multi-function actuator selects the one of the movement passage and allows the jammed material to be removed by separating the pressure roller from the heat roller.

Abstract: A development bias calculation and an electrifying bias calculation are executed in this order. In the development bias calculation, a plurality of toner images are formed as first patch images while changing the development bias. An optimal development bias, which is necessary to obtain the target density, is determined based on densities of the first patch images. In the electrifying bias calculation, toner images are formed as second patch images while changing the electrifying bias with the development bias fixed to the optimal development bias. An optimal electrifying bias, which is necessary to obtain the target density, is determined based on densities of the second patch images.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which can forms a high-quality image with high resolution while stabilizing potential and size of an electrostatic latent image and in which the wearing of electrodes and a latent image carrier can be reduced, thereby improving the durability thereof. The image forming apparatus comprises a latent image carrier 2 and a substrate 3a on which a plurality of writing electrodes 3b are formed along the axial direction of said latent image carrier. The latent image carrier 2 and the substrate 3a are arranged in elastic contact with each other so as to form an electrostatic latent image on the latent image carrier 2.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the type including a plurality of image carriers arranged along an image transfer belt and an image transferring device configured to transfer toner images of different colors from the image carriers to a sheet being conveyed by an image transfer belt or by way of the image transfer belt by applying a bias to the belt, a bias applying method of the present invention can measure a current leaking between a plurality of high-tension power supply sections or to the ends thereof as AC resistances between respective terminals and therefore to accurately measure the leak currents of DC components. Therefore, when relatively high DC components are selected, a difference in current between a plurality of power supply sections can be maintained constant.

Abstract: A printer for printing color toner images on a receiver member of any of a variety of textures. The printer has a number of tandemly arranged electrophotographic image-forming modules respectively including a plurality of imaging subsystems to form a colored toner image transferred to a receiver member, the transfer of toner images from each of the modules forming a color print of the receiver member which is fused to form a desired color print. The image quality of the color print is produced by control of nonoperational co-optimization of fusing parameters and imaging subsystem parameters enabling printing on the variety of textures of receiver member.

Abstract: A machine for application and fixation of curable toner through a substrate and a method for printing and/or coating a substrate, especially paper or cardboard. The method includes the use of at least one curable toner in which at least one toner layer or at least one image having a toner layer is transferred to the substrate and fixed on it, the toner being a UV curable toner having at least one polymer that is exposed to UV (ultraviolet) radiation for crosslinking of its polymer chain. The degree of melting of the toner layer being fixed being controlled as a function of the desired luster.

Abstract: A paper-conserving method for printing a document, which includes determining the number of pages in a document to be printed and automatically selecting a paper conserving print layout for the document when at least two pages are detected. When the document has two or more pages, the layout includes duplexing. When the document has 3 or more pages, the layout will be N-up, where N has a value of at least 2.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a main body of the apparatus which has an opening section, a cover which covers/uncovers the opening section of the main body of the apparatus, a photosensitive member provided in the main body of the apparatus, a developer provided for forming a toner image sticking toner on the photosensitive member at a developing position in the main body of the apparatus, a transfer roller provided in the main body of the apparatus, and a control mechanism provided in the main body of the apparatus, for rotating the photosensitive member by a distance larger than a distance between the developing position and the transcribing position during the cover is moved from the first position to the second position and then moved from the second position to the first position.

Abstract: A dot-matrix image-forming device such as an electrophotographic printer alters the size of a dot according to the surrounding dot pattern, thereby compensating for the tendency of isolated dots or small groups of dots to be undersized due to characteristics of the image formation process. Alternatively, the device may add dots to or delete dots from a contiguous group of dots to achieve substantially the same effect. Preferably, the device both adds or deletes dots and alters the dot size. This compensation scheme enables the total area occupied by dots in a given image region to be proportional to the number of dots in the region, regardless of the dot density and arrangement in the region.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller and a toner charging roller. The toner charging roller has (a) a metallic layer which induces its electrons by receiving light irradiation, and (b) an ultraviolet irradiater which irradiates ultraviolet to the metallic layer. The toner charging roller gives the electrons to toner, so that the toner on the developing roller is charged. There is a space between the toner charging roller and the developing roller, and a grid electrode which controls a flow of the electrons is provided in the space. Thus, mechanical/thermal load given to the toner or the toner charging roller can be reduced, so that it is possible to prevent deterioration of toner and the device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a developing device and an image carrier facing the developing device. The developing device includes a main magnetic pole for causing a developer to magnetically deposit on an outer periphery of a developer carrier in a form of a magnet brush. The image carrier has a coefficient of friction of 0.5 or below, and a flux density in a normal direction has an attenuation ratio of 40% or above.

Abstract: A cleaning unit having a brush roll with a myriad of slidingly scrubbing bristles upright relative to a rotation shaft for slidingly scrubbing the surface of a rotation body with the brush roll for removing toner deposited on the rotation body. When the brush roll is out of contact with the rotation body, the tips of the slidingly scrubbing bristles are inclined in the circumferential direction and when the brush roll is placed in contact with the rotation body, the brush roll does not rotate by itself and is rotated with rotation of the rotation body. The linear speed of the brush roll at the contact position is made different from that of the rotation body.

Abstract: A printer includes, in its fixing device operable to fix toner particles onto a recording medium, a heating roller containing magnetic metal, a fixing roller disposed parallel to the heating roller, an endless belt containing magnetic metal bridged across the heating roller and the fixing roller. The printer also includes a press roller pressed to the fixing roller via the endless belt and the recording medium, and a coil core being operable to produce magnetic fields so as to cause both of the heating roller and the endless belt to generate heat with the magnetic metals contained therein.

Abstract: A cleaning method of a toner image carrying body, includes the steps of: bringing a discharging member formed in a shape of flexible plate having electric conductivity, which is electrically grounded or to which a discharging voltage is applied, into contact with the toner image carrying body, thereby discharging a toner on the toner image carrying body; and operating a cleaning device on the toner image carrying body whereby cleaning the toner.

Abstract: The density of an image read by a scanner unit 1 is recognized. A consumption of tonor required for development in each of development units 69y, 69m, 69c and 69k is detected according to the results of the recognition. The detected consumption is displayed on a liquid crystal display unit 44.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heat applying coil formed by winding a wire around the circumference of a coil supporting member disposed along the inside of the cylindrical fixing roller, for heating the fixing roller by inducing an induced current therein, and a pressing roller which forms a nip portion with the fixing roller, and conveys a transfer material gripped by the nip portion between the fixing roller and the pressing roller, thereby fixing a toner image formed on the transfer material by heat energy given from the fixing roller. The heat applying coil is formed by winding a wire so as to have a shape which has parts parallel to the longitudinal direction of the coil supporting member and parts lying along the circumference of the coil supporting member. The winding density of the latter parts is higher than that of the former parts.