Abstract: A developing device includes a cylindrical developing roller, a regulation member, a magnetic member, and a synthetic resin member. The regulation member includes a first opposing surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller. The magnetic member is arranged on a side surface of the regulation member. The synthetic resin member is arranged on a side surface of the magnetic member. The synthetic member includes a second opposing surface facing the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller. The second opposing surface is tilted at 40° or more but 60° or less with respect to the first opposing surface to be increasingly distant from the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller toward an upstream side in a rotating direction of the developing roller. A solubility parameter of a material of the synthetic resin member is 23 (J/cm3)1/2 or more. Magnetic toner contains toner and resin fine particles.

Abstract: A unit locating mechanism includes a first unit, a second unit and a locating member. The locating member includes a cylindrical portion, a hook portion and a portion to be restricted. The second unit includes a unit-side portion, a support shaft and a restriction portion. The restriction portion overlaps, in a state where the hook portion engages with a boss portion, the portion to be restricted from outside in a predetermined direction. The unit locating mechanism includes a torsion coil spring. A first arm portion engages with the locating member, and a second arm portion engages with the unit-side portion such that the torsion coil spring biases the locating member in a direction which causes the hook portion to engage with the boss portion.

Abstract: A grease composition for heat fixing devices contains a base oil and polytetrafluoroethylene. The base oil contains a perfluoropolyether having at least one of the structures represented by formulas (I) and (II) in the molecule and has a kinematic viscosity v40 of 800 mm2/s to 2500 mm2/s at 40° C., and whose kinematic viscosity v200 at 200° C. is 1/50 or less of the kinematic viscosity v40.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image at a developing portion, a transfer unit to transfer a developer image to a recording member at a transfer portion; and a brush provided with a plurality of fibers contacting the image bearing member at downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the developing portion in a rotational direction of the image bearing member. An average contacting pressure of the brush per one fiber to the image bearing member is smaller than a depositing force of the developer not transferred to the recording member to the image bearing member. As the brush in a state of not in contact with the image bearing member is viewed from a free end side of the fibers, an average number of the fibers included in a circumference of a diameter of 100 ?m is more than one.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes a housing, a storage medium having an electrical contact surface, a holder holding the electrical contact surface and movable with respect to the housing between a first position and a second position, and a roller including a first roller protrusion. The first roller protrusion is movable between a third position and a fourth position in accordance with rotation of the roller. The holder is movable in accordance with movement of the first roller protrusion. As the first roller protrusion moves from the third position to the fourth position, the holder moves from the first position to the second position.

Abstract: The control unit of an image forming apparatus applies, with a voltage application unit, a collection voltage to a cleaning roller when an image is formed, estimates a surface potential of an image carrying member based on a current flowing between the image carrying member and the cleaning roller which is detected by a current detection unit when the collection voltage is applied and changes the collection voltage and the rotation speed of the cleaning roller when the surface potential of the image carrying member is lowered.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, and an opening/closing cover configured to expose an opening portion of the apparatus body by being opened. The apparatus body includes a main body frame, a plurality of conveyance units being detachably attached to the main body frame through the opening portion, a control board configured to control the plurality of conveyance units, and a relay board configured to be electrically connected to the control board. The plurality of conveyance units respectively include a plurality of first connectors. The relay board includes a plurality of second connectors that are arranged to face the opening portion and that are configured to be connected to the plurality of first connectors, the relay board being arranged at a position not interfering with attachment/detachment loci in which the plurality of conveyance units are attached to and detached from the main body frame.

Abstract: A sheet characteristic detection device includes: a detector that is disposed on a sheet ejection path through which a sheet is ejected and that detects an electrical resistance value of the sheet; and a charge neutralizer that is disposed on a downstream side of the detector on the sheet ejection path and that neutralizes electric charge on the sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, first and second charging members, a development member, and first and second charging voltage applying units. The photosensitive drum includes a surface layer constituting a surface of the photosensitive drum. The second charging voltage applying unit applies a second charging voltage to the second charging member. The surface layer of the photosensitive drum has a volume resistivity of 1.0×109 ohm centimeters (?·cm) or more and 1.0×1014 ?·cm or less. The second charging voltage applying unit applies the second charging voltage such that a second potential difference formed between the second charging member and the surface of the photosensitive drum charged by the first charging member is equal to or higher than a discharge starting voltage.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a developing part and a vibration generating part. The vibration generating part vibrates a filter provided in the developing part. The developing part includes a development container, a developer carrier, and a toner trapping mechanism. The development container includes a first conveyance chamber and a second conveyance chamber placed in parallel juxtaposition. The toner trapping mechanism has a duct, an air inlet port, an air exhaust port, and a filter. The air inlet port is opened along the longitudinal direction of the second conveyance chamber so as to allow air present in the second conveyance chamber to flow into the duct. The vibration generating part is placed outside the developing part so as to be opposed to the development container and positioned on a downstream side in a developer conveyance direction of the second conveyance chamber.

Abstract: A reading apparatus includes: a light source; a film-shaped optical filter that blocks light having a predetermined wavelength among light from the light source; and a cylindrical light guide body that guides light passing through the optical filter and incident on one end surface to the other end surface, and irradiates an irradiation target body with light emitted from a side surface, in which a diffusion pattern that diffuses the light is disposed on an opposite side not facing the irradiation target body, on the side surface of the light guide body, and the optical filter is disposed at a position facing the end surface of the light guide body to be tilted with respect to the end surface of the light guide body.

Abstract: A heater according to embodiments includes: a base portion which contains metal, extends in a first direction, and has a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface; an insulating layer which is provided on the first surface side of the base portion; a heating element which is provided on the insulating layer and extends in the first direction; and a protection portion which covers the heating element. A peripheral edge of the base portion in a second direction intersecting the first direction extends in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a body, an intermediate transfer unit, a cover, and a guide rail. The body has a bottle housing hole in which a toner bottle is removably inserted. The intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt and a plurality of rollers to drive the intermediate transfer belt and is removably disposed between the image forming device and the bottle housing hole. The intermediate transfer unit and the toner bottle are accessible from a front side of the body. The openable and closable cover is disposed at an inlet-and-outlet port of the bottle housing hole. The guide rail is disposed at a lower side of the bottle housing hole to slidably guide the intermediate transfer unit and has a front-side end extended to a position crossing at least a vertical projection line of the cover on the front side of the body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms an image on a recording medium and circuitry that controls the image forming device. The image forming device forms an invisible image with an invisible material on the recording medium and forms a visible image with a visible material on the invisible image. Each of first and second adhesion amounts includes respective adhesion amounts of the visible material and the invisible material per unit area in a portion, in which the visible image is formed on the invisible image, of the composite image. The second adhesion amount is smaller than the first adhesion amount. The controller adjusts the amount of the invisible material included in the second adhesion amount to be smaller than that included in the first adhesion amount, to cause the image forming device to form the image according to the second adhesion amount.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes, as transfer rollers, a first roller and a second roller, a first bearing member, a second bearing member, a roller holder, a first urging member, a second urging member, a switching cam, a driving mechanism, a unit frame, and a secured cam. By rotating the roller holder, one of the first and second rollers is arranged opposite an image carrying member and, by rotating the switching cam, the first or second roller arranged opposite the image carrying member is arranged selectively either at a reference position or at a released position. The secured cam includes a positioning recessed portion that performs positioning of the first or second roller arranged opposite the image carrying member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers, a charging device, an exposure device, a development device, and an intermediate transfer belt. The image carrier has a surface on which an amorphous silicon photosensitive layer is formed. The intermediate transfer belt is a plastic belt having a surface resistivity of 9.5 to 10.5 (log ?/square). An offset amount of the primary transfer roller from the image carrier is 0 to 2 (mm), a contact surface pressure between the image carrier and the intermediate transfer belt is 0.5 to 1.5 (gf/mm2), and a charge density of primary transfer current that flows when the primary transfer voltage is applied to the primary transfer roller is 0.016 to 0.040 (?C/cm2).

Abstract: A driving device is provided. The driving device includes a plurality of load blocks each including a load element, a plurality of driving circuits configured to drive the plurality of load blocks, and a connection circuit configured to connect the plurality of load blocks to the plurality of driving circuits, respectively. The connection circuit is configured to switch a connection combination of each of the plurality of load blocks and each of the plurality of driving circuits.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer member, a supplying member for supplying a protective agent applied onto a surface of the transfer member, and a controller capable of controlling the supplying member. In a state in which the transfer member contacts the image bearing member during non-image formation outside of image formation in which the toner image is transferred from the image bearing member onto the recording material, the controller carries out control so that an operation in an application mode, in which the protective agent supplied from the supplying member is applied onto the surface of the transfer member, is executed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus (100) includes: an intermediate transfer belt (15B) provided in a body housing (3); an opening/closing unit (30); a second transfer roller (152) provided in the opening/closing unit (30) and in contact with the intermediate transfer belt (15B) when the opening/closing unit (30) is closed; a guide member (31) provided in the opening/closing unit (30) turnably and guiding a sheet to a contact area between the intermediate transfer belt (15B) and the second transfer roller (152); a conductive sheet (32) covering the guide member (31); and a conductive spring (33) provided in the opening/closing unit (30) and biasing the guide member (31) toward the intermediate transfer belt (15B) via the conductive sheet (32) to press the guide member (31) to the body housing (3), wherein when the opening/closing unit (30) is opened, the guide member (31) is in contact with the conductive spring (32) by gravity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus to perform an image forming operation of forming an image on a transferred material includes a photosensitive drum, an exposure unit, a transfer member to form a transfer portion, a transfer voltage applying unit to apply a transfer voltage, an opening/closing member, a detection unit to detect information regarding a first movement or a second movement, and a control unit to execute the image forming operation and a non-image forming operation. Where the detection unit detects the first and second movements, in the non-image forming operation, the control unit rotates the photosensitive drum at least one rotation in a state where a surface of the photosensitive drum is exposed with light by the exposure unit and the transfer voltage is applied so an electrostatic force that causes toner charged to a positive polarity to be attracted to the transfer member is generated in the transfer portion.