Abstract: A conductive member includes: a substrate; an elastic layer provided on the substrate; and a surface layer provided on the elastic layer, in which the surface layer contains a conductive agent and has a sea/island structure that includes a sea portion containing a first resin and an island portion containing a second resin, and an average length of connected island portions in observation of a cross-section of the surface layer is 2.0 ?m or more and 4.5 ?m or less.

Abstract: An operation assisting tool includes a gripper, and an engagement portion to engage with a handle of a drawer drawable from a housing of an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A toner container includes a storage portion configured to store toner and a communicating member including a receiving port, a discharge port, and a passage. The passage includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface connecting the first inclined surface and the discharge port to each other. When viewed in a third direction perpendicularly intersecting with both of a first direction and a second direction, the first inclined surface is inclined with respect to the second direction such that a more downstream portion of the first inclined surface in the first direction is closer to the discharge port in the second direction, and the second inclined surface is inclined with respect to the second direction such that a more downstream portion of the second inclined surface in the first direction is closer to the discharge port in the second direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposing device, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a voltage applying portion, and a control portion controlling a surface potential of the photosensitive member at the brush contacting position. When a value of subtracting a value of the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position from a value of the brush voltage is defined as a contacting position potential difference, the control portion controls the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position so that the contacting position potential difference is changed from a first potential difference to a second potential difference in a predetermined direction which is either one of an increasing direction or a decreasing direction, and then the contacting position potential difference is changed from the second potential difference to a third potential difference in the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A unit accommodation apparatus includes a first unit and a second unit that are to be installed into and removed from an apparatus body through an opening in an installation-removal direction and are held by a unit holder. The unit holder includes a first positioner that is disposed opposite one lateral end of the first unit and the second unit and is detachably attached to the first unit and the second unit. A second positioner is disposed opposite another lateral end of the first unit and the second unit and holds the first unit and the second unit in a state in which the first unit and the second unit are detachably attached to the second positioner. The first positioner and the second positioner secure a relative position of the first unit relative to the second unit in a direction parallel to a hypothetical orthogonal plane perpendicular to the installation-removal direction.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing belt, a heating roller, a nip portion forming member, a pressing rotary member, a suspending roller, and an urging unit. The heating roller is in contact with an inner surface of the fixing belt and heats the fixing belt. The suspending roller has a center and both ends in an area where the fixing belt and the suspending roller are in contact with each other in a width direction of the suspending roller. Outside diameters at both ends are greater than an outside diameter at the suspending roller center by a value between 50 micrometer and 300 micrometer, inclusive. The urging unit urges the suspending roller from the inner surface of the fixing belt toward an outer circumference surface of the fixing belt. A force that the urging unit applies to the suspending roller ranges between 50 newtons and 100 newtons, inclusive.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main housing, a drawer, and a cartridge. The drawer is movable between an inside position inside the main housing and an outside position outside the main housing. The cartridge is installable into and removable from the drawer. The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum configured to rotate about a drum axis. The drawer comprises a lock member movable between a lock position in which the drawer is locked to the main housing, and an unlock position in which the drawer is unlocked from the main housing. The cartridge installed in the drawer is rotatable about the drum axis between a first position and a second position. The lock member is positioned in the lock position when the cartridge is positioned in the first position, and positioned in the unlock position when the cartridge is positioned in the second position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device that thermally fixes an image based on a print job onto a sheet; and a hardware processor that changes a set temperature of the fixing device depending on a type of a printer driver that has generated the print job.

Abstract: An identification apparatus includes a guide member defining a guide path, a scanning portion that scans the sheet inserted in the guide path, a first detection portion disposed upstream of the scanning portion in an insertion direction of the sheet in the guide path that detects presence/absence of the sheet, and a second detection portion disposed downstream of the scanning portion in the insertion direction in the guide path and detects presence/absence of the sheet. The identification apparatus is configured to start measurement of a surface property of the sheet by the scanning portion in response to a change in a detection result of one of the first detection portion or the second detection portion, and complete the measurement in response to a change in a detection result whichever of the first detection portion or the second detection portion not used in determining the start of the measurement.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, the temperature control device is a temperature control device for controlling temperature of a temperature controlled target to which heat is propagated from a heater by supplying power to the heater, the device including: a temperature estimation unit; a duty generation unit; and a signal generation unit. The temperature estimation unit estimates the temperature of the temperature controlled target based on the duty value. The duty generation unit generates the duty value based on the temperature estimation result by the temperature estimation unit, the temperature detection result of the temperature controlled target by the temperature sensor, and the target temperature. The signal generation unit outputs an energization pulse for controlling the power supplied to the heater based on the duty value.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer medium according to the present disclosure includes a substrate and a transfer layer including at least a receiving layer, in which a logarithmic damping ratio ?E determined by subjecting the receiving layer to rigid-body pendulum measurement at 70° C. is 0.10 or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developer, a development device, and an image bearing member. The developer includes an initial developer containing an initial carrier and a replenishment developer containing a replenishment carrier. The initial carrier has a surface roughness Sa1 of at least 0.3 ?m and no greater than 1.0 ?m. A ratio Sa1/Sa2 of the surface roughness Sa1 of the initial carrier to a surface roughness Sa2 of the replenishment carrier is at least 1.2 and no greater than 3.4. The packing volume Vp calculated from equation (1)“Vp=100×Y/(Z×DS)” was at least 40% and no greater than 70%. In equation (1), Y represents an amount of the developer conveyed by a developer bearing member. Z represents an apparent density of the initial developer. DS represents a width of a space between the developer bearing member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is configured to, based on a reading result of a test image, generate data that is used to adjust image forming positions of toner images to be formed by an image forming unit, control an image forming position of a first toner image to be formed by the image forming unit in a first contact state based on first data, the first toner image being transferred to a first sheet, and control an image forming position of a second toner image to be formed by the image forming unit in a second contact state based on second data that is different from the first data, the second toner image being transferred to a second sheet, wherein a type of the second sheet is the same type as the type of the first sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photoreceptor that includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer disposed on the conductive substrate, the electrophotographic photoreceptor having an outermost surface layer that contains a binder resin, a charge-transporting material, and a fluorine-containing resin particle, the fluorine-containing resin particle containing 0 or more and 30 or less carboxy groups per 106 carbon atoms, a charging device that charges the electrophotographic photoreceptor, an electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrophotographic photoreceptor that is charged, a developing device that houses a developer containing a toner and that develops, with the developer, the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photoreceptor into a toner image, a transfer device that transfers the toner image onto a transfer-receiving medium, and an optical discharging device that, after the toner image i

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: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming target looped around plural rotators including a driving roller, having at least one straight portion that is shaped straight when viewed in an axial direction of the driving roller, and transported by the driving roller and the rotators, and three or more image formers arranged along the straight portion and configured to form images on the image forming target. An adjacency distance along the straight portion between the image formers adjacent to each other on the straight portion is an integral multiple of an outer peripheral length of the driving roller. The adjacency distance at a downstream end is shorter than the adjacency distance at an upstream end, and one of the adjacency distances is equal to or shorter than the adjacency distance that is relatively on an upstream side.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming portions; a rotatable endless belt; a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and a steering roller; an outer roller; a steering mechanism; a position changing mechanism; and a controller. In a case that a changing operation for changing a position of the inner roller is performed by the position changing mechanism during execution of a job for forming the toner images on a plurality of recording materials, the controller controls the steering mechanism so that a tilting operation for tilting the steering roller in a predetermined amount in interrelation with the changing operation is executed.

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: An image forming apparatus includes multiple developing devices, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The multiple developing devices are configured to respectively develop electrostatic latent images formed on an image carrier and correspond to multiple colors. The temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of a first developing device of the multiple developing devices that develops at least a first color of the multiple colors. The controller includes a processor and a memory. The controller is configured to: stop development performed by the first developing device based on the measured temperature of the first developing device; and operate a second developing device of the multiple developing devices to perform development when the first developing device is stopped.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes: a charge device that comes into contact with a photoreceptor and charges the photoreceptor; a separation mechanism that holds the photoreceptor and the charge device in a separate state that is removable; an exposure device; a developing device that forms a toner image; a toner adhesion amount sensor that detects a toner image; an image quality adjuster that controls a voltage applied to the charge device, a voltage applied to the developing device, an amount of light during exposure, and detection of the toner image and a density of the toner image; and a separation removal confirmer that, with the toner adhesion amount sensor, detects whether a toner image is formed in spite of unexposure during an initialization operation of a image forming process to perform separation removal confirmation as to whether the separate state by the separation mechanism has been removed.