Abstract: A belt device includes a belt, a secured member, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The belt is rotatable and has an endless shape. The belt includes an inner portion having an inner circumferential surface. The inner portion has an elastic power of 55% or more. The inner circumferential surface of the belt slides on the secured member. The pressure rotator includes a porous elastic body and presses the secured member via the belt to form a nip between the belt and the pressure rotator. The lubricant is interposed between the inner circumferential surface of the belt and the secured member.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a temperature control device stores a fixing device temperature estimation value and a storage time obtained by WAE control in a memory at any time during operation. After an electric power supply to the temperature control device is stopped, the next time the electric power supply is started, an electric power supply stop period until the electric power supply is started is calculated. If the electric power supply stop period is shorter than a set time, the WAE control is started by using the stored fixing device temperature estimation value, and if the electric power supply stop period exceeds the set time, the WAE control is started based on an initial set value.

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 transfer device includes a plurality of photoconductors, a belt, a plurality of primary transfer rollers and control circuitry. The plurality of primary transfer rollers is disposed for the plurality of photoconductors, respectively. The plurality of primary transfer rollers brings the belt into contact with or separate the belt from the plurality of photoconductors. The control circuitry causes at least one of the plurality of primary transfer rollers to press against a corresponding at least one of the plurality of photoconductors to shift a printing mode.

Abstract: An electrophotographic belt includes a biaxially stretched cylindrical film as a base layer, wherein the biaxially stretched cylindrical film includes crystalline polyester, amorphous polyester and carbon black, a content of the carbon black with respect to the biaxially stretched cylindrical film is 2.0% by mass or more, and a surface resistivity measured on the surface of the biaxially stretched cylindrical film in an environment of 23° C. and 50% RH is 1×103 ?/square or higher and 1×1013 ?/square or lower, and A/B is 3.00 or smaller, where A (?/square) represents a surface resistivity of the biaxially stretched cylindrical film after the film is left to stand for 24 hours in an environment of 23° C. and 50% RH, and B (?/square) represents a surface resistivity of the biaxially stretched cylindrical film after the film is left to stand for 24 hours in an environment of 30° C. and 80% RH.

Abstract: A belt includes a resin and an aggregate in which plural fibrous carbons are entangled with each other, in which a maximum diameter of the aggregate is 50% or less of a belt film thickness.

Abstract: A recording device includes a recording unit configured to perform recording on a medium, a transporting belt configured to transport the medium, the transporting belt including a surface on which the medium is able to be supported, a washing unit configured to wash the surface using a liquid, an ultrasonic sensor configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave onto the surface and receive the ultrasonic wave reflected from the surface, and a control unit configured to determine a remaining state of the liquid on the surface based on a result of detection by the ultrasonic sensor, in which the ultrasonic sensor transmits the ultrasonic wave onto at least part of the transporting belt, from downstream of the washing unit to upstream of the recording unit, in a rotation direction of the transporting belt.

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 belt drive device includes a drive unit, a detection unit, a blade, and a control unit. The drive unit rotates an endless belt. The detection unit detects a position of a connection portion in which both ends of a reinforcing tape, which is provided on an outer surface of an edge of the belt in a width direction orthogonal to a rotation direction of the belt, in a longitudinal direction along the edge of the belt are overlapped and connected. The blade comes into contact with an outer surface of the belt and an outer surface of the reinforcing tape and is provided to extend in the width direction.

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 thickness detection mechanism arranged in a scanner or printer for measuring the thickness of mediums fed through the scanner or printer, which comprising: a conveyor section; at least a idle roller set arranged above the conveyor section, which includes at least a shaft and an idle roller pivotally arranged on the shaft; at least an elastic portion arranged above the shaft; and at least a pressure sensor secured on the elastic portion; wherein the thickness detection mechanism measures the thickness of the medium by measuring the pressure applied on the pressure sensor by the idle roller set as the idle roller set being pushed upward, and thus avoids the medium too thin or too thick to enter the scanner or the printer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a formation target that is wound around rotating bodies including a driving roller and transported by the rotating bodies including the driving roller while forming a shape having linear portions each of which forms a different angle, which is an acute angle or an angle of zero degrees, with a horizontal direction when viewed in an axial direction of the driving roller, first image forming bodies that are arranged along one of the linear portions in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other by a first distance and that form images onto the formation target, and second image forming bodies that are arranged along another one of the linear portions, the other linear portion forming the angle larger than the angle formed by the one linear portion, in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other by a second distance shorter than the first distance and that form images onto the formation target.

Abstract: A lubricant replacement case for an image forming apparatus includes a housing including a plurality of storage compartments to accommodate at least one lubricant unit. The plurality of storage compartments include at least one storage compartment for unused lubricant to be inserted into the image forming apparatus and at least one storage compartment for used lubricant to be retrieved from the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a developing roller; a coupling for rotating the developing roller; a shaft; and a clutch. The developing roller is rotatable about a first axis extending in an axial direction. The coupling is rotatable about a second axis extending in the axial direction. The shaft rotatably supports the coupling. The clutch is rotatable together with the coupling about the shaft in a case where the coupling rotates in a first rotational direction. In a case where the coupling rotates in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction, the clutch engages with a portion of the shaft and the clutch and the coupling do not rotate.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sensing portion configured to sense a current that flows through a secondary transfer member, or a voltage that has been applied; and a controller configured to perform an operation to determine a transfer voltage to be applied to the secondary transfer member in secondary transfer, on a basis of a result of sensing performed by the sensing portion at a time when a test voltage has been applied to the secondary transfer member in non-image formation, and the controller performs, in the operation, controlling a first application portion and a second application portion not to apply the voltage to a primary transfer member during a period of applying the test voltage to the secondary transfer member.

Abstract: A switch status detection device includes a power source, a first resistor, a first switch, a control device, and a first capacitor. The first resistor has one end connected to the power source. The first switch is configured to switch between a connected state and a disconnected state of a first contact point, provided on a first current path between the other end of the first resistor and ground. The control device detects an on/off status of the first switch, on a basis of a voltage at the other end of the first resistor. The first capacitor has one end connected to the first contact point at a position on the first current path on a side of the first resistor with respect to the first contact point, and the other end connected to the power source or the ground.

Abstract: A print material cartridge may include a hopper to maintain an amount of print material therein; and an atmospheric pressure seal to seal the hopper from atmosphere; wherein a pressure within the hopper and sealed by the atmospheric pressure seal is lower than atmosphere.

Abstract: The process unit is configured to be rotatable relative to the frame about a rotation axis extending in a rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum between a first position at which the photosensitive drum comes into contact with the transfer member and forms the transfer nip portion and a second position at which the photosensitive drum is separated from the transfer member, and a direction in which the process unit rotates from the first position to the second position is a direction in which the replenishing port of the process unit moves away when the process unit is viewed from the front surface side.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a heating unit configured to heat a medium to be conveyed along a conveyance path by radiation; and a shielding unit made of non-metallic material, the shielding unit being configured to form a shielding state in which radiation from the heating unit is shielded and a non-shielding state in which radiation from the heating unit is not shielded, in which the shielding unit being expanded in a direction intersecting the radiation in the shielding state and is stored in the non-shielding state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer member, a moving portion, a driving portion, a voltage applying portion, a first detecting portion, and a second detecting portion. On the basis of a detection result of the first detecting portion when a first test voltage is applied to the transfer member by the voltage applying portion, the second detecting portion sets a second test voltage. The second detecting portion detects a position of the transfer member on the basis of a detection result of a current value by the first detecting portion acquired when the second test voltage is applied to the transfer member by the voltage applying portion.