Abstract: A powder storage device includes a container housing and a powder storage. The container housing is configured to allow the powder container to rotate around a rotation axis ?. When the powder container is rotated from an installing position to a predetermined position in a peeling-off rotation direction around the rotation axis ?, a supply port moves to a position corresponding to a receiving port, a bonder in which the sealer adheres to the powder container is peeled off, and thus the supply port and the receiving port are interconnected.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes a belt, a heater, and a holder. The holder has a plurality of support portions that contact an end of the first heating region and an end of the second heating region along the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and a plurality of non-contacting portions that do not contact the end of the first heating region and the end of the second heating region between the plurality of support portions, the end of the second heating region contacts one of the plurality of support portions at a side in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the end of the second heating region faces to one of the plurality of non-contacting portions at the other side in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

Abstract: A fixing device, including: a cylindrical belt; a heater including a base plate and a heating element provided on the base plate; a holder supporting the heater; and a heat-conductive member disposed between the heater and the holder and having a higher heat conductivity than the base plate, wherein the heat-conductive member includes: a contact portion opposed to a region of the base plate between a one-side end and an other-side end of the heating element in the first direction; a first non-contact portion opposed to a region of the base plate in which the one-side end is located, the first side portion being not in contact with the heater, and a second non-contact portion opposed to a region of the base plate in which the other-side end is located, the second side portion being not in contact with the contact portion.

Abstract: A transfer device includes: a transfer drum that has a groove-like recess extending in an axial direction in an outer circumferential portion thereof, rotates about an axis thereof, and comes into contact with a medium being transported at a portion thereof on an upstream side of the recess in a rotation direction; a nip member, the nip member and the transfer drum forming therebetween a nip part where the medium is nipped; an application member that applies a voltage to the nip part where the medium is nipped, so that an image is transferred to the medium; and a contact mechanism that causes the nip member to come into contact only with a portion on the upstream side of the recess in the transfer drum in the rotation direction at a transfer-start time when the transfer of the image to the medium starts.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge and a main body into which the cartridge is removably installed. The cartridge includes a first unit and a second unit that is movably connected to the first unit. The main body includes a rotating member, a supporting member disposed at a position away from the rotating member, and a swingable member that is pivotally movable about the supporting member and configured to be moved by the rotating member. The swingable member is movable between a first position at which the swingable member is in contact with the second unit and a second position at which the swingable member is retracted from the first position. Installation and removal of the cartridge into and from the main body is enabled in a state where the swingable member is at the first position and is supported by the rotating member.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electro-conductive member including a support having an electro-conductive outer surface, and an electro-conductive layer. The electro-conductive layer has a matrix containing a crosslinked product of a first rubber and domains containing a crosslinked product of a second rubber and an electron conductive agent. When measuring an impedance by applying alternating voltage between the outer surface of the support and a platinum electrode on an outer surface of the electro-conductive layer while changing a frequency, a slope at specific frequencies is ?0.8 to ?0.3 in a double logarithmic plot, and an impedance at specific frequency range is 1.0×104? to 1.0×1011?. When measuring an impedance by applying alternating voltage between the outer surface of the support and a platinum electrode on an outer surface of the electrophotographic electro-conductive member while changing a frequency, an impedance at specific frequency range is 1.0×105? to 1.0×1011?.

Abstract: A fixing member for electrophotography having an endless shape has a base layer having an endless shape, and an elastic layer on the outer circumferential surface of the base layer. The elastic layer includes a silicone rubber and a filler dispersed in the silicone rubber. The total amount of the filler compounded in the elastic layer is 30 vol % or less based on the total volume of the elastic layer. The elastic layer satisfies the relation of ?td>?md>?nd. ?td is a thermal conductivity of the elastic layer in the circumferential direction, ?nd is a thermal conductivity of the elastic layer in the thickness direction, and ?md, is a thermal conductivity of the elastic layer in the longitudinal direction. ?td is 2.0 W/(m·K) or more, and ?nd is 1.3 W/(m·K) or more.

Abstract: A remaining-toner-amount detecting device includes: first sensor disposed at a supply channel for a toner; a second sensor disposed at a location different from the supply channel; detection processing that compares a capacitance detected by the first sensor with a determination threshold value to detect a toner end; and a memory that stores a capacitance detected by the second sensor in an initial period as initial reference data, and a capacitance detected by the second sensor after part replacement as post-replacement reference data. The detection processing circuitry sets, based on the initial reference data, the determination threshold value as an initial determination threshold value in the initial period, and re-sets the determination threshold value, from the initial determination threshold value, to a value based on the post-replacement reference data, as a post-replacement reference data after the part replacement.

Abstract: The belt conveyance device includes a plurality of rollers, a belt, a meandering correction part, and an adjustment part. The rollers are disposed at intervals each other and rotate around axes. The belt is disposed around the plurality of rollers and travels. The meandering correction part shifts one end portion in an axial direction of a tension roller included in the plurality of rollers in a radial direction within a predetermined range to correct a meandering of the belt. The adjustment part shifts the other end portion in the axial direction of the tension roller in the radial direction such that a position of the one end portion of the tension roller is variable under a state where the meandering of the belt is corrected.

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: A toner sealing system is described including a seal having first and second alignment features. The seal is selectably installable on one of a first toner container of a first type and a second toner container of a second type. The first alignment feature is matable with a first corresponding alignment feature on the first toner container when the seal is installed on the first toner container for aligning the seal to the first toner container. The second alignment feature is matable with a second corresponding alignment feature on the second toner container when the seal is installed on the second toner container for aligning the seal to the second toner container. Embodiments include those wherein the first alignment feature does not align the seal to the second toner container, and the second alignment feature does not align the seal to the first toner container.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, an exposure device, and a shutter assembly. The exposure device includes a light source configured to expose the photoconductor. The light source is repositionable between a proximity position at a first distance from the photoconductor and a separation position at a second distance from the photoconductor. The first distance is less than the second distance. The shutter assembly is configured to move away from the light source in response to the light source moving toward the proximity position. The shutter assembly is configured to move to cover the optical path of the light source in response to the light source moving toward the separation position.

Abstract: A developing device includes a development casing, a developer carrying member, a regulating blade, a pair of pressing members, and a blade seal member. The development casing has an opening part. The developer carrying member has a developing area. The blade seal member includes a first layer material and a second layer material. The development casing has facing surfaces. The second layer material has positioning protrusions protruding from the first layer material in a rotation axis direction at positions inside both ends of the first layer material in the rotation axis direction, so as to contact the facing surfaces and be positioned in the rotation axis direction. When the second layer material is positioned in the rotation axis direction, the first layer material is pressed in contact with the pressing members in the rotation axis direction.

Abstract: An electroconductive elastic body includes: a cross-linked product of a first ionic electro-conductive rubber, a cross-linked product of a second ionic electro-conductive rubber, and at least one of a fatty acid and a fatty acid metal salt; wherein the electroconductive elastic body has a matrix that includes the cross-linked product of the first ionic electro-conductive rubber, and a domain that includes the cross-linked product of the second ionic electro-conductive rubber; the cross-linked product of the second ionic electro-conductive rubber includes a polyether skeleton; an electrical resistance of the domain is lower than an electrical resistance of the matrix; in a waveform separation profile of the elastic body as obtained by a small-angle X-ray scattering method, A2 and A1 satisfy a relationship expressed by the following expression (1): 0.005?(A2×C2/A1×C1)?0.030??(1).

Abstract: A toner container information acquiring method includes: measuring a toner amount contained in a resin forming a toner container; and acquiring information regarding mechanical strength of the toner container based on the measured toner amount.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable transfer cylinder with a first groove formed in an outer portion thereof in a rotational radial direction that causes an image to be transferred to a recording medium when it passes along an outer surface of the transfer cylinder; a rotatable fixing cylinder that has a second groove formed in an outer portion thereof in a rotational radial direction, that causes the image transferred to the recording medium to be fixed thereto when the recording medium passes along an outer surface of the fixing cylinder; a loop-shaped circulating member that is wrapped at least around the transfer and fixing cylinders, that circulates in response to rotations of the transfer and fixing cylinders; a recording medium holding member supported by the circulating member, disposed in the first groove when the holding member passes along the transfer cylinder and disposed in the second groove when the holding member passes along the fixing cylinder; first and second driving units tha

Abstract: A heating device includes a heating unit that heats in a non-contact manner an upper surface of a transport material that is transported, and a blowing unit that blows air against a lower surface of the transport material via a blowing hole that is provided in an opposing surface opposing the lower surface of the transport material, the opposing surface being obliquely disposed with respect to a horizontal direction.

Abstract: A developing device includes a development casing, a developer carrying member, and a regulating blade. The development casing has an opening part. The developer carrying member has a developing area. The development casing has a blade facing part. The regulating blade includes a fixed part and a regulating part, and a space between the regulating part and the blade facing part is larger than a space between the fixed part and the blade facing part. The developing device further includes a blade seal member. The blade seal member is disposed between the regulating blade and the blade facing part, and is glued to an upstream side surface of the regulating part in the rotation direction, so as to seal a gap between the regulating blade and the blade facing part.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a heat generating roller includes forming an insulating portion on a surface of a metal base member by providing poly-ether-ether-ketone resin over the surface of the base member and heating the poly-ether-ether-ketone resin, the poly-ether-ether-ketone resin being electrically insulating and heat-shrinkable; and forming a heat generating portion on a surface of the insulating portion, the heat generating portion generating heat when energized.

Abstract: A movement member that causes a cleaning member to move so as to reciprocally move on a transparent member is provided. A cleaning process is performed in accordance with an instruction on a number of times of movement of the movement member.