Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing an electrostatic image is disclosed. A thin layer of hydrophobic particles is coated on the surface of the charge bearing member which can be a photoconductor or a dielectric. The hydrophobic particles may also be used on the developer roller which applies the toner. A liquid toner made substantially of a hydrophilic liquid, such as water, and suspended pigment binders is used. The invention is applicable to both one and multiple color systems.

Abstract: A Liquid Immersion Development, LID, reproduction machine having a moving liquid toner image carrying surface, includes an excess carrier liquid removing apparatus. The excess carrier liquid removing apparatus includes a housing defining a chamber, and an opening through the housing into the chamber for mounting against the liquid toner image carrying surface. The excess carrier liquid removing apparatus also includes a roller mounted rotatably to the housing and within the chamber for forming an image processing nip gap, that has an image entrance side and an image exit side, with the liquid toner image carrying surface.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus suitable especially for double-side printing or double-side copying. A pressure roller for pressing a sheet of paper against an electrostatic latent image retaining body is rotatably provided on the upstream side of a transfer unit. The pressure roller is elastically mounted through a cushion member, thereby preventing transmission of vibration of the pressure roller itself to the paper. As the paper is positively pressed against the retaining body by the pressure roller, the paper can be brought into close contact with the retaining body even when the paper is wrinkled, thus obtaining a good transfer characteristic.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a rotary developing device or revolver in which a plurality of developing sections are defined. The revolver is rotated over a target position by a first drive source, then returned by a second drive source producing a moment acting in the opposite direction, such as due to the drive of one of the developing sections, and then positively stopped by a positioning mechanism. The revolver is, therefore, accurately positioned at the target position without regard to, for example, irregularities in a motor for driving the revolver.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image developing device includes a rotatable developing sleeve for providing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor with a toner so as to develop the latent image into a visual image, and a toner regulating blade which contacts at one surface with the developing sleeve so that the toner is regulated and then formed into a thin layer. The toner regulating blade has, in a surface confronting the toner bearing member, a bevelled portion which forms a wedge shaped space in a upstream side of a contact region of the blade and the developing sleeve with respect to a direction of a movement of the developing sleeve. Further, the toner regulating blade has chamfered portions in the bevelled portion at both sides thereof. Therefore, the sleeve bears a toner thin layer having a constant density.

Abstract: This invention relates to an image forming apparatus which has a recording material support member for supporting a recording material and moving therewith, an image forming unit for forming an image on the recording material supported by the recording material support member, and attraction charging devices for electrostatically attracting the recording material to said recording material support member. The attraction charging devices are first and second electrodes positioned across the recording material support member from each other, wherein a center of charging of the first electrode to the recording material support member is shifted from a center of charging of the second electrode, in the moving direction of said recording material support member, and there may also be an auxiliary charger for charging, prior to image formation, the recording material attracted to the recording material support member.

Abstract: An electrophotographic color printer exposes a photosensitive body to form an exposure pattern thereon. Toner material of two different colors is then applied to the exposure pattern by developers. The toner materials are subsequently transferred to a recording medium and fixed thereon. The toner materials are applied to the photosensitive body so that each of the two colors of toner materials have regions of two different thicknesses so they will have different thicknesses when applied to the recording medium. When two of the thicker regions are adjacent, the fixing of the toner materials will cause the toner materials of the two regions to mix. Thus, if the two adjacent thicker regions are of different colors, a third color will be produced. Toner material of further colors may also be transferred to the recording medium, by applying further toner materials to the same or another photosensitive body using further developers.

Abstract: A developing device using a one-component developer composed of toner particles, which includes a vessel for holding the developer, and a developing roller rotatably provided within the vessel so that a portion of the roller is exposed therefrom and faces a surface of an electrostatic latent image carrying body to form a developing area. During rotation of the roller, the toner particles are entrained by a surface of the roller to form a developer layer therearound, and are carried to the developing area for a development of an electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrying body. The roller and the latent image carrying body are reversely rotated such that the surfaces thereof move upward at the developing area. A blade member is provided within the vessel and is resiliently engaged with the roller for regulating a thickness of the developer layer, and is disposed below the roller to prevent a leakage of the toner particles from the vessel at an underside of the developing roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which there are integrally provided a process cartridge, composed of an image carrying member in which a latent image is formed, and a developing device and/or a cleaning device. The process cartridge is detachably mountable on the apparatus. A moving device moves the process cartridge from a first position, allowing image forming, to a second position in which the process cartridge can be detached. The moving device outputs a signal indicating that the process cartridge is being moved. There is provided a device to output an instruction signal to a controller which, on receipt of the instruction signal, outputs a drive signal to the moving device to move the process cartridge provided that no signal is input from the moving device.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus which does not require lens replacement and which satisfies the requirements of Kohler illumination regardless of changes in projection magnification. The image reading apparatus comprising an image reading device having a predetermined length in the main scanning direction for transforming an optical image projected thereon into analog image signals, a light source, condenser elements having an aspherical effect in the main scanning direction, thereby satisfying the requirements for Kohler illumination, and projection lens for projecting an image of an original illuminated by the light source onto the image reading device. A motor can move the projection lens and its pupil along the optical axis.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image fixing device for fixing toner on a transfer member comprises a heat roller which is a hollow cylindrical member rotatably supported at both end portions and having heating means inside thereof, pressure means press-contacted to the heat roller for pressing the transfer member passing between the heat roller and the pressure means against to a peripheral surface of the heat roller, and the pressure means is a pressure roller disposed approximately parallel to the heat roller and supported rotatably, at least one of the heat roller and the pressure roller has a layer of elastic material on its peripheral surface, and a value A/B is set to be within a range from 0.7 to 0.8 wherein A represents a nip width at an approximate central portion of an area between the heat roller and the pressure roller where the transfer member passes through and B represents a nip width at end portions of the area.

Abstract: A transfer roller which transfers a toner image to a recording sheet fed in a gap between a photoreceptor drum and the transfer roller, and a pre-transfer guide which guides the recording sheet are pushed to be displaceable by a spring by use of a roller so that a predetermined gap is maintained between the photoreceptor drum and the transfer roller and that the positions of the transfer roller and the pre-transfer guide depend on the position of the photoreceptor drum. The recording sheet P on which an image has been transferred is conveyed to a conveying guide. A post-transfer guide which receives the abutment of the end of the image transferred recording sheet and guides the recording sheet to the conveying guide is provided to be displaceable integrally with the transfer roller and the pre-transfer guide. The post-transfer guide is made of a resin with a resistance of 10.sup.10 .OMEGA. to 10.sup.16 .OMEGA..

Abstract: A conversion kit and method for converting the doctor blade of a toner cartridge for an imaging machine to a spreader blade. The conversion kit comprises an elastic strip of material, such as nonconductive urethane, with adhesive on one side to attach the elastic strip to a surface of the doctor blade. An assembly jig is provided to hold the doctor blade in position while applying the elastic strip. The jig is designed and sized to act as a guide for ensuring the accurate positioning of the elastic strip on the doctor blade. The jig has a groove to grasp the bent-over portion of the doctor blade, and a raised edge adjacent the groove against which the elastic strip is placed. The conversion kit further comprises washers approximately the same thickness as the elastic strip. The washers are adhered to the surface of the doctor blade at each end adjacent the elastic strip and in alignment with the holes for the screws used to fasten the doctor blade to the toner cartridge.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, a first servo system has a closed loop digital control with a first reference control signal for driving a photosensitive member, and a second servo system has a closed loop digital control with a second reference control signal for driving a prefuser transport, and a master control responds to the servo system closed loop digital controls to synchronize the speed of the prefuser transport with the speed of the photosensitive member.

Abstract: An image density controlling device for an image formation apparatus includes a plurality of image formation devices. A plurality of transfer members carry an image formed by at least one of the plurality of image formation devices. A belt rotates synchronously with the operation of the image formation devices and carries the transfer members. The belt includes a plurality of transfer member carrying areas on which the plurality of the transfer members are respectively carried, and a plurality of non-carrying areas therebetween. A density detection toner image is formed in the non-carrying area by utilizing at least one of the plurality of image formation devices. The density of the density detection toner image is determined to output a density detection signal. The densities of the images transferred to the transfer members are then controlled in accordance with the density detection signal.

Abstract: An original document size estimating device includes a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor operable to detect an original document placed on a specified position. The first optical sensor is positioned before the second optical sensor with respect to a forward direction. The first and second optical sensors are moved in both the forward direction and a backward direction opposite to the forward direction by a driver. The driver is controlled in such a manner as to forcibly move the first and second optical sensors in the forward direction further a predetermined additional distance when the first optical sensor generates absence signal and the second optical sensor generates presence signal, and return them after both generating absence signal to measure a length of the original document for size estimation.

Abstract: In a copier, a document pressing device has a holder member pivotally engaged with a base member at its base end. A bracket is pivotally connected to the other end of the holder member by a shaft. An inner sleeve has its bottom pivotally engaged with a lug formed on the base member and positioned closer to a glass platen than the base end of the holder member. An outer sleeve has its bottom pivotally connected to the free end of the bracket and positioned closer to the glass platen than the point about which the bracket is pivotable. When a relatively thick document is laid on the glass platen, the device allows a cover for pressing the document to be smoothly lifted up or returned to its original position. The device, therefore, enhances the manipulability of the cover plate.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing the edge raggedness and background toner level of, for example, tri-level images by reestablishing the images and cleaning fields of the first developed image with a closely spaced electrode. The toner is redistributed by electrical and/or mechanical forces which leads to the removal of edge raggedness and background toner before transfer of the tri-level images to a copy sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming images by an electrophotographic process. The image forming apparatus includes a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in the area around the image forming members provided therein, a density sensor for detecting the density of images formed on a photoreceptor, and a humidity controller having a dehumidifying unit and a humidifying unit for adjusting the humidity in the area around image forming members. The humidity controller is operated according to humidity historical data generated based on the humidity data outputed from the humidity sensor, a detected photoreceptor potential, a detected amount of developer scattered from the developing unit or the detection result from the density sensor.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus in which when separating a recording material from a recording-material conveying sheet, the recording-material conveying sheet is pressed and deformed by a pressing member, the pressing member has a convex curved portion contacting the recording-material conveying sheet in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording-material conveying sheet. It is thereby possible to sufficiently deform the recording-material conveying sheet while preventing it from being permanently deformed or broken.