Abstract: A system and method for applying electrically charged non-magnetic toner to an image device, and subsequently to a moving substrate, provides precise level control, proper control of the electrical charge of the toner, minimization of dusting problems, and maximum evenness of the toner layer. First and second fluidized toner beds have the toner in them charged using corona sources. The second bed maintains a level of toner above the level in the first bed, and a spillway-defining restraining dam is disposed between the beds so that the toner above the level desired in the second bed spills over the restraining dam into the first bed, allowing very precise control of the level of toner in the second bed. Toner transfer mechanisms (such as rotating conductive cylinders) transfer toner from the first bed to the second bed, and from the second bed to the image device. Scrapers scrape excess toner from the rotating cylinders so that it falls back into either the first or second bed.

Abstract: The main body of a digital copying machine is connected to a finisher. The main body subtracts a certain length of time from the sheet processing time designated by the finisher. Owing to this, even when the finisher is used, printing processing is executed with no need to decrease the processing speed originally provided for the main body of the digital copying machine.

Abstract: A resin product has at least two resin molded parts and a recyclable part as constituent parts. The resin product is provided with a material layer easy to cut by a laser and a material layer difficult to cut by the layer, the material layer difficult to cut by the laser being disposed so that the recyclable part may not be cut by the use of the laser, the material layer easy to cut by the laser being constructed so as to be capable of being cut by the laser.

Abstract: A peeling member for peeling magnetic waste toner scraped off from a photosensitive drum by a cleaning blade and conveyed to a waste toner recovery position by a magnetic developer carry-out roller is faced to the developer carry-out roller in a non-contact state. As waste toner on the developer carry-out roller is peeled off leaving a thin layer of waste toner in a thickness equivalent to the gap, a conveying amount of waste toner by the developer carry-out roller increases.

Abstract: Hot offset of black toner is reduced or eliminated in a color electrophotographic imaging device, such as a laser printer, by applying a minimal layer of non-black toner in addition to the black toner on a print media. The non-black toner, such as cyan, magenta or yellow toner, acts as a release agent for reducing or eliminating hot offset of the black toner during fusing of the toner to the media. The non-black toner is applied as a thin layer just sufficient to reduce hot offset of the black toner and such that an appearance of a resultant image formed retains a visual perception of being a black toner only image. In an alternate embodiment, the thin layer of non-black toner is applied in response to coated media being processed, such as overhead transparencies, that are more susceptible to hot offset.

Abstract: A printing device, in particular a printer or a copier, which includes a first electrographic printing unit for printing an image pattern on a sheet-type material in a first transfer printing transport path as well as a second electrographic printing unit for printing an image pattern on a sheet-type material in a second transfer printing transport path, and further including an input section via which the sheet-type material can be supplied individually one after the other to both the first and second electrographic printing units, and further having an output section via which the printed sheet-type material from either the first or second electrographic printing units is ejected individually one after the other.

Abstract: A mounting device for an image forming apparatus comprises a mounting rack for mounting an image forming apparatus for forming an image at a predetermined speed, a feeding section provided within the mounting rack for feeding a medium into the image forming apparatus, and a changing section for changing a medium feeding speed of the feeding section in accordance with an image forming speed of the image forming apparatus. The changing section comprises a movable gear having coaxially-arranged large and small gear portions different in the number of teeth and rotating upon receipt of driving force, and first and second power transmitting sections for transmitting power to the feeding section when the large and small gear portions are selectively connected by shifting the movable gear, to thereby drive the feeding means at a different speed.

Abstract: A photosensitive drum is provided with an insert by injecting a rapidly curing material directly into the drum such that when the material cures, a noise/vibration reducing insert is provided. The insert material can be injected by a reciprocating nozzle during the manufacture/assembly of the drum. By injecting the insert material into the drum when the drum is being manufactured/assembled, it is not necessary to separately design the insert or to procure tooling to separately manufacture the insert. In addition, the insert will closely conform to the interior of the drum since the insert is molded inside of the drum. In addition, modifications to the insert (e.g., to vary the mass or size of the insert) are readily achievable without tooling modifications.

Abstract: A low-friction single component development apparatus for developing electrostatic latent images on an image bearing surface is provided. It includes a sump containing a supply of developer material particles; a moveable donor member assembly including a donor member for transporting developer material particles through a development zone; a first combination of AC and DC biases for charging developer material particles in the sump resulting in charged developer material particles having a desired polarity and charge distribution; a second combination of AC and DC biases for providing fringe electric fields for depositing particles of the charged developer material particles onto the donor member; devices for forming a developer material cloud within the development zone for image development; and an electrostatic filtering zone located upstream of the development zone for electrostatically removing wrong-sign charged developer material particles from the donor member.

Abstract: A liquid material supplier capable of effectively preventing a liquid material, such as ink, held on a surface of a liquid material holding member from drying and an image forming apparatus provided with the same. The supplier includes a liquid material holding member for holding a liquid material on a surface thereof. The liquid material holding member is rotatable in a predetermined direction and supplying, during rotation, the liquid material to a member to be supplied at a given supply position. The supplier further includes a supply station for supplying the liquid material to the surface of the liquid material holding member and a regulating member for regulating the liquid material on the liquid material holding member to a specified thickness. The regulating member is disposed at a position downstream of the supply station and upstream of the supply position in the direction of rotation of the liquid material holding member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has first and second image carriers that are rotatably supported and includes image forming units to form an image on respective image carriers, a conveying belt that is kept in contact with the first and the second image carriers and conveys a sheet of paper to the contact between them, transfer units to transfer the image formed on the first and second image carriers onto a sheet of paper at the contact via the conveying belt, a charger to charge the conveying belt uniformly and a paper charging roller comprising a grounded conductive member that is kept in contact with the conveying belt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: a plurality of photoreceptors provided along a sheet transportation path and each extending perpendicularly to the sheet transportation path; and an imaging mechanism for forming toner images on surfaces of the respective photoreceptors. A pair of support plates receive opposite end circumferential portions of the respective photoreceptors to support the photoreceptors together in a parallel relation. Bearings are fitted around the opposite end circumferential portions of the respective photoreceptors, and the pair of support plates each have the same number of cut-away portions as the number of the photoreceptors for receiving outer rings of the bearings, the cut-away portions being formed in a spaced apart relation.

Abstract: An ink droplet eject apparatus comprises a plate-shaped member defining a conical ink droplet eject chamber increasing from an eject port to an opening, and a vibrating plate covering the opening. A spacer is disposed between the vibrating plate and the plate-shaped member surrounding the opening. An annular space is delimited by the spacer. An ink flow path is formed in the spacer. The vibrating plate is excited so as to generate an intermittent liquid flow of an ink W in the ink droplet eject chamber in the direction of the eject port. An actuator can arbitrarily control an amount of displacement of the vibrating plate and a generation time of displacement during the excitation.

Abstract: A web-tracking control apparatus including a mechanism for monitoring the cross-track force exerted on a moving flexible web as the web is transported along a desired travel path, and a control circuit utilizing the monitored force to provide for feedback control to correct tracking of the moving web. The web-tracking control apparatus for controlling the movement of a flexible web traveling about an adjustable support member includes at least one web edge contacting member contacting a marginal edge of the flexible web. A pivot assembly is operatively associated with the web edge contacting member while said web edge contacting member is in contact with a marginal edge of said flexible web. The pivot assembly is capable of deflecting a predetermined amount proportional to the force of the flexible web on the edge contacting member. A cross-track force monitoring mechanism is operatively associated with the pivot assembly for producing a signal representative of deflection of the pivot assembly.

Abstract: In image forming, the ratio of foreign substances mixed in the recycled toner which is removed from the photoreceptor drum surface by means of the cleaning device is computed as one of the characteristics of the recycled toner, based on the paper size, the image area and the transfer efficiency. If the recycled toner has a high ratio of foreign substances mixed therein and is determined to have a low quality, collection of the recycled toner into the developing unit is temporarily interrupted and a fixed amount of toner is conveyed from the developing unit to the cleaning device so as to improve the quality of the recycled toner. In this way, recycled toner of a low quality is prohibited from being used for subsequent image forming operations so as to prevent degradation of the image quality.

Abstract: A developing device for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a developer container for containing therein a developer to be used for the development of an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member by the developer, an agitating member for agitating the developer contained in the developer container, an agitation support member for supporting the agitating member, a drive transmitting member for supporting one longitudinal end of the agitation support member on the developer container and driving the agitation support member, and a metallic support member for supporting the other longitudinal end of the agitation support member on the bearing portion of the developer container.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms test patches with no lowering of image density and no unevenness of image density. The image forming device includes a unit for generating image data for at least one test patch, an image bearing medium on which a latent image of the test patch is formed being based upon the image data generated by the test patch generating unit, developing unit for supplying toner by means of a developing roller onto the latent image so as to manifest the latent image in order to obtain a toner image, a density sensor for detecting a toner density of a toner image in the manifested test patch, and a compensator for compensating the density, being based upon a value of an output from the density sensor. With this arrangement, the test patch generating unit is adapted to create the test patches after the toner on the developing roller is consumed by a quantity corresponding to one turn of the developing roller.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead is disclosed which has a heater plate containing the heating elements and driving circuitry means monolithographically formed on one surface thereof and the ink flow directing channel structure is formed on the heater plate using a layer of patternable material, so that all critical alignments are done directly on the heater plate. In one embodiment, the patternable material is a photosensitive polymer which is exposed using a mask to define the channel and reservoir pattern, which is then developed and cured. After curing, the patterned channel structure is polished to provide a smooth coplanar surface and a cover plate with an aperture therein is aligned with a loose tolerance to the channel structure and bonded thereto to complete the printhead. The aperture serves as both ink inlet and a portion of the ink reservoir. The channels are open at one end and serve as the droplet ejecting nozzles, while the other ends are connected to the reservoir.

Abstract: When the front and rear side (the first and second side) image data to be formed on both sides of the first paper and the front side data to be formed on one side (the first side) of the second paper are input in this sequence, the first paper is fed from a paper feed portion to an imaging portion, and is imaged on its first side with the image data and then is stored into the first intermediate tray. While the first paper is being stored into the first intermediate tray, the second sheet is fed from the paper feed portion to the imaging portion and formed on its first side with the image of the image data, and then is discharged to the paper output portion. While the second sheet is being discharged to the paper output portion, the first sheet is fed from the first intermediate tray to the imaging portion and formed on its second side with the image of the image data and then is discharged to the paper output portion.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved ink flow path between an ink reservoir and vaporization chambers in an inkjet printhead. In the preferred embodiment, a barrier layer containing ink channels and vaporization chambers is located between a rectangular substrate and a nozzle member containing an array of orifices. The substrate contains two linear arrays of heater elements, and each orifice in the nozzle member is associated with a vaporization chamber and heater element. The ink channels in the barrier layer have ink entrances generally running along two opposite edges of the substrate so that ink flowing around the edge of the substrate gain access to the ink channels and to the vaporization chambers.