Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a development section, a toner replenishment section, a toner sensor, and a determination section. The new toner container is filled with first and second toners that have different magnetic characteristics. The new container supplies the first toner to the toner replenishment section prior to the second toner. The determination section determines replacement of an existing toner container by a new one upon the output value of the toner sensor changing from a value out of a first-toner output value range to a value therewithin. The first-toner output value range is a range of an output value of the toner sensor in response to the magnetic characteristic of the first tone.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt extending in a first direction and configured to rotate, a heater extending inside the endless belt in the first direction and configured to heat the endless belt, a first temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the endless belt heated by the heater, the first temperature sensor being disposed inside the endless belt, a second temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the endless belt heated by the heater, the second temperature sensor being disposed outside of the endless belt, and a thermal cutoff disposed outside of the endless belt and configured to interrupt electric current to the heater when the temperature of the endless belt exceeds a specified temperature.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forming toner images sequentially on recording sheets transported at intervals, and thermally fixing the toner images by passing the recording sheets through a fixing position on a heating roller. The target fixing temperature is determined according to information of an image on each page. When a first fixing temperature for a given page is higher than a second fixing temperature for the succeeding page and the difference therebetween is greater than a predefined value, part or all of a first period, during which the thermal fixing operation for the given page is performed, and a second period, which corresponds to an interval between the two pages, are reserved for raising the surface temperature by the difference, and temperature control is performed during the reserved periods such that the surface temperature reaches the second temperature before the thermal fixing operation for the succeeding page starts.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming sections that form a toner image on a medium to be fed using a developer containing toner and non-volatile oil, and a heating unit that is arranged on a downstream side of an image forming section, which is arranged on an upstream side in a feeding direction of the medium, and on an upstream side of an image forming section, which is arranged on a downstream side in the feeding direction, among the plurality of image forming sections, wherein the heating unit heats the toner on the medium to a melting temperature of the toner or higher.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying member for carrying a developer comprising a toner and a carrier, a magnet provided inside the developer carrying member, a developing chamber for feeding the developer to the developer carrying member, and a feeding member rotatably provided in the developing chamber for feeding the developer in the developing chamber. A non-magnetic blade member regulates an amount of the developer to be coated on said developer carrying member, and a route forming portion forms a route for feeding a developer in the developing chamber. The magnet is opposed to a region inside of the developer carrying member from a downstream end of an opposing portion to the blade member with the rotational direction of said developer carrying member so as to attract the developer on the region.

Abstract: A backup belt assembly includes an endless belt, at least a pair of nip forming rollers contacting an inner surface of the endless belt and positioned relative to the fuser roller to provide pressure to a section of an outer surface of the fuser roller adjacent the endless belt so as to form an elongated fusing nip along the section. A first roller of the pair of nip forming rollers engages the fuser roller via the endless belt at an entrance of the elongated fusing nip, while a second roller of the pair of nip forming rollers engages the fuser roller via the endless belt at an exit of the elongated fusing nip. The first roller provides a lower amount of pressure to the fuser roller relative to the pressure provided by the second roller. A supporting roller may be disposed within the endless belt near the entrance of the elongated fusing nip for providing acceptable media entry geometry.

Abstract: A holder is movable in a horizontal direction between an internal position within the main casing and an external position outside of a main casing. The holder has a first opening extending in the horizontal direction. A drum unit is configured to be held by the holder and is movable in a vertical direction with respect to the holder. The drum unit includes a photosensitive drum having an axis extending in an axial direction, a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion in the axial direction. A particular pressure member is positioned in confrontation with the drum unit and urges the first end portion upward through the first opening to permit the photosensitive drum to be in contact with an endless belt when the holder is in the internal position.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a magnetic field generator; a heating belt that heats toner on a transported sheet holding an unfixed toner image; a pressure roller that rotates while being pushed against an outer surface of the heating belt and that presses the sheet; a temperature-sensitive magnetic member that is disposed at an inner surface of the heating belt so as to oppose the magnetic field generator; a backing member that is disposed at the inner surface of the heating belt so as to oppose the pressure roller; and a supporting member that is disposed at an inner side of the heating belt, supports both end portions of the heating belt in a width direction, supports a back surface of the backing member, and supports the temperature-sensitive magnetic member.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an image forming device having features for aligning the replaceable unit when installed in the image forming device and to ensure alignment between the replaceable unit and a detachable unit attachable to the replaceable unit. End walls support a photoconductive drum and have a first bullet nose, second bullet nose and stop arm used for alignment of the replaceable unit in a frame of the image forming device. Support members are on a top surface of the bottom plate with a top planar surface of one of the support members forming a rotational stop and a datum surface for the detachable unit when attached. A mounting channel in one end wall provides a second datum surface for the detachable unit and a mounting channel in the other provides a deskewing plug to adjust axial alignment between the photoconductive drum and a roll in the detachable unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image carrying body, a first electrically conductive member, a bias application device, and a controller. The first electrically conductive member makes contact with the photosensitive layer of the image carrying body The bias application device applies a bias containing an AC bias to the first electrically conductive member. The controller controls the bias application device. The image forming apparatus can execute, while no image formation is being performed, a temperature raising mode in which, with the first electrically conductive member in contact with the image carrying body outside the image formation region, an AC bias having a peak-to-peak value twice as high as the discharge start voltage between the first electrically conductive member and the image carrying body is applied to the first electrically conductive member to raise the temperature of the surface of the image carrying body.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a container, a stirring member, a developing roller, a toner concentration detection section, a stirring plate, and an elastic member. The stirring plate is attached to the rotary shaft of the stirring member in a manner such as to be rotatable together with the rotary shaft, and has a tip part located in the radial direction at a predefined distance from the detection surface. The elastic member has elasticity, is attached to the stirring plate in a manner such as to surround a one-side surface, an another-side surface, and the tip part in a rotation direction of the stirring plate, has a sufficient length in the radial direction enough to abut the detection surface, and makes sliding-contact with the detection surface while rotating together with the stirring plate.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: a counting unit which counts the number of pixels at each tone level in a halftone image corresponding to an input image; a determination unit which determines a halftone region in the halftone image; an acquisition unit which acquires tone characteristic information of an output density of the image forming apparatus; a correction unit which obtains a density in a region to be formed by using a developing material from the number of pixels at each of the tone levels and information of the halftone region and correct the density in accordance with the tone characteristic information; and a first prediction unit which predicts a consumption amount of the developing material by using the density corrected by the correction unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit configured to form a first image to be transferred to a sheet with a first toner that is decolorizable and has a first brightness, and a second image forming unit configured to form a second image to be transferred to the sheet with a second toner that has a second brightness that is greater than the first brightness. At least a part of the first image transferred to the sheet is formed above the second image transferred to the sheet.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes first and second rollers forming a nip therebetween to heat a toner image on a sheet; a rubbing roller for rubbing an outer surface of said first roller; a moving mechanism for moving said rubbing roller between a contact position for contacting with said first roller and a spacing position spaced from said first roller; a measuring portion for measuring time elapsed from start of a rubbing process; a controller for discriminating, upon receipt of image heating instructions during the rubbing process execution, whether to continue the rubbing process or to interrupt the rubbing process and execute the image heating process, on the basis of the time measured by said measuring portion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image fixing apparatus including a fan for cooling one end region of the image fixing apparatus and a fan for cooling another end region thereof. When a temperature of the one end region reaches a cooling starting temperature, a fan corresponding to the one end portion is driven at a first rotation speed, and another fan is driven at a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed even if the temperature of the other end region is lower than the cooling starting temperature so as to protect the fans from thermal damages.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a heating member for heating a toner image on a sheet; a fan; a duct provided with an opening for discharging air supplied by the fan, toward the heating member; a shutter for the opening; a motor for moving the shutter; a detector for detecting that the shutter is in a predetermined position; and a controller for controlling the motor; wherein when the detector does not detect the shutter after a predetermined time elapses from production of first instruction for moving the shutter toward the predetermined position, the controller produces second instruction for moving the shutter in a direction away from the predetermined position.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaner, a plurality of cleaning sub-units, a sub-unit holder, a detachable transmission assembly, and a plurality of joint couplers. The cleaner scrapes off adhered material from a surface of a cleaning target while contacting the surface of the cleaning target. The cleaning sub-units each includes a holder to hold the cleaner and a drive-receive rotator to receive a driving force. The sub-unit holder holds the cleaning sub-units. The detachable transmission assembly includes a driving-force receive rotator to receive a driving force from an external unit and a plurality of drive transmission rotators to transmit the driving force received by the driving-force receive rotator to the drive-receive rotators of the cleaning sub-units. The joint couplers mounted on the drive-receive rotators and the drive transmission rotators couple the drive-receive rotators with the drive transmission rotators in a rotation axial direction.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a housing having first and second sidewalls through which respective end portions of a developing roller shaft are rotatably inserted; a developing gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which is fixed to the end portion of the developing roller shaft; a transmission gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which transmits driving force to the developing gear; a first cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the transmission gear; and a second cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the developing gear from an outer side in the axis line direction. The second cover member is formed separately from the first cover member and is arranged side by side with the first cover member outside of the first sidewall.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a supporting member, and a tabular elastic member. One end portion of the elastic member is fixed to the supporting member, and the other end portion is a free end portion whose tip edge is to be contacted with a member to be cleaned while rubbing the surface to remove a residual material therefrom. The tip portion of the free end portion of the elastic member ranging in length from 0 to 500 ?m from the tip surface thereof includes at least a cured material of a curable compound and an elastic material of the elastic member. The elastic member satisfies the relationship, 0.05(%)?[(tM?tA)/tA]×100?2%, wherein tM represents the maximum thickness of the tip portion of the elastic member, and tA represents the average thickness of the rear portion of the free end portion of the elastic member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning member that has a plate shape and cleans an outer circumference surface of a revolving cleaning target member with one end side of the cleaning member coming into contact with the outer circumference surface by removing adhering substances adhering to the outer circumference surface, and a detection mechanism that is attached to an end surface of the other end side of the cleaning member and detects vibration of the cleaning member.