Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a paper including a detection unit to detect a present temperature of one component or a plurality of components to be replaced among components constituting the image forming apparatus and a control unit to determine whether the component is replaceable or not based on the detected present temperature and to execute a replacement guide for the component which is determined to be replaceable.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a rotatable image-carrier; a charging unit that contacts and charges a surface of the image-carrier; an exposing unit that exposes the surface and forms a latent-image; a developing unit that develops the latent-image with a developer; a transfer unit that transfers a developed-toner-image onto a transfer-receiving member; a cleaning unit that is provided with a plate shaped cleaning member having a free end that faces upwards a corner portion of the free end contacting the surface, the cleaning member cleaning off developer remaining on the surface after transfer, and a developer pooling member provided between the cleaning member and the transfer unit, that temporarily pools the cleaned off developer at the free end; and a friction-coefficient reducing unit that reduces a friction-coefficient at the surface, and that reduces the friction-coefficient during non-image forming period to less than that during image forming period is provided.

Abstract: The image bearing member to improve transfer efficiency at an occasion of transferring a toner image from the image bearing member. A rotational speed of a motor rotating the image bearing member in a short period and thereby disorder in a toner image can be restrained to reach a low level. On the other hand, circumferential velocity between the image bearing member and paper can be provided large. Therefore improvement in transfer efficiency can be designed.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for removing charged particles includes a cleaning brush and a recovery unit. The cleaning brush removes the charged particles from an object by attracting the charged particles having positive and negative polarity. The recovery unit for recovering the charged particles from the cleaning brush includes a recovery member, a first charge applicator, a second charge applicator, and a voltage control unit. The recovery member is supplied with a voltage to attract the charged particles. The recovery member has a core and a surface layer. The first charge applicator applies a voltage to the surface layer of the recovery member. The second charge applicator applies a voltage to the core of the recovery member. The voltage control unit controls a polarity of the voltage to be applied by the first and second charge applicators depending on a polarity of the charged particles to be recovered.

Abstract: A rotator for powder conveyance includes a substantially linear rotary supporting shaft and plural stirring/conveying pieces. The plural stirring/conveying pieces are separated from each other and arranged in a longitudinal direction along the rotary supporting shaft, are placed at positions separated from a central axis of the rotary supporting shaft in a radial direction of the rotary supporting shaft, have a spiral configuration along an outer peripheral surface of the rotary supporting shaft, and are respectively connected to the rotary supporting shaft via a connecting piece at plural points.

Abstract: A developing device includes (a) a developing member; (b) a developer container; (c) a partition member that partitions an interior of the developer container into a primary chamber and a secondary chamber; and (d) a developer-conveying unit that is disposed in the primary chamber, the developing device defining a collected-toner-receiving port through which a collected toner that is collected from a toner image carrier is received into the developer container; and a migration opening through which a developer held in the primary chamber is migratable to the secondary chamber, the developing device further including (e) a capturing unit that is disposed at the migration opening and captures a foreign material which migrates through the migration opening together with the developer; and (f) a foreign-material-removing unit that is disposed at the developer-conveying unit and moves the foreign material out of the developer container in accordance with the rotation of the developer-conveying.

Abstract: A novel development device includes a developer roller, a developer reservoir, a rotatable conveyor, and a replenisher unit. The developer roller is configured to supply toner particles to the electrostatic latent image. The developer reservoir is configured to hold the developer therewithin for application to the developer roller. The rotatable conveyor is configured to rotate within the developer reservoir to convey the developer toward the developer roller. The replenisher unit has a tubular member terminating at a port opening in the developer reservoir. The replenisher unit is configured to direct a particulate material through the tubular member into the developer reservoir via the port. The particulate material is toner particles, carrier particles, or a mixture of toner particles and a given amount of carrier particles. The port is submerged in the developer within the developer reservoir as the rotatable conveyor rotates.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes an image on a recording medium by allowing the recording medium to pass through a nip between a pair of rotating members at least one of which is heated. The fixing device includes heaters that heat rotating members, temperature sensing elements that sense the temperature of the rotating members, and an I/O control panel. The I/O control panel calculates the amount of heat generated by the heaters based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing elements, and corrects calculation result according to medium information to control the heaters.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms high precision full color image by correcting the adhesion quantity of an image visualizing agent and a position shift of a visible image while performing printing process. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer unit; plural photoconductors; plural charging units; plural exposure units; plural developing units; plural first transferring units; and plural second transferring units. The intermediate transfer unit has a correction pattern image formed in a region outside a predetermined maximum document region in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. A detector in the intermediate transfer unit detects the correction pattern image. A correction controller performs correcting, based on detection results of the detector, setting values of one or more of the charging units, the exposure units, and the developing units when a region corresponding to an interval between the visible images passes a position beneath one of the units.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electrostatic brush cleaning of excess toner particles on a photoreceptor device in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include determining if an image transfer occurred in the image production device, wherein if it is determined that the image transfer occurred, rotating one or more electrostatic brushes at a first speed, and if it is determined that the image transfer did not occur, rotating the one or more electrostatic brushes at a second speed, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed.

Abstract: A development device includes a developer carrying member, developer supply, developer collection and developer agitation conveyance paths, transfer and communication openings, and partition. The developer carrying member bears a two-component developer. The developer supply and developer collection conveyance paths respectively convey the two-component and collected developers in the first direction. The developer agitation conveyance path conveys excess and collected developers in a second direction while agitating to supply the agitated developers to the developer supply conveyance path. The partition separates the developer collection, developer supply, and developer agitation conveyance paths. The transfer opening transfers the collected developer from the first to the second direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is constituted by a rotatable image bearing member; a charging member for electrically charging the image bearing member in contact with the image bearing member; developing member, containing polishing particles, for collecting toner from the image bearing member and effecting development on the basis of an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member; a transfer member for transferring a toner image formed on the image bearing member onto a transfer material; an auxiliary charging member, located downstream from a transfer portion and upstream from the charging member with respect to a movement direction of the image bearing member, for electrically charging toner remaining on the image bearing member after the transfer by contact with the image bearing member; and control means for performing a discharging mode, for discharging polishing particles from the auxiliary charging member onto the image bearing member on the basis of an image ratio of an image to be for

Abstract: A method for evaluating print quality comprising providing a first paper; providing a second paper; providing a reference print sample; providing a test print sample; obtaining pre-rub densities of the first paper and the second paper or the reference print sample and the test print sample; providing a mechanical rub tester; rubbing the reference print sample with a first paper using the mechanical rub tester; obtaining post-rub density of the rubbed first paper or the rubbed reference print sample; rubbing the test print sample with a second paper using the mechanical rub tester; obtaining post-rub density of the rubbed second paper or the rubbed test print sample; and comparing the pre-rub and post-rub densities of the first and second papers or the rubbed reference print sample and the rubbed test print sample.

Abstract: An image-forming device includes: a plurality of components that cooperate to form an image on a recording medium; and a housing that accommodates the components therein. The housing has a side wall unit. The side wall unit includes: a resin frame defining, on its one side, an opened accommodating space; and a first sheet metal frame that is fixed to one side of the resin frame, on which the opened accommodating space is defined, to close the accommodating space. At least one of the components is accommodated in the accommodating space enclosed by the resin frame and the first sheet metal frame.

Abstract: When residual toner on the surface of an image carrier belt is removed with an elastic cleaning blade, a blade wear piece which is adhered to a blade edge is removed. When a blade edge of a cleaning blade is brought into sliding contact with a surface of an intermediate transfer belt which runs in a determined direction to remove residual toner on the belt surface, a step section having a predetermined height is provided on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The step section is able to pass from a rear face side to a front face side of the blade edge while allowing the blade edge to run thereon, when the belt runs in a reverse direction such that the blade edge is in sliding contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt.

Abstract: A charging apparatus includes a charging roller and a cleaning member. The charging roller charges a surface of an image bearing body. The cleaning member extends in a longitudinal direction parallel to the charging roller and that cleans the charging roller. The charging apparatus includes a bearing and a supporting member. The bearing supports a shaft of the charging roller. The cleaning member is mounted to the supporting member the cleaning member is held between the supporting member and the charging roller. The supporting member includes a surface to which the cleaning member is mounted, the surface being a curved surface configured to a circumferential surface of the charging roller. The supporting member includes a surface to which the cleaning member is mounted, the surface including a flat portion extending upstream with respect to rotation of the charging roller and a curved portion extending downstream.

Abstract: A developing device and image forming apparatus that can satisfy stability over time in relation to amount of developer carried, and prevent developer retention, deterioration of developer and developing sleeve adhesion, wherein the amount of developer carried per unit area on the developer carrier in the developing region is 30 mg/cm2 to 60 mg/cm2; the weight mean particle diameter of the toner is 4.5 ?m to 8.0 ?m; the ratio Dw/Dn of the toner weight mean particle diameter (Dw) and the number mean particle diameter (Dn) is 1.20 or less; an irregular roughness pattern having the maximum height Rz of the surface roughness of 20 to 40 ?m and the mean space Sm of the roughness of 100 to 200 ?m is formed on the surface of the developer carrier; and the relationship between the developing gap PG and the gap DG between the developer restricting member and the developer carrier is 1.0?(DG/PG)?3.0.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to control power supplied to a heating roller and a phase control circuit corresponding to the method or the apparatus. The phase control circuit may include an examination unit to compare levels of a sine wave having a predetermined first period and a switching signal to increase and decrease repeatedly according to a predetermined second period, and a phase control signal generation unit to generate a phase control signal having a non-zero in intervals of time sections including a time when levels of the switching signal and the sine wave which is in a decreasing section are equal to each other during a time period when the level of the sine wave is zero, and a time when levels of the switching signal and the sine wave which is in an increasing section are equal to each other during a time period when the level of the sine wave is zero.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes developing units designed to have an appropriate developer storage capacity in consideration of developer consumption, and improved convenience of use. The image forming apparatus also includes an image carrier, and plural developing units arranged along a rotating direction of the image carrier to supply developers to the image carrier. The plural developing units include a first developing unit having the largest developer storage capacity and a second developing unit having the second largest developer storage capacity after the first developing unit.

Abstract: A fixing device of the invention detects a temperature of plural positions of a heat roller by a multiple non-contact temperature sensor at the same time and controls the temperature of plural heat source members. The non-contact temperature sensor and a contact temperature sensor detect the temperature of the same position. According to the detection result, maintenance is performed or a temperature conversion table is corrected, the non-contact temperature sensor is maintained with high precision, and the heat roller is controlled the temperature with high precision.