Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a latent image bearing member, a charger, a latent image forming device, a developing device, a surface moving member, a transfer device, a cleaner having a cleaning blade and an irradiating device configured to discharge the latent image bearing member. This developing device is configured to develop images with a toner having a circularity not less than 0.94. The irradiating device is disposed on the upstream from the cleaner relative to the rotation direction of the latent image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of process cartridges. Each process cartridge includes an image carrier configured to form an image intermediately, a drive transfer member engaged with the image carrier, a drive mechanism configured to drive to rotate the image carrier via the drive transfer member, a marking member mounted on the drive transfer member and configured to indicate a rotational position of the drive transfer member, a detector configured to detect the rotational position by detecting the marking member, and a balancer mounted on the drive transfer member configured to match a weighted center of the drive transfer member with a shaft center of the image carrier. A controller is configured to adjust rotational phases of the image carriers based on results detected by the detector.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes an image bearing unit, a developing unit, and first and second positioning members. The image bearing unit includes a photoconductor, and a photoconductor case accommodating the photoconductor. The developing unit detachably combined with the image bearing unit includes a developer case containing a developer, a developing roller carrying the developer. The first and second positioning members are respectively disposed at each side of the photoconductor case and the developer case when the photoconductor case and the developer case are attached in combination, and is configured to position the developing roller and the photoconductor so as to regulate a gap formed between the developing roller and the photoconductor to a predetermined distance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming unit together with a fixing unit which uses two rotating members to form a nip in which the recording material with an unfixed image is fed. A driving unit drives the rotatable fixing members and a flywheel is used for increasing an inertial force of that drive, there also being a connecting device which selectively connects the flywheel with the driving unit together with a switching device that switches operation of that connecting device in accordance with the type of recording material being used or the density of the image to be printed.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes image forming device for forming a toner image on a recording material, a residual toner collecting container detachably provided on a main body of said image forming apparatus and adapted to collect residual toner discharged from said image forming means, said residual toner collecting container being capable of collecting the residual toner through an opening at a side of said container, and regulation means for preventing said containing container from being attached onto or removed from the main body of said image forming apparatus until the opening of said collecting container is directed upwardly in a gravitational direction and an inclined angle of said collecting container exceeds a set angle. It can prevent from flowing out through the opening more positively.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor including a cylindrical substrate including a photosensitive layer on an outer circumferential surface thereof and a flange adhesively fixed to at least one end of the cylindrical substrate. The flange has a joint to which a separation jig is applied to apply a tensility in a direction of separating the flange from the cylindrical substrate. A method of recycling the electrophotographic photoreceptor fills an elastic body with a fluid to inflate and contact the elastic body at the outer circumferential surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor upon application of pressure to grasp the electrophotographic photoreceptor in the jig, and the jig is applied to the joint to pull the flange in a direction of separating the flange from the cylindrical substrate.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an image bearing body; an image forming section to form a toner image on the image bearing body; a transfer section to transfer the toner image on a recording material; and a fixing apparatus having a pressure member and a heating member, which fixes the toner image on the recording material transported their between, wherein the fixing apparatus comprises a cooling section to cool the pressure member, and a controlling section to control the cooling section according to an interval between recording materials.

Abstract: The sponge sealing member of the side seal is arranged on the roller opposed face of the seal arrangement portion so that the lower end face at the upstream side in the rotating direction of the developing roller is positioned to have the same face as the back end face of the seal arrangement portion and the upper end face at the downstream side is connected with the lower end face of the side portion of the blade back seal. The felt sealing member is arranged so that the upper end portion at the downstream side in the rotating direction of the developing roller is formed astride the lower end portion of the leaf spring member and the sponge sealing member, extends along the sponge sealing member, through the back end face of the seal arrangement portion and around to the lower face of the seal arrangement portion.

Abstract: PID control performs integral control using an integral value of a deviation between a set temperature and current temperature. In particular, when a proportionality factor Kp is large, a fixing belt reaches a target temperature quickly but overshoot increases. On the other hand, when the proportionality factor Kp is small, the output is reduced gradually, and therefore the fixing belt reaches a target temperature slowly but the overshoot is small. Thus, a heat value control section changes the control value of the PID control according to the temperature (belt temperature) of a fixing belt at the start of heating as detected by a temperature detector. More specifically, a proportionality factor Kp of a calculation expression of the PID calculation is changed according to the belt temperature of the fixing belt. This makes it possible to reduce an overshoot when the temperature of the fixing belt increases.

Abstract: A system and method that controls the amount of energy accumulated at the collection location of a printing device to prevent image transfer or offsetting between sheets of stacked media, in particular, media of high thermal capacitance. This may be accomplished by regulating one or more of a combination of factors, including media process speed and sheet interval or pause time, while providing adequate fusing of the toner and an efficient printing operation.

Abstract: In a color laser printer, in which phases of periodic variations in abutting position speeds of photoconductor drums and timings of transfer of toner images to a medium are synchronized, the variation in speed of the medium due to periodic variations of the abutting position speeds are reduced. In the color laser printer, in which a medium is moved while being abutted by four photoconductor drums, and thereby toner imaged carried by the photoconductor drums are superimposingly transferred to the medium, the photoconductor drums are arranged such that the distance between neighboring two abutting positions of the photoconductor drums with the medium is three or five times a value obtained by dividing a circumferential length of the outer circumferential surface of each of the image carriers by the number of the carriers.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that uses toners of a plurality of different colors, amorphous toner is used during image forming with a first color. Then, a controller, by using a toner remaining-removing switching device, causes toner scraped off from an image carrier by a blade during cleaning to remain at a predetermined region near the blade. Spherical toner is used during image forming with a second color and thereafter. The controller switches the toner remaining-removing switching device during any one of processes starting from the process of the second color until the end of image formation to remove toner remaining at the predetermined region, and the toner subsequently scraped off, from the image carrier.

Abstract: Controlling the charge on toner in a development station of an electrographic reproduction apparatus, wherein data relative to latent image charge carrying member voltage and image density control patches are sensed and development potential to achieve an aim density is calculated therefrom. A delta from an optimum development potential range is calculated, and in response to the determined delta, an amount of liquid charge control agent, from a supply of suitable liquid charge control agent, necessary to be added to the developer material in the development station to bring the toner to substantially a charge level that will enable a desired optimum developer potential is calculated. The calculated amount of liquid charge control agent is then injected directly into the development station.

Abstract: Controlling the charge on toner in a development station of an electrographic reproduction apparatus, wherein data relative to latent image charge carrying member voltage and image density control patches are sensed and development potential to achieve an aim density is calculated therefrom. A delta from an optimum development potential range is calculated, and in response to the determined delta, an amount of liquid charge control agent, from a supply of suitable liquid charge control agent, necessary to be added to the developer material in the development station to bring the toner to substantially a charge level that will enable a desired optimum developer potential is calculated. The calculated amount of liquid charge control agent is then injected directly into the development station.

Abstract: To improve image quality upon preventing abrasion traces from strongly forming on a surface of a fusing member, an invented fusing device has a pressure member, a fusing member movably arranged as faced with the pressure member, and a contact element arranged in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the fusing member, with the surface roughness of the fusing member of 1.0 to 4.0 [?m]. When the fusing member is moved in contact with the contact element, the contact element rubs a surface of the fusing member, but in the fusing member, the portion in contact with the contact element and the portion not in contact with the contact element become about equal in the surface roughness with the above surface roughness.

Abstract: A process cartridge is detachably provided in an image forming apparatus having a main gear. The process cartridge includes a photoconductive unit and a rotatable unit, and a positioning member. The rotatable unit includes an unit body, an idler shaft, an idler gear attached to the idler shaft, a rotating gear coupled to the main gear via the idler gear, and a rotating member having a shaft and the rotating gear on the shaft of the rotating member. The positioning member positions the image carrying member and the rotating member with a predetermined distance therebetween, and includes an absorbing hole configured to reduce the effect of an external force, generated by a rotation of the main gear, applied from the main gear to the idler gear.

Abstract: An image forming device comprises: charging means for uniformly charging the surface of a photosensitive member; charging control means for controlling the charging output of the charging means; and table storing means for storing a plurality of control tables stipulating controlled variables for controlling the charging output in relation to the passage of time, the charging control means controlling the charging output based on one or more control tables selected from the plurality of control tables stored in the table storing means.

Abstract: An image forming device is disclosed that can control image blurring, image contraction, and the like when resilient transfer media such as cardboard is to be transported upward from a pair of resist rollers and guided to a transfer position, and obtain a suitable transfer image. Transfer media is transported upward by resist rollers, and guided toward a transfer position by a pair of guide plates. Because tip of a resilient transfer medium such as cardboard may spring back to its original shape after it separates from the resist rollers, one guide plate is urged toward the transfer position by spring members, and can absorb the springing of the transfer media back to its original shape by pivoting away from the transfer position, and thus can reduce the occurrences of image blurring or the like.

Abstract: An image fixing unit for a wet image forming apparatus comprises a fixing section and a preheating means. The fixing section has a first fixing roller, and a second fixing roller which rotates in close contact with the first fixing roller to feed paper through a gap (a fixing nip) between the first and second fixing rollers. The preheating means is disposed on a feed path of the paper before the paper enters the fixing nip, and comes into contact with a non-image surface of the paper to allow the image to be exposed to the air. Either one of the first and second fixing rollers is disposed to bring a surface thereof into contact with the non-image surface of the paper before the paper passes through the fixing nip, and the fixing roller brought into contact with the paper has a heating element mounted therein.

Abstract: Prior to the formation of registration pattern images (Step S7), base information is acquired by means of a test pattern sensor detecting a surface of an intermediate transfer belt or particularly a surface of a pattern formation region thereof. A surface condition of the pattern formation region is acquired based on the base information thus acquired, while the formation of the registration pattern images is controlled based on the surface condition. In this manner, the registration pattern images are formed with an adequate consideration given to the surface condition of the pattern formation region where the registration pattern images are to be formed (Step S7). Hence, the positions of the registration pattern images may be detected with high accuracies. As a result, a proper correction of color registration offset may be accomplished, assuredly preventing the occurrence of the color registration offset or degraded color tone.