Abstract: An image forming apparatus for easily detecting occurrence of positional deviation and magnification deviation among images, even when the deviations are small. Reference patches, which are rectangular areas, in which a longitudinal direction is a sub-scanning direction, painted in magenta, are formed on paper using a first image forming device. A target patch constituted by rectangular unit patches arranged in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the left side of the reference patch. Another target patch constituted by rectangular unit patches arranged in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the right side of the reference patch. The more downward each of the unit patches are positioned at, the more to the right the unit patches are shifted.

Abstract: A coil spring 60 is provided in an empty room (inside of a fixing roller 50) of a main body 52 of a roller. The coil spring 60 is in contact with an inside wall 52a surrounding the empty room of the roller main body 52 and pushes the inside wall 52a outward. The coil spring 60 and the inside wall face 52a are coated with a black film 66 except the contact portion 62 of the coil spring 60 and the inside wall 52a.

Abstract: A charging device including: a charging roller having a metal cylinder and an elastic layer located on the metal cylinder; a cleaner configured to clean the charging roller, which includes an electroconductive brush roller including a roller having a shaft; and hair located overlying the roller, wherein the hair includes a fiber which has a width of from 0.1 to 20 denier, and a length of from 0.3 to 2.5 mm and which is planted at a density of from 7,000 to 46,000 lines/cm2, and a member configured to impart substantially the same potential as that of the charging roller to the electroconductive brush roller when a bias voltage is applied to the charging roller. A process cartridge and an image forming apparatus including the charging device are also provided.

Abstract: A laser printer includes: a main casing with two side walls; lower guiding grooves formed in the side walls; a process cartridge that is guided by the guiding grooves to be mounted in or removed from the main casing; and a lever rotatably supported by a shaft mounted on the main casing at a position near the lower guiding groove in one side wall. When the lever is rotated, a protruding part provided on one end of the lever protrudes into the lower guiding groove and engages with a fixing boss provided on the process cartridge, thereby preventing the process cartridge from moving in a direction opposite the direction in which the cartridge is mounted in the main casing.

Abstract: A housing assembly of an OPC unit to protect an OPC drum in an image forming apparatus includes a main housing enclosing at least a half of a large-diameter OPC drum and provided with a main-opening selectively contacting a plurality of developing units and a plurality of sub-openings, a first housing and a second housing each mounted on a side of the main housing, a handle hingedly connected to the main housing, and a plurality of brackets mounted on opposite sides of the main housing. As a result, the housing assembly of the OPC unit allows easy development, electrification, exposure, image transfer and treatment of a waste toner, and reliability of the image developing process increases due to the fixation of the developing units. Also, since the exposure of the OPC drum is minimized, an area of the OPC drum to be contaminated can be reduced.

Abstract: A detector for detecting an abnormality in the developer passage includes a sensing unit for detecting a rotational speed of the developer pump, a rotational speed storage for storing rotational speed reference of the developer pump, and a controller for controlling the driving of the developer pump and detecting the abnormality in the developer passage on the basis of a comparison between a rotational speed calculation of the developer pump according to a detection signal from the sensing unit and a rotational speed reference of the developer pump stored in the rotational speed storage. The detector can be advantageously used for detecting a leak and/or a clogging in the developer passage caused by a manufacture/assembly defect, or sediment of the developer sludge, and can inform the user about the abnormal state of the developer passage.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus including: a first image heating unit for heating a toner image on a recording material; a second image heating unit for heating the toner image on the recording material heated by the first image heating unit; and a detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the first image heating unit, wherein the image heating apparatus is operable to a correcting mode in which a temperature of the second image heating unit is corrected in accordance with the detected temperature of the first image heating unit.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to the invention is provided with a heating roller 1. The heating roller 1 includes an elastic layer 1b formed around a shaft member 1a, a conductive layer 1e formed outside the elastic layer 1b, and at least one impedance-adjusting layer 1d interposed between the elastic layer 1b and the conductive layer 1e. The conductive layer 1e includes conductive paste containing metal particles.

Abstract: A particle discharge apparatus includes cylindrical particle discharge unit(s) having toner dispensing outlet(s) provided at upper portion(s) on one side of particle discharge unit(s), and particle discharge outlet(s) provided at lower portion(s) on the other side of particle discharge unit(s); and conveyor screw(s), provided at the interior of particle discharge unit(s), having rotatable shaft(s) and helical conveyor vane(s) secured to rotatable shaft(s). The conveyor vane(s) is/are divided into first vane segment(s) and second vane segment(s); and wherein there is/are vaneless region(s), where no portion of conveyor vane(s) is present, between first vane segment(s) and second vane segment(s).

Abstract: The invention is in the field of fusing and fusing apparatus for print media, particularly for fusing toner to print media and other variations. According to various aspects of the invention, an improved temperature control is provided for a fusing apparatus wherein control is prioritized. According to various further aspects of the invention, a device having a fuser controller is provided operative to control a fusing control parameter based at least in part upon a print media thickness. Numerous other variations and aspects are included within the scope of the invention.

Abstract: The body member of a powder container of the present invention includes a bag-like powder storing body storing powder and formed with an opening at one end, and a base member affixed to the opening of the powder storing body. The base member allows an outlet member, which is formed with a passage configured to deliver the powder from the powder storing body to an outlet and has a shutter function for selectively blocking or unblocking the passage, to be connected to or disconnected from the base member.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to the present invention ensures a nip width larger than a certain value by a heating roller which has a thin film metal conductive layer, and a foamed rubber layer which is bonded to the end part of the metal conductive layer, formed with a gap in a center part, and not bonded to the metal conductive layer.

Abstract: In order to replace out-of date flowing medium (16) in a system, comprising a component which ages, a defined amount of out-of-date flowing medium (16) is removed and the same amount of fresh flowing medium or fresh components (14) added and a given level (17?) of the flowing medium maintained.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for use in a wet type electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a duct which guides a fluid to the outside, the fluid containing an ozone and a carrier vapor which are respectively generated from a fusing part and a printing engine having a developing unit and a transfer unit, a fan for forcibly discharging the fluid through the duct, a carrier vapor combustion unit which burns a high concentration of carrier vapor of the fusing part inside the duct and accordingly lowers the concentration and increases the temperature of the carrier vapor of the fluid which is circulated by the fan, and an oxidation catalyst body for increasing a rate of the oxidation of the fluid which is heated by the combustion unit.

Abstract: Providing a simply-arranged detaching/attaching mechanism and image forming device which allow a transfer supporter device to be detached/attached through a space formed by opening an outer covering, the device includes photosensitive drums, detachable/attachable transfer belt unit, and rail members supporting a transfer belt unit. Each of the rail members includes a rail groove guiding the transfer belt unit, notch and positioning hole determining the position of the transfer belt unit when the belt is in contact with the photosensitive drums, and notch and convex section determining the position of the transfer belt unit when the belt is detached from the photosensitive drums. The transfer belt unit support with respect to the main body of the image forming device, performed by the rail members, is released in response to the action of opening the side cover, so that the transfer belt unit is in a free state.

Abstract: An image-forming process for forming a full-color image including: forming a full-color toner image by supplying at least a cyan toner, a magenta toner, and a yellow toner onto a recording medium; and fixing the toner image on the recording medium by flash fusing, wherein each of the cyan toner, the magenta toner and the yellow toner contains an infrared absorbent, the cyan toner is supplied so that out of the cyan toner, the magenta toner and the yellow toner, the cyan toner is positioned in the uppermost layer in areas of the toner image where cyan toner is present, and the flash fusing is performed by a delayed light emission process wherein a plurality of flash lamps emit lights at a time interval.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with an image bearing member, a charging member with a discharge wire and a grid, and a first current supply controlling member, which controls a current supply to the discharge wire. Also provided are a second current supply controlling member, which controls a current supply to the grid, a potential setting member, which sets a potential value on the image bearing member to be charged by the charging member, and a first current supply condition selecting member, which selects a current control condition of the first current supply controlling member or the second current supply controlling member according to the set potential. In addition, a second current supply condition selecting member selects a current control condition for the other current supply controlling member based on the determined current control condition.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus equipped with a developing apparatus using a developer containing toner and carrier, in which, by taking into account a change in the toner density of a replenishment agent, the supply of replenishment agent to the developing apparatus is effected with high accuracy, thereby forming a stable image involving no scattering of toner. In the image forming apparatus including a replenishment agent supply device that supplies a replenishment agent containing the toner and the carrier to the developing apparatus, the replenishment agent is gradually supplied to the developing apparatus from the replenishment agent supply device while the developer is gradually discharged in correspondence therewith from a developer discharging port, and the replenishment agent supply device has a first toner density detecting device for detecting the toner density of the replenishment agent.

Abstract: A developing device is provided, in which respective lateral ends (the portions overlapped with the side seals 27) of the front seal board 23 are adhered/fixed to the side seals 27. More specifically, the gap between the both sides A1 and the return edge A2 of the opening section A of the toner tank 49 and the developing roller is sealed by a single plane composed of the side seals 27 and the front seal board 23 that are combined with each other. On this account, there is no gap between the side seal 27 and the front seal board 23 due to vibration caused by external force, time degradation etc. (i.e., it prevents the side seals 27 to be away from the front seal board 23). On this account, toner leakage can be securely prevented even when the developing device is driven for a long period of time or when some kind of vibration is applied to the development device.

Abstract: An armored unit includes a side cover and a guide member. When sheet jam operation is carried out, a fixing unit is pulled out with the armored unit, and then is pushed to the rear side. This operation unlocks the lock member provided in the guide member, and a shoulder screw moves in a guide hole. Thus, the fixing unit is moved from the pulled out position toward the rear side and toward the main body of image forming device to be shifted to a receding position. On this account, it is possible to provide an image forming device ensuring sufficient space for removing a jammed sheet by hand with a small opening space.