Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a body frame and a slide frame. The slide frame is configured to be pulled out from the body frame along a sliding direction. A plurality of image forming cartridges is detachably mounted on the slide frame. A plurality of electrode members is mounted on the slide frame and aligned along the sliding direction so as to correspond to the image forming cartridges. A body-side contact portion of each of the electrode members is electrically connected to the body frame. A cartridge-side contact portion of the electrode member is electrically connected to the image forming cartridge. The image forming cartridge is connected to the body via the corresponding electrode member when the slide frame mounting the image forming cartridges is inserted to the body frame.

Abstract: An image-forming device includes a main casing, a belt accommodated in the main casing, developing units arranged along the belt, a drawer configured to detachably support the developing units, the drawer configured to move to a position inside the main casing and to a position outside the main casing, and the drawer having a leading end and a trailing end in a pulling direction from the inside position to the outside position; and a guide configured to guide the drawer and to move between a first position and a second position when the drawer is at the inside position, the second position being farther from the belt than the first position from the belt. When the guide is at the second position, the guide is configured to be tilted downward relative to a horizontal direction such that the leading end is lower than the trailing end.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording material and includes an apparatus body, a first process cartridge including a first photosensitive member and a first developing roller to supply first toner to the first photosensitive member, with the first process cartridge being detachably attached to the apparatus body, and a toner cartridge to accommodate the first toner and detachably attached to the apparatus body independently from the first process cartridge. A second process cartridge includes a second photosensitive member and a second developing roller to supply second toner to the second photosensitive member, with the second process cartridge being detachably attached to the apparatus body and configured not to be replenished with the second toner in a state where the second process cartridge is attached to the apparatus body.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a heating device includes a belt and a contact member. The belt has a tubular shape. The contact member is provided inside the belt. The contact member is formed in an arc shape along the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The contact member is slidably in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt. When the amount of deflection of the belt is D, the radius of curvature of the inner peripheral surface of the belt is A, and the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the contact member is B, the following equations (1) and (2) are satisfied: D?10 mm??(1) 0.4 mm?A?B?0 mm??(2).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a photoconductor unit, and a developing cartridge. The apparatus body includes a controller and a body-side contact portion. The photoconductor unit includes a photoconductor, a charger, and a frame body. The developing cartridge includes a developing roller, a storage medium configured to store information, and a cartridge-side contact portion. The photoconductor unit includes a first contact portion configured to be electrically connected to the body-side contact portion, a second contact portion configured to be electrically connected to the cartridge-side contact portion, and a wiring portion electrically connecting the first contact portion and the second contact portion. The photoconductor unit further includes a separating member. The separating member is arranged to separate the charger and the part of the wiring portion when viewed in the rotational axis direction of the photoconductor.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a metal frame of an image forming apparatus that is provided with a first support, a second support that is spaced apart from the first support and that supports an image forming unit together with the first support, and a connecting member that connects the first support and the second support, the method including: a first step of erecting the first support on a base portion, which is a first step of provisionally assembling the first support on a jig that has a base portion and a support portion erected on the base portion; a second step of achieving provisional assembly by placing the connecting member on the support portion of the jig and, through engagement between the first support and the connecting member, causing the connecting member to be supported by the first support and the support portion; a third step of engaging the connecting member and the second support; and a fixing step of fixing the first support and the connecting member and fixing the second support and the

Abstract: An apparatus includes first and second frames disposed to support a forming unit, an outer surface member for covering the first frame, and a circuit board disposed between the first frame and the outer surface member. The circuit board includes a printed board, a first electronic component disposed on a mounting surface of the printed board, and a second electronic component that is smaller than the first electronic component and disposed on the mounting surface of the printed board. The circuit board is disposed so that the mounting surface faces the first frame and extends in a direction that intersects with a plane of the outer surface member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a belt to be transported; an image forming body that forms an image on the belt or a recording medium that is transported by the belt; a moving mechanism that moves the belt in a movement direction extending in a thickness direction of the belt; a rotational member including a rotation shaft extending in the movement direction and a contact portion that is rotatable around the rotation shaft and that is in contact with a side surface of the belt regardless of a position of the belt in the movement direction; an acquirer that acquires a physical amount that changes due to rotation of the contact portion around the rotation shaft when the belt moves in a width direction; and a detector that detects a movement amount of the belt in the width direction based on the physical amount acquired by the acquirer.

Abstract: An Oldham coupling having play in a rotational direction and being capable of transmitting a driving force. The Oldham coupling includes a developing drive gear as a first hub, a drive coupling as a second hub, and an intermediate member that transmits a driving force between the developing drive gear and the drive coupling. The developing drive gear includes a protruded portion that is fitted to a recessed portion of the intermediate member to transmit a driving force between the developing drive gear and the intermediate member. When seen in a rotational axis direction of the Oldham coupling, the shape of a protruded portion is a substantially rhombic shape.

Abstract: A metal frame of an image forming apparatus includes a first support which includes a first metal plate and a second metal plate; a second support configured to support the image forming unit together with the first support; and a third support configured to connect the first support and the second support, wherein the first metal plate includes a corner portion provided between a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second metal plate includes a third portion, a fourth portion, and a fifth portion, wherein the fifth portion includes another corner portion located between a first stretched portion and a second stretched portion facing the corner portion of the first metal plate, and wherein a tip of the second stretched portion faces the fourth portion.

Abstract: A toner container includes a housing having a toner reservoir. An input gear is positioned on the housing for mating with a corresponding output gear in an image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device. A toner agitator is movably positioned in the reservoir. The toner agitator is operatively connected to the input gear such that rotation of the input gear in a first rotational direction causes movement of the toner agitator for agitating toner in the reservoir. An encoded member is encoded with authentication information of the toner container and is operatively connected to the input gear such that rotation of the input gear in a second rotational direction causes movement of the encoded member for communicating the authentication information of the toner container to a controller of the image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device.

Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a first chamber configured to accommodate toner and a second chamber provided with an opening that is configured to discharge the toner. A feeding portion is configured to feed the toner from the first chamber toward the second chamber. An air flow generating portion is configured to generate an air flow and blow the air flow into the second chamber to thereby discharge the toner to outside of the cartridge through the opening. A rotatable coupling including a projection is configured to receive a rotational force from outside of the cartridge, the rotatable coupling being operatively connected to the feeding portion and the air flow generating portion so as to drive the feeding portion and the air flow generating portion with rotation of the rotatable coupling.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an output section that forms an electrostatic latent image onto an image carrier by using light emitted by a light source and outputs an image onto a recording medium by developing the formed electrostatic latent image; a memory that stores a sinusoidal set value representing a correction amount for correcting periodic density variations that occur in an image, which is to be formed, in a subscanning direction and that are caused by a rotating body, and a correction table in which correction amounts for correcting density variations that occur in an image, which is to be formed, in the subscanning direction and that are not caused by a rotating body are each stored in association with a corresponding position in the subscanning direction; and a processor configured to: calculate a first correction amount corresponding to a rotation phase of a rotating body included in the output section on a basis of the sinusoidal set value and retrieve a second correction amount correspo

Abstract: An electrophotographic roller includes: a mandrel and an elastic layer on the mandrel, and having a crown shape in which a diameter decreases from a central position O in a longitudinal direction of the mandrel toward an end portion. When a position of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the elastic layer is defined as X2, a position between the O and the X2 is defined as X1, a distance between the O and the X1 is defined as L1, and a distance between the X1 and the X2 is defined as L2, L1=0.6×(L1+L2). When outer diameters of the electrophotographic roller at O, X1 and X2 are defined as Do, DX1 and DX2, respectively, and Z1=(Do?DX1)/2 and Z2=(DX1?DX2)/2 are defined, Z1, Z2, L1 and L2 satisfy (Z2/L2)<1.931×(Z1/L1).

Abstract: A developing cartridge may include: a casing; a developing roller extending in a first direction; a developing-roller gear; a coupling including a coupling gear; a first idle gear; a second idle gear; an agitator; a first agitator gear; and a protrusion. The developing-roller gear, the coupling, the first idle gear, the second idle gear, the first agitator gear, and the protrusion may be positioned at an outer surface of the casing. The protrusion may be positioned between a first axis of the coupling and a third axis of the first agitator gear in a second direction connecting the first and third axes. The protrusion may be positioned outside an addendum circle of the developing-roller gear, an addendum circle of the coupling gear, an addendum circle of the first idle gear, and an addendum circle of the second idle gear. The first agitator gear may be spaced apart from the protrusion in the first direction.

Abstract: An electrophotographic member comprising a base body and an elastic layer on the base body, the elastic layer including silicone rubber and metallic silicon particles in the silicone rubber; wherein the metallic silicon particles have a mass reduction rate of 0.05% or more.

Abstract: An example image forming apparatus includes a toner cartridge, a photoconductive cartridge including a photosensitive drum, a development cartridge including a toner inlet portion and rotatable between a first position at which a developing roller is close to the photosensitive drum and a second position at which the developing roller is apart from the photosensitive drum, with respect to a hinge axis that is parallel to an axial direction of the developing roller and between the developing roller and the toner inlet portion, a buffer unit including a toner discharge portion to receive toner from the toner cartridge and to supply the toner to the development cartridge, and a toner supply duct connecting the toner discharge portion to the toner inlet portion, the toner supply duct being rotatably connected to the toner discharge portion in a direction allowing rotation of the development cartridge between the first and the second position.

Abstract: According to at least one embodiment, a failure prediction server includes an interface, a memory, and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with equipment including a component that deteriorates over time. The memory is configured to store measurement data acquired from the equipment. The processor is configured to set a monitoring start condition for failure prediction in the corresponding equipment based on the measurement data acquired as initial data from the equipment, accumulate the measurement data acquired from the equipment in the memory after the monitoring start condition is satisfied, and predict a failure of the component based on the measurement data accumulated in the memory.

Abstract: An image forming unit forms test images of a color of the same type as a first color using toner of a second color and toner of a third color, transfers first and second test images, fixes the test images on a sheet, controls a sensor to read the test images, determines sampling timings for the test images based on an output signal related to the first test image outputted from the sensor using a color filter of a fourth color, acquires a result of reading the test images based on a reading result of the test images on the sheet by the color sensor using a color filter of the first color and the sampling timing, and determines a transfer voltage based on the result of reading the test images.

Abstract: A detachable container includes: a container body configured to be detachably attached to a receiving portion of an apparatus housing; a joining unit provided on the container body, the joining unit being configured to be rotatably joined with a joined unit provided on the apparatus housing; an operation unit having a rotation center coaxial with the joining unit, the operation unit being configured to perform a rotational operation for the joining unit; and a restraint unit provided coaxially with the rotation center of the operation unit, the restraint unit being configured to, when the container body is attached to the receiving portion of the apparatus housing, allow a rotation of the operation unit, and when the container body is not attached, to restrain the rotation of the operation unit.