Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt and a contact member contacting an inner surface of the belt in a nip. The contact member includes projections provided on a side where the contact member slides with the belt and to project toward the inner peripheral surface. The projections distribute on and outside the nip in a widthwise direction of a recording material. When in a region where the projections exist, a predetermined region outside the nip in the widthwise direction is a first region, and a region inside the first region and inside the nip is a second region, an area ratio of an contacting area of the belt and the projections in the first region to an area of the first region is larger than an area ratio of an contacting area of the belt and the projections in the second region to an area of the second region.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes a casing, a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction, a developing memory having an electrical contact surface, an agitator, an agitator gear rotatable about an agitator axis together with the agitator, a holder holding the electrical contact surface, and a plate movable between a first position and a second position in a second direction crossing the first direction relative to the casing. The holder is movable relative to the casing in a third direction crossing the first and second directions between a retracted position and an advancing position. The holder is movable from the retracted position to the advancing position in response to a movement of the plate from the first position to the second position. The plate is positioned farther away from the developing roller than the agitator gear and the holder are in the second direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a discharge conveying path to convey a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming portion toward a discharging portion, and a reconveying path branched from the discharge conveying path and to reconvey the sheet of which the image is formed on a first surface to the image forming portion. A curl correcting portion is disposed in the reconveying path, includes first and rotatable members to form a nip, and corrects a curl of the sheet by conveying the sheet while the first rotatable member deforms the second rotatable member in the nip. An oblique movement correcting portion is disposed in the reconveying path and upstream of the curl correcting portion with respect to a sheet conveying direction and performs an oblique movement correction of the sheet.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating rotating member and a pressure rotating member and performs image formation in one mode out of a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode. A time during which one of the heating rotating member and the pressure rotating member moves between an abutment position and a separation position in a case where the image formation is performed in the first mode is a first time, a time during which the one moves between the abutment position and the separation position in a case where the image formation is performed in the second mode is a second time, and the first time is shorter than the second time.

Abstract: A light source apparatus includes a first light-emitting unit and a second light-emitting unit having centers located at different positions in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a lens unit configured to condense light from the first light-emitting unit and the second light-emitting unit onto a target surface that is rotatable. Each of the first light-emitting unit and the second light-emitting unit includes a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in the first direction. A predetermined inequality is satisfied.

Abstract: An adapter is provided. The adapter is installed on a cartridge that is detachably arranged on a main body of an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus including an accommodation cavity, a conductive unit, a matching unit, and an electric signal responding unit. The adapter includes an electric signal triggering assembly configured to electrically connect with the conductive unit and trigger the electric signal responding unit to obtain a predetermined responding signal, when the electric signal triggering assembly is installed on the cartridge and the cartridge is installed to the predetermined position in the accommodation cavity. The predetermined responding signal is configured to determine whether an installation of the cartridge meets an expectation.

Abstract: An imaging system according to one example embodiment includes a rotatable photoconductive drum having an outer surface. A rotatable developer roll has an outer surface in contact with the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for supplying toner to the outer surface of the photoconductive drum. A rotatable charge roll has an outer surface in contact with the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for electrically charging the outer surface of the photoconductive drum. An air duct has at least one outlet positioned to direct forced air flowing through the air duct to at least one of the outer surface of the charge roll and the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for indirectly cooling the developer roll without directing forced air from the air duct directly onto the outer surface of the developer roll.

Abstract: When a toner image is continuously formed on a plurality of recording materials, and the toner image is fixed onto the recording materials, a conveyance control portion changes throughput, which is the number of recording materials to be conveyed per unit time, from first throughput to second throughput, which is slower than the first throughput, when a second detection temperature detected by a second temperature detecting portion that detects a temperature at an end of a heating member in a longitudinal direction of the heating member perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording materials exceeds a first threshold, and changes the throughput from the second throughput to third throughput, which is slower than the second throughput, when the second detection temperature exceeds a second threshold, which is higher than the first threshold, after the recording material conveyed at the second throughput reaches the nip.

Abstract: [Task] To further develop prior art technique. [SOLUTION] A cartridge includes a first unit, a second unit, a holding portion and a contact force receiving portion. The contact force receiving portion is capable of taking a stand-by position, a first operating position and a second operating position. The holding portion is moved from the first position to the second position, by the contact force receiving portion receiving the contact force and moving to the second operating position in the predetermined direction, in a state in which the second unit is in the separated position, the holding portion is in the first position, and the contact force receiving portion is in the first operating position.

Abstract: A medium transport device 1 including a device main body 12 having a transport path T for transporting a medium P, an outer door 30, an inner door 40 disposed with respect to the device main body 12 to the inside of the outer door 30, an outer hinge 31 that openably and closably attaches the outer door 30 to the device main body 12, and an inner hinge 41 that openably and closably attaches the inner door 40 to the device main body 12, wherein a pivot axis 15 of the outer hinge 31 and a pivot axis 5 of the inner hinge 41 both extend in a first direction and the outer hinge 31 and the inner hinge 41 overlap when viewed from a direction intersecting an outer door surface 30B of the outer door 30 in a closed state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit, a toner cartridge configured to store toner, a drive source, a moving member to be moved in a movement direction by a driving force of the drive source, and a drive transmission mechanism to transmit the driving force from the drive source to the moving member. The moving member includes a first force receiving portion to receive the driving force from the drive transmission mechanism, and a second force receiving portion disposed at a position away from the first force receiving portion in a direction intersecting with the movement direction to receive the driving force from the drive transmission mechanism. A rotary is rotatable and includes the developing unit, and the second force receiving portion is disposed at a position away from the first force receiving portion in a rotational axis direction of the rotary.

Abstract: A roller driving apparatus includes a roller having a shaft, and a gear fixed to a first end portion of the shaft, wherein the gear includes a hole into which the first end portion is inserted and formed of an inner peripheral surface including an inner circumferential surface centering on a first center, a projection, in a case where two areas divided by a virtual line passing through the first center are first area and areas, disposed in the first area and projecting relative to the inner peripheral surface, and a gear portion, wherein the first end portion of the shaft is inserted into the hole of the gear in a press-fit state, and wherein, when viewed along the longitudinal direction, a second center, which is a center of a pitch circle of the gear portion, is disposed in the second area.

Abstract: A fuser configured to be removably attached to an image forming apparatus includes a heating rotatable body for heating a sheet, a heater for heating the heating rotatable body, a pressure rotatable body for nipping the sheet between the pressure rotatable body and the heating rotatable body, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the heating rotatable body, a state detection sensor for detecting a state of the fuser, a fuser connector configured to be connected to a main body connector of the image forming apparatus when the fuser is attached to the image forming apparatus, and a relay board including a common terminal connected to the fuser connector. The relay board is connected to the temperature sensor and the state detection sensor and is configured to transmit respective signals output from the temperature sensor and the state detection sensor to the image forming apparatus via the common terminal.

Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a toner accommodating chamber, a toner discharge chamber, a communication passage, a discharge opening provided in the toner discharge chamber, a coupling for receiving a driving force from outside, a feeding member for conveying the toner in an axial direction of the coupling, and a first sheet and a second sheet which are provided in the toner discharge chamber and rotate about a rotation axis by a driving force received from the coupling to discharge toner through the discharge opening. The first sheet is configured to be flexed by contacting an inner wall of the toner discharge chamber and then be released from flexure, when making on full rotation about the rotation axis. The second sheet is configured to be displaceable relative to and contactable with the first sheet.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a technology for printing an image of a letter, a drawing, etc. on the surface of a metallic material and, specifically, to printing equipment and a printing method using same, which can stably print an image on the surface of a metallic material at high speed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, an intermediary transfer member, a secondary transfer member, a cleaning blade, first and second feeding portions, and a controller. In the case where a recording material feeding source is changed from the first feeding portion to the second feeding portion, when a position of a leading end of an untransferred toner image is an untransferred toner image leading end, and a position of a leading end of an image forming region in which a first toner image after resumption of image formation is formable is a post-resumption image leading end, the controller controls the image forming portion to carry out control in which the image formation is resumed so that the untransferred toner image leading end first passes through a primary transfer portion and then the post-resumption image leading end first reaches the primary transfer portion.

Abstract: A charging device includes: a housing having a U-shaped cross-section, disposed such that an opening thereof faces a surface of a rotating image carrier, and extending in an axial direction of the image carrier; a discharge electrode configured to charge the surface, the discharge electrode being attached to the housing, inside the housing, and extending in the axial direction; and a cleaner having a protrusion that comes into contact with a bottom plate of the housing and configured to move in the axial direction to clean the discharge electrode in a state in which the protrusion is in contact with the bottom plate, regardless of whether the opening in the housing faces upward or downward.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising an apparatus body including a first developing unit including a first developing container and a first developing roller, and a second developing unit including a second developing container and a second developing roller, a first toner container configured to attachably and detachably supported on the apparatus body, the first toner container being configured to supply the first toner together with air toward the first developing container, a second toner container configured to attachably and detachably supported on the apparatus body, the second toner container being configured to supply the second toner together with air toward the second developing container, a pump unit including a first pump and a second pump, and aligned with the first pump in the first direction, and one driving source configured to drive the first pump and second pump.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a cleaning roller; a web feeder; and a hardware processor. The cleaning roller collects an adhering substance adhering to a fixer for fixing a toner image onto a recording medium. The web feeder feeds, to the cleaning roller, a web for collecting the adhering substance adhering to the cleaning roller. The hardware processor that controls operation of the web feeder. The hardware processor: calculates, based on job information of image formation, a required feed amount of the web required for collecting the adhering substance adhering to the cleaning roller; and, when the required feed amount is greater than a feed amount of the web that can be fed during execution of image formation of a job related to the job information, feeds the web to the cleaning roller after completion of the image formation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an acquiring portion to acquire information including first information on a rotation amount of a developer carrying member in a first position and second information on the rotation amount of the developer carrying member in a second position, and a controller to control a driving portion for rotating the developer carrying member and the acquiring portion. The controller controls (i) so that both a remaining life of a developing unit is reduced based on the first information and the remaining life of the developing unit is reduced based on the second information, and (ii) so as to change a degree of decrease of the remaining life of the developing unit based on the first information and the degree of decrease of the remaining life of the developing unit based on the second information.