Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including: a rotatable image bearing member; an intermediate transfer member which makes contact with the image bearing member and bears a toner image transferred from the image bearing member; a first driving means which transmits driving to the intermediate transfer member; and a second driving means which transmits driving to the image bearing member when rotating speed of the image bearing member is lower than a predetermined speed, wherein the rotatable image bearing member rotates faster than the predetermined speed by receiving rotating friction force from the intermediate transfer member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging device to apply a charging bias, a developing device to develop a latent electrostatic image with toner, a transfer device to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, a fixing device to fix the toner image on the recording medium, an image formation speed switching device to switch from one image formation speed to another speed, a storage device to store a charging current target of the charging bias for each image formation speed, an electric current detection device to detect electric current flown through the charging device, and an AC voltage adjustment device to adjust AC voltage of the charging bias applied to the charging device. The charging current target is set for each of at least two image formation speeds such that each AC voltage adjusted by the AC voltage adjustment device is substantially the same.

Abstract: A recording material cooling apparatus includes: a cooling belt that is in contact with a toner-image surface of a recording material on which a toner image is heated by a fixing device to be in a fusing state, to cool the recording material while conveying the recording material; and an air blowing unit that blows air toward the toner-image surface of the recording material which is between the fixing device and the cooling belt, the toner-image surface being in the fusing state, or an air sucking unit that sucks air from the toner-image surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a patch detection sensor for detecting an intermediate transfer belt and image information of toner images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt, a distance measurement sensor for detecting the distance between a light emitting portion of the patch detection sensor and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt facing the patch detection sensor, and a control unit for correcting the image information detected by the patch detection sensor based on the distance information detected by the distance measurement sensor and controlling image forming conditions so as to correct at least one of density and color misregistration of toner images based on the corrected image information.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a latent image carrier that moves in a first direction; an exposure head that includes a light emitting element and an imaging optical system row which is arranged in the first direction and which is made up of imaging optical systems which are arranged in a second direction different from the first direction and image light emitted from the light emitting element on the latent image carrier; a developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the latent image carrier by the exposure head; and two detectors that detect an image obtained by developing a latent image by the developing unit, the latent image being formed using the same imaging optical system row.

Abstract: In a fixing unit, a fixing roller is rotated under driving force transmitted from a paper discharge unit-side gear of a driving section via a fixing roller driving gear, and holds and conveys a recording medium in cooperation with a pressure roller in a nip region. When a control section determines that acceleration conditions are fulfilled, the driving section increases the rotating speed of the paper discharge unit-side gear so that it is rotated at higher speed than before-acceleration speed over predetermined high-speed rotating period.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a cartridge that has a photosensitive drum and can be attached to and detached from a main body of the image forming apparatus, an optical device that has a cover glass through which light emitted toward the photosensitive drum passes, a cleaning member that can move from a cleaning start position to a cleaning end position for cleaning the cover glass, and a lock member that prevents the cleaning member from moving. Before the cartridge is attached, the lock member prevents the cleaning member from moving in the longitudinal direction of the cover glass. During the attachment of the cartridge, the cartridge engages with the lock member and unlocks the cleaning member and enables the cleaning member to move from the cleaning start position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main apparatus body, an image reading block located above the main apparatus body, a sheet output portion provided with a sheet output tray onto which each sheet is ejected upon completion of image forming operation, the sheet output portion being located between the main apparatus body and the image reading block and opening at least frontward to permit retrieval of sheets from the sheet output tray, and a front cover section provided on a front side of the main apparatus body, the front cover section including front openable covering members. The front cover section has a striped portion having a surface in which ridges and furrows are formed and a flat portion having a flat surface. The flat portion includes a first flat portion located in an area adjacent to the sheet output tray.

Abstract: An apparatus (100) and method (300) that adjusts a fuser nip width in an apparatus that can include a fuser member having a fuser nip configured to fuse an image on media is disclosed. The method can include feeding (320) a media sheet in a media sheet travel direction through the fuser nip. The method can also include sensing (330) a media sheet exit temperature of the media sheet after the media sheet exits the fuser nip. The method can also include adjusting (340) a fuser member nip width according to the sensed media sheet exit temperature, where the fuser nip width is substantially parallel to the media sheet travel direction.

Abstract: An inexpensive image forming apparatus, which can suppress a ghost to obtain an image maintaining satisfactory density and gradations for a long time.

Abstract: A multifunctional machine includes a first component section that starts up taking a first time period, and a second component section that starts up taking a second time period shorter than the first time period. An operation start prediction information obtaining section is provided to obtain operation start prediction information predicting a time when a user starts the multifunctional machine. A start up control section is provided to start up the first component section in advance of the second component section. A power supply control section is provided to supply power from at least one external power source and drive the start up control section in accordance with the operation start prediction information.

Abstract: There is provided a tandem color image forming apparatus and the like, which is capable of suppressing the generation of black spots during a continuous image forming process, even though a non-magnetic single-component developer is used and a cleaner-less type is adopted. The color image forming apparatus is a tandem type that includes a plurality of image carriers and a cleaner-less type that does not include a blade cleaner, wherein the resistance per square centimeter of a base body of an image carrier using for at least a black developer among the plurality of image carriers, or the resistance per square centimeter of the base body through an intermediate layer is set in a range of 1×105 to 1×108? or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit to form an image on a print medium, the image forming apparatus including a guide shaft, first and second shaft insertion members into which the guide shaft is inserted, a unit main body including first and second insertion holes provided along the guide shaft and whose diameters larger than external diameters of the first and second shaft insertion members, respectively, and an adhesive to adhere the first and second shaft insertion members inserted into the first and second insertion holes, to the unit main body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided and includes: an image formation unit that forms an image on a recording medium with a color material; a color material container that contains the color material; and a cooling air passage that a cooling air for cooling the color material container flows through, the color material container comprising at least a part of the cooling air passage.

Abstract: A discharger includes: a discharge electrode member that is placed opposedly to a member to be charged; an opposed electrode member that is placed opposedly to the discharge electrode member; and a power source circuit that applies a discharge voltage for generating a discharge between the discharge electrode member and the opposed electrode member, and the electrode member having a surface that includes a covered layer covered by a covering material is formed on a surface opposed thereto, and the covering material containing a carbon atom, or a carbon atom and another atom or other plural atoms as a main component, and having an SP3 structure by a carbon atom.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a plurality of image forming units provided in parallel comprising a black image forming unit to form a black toner image and a plurality of color image forming units to form color toner images, an intermediate transfer device to primarily transfer color toner images formed by superimposing the toner images formed at each image forming unit, and a secondary transfer unit to transfer the color toner image to a transfer paper. The color image forming unit employs a non-magnetic-contact-type single-component development device to develop each color toner image with a single-component developer, and the black image forming unit is provided closest to the secondary transfer unit and employs a contact-type two-component development device to develop a black toner image with a two-component developer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a main body including a manipulating unit which manipulates the power transmission unit, a driving component having a driving assembling member which is disposed in a direction of a rotational driving axial line; a developing device which has a driven assembling member capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the driving assembling member along the direction of the rotational driving axial line; a power transmission unit which is disposed between the driving assembling member and the driven assembling member and enables at least one of the driving assembling and the driven assembling member is moveable in the direction of the rotational driving axial line.

Abstract: A cover opening and closing unit for an image forming apparatus, includes a cover removably mounted to a main body of the image forming apparatus mounting therein a developer cartridge, a developing unit, a transferring unit and a waste-developer receptacle, and a locking device fixing the cover to the main body of image forming apparatus. The locking device is released from the main body only after the waste-developer receptacle is removed from the main body.

Abstract: An apparatus is configured to charge an image bearing member in a charging section, develop an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member, and transfer a toner image formed on the image bearing member to a transfer medium in a transfer section. The apparatus includes a charging auxiliary apparatus for changing a charge amount of toner on the image bearing member. The charging auxiliary apparatus includes a charging auxiliary member contacting with the image bearing member downstream of the transfer section and upstream of the charging section and a voltage applying device to apply a voltage to the charging auxiliary member.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a reducing plate that dams up a part of a developer scraped up by a blade is provided. The reducing plate suppresses swell of the developer held up by a discharge mixer from fluctuating according to the rotation of the blade. Fluctuation in an excess developer discharged from a discharge port is suppressed and replace a deteriorated carrier in a development container with a new carrier little by little.