Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an apparatus main body, a cover member, and a coupling member. The cover member is openable and closable relative to a side face of the apparatus main body. The coupling member couples the apparatus main body and the cover member together and is arranged inside the cover member when the cover member is closed. The coupling member is rotatable about a first rotation pivot relative to the apparatus main body. The cover member is rotatable about a second rotation pivot relative to the coupling member. When the cover member is opened relative to the apparatus main body, the rotation center of the cover member switches between the first and second rotation pivots during the opening operation of the cover member.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a first screw disposed within a first chamber and conveying developer in a first direction, a second screw disposed within a second chamber and having a conveyance portion conveying the developer in a second direction opposite to the first direction and a return portion provided downstream of a first communication port in a first wall dividing the first and second chambers. A discharge portion in the second chamber, downstream of the return portion, discharges the developer out of the second chamber, and a second wall through which a third communication port is disposed upstream of the discharge portion is defined to deliver the developer from the second chamber to the first chamber. The second wall faces at least a part of the return portion in a view from a horizontal direction such that a lower end of the third communication port is located above a lower end of the first communication port.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to suppressing image defects due to variations in the values of currents flowing through respective photosensitive drums during image formation, and reducing the absolute value of a voltage applied when a primary transfer power supply unit applies a voltage of polarity opposite to that during image formation, to primary transfer members. There is provided an image forming apparatus including a transfer member configured to make contact with an inner peripheral surface of a transfer belt, a first power supply unit configured to apply a voltage to the transfer member, a resistance element connected between the first power supply unit and the transfer member, and a diode connected in parallel with the resistance element in a direction in which a current flowing in a first direction is blocked and a current flowing in a second direction is passed.

Abstract: A first supporting member which rotatably supports a first rotator, a second supporting member which rotatably supports a second rotator, a bracket which is mounted in the second supporting member distant from the fastening portion of the first supporting member, an urging portion which is disposed between a fastening portion and the bracket, and urges the first rotator and the second rotator so as to be pulled to each other. The bracket is formed with a hooking portion on one end side of the main body portion and a hole where an inserting member can be inserted in an oblique direction from the other end side of the main body portion toward the hooking portion, the second supporting member includes a positioning member which supports the hooking portion of the bracket and regulates movement of the other end side of the bracket on which the urging portion is mounted.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus, which enables, when a plurality of apparatuses respectively having similar functions is used, respective maintenance costs required for the plurality of apparatuses to be reduced, predicts, for at least one of a plurality of parts in the plurality of apparatuses, a job amount that can be processed until the part becomes unable to operate normally, and a job amount to be input to the plurality of apparatuses until next maintenance work is performed, and determines a method for distributing the input job among the plurality of apparatuses based on a prediction result.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller is provided which includes a roller body including a tubular inner layer of an inner layer elastic material containing a softener, and an outer layer of an outer layer elastic material provided on an outer periphery of the inner layer. The outer layer elastic material has a swelling percentage of not higher than 1% as measured when the outer layer elastic material is immersed in the softener at 100° C. for 24 hours. Thus, the semiconductive roller has proper flexibility to be substantially free from imaging failures such as white voids, image density reduction and fogging, and is less liable to cause the contamination of a photoreceptor body and the like and the associated defective image formation which may otherwise occur due to the bleeding of the softener.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer bearer including a magnetic field generator, a developer regulator disposed opposite the developer bearer across a regulation gap, a developer containing compartment disposed below the developer bearer, and a conveying screw disposed in the developer containing compartment and including a shaft having a diameter greater than a radius of the conveying screw. On a cross section perpendicular to an axial direction of the conveying screw, a developer scooping pole of the magnetic field generator to scoop the developer from the developer containing compartment onto the developer bearer is disposed between the regulation gap and a bisector dividing an angle extending from a first line, which connects a center of the developer bearer and a center of the conveying screw, to a second line, which connects the center of the developer bearer and the regulation gap, in a rotation direction of the developer bearer.

Abstract: There is provided a cleaning blade including an elastic member and a supporting member, in which a free end of the elastic member has an edge and a hardened surface constituting the edge. The cleaning blade satisfies a relationship of 0.10?DHs?0.40 and DHs?DHm where DHs (mN/?m2) represents a dynamic hardness of the hardened surface and DHm (mN/?m2) represents a maximum value of a dynamic hardness obtained in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on a straight line that bisect an angle of the edge satisfies 0 ?m<L?200 ?m and in AFM-IR spectrum of the hardened surface, peak intensity ? C?O free (1724 to 1736 cm?1) derived from a urethane group and peak intensity ? C?O bond (1708 to 1720 cm?1) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond has a specific relationship.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a toner-image fixer that fixes an unfixed toner image on a sheet by conveying the sheet while heating and pressing the sheet at a fixing nip; a pressing force changer that changes a pressing force against the sheet at the fixing nip; and a hardware processor that controls the toner-image fixer and the pressing force changer, in which when a conveying speed of the sheet is changed by controlling the toner-image fixer, the hardware processor causes the conveying speed to change in a state in which the pressing force is decreased by controlling the pressing force changer.

Abstract: A fixing device according to an embodiment includes a first rotating body, a pressing unit, and an urging member. The pressing unit includes a belt, a second rotating body, a belt supporting member, and a pushing member. The pushing member includes a pressing region for pressing the belt toward the first rotating body. The pushing member is disposed between the second rotating body and the belt supporting member. The pressing unit is capable of switching a pressing position and a release position. When viewed from the axial direction of the first rotating body, a line connecting the center of the first rotating body and the center of the turning fulcrum passes the pressing region of the pushing member in both of the pressing position and the release position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer member that secondarily transfers a developer image primarily transferred to a intermediate transfer medium, to a recording medium; a charging member that charges residual developer remaining on the intermediate transfer medium after the developer image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium; and a storage portion that stores information on a image bearing member. A bias applied to the charging member is changed based on the information when the residual developer charged by the charging member is collected by being transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the image bearing member.

Abstract: A controller controls first and second switching elements so that, in both of the waveforms of alternating currents flowing through the first and second heating elements, a first period including both of a phase control waveform in which a current flows in a part of a half cycle of alternately current and a wave-number control waveform in which a current flows or does not flow over a half cycle of alternately current and a second period including only the wave-number control waveform alternately appear in a control cycle; when the first heating element operates in the first/second period, the second heating element operates in the second/first period; and both the waveforms of the alternating currents flowing through the first and second heating elements are electrically symmetric in the positive and negative directions during the control cycle.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a leading-end fixing value output part to output a leading-end fixing value indicating a leading-end fixing temperature and a leading-end separation value output part to output a leading-end separation value indicating a leading-end separation temperature. These output parts both output a higher value as a leading-end toner value representing a toner adhesion amount of a toner image in a leading area of a sheet is higher. A controller of the fixing device performs separation control to control a heating temperature by a heating source so that a leading-end set temperature at a fixing nip while the sheet leading area is passing through the fixing nip becomes equal to or higher than the leading-end fixing temperature. When the leading-end fixing value is lower than the leading-end separation value, the leading-end set temperature becomes equal to or higher than the leading-end separation temperature.

Abstract: A charger includes a roller-shaped charging member and a contact width varying device. The charging member is in contact with a surface of an image holding member so as to charge the surface of the image holding member. The contact width varying device varies in an axial direction of the image holding member a contact width of the charging member with the image holding member so as to decrease uneven wear occurring in the axial direction of the image holding member.

Abstract: A process unit includes a photoreceptor drum, a frame and seal members. The photoreceptor drum has drum flanges protruded outwardly from both end surfaces of a substrate. The frame supports the photoreceptor drum rotatably. The seal members are provided between both end surfaces of the photoreceptor drum and the frame, and support the drum flanges. Each of the seal members includes an elastic member and a hard member. The elastic member and the hard member are adhered and laminated with each other in an axial direction of the photoreceptor drum. Furthermore, the hard member is arranged so as to be brought into contact with the photoreceptor drum.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a photoconductive drum and a charging roller facing the photoconductive drum. The charging roller receives a potential bias. A controller performs an electrostatic cleaning operation by alternately applying, to the charging roller, a first bias and a second bias of opposite polarity to the first bias so that contaminants repelled by the first bias and contaminants repelled by the second bias are transferred from the charging roller to the photoconductive drum.

Abstract: A developing cartridge may include: a casing to accommodate developer; a storage medium including an electric contact surface; an elastic member extending in a first direction crossing the electric contact surface, and configured to be compressed or stretched in the first direction between a first state and a second state; and a holder including an outer surface positioned toward a side of the holder in the first direction, the electric contact surface positioned at the outer surface, and movable between first and second positions in the first direction relative to the casing. A length of the elastic member in the first direction is greater in the first state than in the second state. The electric contact surface is in the first position when the elastic member is in the first state, and the electric contact surface is in the second position when the elastic member is in the second state.

Abstract: A developing cartridge may include: a casing configured to accommodate developer therein, the casing extending in the first direction; a coupling rotatable about a first axis extending in the first direction, the coupling being positioned at one side of the casing in the first direction; a detection gear rotatable about a second axis extending in the first direction, the detection gear being positioned at another side of the casing in the first direction; and a storage medium including an electric contact surface, the electric contact surface being positioned at the one side of the casing in the first direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image forming section, an ejected recording medium container, and a sound absorber. The image forming section forms an image on a recording medium and ejects the recording medium from an ejection port. The ejected recording medium container includes an opening at at least one side of the apparatus body and a space facing the ejection port to contain the recording medium ejected from the ejection port. The sound absorber is disposed on the ejected recording medium container.

Abstract: A method for producing a cleaning blade including at least a strip-shaped elastic blade, the method including: (1) a step of producing an elastic blade preform formed of a polyurethane rubber; (2) a step of impregnating at least a part, which is to contact an image bearer, of the elastic blade preform with an ultraviolet-curable composition including a (meth)acrylate compound; (3) a step of immersing the part impregnated of the elastic blade preform in a washing solvent to remove the ultraviolet-curable composition including the (meth)acrylate compound remaining on a surface of the impregnated part; and (4) a step of curing the ultraviolet-curable composition including the (meth)acrylate compound that has impregnated the elastic blade preform to produce an elastic blade.