Abstract: A fixing device includes: first and second heaters; a frame; and first and second terminals. The frame includes first and second fixing surfaces. The first terminal is electrically-connected to the first heater and includes: a first plate-shaped portion including a first fixed portion fixed to the first fixing surface. The second terminal is electrically-connected to the second heater and includes: a second plate-shaped portion including a second fixed portion fixed to the second fixing surface; and a first electrical connection portion electrically-connected to a power source and including: a first intermediate portion bent from the second plate-shaped portion and extending in a first direction connecting the second fixed portion and the second fixing surface; and a first tip portion. The first intermediate portion has: a first end connected to the second plate-shaped portion; and a second end from which the first tip portion extends along the first plate-shaped portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cooling mechanism used for cooling, as a cooled object, either of a unit and a component forming the image forming apparatus. This cooling mechanism includes: a sub frame, a fan-attached part and a duct semi-completed part. The fan-attached part is formed on the frame in a manner such as to permit fan attachment thereto. The duct semi-completed part is provided on the frame for forming a duct introducing, to the cooled object, cooling wind generated by the fan attached to the fan-attached part, and has one non-formed wall part. Further, a circuit board can be attached to a portion of the non-formed wall part of the duct semi-completed part, and the duct is formed by the attached circuit board and the duct semi-completed part.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator to fix an image on a recording medium, a pressure rotator to press against an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator, a nip formation pad disposed inside the fixing rotator and opposite the pressure rotator to form an area of contact between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, and a slide member disposed between the fixing rotator and the nip formation pad and applied with lubricant to slide the fixing rotator in a sliding direction. The slide member includes first strands disposed parallel to the sliding direction and second strands disposed perpendicular to the sliding direction and interwoven with the first strands. The first strands are woven over the second strands longer than the second strands woven over the first strands.

Abstract: A feeding device for feeding a developer includes a cleaning member, an accommodating portion, a feeding member, and a sheet member. A wall surface of the accommodating portion is positioned in a side where the sheet member is provided with respect to a rectilinear line connecting a rotation center of the image bearing member and a rotation center of the feeding member in a flat plane perpendicular to an axial direction of the image bearing member. The wall surface approaches the rectilinear line with an increasing level with respect to a vertical direction. The feeding member is provided vertically above a position where the cleaning member contacts the image bearing member. A rotational direction of the feeding member and a rotational direction of the image bearing member are the same.

Abstract: A developer container includes a developer containing portion capable of containing a developer, a discharge port through which the developer contained in the developer containing portion is discharged, and a storing portion configured to store the developer to be discharged through the discharge port. The storing portion is in fluid communication with an inside of the developer containing portion and the discharge port. In addition, a displacement portion is provided in the storing portion and arranged to be displaceable, and includes a displaceable shaft portion configured to extend along the storing portion and a coil spring which biases the displaceable shaft portion. A rotatable member is provided above the storing portion and has first and second portions arranged in a rotational direction of the rotatable member, the first portion being contactable to a part of the shaft portion and the second portion not being contactable to the shaft portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is configured to change one of the expected adjustment timing and the expected switching timing so as to be matched with the other, to determine a timing for predetermined adjustment and switching of print modes.

Abstract: Provided is an image formation system of series tandem type in which first and second image formation apparatuses connected in series execute an image formation process on a recording material, wherein the first image formation apparatus includes: a first image carrier; a first toner image formation unit; a first density detection unit; a first density control value setting unit; and a first temperature detection unit, the second image formation apparatus includes: a second image carrier; a second toner image formation unit; a second density detection unit; a second density control value setting unit; and a second temperature detection unit, and the image formation system includes: a recording material density detection unit; and a control unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor, a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a lubricant supply unit, a cleaning unit and a lubricant removal unit. The lubricant supply unit supplies a lubricant to a surface of the photoreceptor and is disposed at a point which is an upstream side of the cleaning unit and a downstream side of the developing unit in a rotation direction of the photoreceptor. The lubricant removal unit removes the lubricant from the surface of the photoreceptor and is disposed at a point which is the downstream side of the cleaning unit and the upstream side of the developing unit in the rotation direction of the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a development unit configured to develop, using a developer, the electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier and form a developer image in a region where the image carrier faces the development unit; a supply unit configured to output a supply bias, supply the developer to the development unit, and collect the developer from the development unit; a reception unit configured to receive image data; an analysis unit configured to analyze a non-image region where the developer image is not formed from the image data; and a control unit configured to control the supply bias in accordance with a length of the non-image region where the developer image is not formed in a rotation direction of the image carrier.

Abstract: A developing unit includes a developer bearing member that rotates and bears a developer including a toner and a carrier. A controller switches between a first mode and a second mode based on information which influences a toner charging amount. In the first mode, the developer bearing member rotates during a predetermined operation period from a command of an image forming operation until start of forming the electrostatic latent image. Meanwhile, in the second mode, a total number of rotations of the developer bearing member during the predetermined operation period is smaller than that in the first mode.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developer carrier; and a receiving member. The casing includes a support portion. The receiving member receives a drive force from an external drive source to transmit the drive force to the developer carrier. The receiving member has a cylindrical configuration. The support portion rotatably supports the receiving member. The receiving member includes: a receiving portion; a transmission portion; and a fitting portion. The receiving portion has an outer edge in a radial direction of the receiving member. The transmission portion defines an outer circumferential edge of the receiving member. The fitting portion is positioned inward of the transmission portion in the radial direction and fitted with the support portion. The outer edge of the receiving portion is positioned inward of the transmission portion in the radial direction and outward of the fitting portion in the radial direction.

Abstract: A printing system includes a printing control apparatus and a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives data transmitted from the printing control apparatus, and a power source control unit that causes the printing apparatus to enter a first power saving state or a second power saving state. The printing control apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires a power state of the printing apparatus, and a control unit that causes the printing control apparatus to enter an OFF state in a case where a acquired power state is the first power saving state, and causes the printing control apparatus to enter a power saving state where a wake-up packet for recovering the printing apparatus from the second power saving state can be transmitted in a case where the acquired power state is the second power saving state.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a heating rotating member, a nip portion forming member, and a pressure member which, together with a first surface of the nip portion forming member, sandwiches the heating rotating member to form a nip portion. A plurality of grooves is provided on the first surface of the nip portion forming member, so that a size of an area in which the first surface of the nip portion forming member is in contact with the heating rotating member in an upstream area of the nip portion is less than a size of the area in a downstream area of the nip portion with respect to a center of the nip portion in a rotation direction of the heating rotating member. In addition, each groove of the plurality of grooves extends in a direction crossing the rotation direction of the heating rotating member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a conveying portion configured to convey a continuous recording medium in a first conveying direction or in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction; an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on the continuous recording medium at a transfer nip; a fixing portion provided on a lower stream side of the image forming portion in the first conveying direction and configured to heat and fix the toner image formed on the continuous recording medium, at a fixing nip; a retaining portion provided between the transfer nip and the fixing nip in the first conveying direction and configured to retain a part of the continuous recording medium; and a control portion configured to control the conveying portion to convey a passed portion that has passed through the fixing nip and control the retaining portion to retain the passed portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediary transfer member, a toner image forming unit, a rotatable transfer member, a cleaning unit, a feeding unit, a feeding portion and an executing portion configured to execute a supplying operation for supplying a supplying toner image to a cleaning portion. The executing portion forms the supplying toner image at a position including a position different from a position where an adjusting toner image for adjusting an image forming condition is formed, with respect to a widthwise direction crossing a movement direction of an intermediary transfer member provided in contact with the rotatable transfer member. The executing portion performs the supplying operation at least one time in a double-sided image forming job and does not perform the supplying operation in a single-sided image forming job.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a driving assembly. The driving assembly is configured to be arranged on one end of a developing cartridge, the driving assembly comprises a connector configured to engage with a driving head of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The connector comprises a sleeve, a guide rod, and at least one engaging claw. The sleeve has a protrusion portion at its distal end relative to the developing cartridge, the protrusion portion axially projects outwards and has a limiting groove with an outwards opening; the engaging claw is hinged at the second end of the guide rod; when the driving assembly rotates upon receiving driving forces, a side surface of the limiting groove contacts a side surface of the engaging claw. A developing cartridge comprising the driving assembly is also provided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which, to the extent possible, prevents an operation for protecting a printer engine from being uncompleted before power to the printer engine is shut down due to cancellation of a process that should be carried out by the printer engine. When a predetermined time period has elapsed since an instruction to reduce power consumption was detected, power to the printer engine is shut down. When the instruction is detected, a canceling instruction for canceling the process that should be carried out by the printer engine is issued to the printer engine. Responsive to this, a cancellation process for the process is started, and an engine protecting instruction for protecting the printer engine without waiting for completion of the cancellation process is issued to the printer engine. After the operation for protecting the printer engine is carried out, power to the printer engine is shut down.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a correction unit correcting image data based on a correction condition; an image forming unit forming an image based on the corrected image data; a transfer unit transferring the image onto a sheet; a measuring unit measuring a measuring image on an image bearing member; a converting unit converting a measurement result of the measuring image, based on a conversion condition; a first generating unit generating the correction condition based on the converted measurement result; an acquiring unit acquiring a measurement result of a test image formed on the image bearing member; a controller forming a test image on the sheet; a receiving unit receiving instruction from a user comparison of a sample image and the test image transferred on the sheet; and a second generating unit generating the conversion condition, based on the instruction and the acquired measurement result of the test image.

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: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiation of the photoconductor with light, a charger, a developing device, a transfer device, a charge removal execution determiner, and a power supply controller. The charger receives a superimposed voltage of a DC voltage and an AC voltage to charge the photoconductor. The developing device develops the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor into a toner image. The transfer device transfers the developed toner image to a recording medium. The charge removal execution determiner issues a charge removal command when a flow of electric charge from the transfer device into the photoconductor has occurred in an image forming outputting operation. The power supply controller applies only the AC voltage to the charger for a predetermined period in a state in which the photoconductor is rotated, when the charge removal command is issued.