Abstract: A developing cartridge includes a casing configured to store a developing agent, a developing agent carrying member disposed rotatably in the casing and configured to carry the developing agent, and a layer-thickness regulating member configured to regulate a thickness of a layer of the developing agent. The casing includes an attachment portion to which the layer-thickness regulating member is attached, a receiving portion configured to receive pressing force for pressing the developing agent carrying member toward an image carrying member in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the developing agent carrying member, and a wall portion disposed between the attachment portion and the receiving portion. The receiving portion is disposed to overlap with at least a portion of the attachment portion when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the developing agent carrying member.

Abstract: A guide mechanism for a connecting component guides a second connecting component when connecting a first connecting component and the second connecting component to each other. The guide mechanism includes a guide member and an urging member. The urging member urges the guide member and continues to contract until the second connecting component reaches a connection complete position. The guide member includes rotational shafts, inner guide pieces, and outer guide pieces. The rotational shafts are provided on both sides of the second connecting component. The inner guide pieces are rotated about the rotational shafts from first initial positions to first regulating positions. The outer guide pieces are rotated about the rotational shafts from second initial positions to second regulating positions such that the rotation of the outer guide pieces is coupled with the rotation of the inner guide pieces.

Abstract: A method of operating an imaging device is disclosed. The imaging device is designed to start the imaging process before picking a sheet. During a pick retry, the device waits to start the imaging process until after the sheet is picked successfully. This method improves pick reliability and reduces wasted toner. Other systems and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A second link member 47 has a protruding portion 48 and a first cover 42 has a bumped portion 42a. In an open state of the first cover 42, the protruding portion 48 and the bumped portion 42a abut against each other, thereby restricting the movement of the second link member 47 in a direction in which the display panel 41 is pressed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image formation processor to perform image formation to a recording medium with a primary color toner and a secondary color toner that is different from the primary color toner, a database to store multiple setting values, each of which corresponding a combination of a mode type depending on the primary color toner and the secondary color toner and a media type of the recording medium and being applied to a process of the image formation performed by the image forming processor, a database retriever to retrieve an optimum setting value from the multiple setting values stored in the database according to a specified combination of the mode type and the media type, and an operation setting arranger to perform the image formation based on the optimum setting value acquired from the database retriever.

Abstract: An image forming unit includes an image carrier; a first roller that is in contact with and charges the image carrier; a second roller that is in contact with the first roller and obtains toner from or supplies toner to the first roller; an exposure section that irradiates the charged image carrier with light to form an electrostatic latent image; a development section that develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image; a transfer section that transfers the toner image to a transfer member; a control section that performs control such that the toner moves from the image carrier to the first roller and to the second roller or such that the toner to moves from the second roller to the first roller and to the image carrier; and a collecting member that collects the toner that has moved from the first roller to the image carrier.

Abstract: A fixing device for thermally fixing a developer image transferred onto a recording sheet, includes: a flexible fusing member which is flexibly deformable; a heating element; a nip member disposed in such a manner as to contact with a surface of the flexible fusing member and to allow the flexible fusing member to slide along the nip member; a reflecting plate configured to reflect radiant heat from the heating element in a direction toward the nip member; a backup member configured to nip the flexible fusing member with the nip member to thereby form a nip portion for the recording sheet between the flexible fusing member and the backup member; and a stay configured to support both end portions of the nip member. The reflecting plate has at least one flange portion, and the flange portion is held and supported between the nip member and the stay.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a motor, a first conveyer and a second conveyer to nip and convey a recordable medium, an urging member to urge one of the first and second conveyers toward the other, a cam member driven by a driving force from the motor to change intensities of pressure in a nipping area, a first gear system to transmit the driving force to the first conveyer, a second gear system to transmit the driving force to the cam member, an engaging member being engaged with a cam gear to rotate integrally and being one of a worm gear and a one-way gear, and a swing gear swingable between a first position, in which the swing gear transmits the driving force to the first gear system, and a second position, in which the swing gear transmits the driving force to the second gear system.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a transfer device contacting the image bearer to form a transfer portion, a transfer bias power source, and a controller. A ratio of a time period of application of the opposite-directional bias to a total time period of one cycle of the AC component of the superimposed bias is greater than 50%. A ratio of a value of the DC component of the superimposed bias output within a region ranging from a leading end of the recording medium to a predetermined length to a value of the DC component of the superimposed bias output outside the region is greater than a ratio of a value of the AC component of the superimposed bias output within the region to a value of the AC component of the superimposed bias output outside the region.

Abstract: A container for developer detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus body includes a container body, a discharge member, a resistive member, and a resistance reduction mechanism. The container body contains developer and is rotated when drive is transmitted from the image forming apparatus body. The discharge member supports the container body rotatable relative to the discharge member and has a discharge port through which the developer is discharged. The resistive member is brought into contact with the container body so as to apply resistance to the rotation of the container body. The resistance reduction mechanism changes a contact state between the resistive member and the container body so as to reduce the resistance between the resistive member and the container body when the container is mounted to the image forming apparatus body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a cartridge, a storage medium, a cartridge-side holding device, a body-side holding device, and a reading device. The cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body. Information relating to the cartridge is stored in the storage medium. The cartridge-side holding device is provided in the cartridge and, when the cartridge is in a non-inserted state in which the cartridge is not inserted into the apparatus body, holds the storage medium. The body-side holding device is provided in the apparatus body and, when the cartridge is in an attached state in which the cartridge is disposed at an operation position in the apparatus body, holds the storage medium transferred from the cartridge-side holding device. The reading device reads the information from the storage medium held by the body-side holding device.

Abstract: A developer container according to the invention includes a developer containing unit, a partition member, and a moving restricting member. The developer containing unit has a developer containing chamber for containing an unused developing agent and a waste developer containing chamber for containing a waste developing agent. The partition member partitions the developer containing chamber and the waste developer containing chamber. The moving restricting member permits the partition member moving from a side of the waste developer containing chamber to a side of the developer containing chamber and restricts the partition member moving from the side of the developer containing chamber to the side of the waste developer containing chamber.

Abstract: A multifunction peripheral includes a transfer belt, a first imaging unit, a second imaging unit, a primary transfer roller, a secondary transfer roller, a developing bias application unit, a charging bias application unit, and a control unit. The control unit performs control such that a first developing bias that is applied to a first developing roller by the developing bias application unit and a a second developing bias that is applied to a second developing roller by the developing bias application unit have opposite phases.

Abstract: A sheet humidification apparatus includes a detect sensor that detects a position of a sheet which is being conveyed; a humidifier that changes a humidification amount and humidifies the sheet; and a controller that controls the humidifier such that a first region on a front end side of the sheet in a conveyance direction is humidified with a first humidification amount, and a second region of the sheet other than the first region is humidified with a second humidification amount larger than the first humidification amount in accordance with a position of the sheet detected by the detect sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a driving device, a charging member, a cleaning member, a voltage applying device, a torque detector for detecting the torque of the driving device, a storage for storing a predetermined torque value Tc, and a control portion. The control portion obtains as Ton the torque when the charging voltage is applied to the charging member and obtains as Toff the torque when no charging voltage is applied to the charging member. Let the torque observed when no charging voltage is applied at an early stage of use of the image carrying member be represented by Toff(0), then, when the relations Toff(0)<Toff and Tc<Ton/Toff hold, the control portion determines that the degree of smoothness of the surface of the image carrying member is equal to or higher than a predetermined degree of smoothness.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an optical sensor which includes a light-emitting part and a light-receiving part opposed to the light-emitting part and is configured to detect an amount of waste toner accumulated in a waste toner container, the waste toner being produced with formation of an image and then accommodated in the waste toner container; a detecting section configured to detect a change in an output of the light-receiving part; a shielding member interposed between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part and configured to create, between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part, a light-transmitting environment equivalent to that when the waste toner container is filled with the waste toner; and an adjusting section configured to adjust a light intensity of the light-emitting part when the shielding member is interposed between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a voltage source, a fixing device including a rotatable member, an executing portion for executing an operation in a both side mode, and a setting portion. The setting portion sets a transfer voltage in the operation for a second surface so that an absolute value of the transfer voltage when a recording material region, which starts from a most downstream end position and which passed through a fixing portion through a first one full circumference of the rotatable member when the toner image is fixed on a first surface passes through the transfer portion, is greater than an absolute value of the transfer voltage when a recording material region passed through the fixing portion through a second one full circumference of the rotatable member when the toner image is fixed on the first surface passes through the transfer portion.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus with which, in selecting one of plural processing image areas in one image, even an inexpensive display unit will not lower the convenience. An information processing part of image forming apparatus includes a division number questioning part, answer receiving part, image dividing part, key highlighting part, processing image selection part, and reporting display part. Division number questioning part makes a question about a required image division number. Answer receiving part receives an answer. Image dividing part displays image, dividing it into plural processing image areas by the required image division number answered. Key highlighting part highlights keys corresponding to processing image areas. Processing image selection part selects processing image area corresponding to a key operated, as processing object.

Abstract: A developing device includes a storing unit that stores an electrostatic charge image developing toner, and a developer holding member that is provided to have a gap with an image holding member and holds the toner on a surface, wherein the developing device develops an electrostatic charge image formed on a surface of the image holding member by the toner on the developer holding member through a non-contact development to form a toner image, and wherein the toner has a sea and island structure of a sea portion containing a binder resin and an island portion containing a release agent, a maximum frequent value in distribution of the eccentricity B of the island portion is from 0.75 to 0.95, and a skewness in the distribution of the eccentricity B is from ?1.10 to ?0.50, and the eccentricity B is defined in the specification.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a developing roller; a first frame; and a second frame. The first frame includes: a first melt-bonding surface extending in a first direction; and a second melt-bonding surface positioned closer to the developing roller than the first melt-bonding surface. The second melt-bonding surface forms an obtuse angle with the first melt-bonding surface. The second frame is melt-bonded to the first frame. The second frame includes: a first wall having a third melt-bonding surface melt-bonded to the first melt-bonding surface and extending in parallel to the first melt-bonding surface; a second wall having a fourth melt-bonding surface melt-boned to the second melt-bonding surface and extending in parallel to the second melt-bonding surface; and a protruding portion having a surface intersecting the fourth melt-bonding surface and protruding in the first direction from the second wall toward the developing roller.