Abstract: A ventilation structure includes a duct unit between a heat generating structure and a heat insulating structure. The ventilation structure includes a heat generating structure side flow channel formed on the heat generating structure side in the duct unit to take in and let fresh air flow along a long side of the duct unit and a heat insulating structure side flow channel formed on the heat insulating structure side in the duct unit to exhaust air outputted from an exhaust system provided in the heat generating structure by letting the air flow and evacuate along the short side of the duct unit.

Abstract: A destaticizing device includes: a first destaticizing member that is disposed at a downstream side in a conveyance direction of a medium relatively to a transfer area where an image held in a surface of an image holder is transferred to the medium, the first destaticizing member being grounded and destaticizing the medium; and a second destaticizing member that is disposed adjacent to the first destaticizing member with respect to the conveyance direction of the medium, the second destaticizing member being grounded and destaticizing the medium.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing member, a toner supplying member, and a carrier recovering member configured to recover magnetic carrier particles from the toner supplying member. An outer surface of the toner supplying member includes a plurality of protrusion portions with a regular interval between adjacent protrusion portions. The regular interval is equal to or larger than a particle diameter of a toner particle having an average particle diameter from among the particle diameters of the toner particles and smaller than a carrier particle diameter of a magnetic carrier particle having an average particle diameter from among the particle diameters of the magnetic carrier particles. The protrusion portions protrude from the remainder of the outer surface of the toner supplying member with a height that is smaller than the average particle diameter of the toner particles.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a toner cartridge, a toner recovery container, a toner cartridge inserting section and a toner recovery container inserting section. The toner cartridge houses the toner to be supplied to a photoconductor. The toner recovery container houses the toner recovered from the photoconductor at least. The toner cartridge inserting section is used to insert the toner cartridge detachably. The toner recovery container inserting section is used to insert the toner recovery container detachably. The toner recovery container is detachably inserted into the toner cartridge inserting section to supply the toner in the toner recovery container to the photoconductor.

Abstract: A developing roller is provided, which is capable of controlling a solid black density and a dot density at higher levels than currently available levels. An image forming apparatus employing the developing roller is also provided. The developing roller (1) includes a tubular base layer (4) of an elastic material, and a surface layer (6) of an elastic material provided on an outer peripheral surface (5) of the base layer (4), wherein the thickness d1 (mm) of the surface layer, the roller resistance R? (log ? as measured with an application voltage of 10 V) of the base layer, and the roller resistance R (log ? as measured with an application voltage of 100 V) of a stack including the base layer and the surface layer satisfy the following expressions (1) to (3): 1.0?R?R???(1) 0.1?d1?2??(2) 7.5?R?8.5??(3) The image forming apparatus incorporates the developing roller.

Abstract: A developing device configured to develop an electrostatic image includes a developing member and a carrier recovering member. An outer surface of the developing member includes a plurality of protrusion portions which extend in a direction intersecting a toner particle carrying direction and are aligned with a regular interval between adjacent protrusion portions. The regular interval is equal to or larger than a particle diameter of a toner particle having an average particle diameter from among the toner particles and smaller than a carrier particle diameter of a magnetic carrier particle having an average particle diameter from among the magnetic carrier particles. The protrusion portions protrude from the outer surface of the developing member with a height that is smaller than the average particle diameter of the toner particles, and the developing member contacts with the image bearing member at a developing portion.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus for controlling temperature of a fixing section based on a color material amount obtained from image data, it is determined whether the image data is a specific image, and the temperature of the fixing section is controlled so that the temperature of the fixing section becomes a predetermined temperature without using the color material amount obtained from the image data in a case where it is determined that the image data is a specific image as a determination result.

Abstract: A contact member is fitted in a cylindrical body that is substantially cylindrical and configurates an image carrier, and is supported by the cylindrical body while being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body at contact portions provided in three areas in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. All angles formed by two of straight lines passing through the contact portions and an axial center of the cylindrical body are more than about 90 degrees in a state in which the contact member is supported within the cylindrical body, when viewed from an axial direction of the cylindrical body.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus (1) including: external cover (63) covering outer side of side wall of housing (60) storing image forming portion (20), and having exhaust outlet (63f); equipment storage space (5) formed between side wall (62a) of housing (60) and external cover (63); opening (62f) formed in side wall (62a) and allowing inside of housing (60) to communicate with equipment storage space (S); exhaust fan (100) disposed in equipment storage space (S) and taking in air from housing (60) via opening (62f) and exhausting air from exhaust outlet (63f); heat generating equipment (70) disposed in equipment storage space (S); and duct (90) connecting air outlet (101b) of exhaust fan (100) and exhaust outlet (63f). Communicating portion (97), which allows inside and outside of duct (90) to communicate with each other, is formed in wall of duct (90) located on heat generating equipment (70) side.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a first power state and a second power state in which power consumption is lower than in the first power state includes a detection unit configured to detect an object present in a vicinity of the image forming apparatus, an receiving unit configured to receive a user's operation, a control unit configured to, if the object is detected by the detection unit or if the receiving unit receives the user's operation, shift the image forming apparatus from the second power state to the first power state, and a display unit configured to, if the image forming apparatus is shifted from the second power state to the first power state in response to receipt of the user's operation by the receiving unit, display information indicating that there is dust adhering to the detection unit.

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 an image carrier, a transfer unit, and a control unit. The image carrier has a surface to bear a toner image thereon. The transfer unit has a transfer member to transfer the toner image onto a recording sheet conveyed in a conveyance direction for trailing-end borderless image formation and duplex image formation. The transfer unit is configured to form the toner image on the recording sheet without forming a margin at a trailing end of the recording sheet in the conveyance sheet in the trailing-end borderless image formation. The transfer unit is configured to form the toner image on front and back faces of the recording sheet in the duplex image formation. When a width of the toner image formed in a borderless image area of the recording sheet in the trailing-end borderless image formation is smaller in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction than a threshold value, the control unit permits the duplex image formation.

Abstract: A fixing roller that may include: a rotary shaft; an elastic layer that is provided at the circumference of the rotary shaft, and a surface layer that covers the circumference of the elastic layer and includes creases, wherein the creases are provided at both axial end portions of the surface layer, and a portion of the surface layer between the axial end portions thereof is smoother than the axial end portions.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a toner-conveying roller that has high toner-conveying property and in which a roller-shape thereof is less likely to be transferred to the image, a mold capable of manufacturing said roller, and a method of manufacturing said mold. The toner-conveying roller according to the present invention has a shaft body and a urethane foam layer formed around the shaft body, and recesses and protrusions are irregularly formed on a circumference surface of the urethane foam layer. The mold for manufacturing the roller according to the present invention has recesses and protrusions irregularly formed on the inner surface of a mold for manufacturing the roller.

Abstract: A developing device includes a case, an agitating member, a moving mechanism and a detecting device. The case contains a developer inside. The agitating member is rotated in the case to agitate the developer while conveying the developer in a rotation axis direction. The moving mechanism reciprocates the agitating member in the rotation axis direction in accordance with the rotation of the agitating member. The detecting device detects a developer amount contained in the case.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a first abnormality detection portion detects an abnormality in a fixing portion based on a change rate of a temperature detected by a temperature detecting portion and a first reference change rate that is set in advance. A first temperature control portion performs a temperature control of a heat source by a first feedback control method based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting portion. A second temperature control portion performs a temperature control of the heat source by a second feedback control method based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting portion, the second feedback control method being smaller in temperature change rate than the first feedback control method. A detection prohibiting portion prohibits the abnormality detection by the first abnormality detection portion during the temperature control performed by the second temperature control portion.

Abstract: A developing device includes a housing, a development roller, and a roller gear. The roller gear is disposed at one axial end of the development roller and transmits a rotational drive force to the development roller. The development roller includes a sleeve and a coating layer. The coating layer is formed by dipping the sleeve in a dipping bath with the sleeve directed axially vertically. The development roller is mounted to the housing such that a lower axial end of the development roller at the time of the dipping is an opposite axial end to the one axial end at which the roller gear is disposed.

Abstract: Provided is a fixing member including an annular base material, and an innermost layer that is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the annular base material, the innermost layer including heat-resistant fibers.

Abstract: A fixing device may include a first fixing member, and a second fixing member, and may be configured to heat-fix a developer image on a recording sheet at a fixing nip formed between the first fixing member and the second fixing member. The fixing device may further include a charge-removing member arranged upstream of the fixing nip in a conveyance direction of the recording sheet and in a vicinity of a conveyance path of the recording sheet conveyed towards the fixing nip, and including a main body part and an end edge positioned at an edge of the main body part, and an insulating member arranged between the conveyance path and at least the entire end edge of the charge-removing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first photosensitive member and a second photosensitive member that form images having different colors, a transfer belt that transfers the images formed on the first photosensitive member and the second photosensitive member onto a recording sheet, a first motor that rotatingly drives the first photosensitive member and the transfer belt, and a second motor that rotatingly drives the second photosensitive member. After the startup process of the first and second motors has been completed, the rotation speed of the second motor is controlled while maintaining the rotation speed of the first motor unchanged so that the second rotation phase of the second photosensitive member rotatingly driven by the second motor is the same as the first rotation phase of the first photosensitive member rotatingly driven by the first motor.