Abstract: A belt device includes a cleaning unit having a cleaning member that abuts a belt and cleans a front surface of the belt. A tension roller includes a deviation suppression mechanism on one side of and in a width direction of the tension roller. The width direction intersects a transport direction of the belt. The deviation suppression mechanism suppresses deviation of the belt in the width direction by tilting a rotary shaft of the tension roller. The cleaning member has one side in the width direction tiltable that follows tilting of the tension roller. The cleaning unit includes a port, for discharging toner removed from the front surface of the belt, on a downstream side of the cleaning member and in a transport direction of the toner. The downstream side is another side in the width direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a container, a thermal fixing device, and a duct. The image forming device forms an image on a sheet with an image forming substance. The container is separate from the image forming device and stores the image forming substance to be supplied to the image forming device. The thermal fixing device applies heat and pressure to the image forming substance to fix the image on the sheet. The duct guides air to flow upward through a first region between an outer circumference of the image forming device and an outer circumference of the container and a second region adjacent to an outer circumference of the thermal fixing device.

Abstract: A heating device includes a rotator having an internal space, a heater heating the rotator, lubricant applied to the rotator, a rotator support supporting the rotator, and a cover. The rotator support has a first opening communicating with the internal space of the rotator, penetrating through the rotator support, and extending in the longitudinal direction. The cover covers the first opening and has a face facing the first opening and a second opening communicating with the internal space of the rotator and an exterior of the cover. The cover maintains a temperature of the face of the cover at 40° C. or higher.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, a developing member, a contacting member contacting the developing member, and first to third power sources. The first power source generates a first voltage and applies it to the charging member. The second power source generates a second voltage, lower than the first voltage, from the first voltage and applies it to the contacting member. The third power source generates a third voltage, lower than the second voltage, from the second voltage and applies it to the developing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing belt, a pressure rotary body, a nip forming member, a detection unit, and a control unit configured to control a sheet interval to be a first sheet interval and a second sheet interval, wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where time taken for a center position of the fixing belt to move, in the width direction, from a first position to a second position is equal to or less than a threshold, control the sheet interval to be the first sheet interval, and wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where the time taken for the center position of the fixing belt to move, from the first position to the second position is more than the threshold, control the sheet interval to be the second sheet interval.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes heating and pressurizing rotary members, and a speed control unit. In a first mixed job to be executed in a first mode and where a first recording material is to be initially conveyed and a second recording material is to be conveyed subsequent to the first recording material, the speed control unit sets a conveyance speed of the first recording material to a second speed based on acquired grammage information and sets a conveyance speed of the second recording material to a first speed based on the acquired grammage information. In a second mix job to be executed in the second mode and where the second recording material is to be conveyed subsequent to the initially conveyed first recording material, the speed control unit sets the conveyance speed of the first and second recording materials to the first speed based on the acquired grammage information.

Abstract: A fixing rotating member comprising: a base material and an electro-conductive layer on the base material; the electro-conductive layer extending in a circumferential direction of an outer peripheral surface of the base material, the electro-conductive layer comprising silver, an average crystal grain size of crystals of the silver observed in a cross section along a circumferential direction of the electro-conductive layer being 20 to 200 nm, and the electro-conductive layer having a volume resistivity of 1.0×10?8 to 8.0×10?8 ?·m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner cartridge which is attachable to and detachable from a rotary through the opening of the body frame and is movable to an attached position where a discharge opening faces an inlet opening such that a toner storage portion and a developing storage portion communicate with each other via the discharge opening and the inlet opening and a retracted position where the toner cartridge is retracted from the attached position, with respect to a storage frame. In addition, one or more motors (i) move the toner cartridge from the attached position to the retracted position and (ii) rotate the rotary with the toner cartridge about a rotation axis between (ii-1) a developing posture in which a developing roller faces a photosensitive drum and (ii-2) a replacement posture in which detachment of the toner cartridge from the rotary is allowed.

Abstract: A toner container (32) includes a rotatable container body (33). The container body includes an opening portion (33c) and a plurality of projections (33a). The opening portion is on a first end, which is opposite a second end, of the container body in a rotation axis direction. The plurality of projections are each protrude inward and have a slope inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction. The plurality of projections are disposed such that, out of two adjacent projections in the rotation axis direction, one projection closer to the first end of the container body in the rotation axis direction overlaps the other projection closer to the second end of the container body in the rotation axis direction, in an area of the one projection closer to the second end and an area of the other projection closer to the first end in the rotation axis direction.

Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and a fixing unit; a folding processing portion; a pressure-bonding portion; and an input portion capable of selecting a pressure-bonding mode in which a pressure-bonding print prepared by subjecting the recording material to pressure-bonding processing by the folding processing portion and the pressure-bonding portion and capable of selecting a layout of the toner image formed on the recording material. When the pressure-bonding mode is selected, the layout depending on the pressure-bonding mode is selected.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a heater, a pressure rotator, a nip formation pad, and a slide aid sheet. The fixing rotator is rotatable in a rotation direction. The heater heats the fixing rotator. The pressure rotator contacts an outer circumferential face of the fixing rotator. The nip formation pad is inside a loop of the fixing rotator to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The slide aid sheet is on the nip formation pad and faces the fixing rotator. The slide aid sheet includes a carbon fiber extending in a width direction orthogonal to a rotation direction of the fixing rotator.

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: A transfer device includes an intermediate transferor to rotate, primary transfer sections, a tension roller, a first movement mechanism, and a second movement mechanism. Each of the primary transfer sections includes a primary transferor. The tension roller stretches the intermediate transferor. The first movement mechanism causes the tension roller to move and change a position at which the tension roller stretches the intermediate transferor. The second movement mechanism causes the primary transferor of a primary transfer section to move to a contact position at which the primary transferor contacts a latent image bearer and a separation position at which the primary transferor is separated from the latent image bearer. The most-downstream primary transferor is movable between a contact position and a separation position. The first movement mechanism causes the tension roller to move to at least three positions at each of which the tension roller stretches the intermediate transferor.

Abstract: The developing device includes a development container, a developer carrier, and a toner trapping mechanism. The development container includes a first conveyance chamber and a second conveyance chamber placed in parallel juxtaposition and communicated with each other at their longitudinal both end portions, and the development container contains a toner-containing developer to be fed to an image carrier. The toner trapping mechanism includes a duct, an air inlet port, a trapping filter, and a fan. The duct is connected to the second conveyance chamber, and allows air present in the second conveyance chamber to flow therethrough. The development container has an air vent opened in the first conveyance chamber and communicated with outside of the development container.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a heat source, a fixing pad, and a support member. In the support member, a fixture and an upright are integrally formed, and the fixing pad is fixed in a rotation axis direction of the fixing belt. The upright is upright from a side opposite to the fixing pad in a width direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the fixture, and a plurality of connections between the fixture and the upright is provided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable unit, a support unit, a protruding portion, a guide portion, and a pressing portion. The movable unit includes a fixing member and a pressure member, and swings along a width direction of a sheet. The support unit supports the movable unit. The protruding portion is electrically conductive and is provided to protrude from a first unit of one of the movable unit and the support unit toward a second unit of the other. The guide portion is electrically conductive and is formed in the second unit so that the protruding portion can be inserted therein, and guides the protruding portion along the width direction. The pressing portion presses the movable unit in a pressing direction perpendicular to the width direction and along a horizontal plane.

Abstract: A fixing member includes a conductive layer that generates heat when a circulation current in a circumferential direction of the fixing member having a tubular shape is induced. The conductive layer includes segments arranged in a row in a longitudinal direction of the tubular shape and electrically separated from each other. Each segment is formed continuously over an entire circumference of the tubular shape in the circumferential direction. The conductive layer is configured such that a heat generation amount in an end portion of the fixing member in the longitudinal direction is less than a heat generation amount in a central portion of the fixing member in the longitudinal direction when an alternating magnetic field is applied to a whole area of the fixing member in the longitudinal direction in a state where a temperature of the central portion is equal to a temperature of the end portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a drawer unit, and a transfer device a including a belt. When image formation on a recording material is performed, the drawer unit is at a first apparatus main body inner position and the transfer device is at a second apparatus main body inner position. In this drawer unit state, (a) a part of the transfer device is disposed downstream of the drawer unit in a moving direction in which the drawer unit moves from the first inner position to a first apparatus main body outer position, and (b) in a vertical direction, an area where the part of the transfer device is positioned overlaps, at least in part, with an area where the drawer unit is positioned. The transfer device includes a cleaning member to clean the belt and is accommodated in the part of the transfer device.

Abstract: A developing device includes a first rotatable member having a rotation center Q and a second rotatable member having a rotation center R. When a rectilinear line connecting the rotation center Q and an intersection point X is a rectilinear line L4, a rectilinear line connecting the rotation center Q and a magnetic flux density peak position Y is a rectilinear line L5, a rectilinear line connecting the rotation center Q and a magnetic flux density peak position Z is a rectilinear line L6, an acute angle formed between the rectilinear line L4 and the rectilinear line L5 is ? [°], and an acute angle formed between the rectilinear line L4 and the rectilinear line L6 is ? [°], ?>? is satisfied.

Abstract: A heating device includes a first rotating body, a heater, a temperature detection element, and a heater holder. The heater includes a heating element and a substrate on which the heating element is located. The temperature detection element is located on a second surface of the substrate opposite to a first surface of the substrate in a thickness direction of the substrate. The heater holder includes a reservoir portion configured to reserve grease to be supplied to between the first rotating body and the heater in a longitudinal direction of a longer side of the first surface of the substrate. A length of an area in the thickness direction of the reservoir portion overlapping an area where the temperature detection element is located is greater than a length of an area in the thickness direction of the reservoir portion not overlapping the area where the temperature detection element is located.