Abstract: A process cartridge includes a photosensitive member unit with a photosensitive drum, a developing unit detachably mounted on the photosensitive member, and a toner cartridge detachably mounted on the developing unit. The toner cartridge has a holder including a protruding portion on an end side thereof, and the developing unit is provided with a rotatable lift member on an end side thereof. In a mounted state in which the toner cartridge is mounted on the developing unit, the toner cartridge is maintained in the mounted state by engaging of a first portion of the lift member with the protruding portion, and the toner cartridge is transited from the mounted state to a lifted state in which the toner cartridge is rotated upward by contacting of a second portion of the lift member to the protruding portion with rotation of the lift member.

Abstract: A developer supply container is detachably mountable to a developer receiving apparatus, the developer receiving apparatus including a developer receiving portion provided with a receiving port for receiving a developer and including a portion-to-be-engaged of displacing integrally with the developer receiving portion. The developer supply container includes a discharging portion provided with a shutter opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, and an engaging portion. The engaging portion engages with the portion-to-be-engaged with a mounting operation of the developer supply container to displace the developer receiving portion so as to bring the receiving opening into fluid communication with the shutter opening. The engaging portion includes a curved portion having an angle relative to a mounting direction of the developer supply container, the angle decreasing with approach toward an upstream side in the mounting direction.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cleaning device including: an elastic plate-shaped cleaning unit that has a tip portion disposed in contact with a surface of an object-to-be-cleaned which moves in a predetermined direction, is provided to be inclined in a direction facing a moving direction of the object-to-be-cleaned, and cleans hot-melt powder remaining on the object-to-be-cleaned; a facing unit that is disposed in contact with a back surface side of the object-to-be-cleaned and is provided to face the cleaning unit across the object-to-be-cleaned; and a heating unit that heats a contact portion of the cleaning unit to a temperature lower than a softening point of the powder by heating the facing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a control section, and a temperature detecting device. The developing device includes a developer carrying member having an outer circumferential surface on which a toner layer is formed, and a regulation blade that regulates a thickness of the toner layer. The control section executes speed reduction control to reduce a rotation speed of the developer carrying member at a time of warming-up. When a printing operation to be performed after the warming-up is intermittent printing and an interval of the intermittent printing is not less than a prescribed time or a temperature detected by the temperature detecting device is not more than a prescribed temperature, the control section reduces the rotation speed of the developer carrying member in the speed reduction control to a second speed lower than the first speed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided, including a housing; a drum cartridge; a developing cartridge; a drawer movable between an inner position and an outer position; and a lock member provided on the drawer and movable between a lock position at which the lock member locks the drum cartridge to the drawer, and a release position at which a lock between the drum cartridge and the drawer is released. The lock member includes an operation portion for moving the lock member between the lock position and the release position. The developing cartridge includes a cover member that covers at least a portion of the operation portion in a state in which the drum cartridge is mounted to the drawer, and the developing cartridge is mounted to the drum cartridge.

Abstract: Provided is a waste toner container including a housing having a first reservoir and a second reservoir, a light sensor including a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and a light guide member to connect the light emitting portion with the light receiving portion. The light guide member includes a first detection portion and a second detection portion each including a pair of optical surfaces that are apart from each other, and the first and second detection portions are provided in the first and second reservoirs, respectively.

Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade including an elastic blade having a strip shape, and a supporting member supporting the elastic blade. The cleaning blade is configured to bring a leading end ridgeline portion of the elastic blade into contact with a cleaning target member that is moving, and remove a residual matter from a surface of the cleaning target member. At least a surface layer portion of the elastic blade including the leading end ridgeline portion is formed of a rubber having a hysteresis loss ratio of 15% or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photoreceptor that has an outermost surface layer containing fluorine-containing resin particles, a charge transport material, and a binder resin, in which the number of carboxy groups contained in the fluorine-containing resin particles is 0 or greater and 30 or less per 106 carbon atoms, and the outermost surface layer has a tan ? of 0.025 or greater and 0.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a cylindrical fixing member, a heater arranged in an inner space of the fixing member, a pressing member to contact the fixing member and a conductive member disposed so as to contact an inner surface of the fixing member and to conduct the fixing member to a circuit for controlling a potential of the fixing member The fixing member heats an image on a recording material to fix the image onto the recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material between the fixing member and the pressing member. The conductive member is formed of metal wire.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a rotatable fixing member, a rotatable pressurizing member, a heating portion, and a circuit portion including a contact member and configured to remove electric charge from the fixing member, the contact member being in contact with the fixing member. A surface layer of the pressurizing member is electrically connected to the circuit portion via a surface layer of the fixing member. In a case where a surface resistivity of the surface layer of the pressurizing member is represented by X (?/?) and a surface resistivity of the surface layer of the fixing member is represented by Y (?/?), 4.0?log X?13.0, 5.0?log Y?14.0, log Y?13.0?log X, and log Y?23.0?log X are satisfied.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body including an opening portion, and an opening-and-closing member, a process unit detachably attached to and supported by the apparatus body, the process unit including an image bearing member, a toner storage portion, and a supply portion, a sheet supporting portion, and a rotary feeding member. When viewed in a gravity direction, the supply portion is disposed on a same side as a side on which the sheet supporting portion is disposed with respect to the image bearing member, and the opening portion is disposed on a side opposite to the side on which the sheet supporting portion is disposed with respect to the image bearing member. In a case where the opening-and-closing member is positioned at an opening position, the process unit is configured to be attached to and detached from the apparatus body through the opening portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion, a second image forming portion, a power source portion, and a controller. The power source portion is constituted so that when the power source portion applies a charging voltage to a first charging member of the first image forming portion, the charging voltage is also applied to a second charging member of the second image forming portion. The controller carries out control so that an emitted light quantity of a light emitting element is changed from a first light quantity to a second light quantity larger than the first light quantity and is changed from the second light quantity to a third light quantity larger than the second light quantity.

Abstract: A toner container according to one example embodiment includes a plurality of electrical contacts for contacting corresponding electrical contacts in an image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device. The electrical contacts of the toner container are accessible from below at the bottom of the body by the corresponding electrical contacts in the image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device. The electrical contacts of the toner container are spaced from each other along a horizontal dimension that is orthogonal to a vertical dimension of the toner container. A nominal position of the horizontal dimension along which the electrical contacts are spaced from each other is angled relative to a front-to-rear dimension of the toner container and a side-to-side dimension of the toner container.

Abstract: A drum cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main frame of an image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; and a drum contact. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about a drum axis extending in a first direction. A toner cartridge including a storage medium having an electrical contact surface is attachable to and detachable from the drum frame. In a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the drum frame, the drum contact is movable in the first direction between: a separated position in which the drum contact is positioned away from the electrical contact surface; and a contacting position in which the drum contact is in contact with the electrical contact surface. The drum contact moves from the separated position to the contacting position in accordance with attachment of the drum cartridge to the main frame.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including a detachable unit having a rotator with a driven shaft coupling and a drive unit having a drive shaft coupling to engage with the driven shaft coupling and providing a force to the rotator via the drive shaft coupling. The driven shaft coupling includes spiral first and second receiving surfaces. The drive side shaft coupling includes a spiral first transmitting surface, which contacts the first receiving surface and provides a rotational force in a first rotational direction to the driven shaft coupling, and a spiral second transmitting surface, which contacts the second receiving surface and provides a force in the second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction to the driven shaft coupling when the drive shaft coupling rotates in the second rotating direction. The second transmitting and receiving surfaces are rougher than the first transmitting and receiving surfaces.

Abstract: A sheet laminator includes a fuser pressure member, a conveyor, and a guide. The fuser pressure member thermally fixes a two-ply sheet and a sheet medium inserted between two sheets of the two-ply sheet. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet toward the fuser pressure member in a sheet conveyance direction. The guide guides the two-ply sheet in a sheet conveyance passage between the conveyor and the fuser pressure member. At least one of the fuser pressure member or the conveyor is operable to guide the two-ply sheet outside the sheet conveyance passage in response to an occurrence of an abnormal stop of the sheet laminator.

Abstract: An exposure head includes a first light emitting board group, a first lens array, a second light emitting board group, and a second lens array. The first light emitting board group is disposing a plurality of first light emitting boards each including a plurality of first light emitting elements disposed side by side in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The plurality of first light emitting boards are disposed along the second direction and alternately in the first direction. The first lens array condenses light emitted from the plurality of first light emitting elements disposed on the first light emitting board group onto the surface of the image bearing member. The second light emitting board group is disposed in a manner separated with respect to the first light emitting board group in the first direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes at least one processor that is configured to generate second image data corresponding to each of a plurality of light emitting elements based on first image data, the second image data indicating whether to cause each of the plurality of light emitting elements to emit light, and based on correction information, change the first image data indicating that the light emitting elements are to emit light to the second image data indicating that the light emitting elements are not to emit light. A circuit unit is configured to supply a current to each of the plurality of light emitting elements based on the second image data.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus forming an image on a sheet conveyed in a sheet conveyance direction includes a frame including a first side plate and a second side plate disposed in parallel in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, an intake unit disposed on an outer side of the frame in the width direction and configured to draw air into an interior of the frame, an exhaust unit disposed between the first side plate and the second side plate and configured to discharge air outside of the frame, and a cooling object unit disposed on a path of the air which is drawn into the interior of the frame by the intake unit and moves toward the exhaust unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photoreceptor that includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer disposed on the conductive substrate, and does not contain lubricant particles in a region of 30% from a surface of an outermost surface layer with respect to a film thickness of the outermost surface layer or contains 5% by mass or less of the lubricant particles with respect to an entirety of the region, a charging device that charges a surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor, an electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the charged surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor, a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor with a developer containing an electrostatic charge image developing toner to form a toner image, a transfer device that transfers the toner image to a surface of a recording medium, and a cleaning device that has a c