Abstract: A low-cost non-contact type charging device having excellent uniform charging performance and long stable charging characteristic includes an insulating support body having an insulating surface, first electrodes, to which a first voltage is applied, and second electrodes, to which a second voltage is applied. The first electrodes and the second electrodes, isolated from each other, are alternately formed, in non-parallel to a relative moving direction between a charging member and a charged body. Further, the first electrodes and the second electrodes are provided at respective positions in a width in the relative moving direction of the charging member, and moved close to the charged body in a non-contact state.

Abstract: A container for storing a supply of particles for use in a developer unit of an electrophotographic printing machine is provided. The container is fittable to an adapter having an adaptor feature therewith. The adaptor is associated with the developer unit. The container includes a body defining a chamber for storing particles therein. The body defines an aperture in the periphery of the body. The container also includes a cover for use in covering the aperture and a securing feature. The securing feature is associated with the cover. The securing feature cooperates with the adapter feature on the adapter to radially secure the cover with respect to the adaptor.

Abstract: A container for storing a supply of particles for use in a developer unit of an electrophotographic printing machine is provided. The container is fittable to an adapter associated with the developer unit. The container includes a body and a cover. The body defines a chamber for storing particles therein. The body further defines an aperture in the periphery thereof. The cover is for use in covering the aperture. The container also includes a latching member having a latched position wherein said cover is fixedly positioned with respect to said body. The latching member also has an unlatched position wherein the cover is movable with respect to the body. The latching member is moved from the latched position to the unlatched position as the container is fitted into the adapter.

Abstract: A method is provided for copying in which a duplex copy can be smoothly made. In making N sets of double-sided copies of M one-sided documents, a method of copying includes a first document circulating step of copying images of even ordinal numbered documents on unused sheets and then stores these sheets into an intermediate tray. The second document circulating step of copying images of odd ordinal numbered documents on rear faces of one-side copied sheets forming double-sided copied sheets which are discharged. A cycle detecting solenoid for separating each circulation of the one-sided documents is provided and breakdown judging step of judging by a controlling device that a cycle detection sensor is out of order in the case where the cycle detecting solenoid is operated and a polarity of the cycle detection sensor is not changed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a color image forming apparatus in which a plurality of developed images superposed one upon the other are transferred onto a recording medium. The transfer capability of the developing agent is improved by using a first developing agent containing a additive having a small average particle diameter, followed by using a second developing agent containing a second additive having a large average particle diameter larger. Alternatively, a first developing agent containing a first toner having a small roundness is used first, followed by using a second developing agent containing a second toner having a large roundness. Still alternatively, a first developing agent containing a small amount of a first additive is used first, followed by using a second developing agent containing a large amount of a second additive.

Abstract: A method of supplying toner for refilling a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus of electrophotographic recording system without contaminating the hands of the operator and the image forming apparatus. A process cartridge for an image forming apparatus in which supply toner is supplied to the toner supply section from the outer section, is provided with a toner supply section for supplying toner to a development unit. The process cartridge is provided with a supply toner container made up of material capable of being cut and for containing supply toner, a supply toner container accommodating section for receiving the supply toner container, an edge body for cutting the container, a male screw member for pushing the container so as to be cut, and an engaging member for blocking the passage of cut chips.

Abstract: A silencer including a hollow tube having, in the free state a predetermined inside diameter, the tube including a tube wall having a substantially uniform thickness, an interior surface, a hard exterior surface at least one groove extending axially of the tube, the groove having a depth that is less than the thickness of the tube wall and a slot in the wall extending axially of the tube, and at least one partially compressed high density polymeric open cell foam plug in the interior of the hollow tube, the plug having in the uncompressed state a substantially circular cross section in at least one plane, the circular cross section of the plug having an outside diameter sufficient to increase the inside diameter of the hollow tube to a diameter at least about 5 percent greater than the predetermined inside diameter of the hollow tube in the free state.

Abstract: A toner fuser belt for use with electrophotographic apparatus including a thermally conductive substrate through which heat is applied; and a toner release layer formed over the substrate; and including an aliphatic cross-linked polyurethane which is stable at fusing temperatures and wherein the aliphatic cross-linked polyurethane is selected to provide good adhesion to the substrate, inorganic material selected to increase toner fuser belt durability and being in an amount 20 to 60 percent by volume of the toner release layer, and a lubricant which reduces surface energy to thereby promote toner release of the toner release layer.

Abstract: A device including a plurality of image-formation units stacked one over another, and a photosensitive body, provided in each of the image-formation units, which has an electrostatic image formed thereon. Also included is a development unit, provided in each of the image-formation units, which develops the electrostatic latent image with a liquid development agent to create a development-agent image on the photosensitive body. In addition, a sheet-conveyer/transfer unit is included which transfers the development-agent image formed by the image-formation units onto a sheet conveyed by the sheet-conveyed transfer unit.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for enhancing toner charge level in a hybrid scavengeless development system. The system includes a housing defining a chamber storing a supply of developer material including toner; a toner donor member spaced from the surface and being adapted to transport toner to a region opposed from the surface; A mag roll conveys the developer material in the chamber of the housing onto a region of the donor member; A charging device ion charges the toner loaded on the region of the donor member; and an electrode member space near the surface of the donor member being electrically biased by a power supply to detach toner from the donor member as to form a toner cloud for developing the latent image.

Abstract: A liquid electrophotographic printer includes a printer body. An engine unit is installed in the printer body and includes a photoreceptor belt, a laser scanner for forming a latent electrostatic image on the photoreceptor belt, a development device for developing the latent electrostatic image by supplying a developer liquid which is a mixture of a liquid carrier and a toner, a transfer roller for transferring the developed image to a print paper, a fixation roller for pressing the print paper against the transfer roller, and a drying unit for evaporating the liquid carrier remaining on the photoreceptor belt. A closed cell encompasses the engine unit. An exhaust fan exhausts the air inside the closed cell. A filter removes the gaseous carrier from the exhausted air.

Abstract: An electrostatographic reproduction machine including a movable photoconductive member having an image bearing surface; devices for forming a latent image electrostatically on the image bearing surface; a developing assembly including toner particles for developing the latent image to be transferred onto a sheet; a moving device for moving waste toner particles from the image bearing surface and from the developing assembly; a toner particle cartridge having a waste toner receiving opening for receiving waste toner particles from the moving device; and a non-interfering dual-use cartridge sealing device for accessibly presealing the receiving opening for receiving waste toner particles, and for effectively resealing the receiving opening during shipping of the toner cartridge to a recycling location.

Abstract: A printing machine and method for efficiently forming toner images such that a quantity of unused toner applied to a photoreceptor of the machine is significantly diminished are provided.

Abstract: Auxiliary heating roller(s) employed in an electrostatographic fixing station are cleaned at low cost by the efficient use of the reverse side of a disposable cleaning web which conventionally has been discarded after using its one side alone. Cleaning web devices 15 and 16 are installed in top and bottom ends of a fixing station, wherein auxiliary heating rollers 5 and 6 ride respectively on a heating roller 3 and a pressure roller 4 of a fixing roller pair. The cleaning web devices 15 and 16 are configured therein to clean the fixing rollers initially, employing an obverse side A of a cleaning web 21 in the respective devices, which winds around turnaround rollers such that thereafter the reverse side B of the cleaning web 21 is employed to clean the surfaces of the auxiliary heating rollers 5 and 6.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing ghosting defect, which appears as a lightened ghost image of a previously developed image in a halftone or solid. The defect is due to the different characteristics of the toner that has been reloaded into the recently detoned areas of the donor roll from that toner which has remained on the donor and passed through the reload nip a number of times. A developer unit for developing a latent image recorded on an image receiving member with marking particles, to form a developed image, comprising: means for moving the surface of the image receiving member at a predetermined process speed. A donor member is spaced from the image receiving member and adapted to transport marking particles to a development zone adjacent the image receiving member. A housing is provided defining a chamber storing a supply of developer material comprising toner. The donor member is biased to a first predefined potential.

Abstract: A device and method for controlling sheet moisture and cooling rate for reducing curl in sheets includes the steps of providing a fuser with the fuser being heated at a predetermined temperature; providing a moisturizer; positioning the moisturizer a predetermined distance downstream of the fuser as indicated in accordance with the predetermined temperature of the fuser; and controlling ambient relative humidity around the moisturizer.

Abstract: A rotary-type developing unit includes: a rotary holder mounting a plurality of developing devices; each of the developing devices having: a developing housing storing a two-component developer consisting of a toner and a carrier and including a developing opening formed in part thereof; a developer carrier disposed opposed to the developing opening of the developing housing and carrying the two-component developer thereon; and a developer delivery member stirring and delivering the developer existing within the developing housing so as to supply the developer to the developer carrier. The developer carriers of the respective developing devices are selectively arranged at a developing position facing a latent image carrier by rotating the rotary holder intermittently, whereby respective color component latent images on the latent image carrier are respectively developed by the respective corresponding developing devices.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a paper cassette loaded with a stack of papers and a paper stacking device for stacking papers carrying images thereon is disclosed. The apparatus has an upper casing part rotatable away from a lower casing part. When the upper casing part is rotated away from the lower casing part, the apparatus successfully prevents the upper casing part from interfering with a tray or similar paper stacking means and prevents papers stacked on the tray from dropping without having its overall length increased. The tray is arranged in the rear portion of the apparatus opposite to the front portion where a control panel is located, thereby reducing the widthwise dimension of the apparatus. Even in such a position, the tray allows papers stacked thereon to be easily picked up.

Abstract: A carrier recovery apparatus of a liquid electrophotographic printer includes a condenser for condensing a gas carrier recovered from a photoreceptor belt, a filtering tube having a cavity, whose first end is connected to the condenser, and whose second end has a plurality of throughholes leading to the cavity radially formed thereat, a filter bonded on the outer surface of the filtering tube and which filters the gas carrier contained in air passing through the throughholes, and an exhaust tube having an internal diameter larger than the outer diameter of the filtering tube, and whose first end is tightly fitted to the second end of the filtering tube to which the filter is coupled, for exhausting the air to the outside.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a toner image on both sides of a sheet, includes a photoreceptor on which a first toner image and a second toner image are formed by toner image forming devices; a second image carrying belt onto which the second toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor; a first transferring device to transfer the first toner image from the photoreceptor to a first side of the sheet; a second transferring device to transfer the second toner image from the second image carrying belt to a second side of the sheet; a fixing device having a first fixing roller for fixing the first toner image onto the first side of the sheet and a second fixing roller for fixing the second toner image onto the second side of the sheet, the first fixing roller coming in contact with the second fixing roller so as to form a nip section therebetween; the second image carrying belt having a flat belt surface on which the sheet is conveyed from the photoreceptor toward a separating section at which the sheet is separa