Abstract: An image carrier deterioration degree evaluating apparatus for evaluating a degree of deterioration of an image carrier of an image forming apparatus, the image carrier deterioration degree evaluating apparatus including: an image deletion detecting unit that detects image deletion by obtaining latent image information written on the image carrier; an image deletion reducing unit that performs a process of reducing image deletion when the image deletion detecting unit detects image deletion, and an image carrier deterioration degree evaluating unit that drives the image deletion detecting unit and the image deletion reducing unit alternately one or more times each, and evaluates a degree of deterioration of the image carrier by using the latent image information obtained one or more times by the image deletion detecting unit.

Abstract: To provide a latent electrostatic image bearing member including: an outermost surface layer that comprises a compound represented by the following General Formula (1) and a crosslinked resin formed by crosslinking between an isocyanate compound and a reactive charge transporting substance having at least two hydroxyl groups. where R1 and R2 may be identical or different and each represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group; and R3 represents one of alkyl and aryl groups which have at least one hydroxyl group.

Abstract: A photoreceptor including an electroconductive substrate; a photosensitive layer on the electroconductive substrate; and a protection layer on the photosensitive layer, wherein the protection layer includes a radical polymerizable compound having three or more radical polymerizable groups without a charge transportable group, a monofunctional radical polymerizable compound having a specific charge transportable group and a non-radical polymerizable compound having a specific charge transportable group.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a latent image bearing member, a charging device, a latent electrostatic image formation device, a development device, a transfer device, and a lubricant supplying device, the latent image bearing member satisfying (I), (II) and (III): |(A1?B1)?(A2?B2)|?5.0??(I) B1?1 (atomic %)??(II) 1 (nm)?X?30 (nm)??(III), where, by XPS analysis, A1 and B1 represent oxygen and silicon atom content ratio in a cross-linked surface layer, respectively, A2 represents oxygen atom content ratio in a surface dug through a cross-linked surface layer along a direction perpendicular to the latent image bearing member surface, to an electroconductive substrate at depth point X where B1 decreases to not greater than B1×0.5, and B2 represents the silicone atom content ratio in the surface at X.

Abstract: There is provided a temperature control unit for an electrophotographic photoconductor substrate, containing a stretchable membrane member which is detachably disposed in a hollow space of the cylindrical substrate, wherein the membrane member is configured to sequentially stretch until reaching the deepest part of the hollow space of the cylindrical substrate as a result of an introduction of a refrigerant therein to closely contact with an entire inner wall of the cylindrical substrate, and to sequentially shrink to the original shape thereof as a result of a release of the refrigerant therefrom, so that the membrane member is detachably disposed in the hollow space, and wherein the membrane member is configured to make a heat transfer between a surface of the cylindrical substrate and the refrigerant via the membrane member closely contacted with the inner surface of the cylindrical substrate, to control a surface temperature of the cylindrical substrate.

Abstract: A lubricant for use in an image forming apparatus, which contains a lubricant material and at least one of diamine compounds represented by chemical structure 1, 2, and 3, where R1 and R2 independently represent an alkyl group optionally having a substitution group and an aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having a substitution group, one of R1 and R2 is an aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having a substitution group, R1 and R2 optionally share bond connectivity to form a heterocyclic ring containing a nitrogen atom, and Ar represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having a substitution group, where R3 and R4 independently represent an alkyl group having one to four carbon atoms optionally substituted by an aromatic hydrocarbon group, R3 and R4 optionally share bond connectivity to form a heterocyclic ring containing a nitrogen atom, Ar1 and Ar2 independently represent a substituted or a non-substituted aromatic ring group, l and m each, independently, represent an integer of

Abstract: An image carrier deterioration degree evaluating apparatus for evaluating a degree of deterioration of an image carrier of an image forming apparatus, the image carrier deterioration degree evaluating apparatus including: an image deletion detecting unit that detects image deletion by obtaining latent image information written on the image carrier; an image deletion reducing unit that performs a process of reducing image deletion when the image deletion detecting unit detects image deletion, and an image carrier deterioration degree evaluating unit that drives the image deletion detecting unit and the image deletion reducing unit alternately one or more times each, and evaluates a degree of deterioration of the image carrier by using the latent image information obtained one or more times by the image deletion detecting unit.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor, including an electroconductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer, located overlying the electroconductive substrate, wherein an outermost layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor includes an amine compound and a charge transport material, and wherein the amine compound includes an amine site having an electrostatic potential with a dimensionless unit not greater than ?0.27.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image bearing member is provided including a substrate and a photosensitive layer located overlying the substrate, wherein the outermost layer of the electrostatic latent image bearing member includes a cross-linked resin formed from a cross-linking reaction between a polyol having 2 or more hydroxyl groups including a reactive charge transport material having a specific formula and an isocyanate compound including an aromatic isocyanate compound having an isocyanate group and an aromatic ring; and the use of the electrostatic latent image bearing member in an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a latent image bearing member, a charging device, a latent electrostatic image formation device, a development device, a transfer device, and a lubricant supplying device, the latent image bearing member satisfying (I), (II) and (III): |(A1?B1)?(A2?B2)|?5.0??(I) B1?1 (atomic %)??(II) 1 (nm)?X?30 (nm)??(III), where, by XPS analysis, A1 and B1 represent oxygen and silicon atom content ratio in a cross-linked surface layer, respectively, A2 represents oxygen atom content ratio in a surface dug through a cross-linked surface layer along a direction perpendicular to the latent image bearing member surface, to an electroconductive substrate at depth point X where B1 decreases to not greater than B1×0.5, and B2 represents the silicone atom content ratio in the surface at X.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image bearing member is provided including a substrate and a photosensitive layer located overlying the substrate, wherein the outermost layer of the electrostatic latent image bearing member includes a cross-linked resin formed from a cross-linking reaction between a charge transport polyol having a specific formula and an isocyanate compound; and the use of the electrostatic latent image bearing member in an image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and an image forming method.

Abstract: There is provided a temperature control unit for an electrophotographic photoconductor substrate, containing a stretchable membrane member which is detachably disposed in a hollow space of the cylindrical substrate, wherein the membrane member is configured to sequentially stretch until reaching the deepest part of the hollow space of the cylindrical substrate as a result of an introduction of a refrigerant therein to closely contact with an entire inner wall of the cylindrical substrate, and to sequentially shrink to the original shape thereof as a result of a release of the refrigerant therefrom, so that the membrane member is detachably disposed in the hollow space, and wherein the membrane member is configured to make a heat transfer between a surface of the cylindrical substrate and the refrigerant via the membrane member closely contacted with the inner surface of the cylindrical substrate, to control a surface temperature of the cylindrical substrate.

Abstract: A photoreceptor is provided having an electroconductive substrate and a photosensitive layer located overlying the electroconductive substrate, wherein an outermost layer of the photoreceptor contains a binder resin, wherein the binder resin solution satisfies the following relationship 2?(T0?T400)/C wherein T0 represents a initial transmittance (%) at 400 nm of the binder resin solution; T400 represents a transmittance (%) at 400 nm of the binder resin solution which has been allowed to settle for 400 hours under conditions of 23° C. and 40% RH; and C represents the concentration of the binder resin solution; and an image forming method, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge including the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image bearer, comprising a substrate; a photosensitive layer overlying the substrate; and a protective layer overlying the photosensitive layer, wherein the protective layer includes a binder resin comprising a polyol, a polyisocyanate and an organic silicon compound having a hydroxyl or a hydrolyzable group.

Abstract: A photoreceptor including an electroconductive substrate; a photosensitive layer, which is located overlying the electroconductive substrate and which includes a charge generation material, a charge transport material having no radical polymerizability, a binder resin having no radical polymerizability, and a crosslinked polymer including a unit obtained from a first radically polymerizable monomer having three or more functional groups and no charge transport structure and a unit obtained from a second radically polymerizable monomer having a charge transport structure; and an outermost layer, which is located on the photosensitive layer and which includes a crosslinked polymer including a unit obtained from a third radically polymerizable monomer having three or more functional groups and no charge transport structure and a unit obtained from a fourth radically polymerizable monomer having a charge transport structure. An image forming method and apparatus, and a process cartridge using the photoreceptor.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus for lowering friction coefficient and lowering surface energy of photoconductor surface in particular, which comprises an electrophotographic photoconductor, charging unit, light exposure unit, developing unit, transferring unit, and fixing unit, the electrophotographic photoconductor comprises a photosensitive layer on a conductive support and fluoropolymer fine particles at the outermost layer, a part of the fluoropolymer fine particles are exposed above the surface of the outermost layer in configurations of primary particles and secondary particles formed by flocculation of plural primary particles, and sum of area ratios of particles in the configurations of the primary particles and the secondary particles, each particles having an average diameter D of 0.15 ?m?D?3.

Abstract: To provide a latent electrostatic image bearing member including: an outermost surface layer that comprises a compound represented by the following General Formula (1) and a crosslinked resin formed by crosslinking between an isocyanate compound and a reactive charge transporting substance having at least two hydroxyl groups. where R1 and R2 may be identical or different and each represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group; and R3 represents one of alkyl and aryl groups which have at least one hydroxyl group.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus that has high-durability and can prevent image degradation that could be caused by an increase in residual potential on a photoconductor, occurrence of image blur and incidental images and can stably form a high-quality image even when repetitively used for long hours, and includes at least an electrophotographic photoconductor, a non-contact type corona discharge charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit and a charge eliminating unit configured to eliminate a residual charge on the photoconductor by irradiating the electrophotographic photoconductor with light, wherein the outermost surface layer of the electrophotographic photoconductor contains at least a filler and an is amine compound having a specific structure, and the exposure dose of the charge eliminating unit is controlled at at least two stages during a time from the start of image forming operation to the end of the image forming operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus which has high durability and allows for preventing occurrence of image blur and suppressing image degradation caused by a reduction in image density near a charging unit used under a high-humidity condition and stably forming high-quality images even when repetitively used for a long hours.

Abstract: A transfer device transfers a visual image from an image carrier to a recording medium. The transfer device includes a first transfer element that moves and receives the visual image from the image carrier on a first surface of the first transfer element, a second transfer element provided opposite to the first surface of the first transfer element to pinch and convey the recording medium through a secondary transfer nip part, a facing roller provided on a second surface of the first transfer element opposite to the first surface thereof, and a constant-current power supply that applies an electric current voltage to a core metal of the facing roller to transfer the visual image from the first transfer element to the recording medium. The electric current voltage applied to the core metal has a polarity equal to a polarity of the visual image and is subjected to a constant-current control.