Abstract: A lubricating device operable to lubricate a moving imaging surface subsequent to removal of residual toner by a cleaning device includes a lubricant applicator, a metering blade, and a priming agent. The lubricant applicator is located downstream of the cleaning device in a direction of movement of the imaging surface, and applies lubricant to the imaging surface. The metering blade is located downstream of the lubricant applicator in the direction of movement of the imaging surface, and spreads the applied lubricant into a thin layer by directly contacting the imaging surface. The priming agent is prepared by mixing a lubricant and a powder, and provided, prior to initial operation, on the lubricant applicator for application to the imaging surface upon startup.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes multiple imaging units and a controller. The multiple imaging units each include a photoconductor, a charging device, a developing device, a retractable cleaner, and a cleaner retraction mechanism. The charging device charges the photoconductor for forming an electrostatic latent image thereon. The developing device develops the electrostatic latent image. The retractable cleaner cleans the charging device when in contact with the charging device. The cleaner retraction mechanism is configured to bring the retractable cleaner into contact with the charging device. The charging device and the photoconductor are installed and replaced in conjunction with each other. The controller calculates a photoconductor usage of each of the multiple imaging units, and individually controls the cleaner retraction mechanism in each of the multiple imaging units according to the calculated photoconductor usage.

Abstract: The invention provides a charging device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a fax machine, a printer or the like, the charging device including: a gold-plated discharge wire for charging an image carrier such as a photoconductive member or the like; and a cleaning member, having an abrasive, for cleaning the discharge wire, with the gold plating being maintained over time satisfactorily, and provides a process cartridge having this charging device. The cleaning member has an abrasive containing alumina and/or silicon, the grain size of which ranges from #6000 to #8000. The discharge wire is a tungsten wire on which a plating film is formed by gold plating, such that the thickness of the plating film is not smaller than 1.5 ?m, and the diameter of the tungsten wire is not smaller than 30 ?m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of process cartridges provided for black and for another color. The process cartridges each including a set of a latent image carrier, a charging unit that charges a surface of the latent image carrier, and a lubricant applying unit that applies lubricant to the surface of the latent image carrier. The process cartridges for black and for the another color each has a cartridge frame with which the process cartridge is attachable to and removable from an apparatus body. The cartridge frames of the process cartridges for black and for the another color being of the same type. The process cartridge for black differs from the process cartridge for the another color in the configuration of the charging unit. The amounts of lubricant applied by the lubricant applying units to the respective latent image carriers differ with respect to the configuration of the charging unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member the moving surface of which travels, a charging device including a charging member located facing the moving surface of the image bearing member, which uniformly charges the moving surface of the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon by applying a charging bias in which an AC voltage is overlapped with a DC voltage to the charging member, a developing device to develop the latent electrostatic image with toner to form a toner image on the moving surface of the image bearing member, a transfer device to transfer the toner image on the moving surface of the image bearing member to a recording medium, a fixing device to fix the toner image on the recording medium, an image formation speed switching device to switch from one image formation speed to another image formation speed among multiple image formation speeds by changing a surface traveling speed of the image bearing member according to a particular switching condition

Abstract: A grid electrode disposed across from a charge wire includes a planar member and a plurality of linear pattern wires. The planar member includes a plurality of adjacent, aligned openings, each having a long side and a short side. The pattern wires extend in the long direction of the openings, and are evenly spaced in the short direction of the openings. A process cartridge detachable from an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier to bear a toner image and a scorotron charger for charging the image carrier. The scorotron charger includes a shield case, a charge wire tensioned in a long direction of the shield case, and the grid electrode. An image forming apparatus includes the grid electrode and the process cartridge.

Abstract: A charging unit is disclosed capable of reducing undue variation and fluctuation margin of a charging gap, and controlling accurately the proper gap durably over the change of environmental conditions, which is suitably incorporated into an image forming apparatus. The charging unit is configured to charge an image bearing member in a non-contact arrangement, including a charging roller provided with a core shaft, a charging member formed of electroconductive resin integrally disposed on the periphery of the core shaft, and gap holding members formed of insulating resin each disposed at respective ends of the charging member outside an image forming region. The control of the charging gap is feasible by either forming the gap with a charging member having such a materials condition as to satisfy the relation, |G30?G10|×5<G20, where G10, G20 and G30 are the gap averages at 10°, 20° and 30° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an electrostatic latent image forming member, a developing member, a transferring member, and a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes a cleaning brush contacting with a photosensitive member to remove residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive member and a lubricant supplying brush contacting with the photosensitive member to supply a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive member. The lubricant supplying brush is configured to change an amount of the lubricant supplied to the surface of the photosensitive member depending on a linear speed of the photosensitive member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming devices each including a photosensitive member, a charging device to charge a surface of the photosensitive member, and a lubricant supplying device to supply a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive member, respectively. At least one of the plurality of image forming device includes a charging device with a different constitution from a constitution of a charging device of another of the image forming devices, and the one of the plurality of image forming devices with the different charging device includes a lubricant supplying device with a different constitution from a constitution of a lubricant supplying device of the another of the image forming devices.

Abstract: A charging unit is disclosed capable of reducing undue variation and fluctuation margin of a charging gap, and controlling accurately the proper gap durably over the change of environmental conditions, which is suitably incorporated into an image forming apparatus. The charging unit is configured to charge an image bearing member in a non-contact arrangement, including a charging roller provided with a core shaft, a charging member formed of electroconductive resin integrally disposed on the periphery of the core shaft, and gap holding members formed of insulating resin each disposed at respective ends of the charging member outside an image forming region. The control of the charging gap is feasible by either forming the gap with a charging member having such a materials condition as to satisfy the relation, |G30?G10|×5<G20, where G10, G20 and G30 are the gap averages at 10°, 20° and 30° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier configured to carry an image and a charger to which a direct current voltage overlapped with an AC voltage is applied as a charging bias to charge the image carrier. The charger is positioned in contact or contactlessly with the image carrier. The AC voltage applied to the charger in an adjustment of the AC voltage is not less than twice a charging start voltage Vth at which the image carrier starts to be charged.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including at least one image bearing member; at least one charging device configured to charge a surface of the at least one image bearing member; and at least one developing device configured to develop an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the at least one image bearing member with a developer including a toner to form a toner image thereon, wherein the surface of the image bearing member has a friction coefficient of from 0.10 to 0.30. The image forming apparatus can include a lubricant applicator configured to apply a lubricant to the image bearing member. Alternatively, the outermost layer of the image bearing member can include a lubricant.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus include an image bearer, a charger, and a discharger. The image bearer is configured to bear an electrostatic latent image. The charger is configured to charge the image bearer. The discharger is configured to discharge the image bearer with a discharge light. The amount of the discharge light in image formation is different from the amount of the discharge light in post image-forming processing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including at least one image bearing member; at least one charging device configured to charge a surface of the at least one image bearing member; and at least one developing device configured to develop an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the at least one image bearing member with a developer including a toner to form a toner image thereon, wherein the surface of the image bearing member has a friction coefficient of from 0.10 to 0.30. The image forming apparatus can include a lubricant applicator configured to apply a lubricant to the image bearing member. Alternatively, the outermost layer of the image bearing member can include a lubricant.

Abstract: A toner replenishing device includes a toner conveyance path for connecting a toner storing device with a developing device, a toner conveying device for conveying the toner from the toner storing device to the developing device along the toner conveyance path, and an air supplying device connected to the toner conveyance path vie an air supply path for supplying the toner storing device with air from a bottom of the toner storing device so as to agitate the toner pooling in the toner storing device.

Abstract: A toner replenishing device includes a toner conveyance path for connecting a toner storing device with a developing device, a toner conveying device for conveying the toner from the toner storing device to the developing device along the toner conveyance path, and an air supplying device connected to the toner conveyance path vie an air supply path for supplying the toner storing device with air from a bottom of the toner storing device so as to agitate the toner pooling in the toner storing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging roller and a pair of gap forming members. The image bearing member has a photoconductive surface including an image forming area for bearing an electrostatic latent image. The charging roller has a circular cross section with a first radius and a metallic core having a rotational axis of the charging roller, in parallel with and close to the image bearing member, and a charging surface for charging the photoconductive surface. The pair of gap forming members form a gap at least between the image forming area and the charging surface. Each of the pair of gap forming members have a circular cross section with a second radius such that a ratio of the second radius to the first radius is substantially constant through a whole rotational phase of the charging roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member having a photoconductive surface including an image forming area configured to bear an electrostatic latent image and a non-image forming area. A charging roller has a circular cross section with a first radius, the charging roller including a metallic core having a same rotational axis as the charging roller and a charging surface configured to charge the photoconductive surface of the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a charging device including a charge roller formed with annular grooves at opposite end portions thereof and configured to charge an image carrier. Annular gap forming members each are fitted in the annular grooves for forming a gap between the charge roller and the image carrier. The gap forming members each have an area of 1.0×10?6 m2 to 3.0×10?6 m2 in a section containing the axis of the charge roller.

Abstract: A toner replenishing device includes a toner conveyance path for connecting a toner storing device with a developing device, a toner conveying device for conveying the toner from the toner storing device to the developing device along the toner conveyance path, and an air supplying device connected to the toner conveyance path vie an air supply path for supplying the toner storing device with air from a bottom of the toner storing device so as to agitate the toner pooling in the toner storing device.