Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including a photoreceptor; a charger; an irradiator; an image developer; a transferer; a fixer; and a cleaning blade formed of a strip-shaped elastic blade, removing a powder from the surface of the photoreceptor passing an edge line of the blade while contacting thereto, wherein the photoreceptor includes a crosslinked resin surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, and the cleaning blade includes a contact point with the photoreceptor, including a substrate; a mixed layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located at the surface of the substrate; and a surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located on the surface of the substrate.

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: A photoreceptor includes an electroconductive substrate, and a laminate structure formed of at least a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer and provided overlying the electroconductive substrate, wherein the charge transport layer contains a charge transport material, a compound represented by the following formula 1 and a compound represented by the following formula 2: in the formula 1, R1 and R2 each independently represent substituted or non-substituted alkyl groups or aromatic hydrocarbon groups and one of R1 and R2 represents a substituted or non-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon group, R1 and R2 bonded to the same nitrogen atom may be bonded together to form a substituted or non-substituted nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, and Ar represents a substituted or non-substituted hydrocarbon group; in the formula 2, R3 and R4 each independently represent substituted or non-substituted alkyl groups or aromatic hydrocarbon groups.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including a photoreceptor; a charger; an irradiator; an image developer; a transferer; a fixer; and a cleaning blade formed of a strip-shaped elastic blade, removing a powder from the surface of the photoreceptor passing an edge line of the blade while contacting thereto, wherein the photoreceptor includes a crosslinked resin surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, and the cleaning blade includes a contact point with the photoreceptor, including a substrate; a mixed layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located at the surface of the substrate; and a surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an image bearing member including forming a charge generation layer overlying an electroconductive substrate, forming a charge transport layer overlying the charge generation layer, the charge transport layer including a charge transport material having a molecular weight of from 600 to 900 and a binder resin, and forming a protection layer overlying the charge transport layer by applying a liquid application containing a polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure, a polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure, a filler, a polycarboxylic acid compound, and cyclopentanone and curing the polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure, and the polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure.

Abstract: An image bearing member including an electroconductive substrate, a photosensitive layer overlying the electroconductive substrate, and a protection layer overlying the photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer containing a diamine compound represented by the chemical structure 1, more of the diamine compound being disposed on the photosensitive layer side than the surface side relative to the midpoint in a depth direction of the protection layer: where X represents a substituted or non-substituted arylene group, or a compound represented by a chemical structure 2: where R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, where A1, A2, A3, and A4 independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, or —CH2(CH2)mZ, where Z represents a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, a substituted or non-substituted cycloalkyl group, and a substituted or non-substituted

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; a photosensitive layer located overlying the electroconductive substrate; and an outermost layer located overlying the photosensitive layer, wherein the outermost layer includes filler and a crosslinked resin having a residual group of a polycarboxylic acid compound and a group having the following formula (1): wherein each of R5 and R6 independently represents a hydrogen atom, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

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 electrophotographic photoreceptor including an electroconductive substrate; a charge generation layer located overlying the electroconductive substrate; a charge transport layer located overlying the charge generation layer; and an outermost layer located overlying the charge transport layer. The charge transport layer includes a positive hole transport material having the following formula (1): wherein each of R1 to R26 independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or an alkoxyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and a compound having the following formula (2): wherein each of R27 and R28 independently represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group.

Abstract: An image bearing drum having a hollow cylinder sleeve member; a photosensitive layer; a protective layer having fillers; and flange members, each of which has an attachment unit, a shaft hole unit, and a linking unit, wherein the surface of the protective layer having waviness has an arithmetical mean deviation of an assessed profile Wa (?m) of from 0.050 ?m to 0.400 ?m and a mean width of profile elements WSm (mm) of from 0.500 mm to 1.500 mm, and wherein the linking unit has at least one shock-absorbing hole located on a virtual line segment drawn to the shaft hole unit from the circumference of a virtually projected circle formed by projecting the outer periphery of the attachment unit axially along the shaft onto a virtual plane that contains the linking unit and is orthogonal to the shaft direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic photoconductor which includes at least a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer over a support, wherein the surface protective layer contains a filler, a charge transporting material and a specific compound; and the photosensitive layer contains at least a charge transporting material; the charge transporting material contained in the photosensitive layer has an oxidation potential lower than the oxidation potential of the charge transporting material contained in the surface protective layer and is a specific compound.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus containing an electrophotographic photoconductor, a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit and a cleaning unit, wherein the electrophotographic photoconductor contains a support and at least a photosensitive layer disposed on the support, wherein the photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material and a compound expressed by the following Structural Formula (1), and wherein, in the Structural Formula (1), “R1” and “R2” may be identical to each other or different, and represent any one of hydrogen atom, alkyl group which may be substituted, cycloalkyl group which may be substituted and aralkyl group which may be substituted.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member having a static friction coefficient of from 0.1 to 0.3, a latent electrostatic image forming device, a developing device, and a cleaning device including a cleaning blade to remove remaining toner, in which the contact pressure of the cleaning blade to the image bearing member ranges from 1.5 to 10 g/cm, and the image bearing member and the cleaning blade satisfy the following relationships (1) and (2): 0.01 (kg)?(Toff?T0)/r?0.15 (kg) ??Relationship (1) 1.2?(Ton?T0)/(Toff?T0)?3.8, ??Relationship (2) wherein T0 (kgcm) represents the rotation torque of the image bearing member when the cleaning blade is not in contact therewith, Toff, the rotation torque when the cleaning blade contacts the image bearing member and the toner is not thereon, Ton, the rotation torque when the cleaning blade contacts the image bearing member and the toner is thereon for development, and r represents the radius of the image bearing member.

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 image bearing member including an electroconductive substrate, a photosensitive layer overlying the electroconductive substrate, and a protection layer overlying the photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer containing a diamine compound represented by the chemical structure 1, more of the diamine compound being disposed on the photosensitive layer side than the surface side relative to the midpoint in a depth direction of the protection layer: where X represents a substituted or non-substituted arylene group, or a compound represented by a chemical structure 2: where R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, where A1, A2, A3, and A4 independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, or —CH2(CH2)mZ, where Z represents a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, a substituted or non-substituted cycloalkyl group, and a substituted or non-substituted

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member having a static friction coefficient of from 0.1 to 0.3, a latent electrostatic image forming device, a developing device, and a cleaning device including a cleaning blade to remove remaining toner, in which the contact pressure of the cleaning blade to the image bearing member ranges from 1.5 to 10 g/cm, and the image bearing member and the cleaning blade satisfy the following relationships (1) and (2): 0.01 (kg)?(Toff?T0)/r?_l 0.15 (kg) ??Relationship (1) 1.2?(Ton?T0)/(Toff?T0)?3.8, ??Relationship (2) wherein T0 (kgcm) represents the rotation torque of the image bearing member when the cleaning blade is not in contact therewith, Toff, the rotation torque when the cleaning blade contacts the image bearing member and the toner is not thereon, Ton, the rotation torque when the cleaning blade contacts the image bearing member and the toner is thereon for development, and r represents the radius of the image bearing member.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an image bearing member including forming a charge generation layer overlying an electroconductive substrate, forming a charge transport layer overlying the charge generation layer, the charge transport layer including a charge transport material having a molecular weight of from 600 to 900 and a binder resin, and forming a protection layer overlying the charge transport layer by applying a liquid application containing a polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure, a polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure, a filler, a polycarboxylic acid compound, and cyclopentanone and curing the polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure, and the polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and a process cartridge have high-durability and stably form high quality images under long-term use without reducing image density even when concentration of discharge products at the surface of an electrophotographic photoconductor becomes uneven in a discharge region of a charging unit. The apparatus employs an image forming method and has a corona discharge type charging unit discharging in a non-contact manner, the photoconductor placed to face the charging unit and the outermost surface layer thereof contains a filler and an amine compound with a specific structure, and an airflow adjusting device which carries air taken from the outside of the apparatus to the vicinity of the charging unit or the photoconductor so that ozone concentration and unevenness thereof are maintained at an average of 30 ppm or less and 15 ppm or less respectively at the surface of the photoconductor in the discharge region.