Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main tank that stores an ink, an ink head that ejects the ink, a first supply channel connected to the main tank, a second supply channel for supplying the ink from the first supply channel to the ink head, and a discharge channel for discharging the ink from the first supply channel without allowing the ink to pass through the ink head. The second supply channel is provided with a first supply valve, and the discharge channel is provided with a discharge valve.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an ink-jet head including a storage that stores phase transition ink, the ink jet head forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting the phase transition ink; and one or more hardware processors. The one or more hardware processors change a driving condition of the ink jet head for a case of ejecting the phase transition ink on a basis of a first reading result of a pattern image formed by the ink-jet head; estimate occurrence of a state change of the phase transition ink in the storage when the driving condition that is changed satisfies a predetermined condition; and determine whether a lifetime of the ink jet head is over in accordance with whether the occurrence of the state change is estimated.

Abstract: A head cleaning device includes: a porous cleaning roller that rotates around a cylindrical axis while a cylindrical side circumferential surface is in pressure contact with a nozzle surface of an ink head to clean the nozzle surface; a storage tank that immerses a lower part of the cleaning roller in a cleaning liquid stored therein; a unit moving mechanism that moves a cleaning unit including the storage tank and the cleaning roller in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cleaning roller; a hardware processor that controls a rotation speed [vr] of the cleaning roller and a moving speed [vx] of the storage tank and the cleaning unit; and a composition acquisition part that acquires a change in composition of the cleaning liquid in the storage tank due to mixing of ink supplied from the nozzle surface through the cleaning roller.

Abstract: A head cleaning device includes: a porous cleaning roller that rotates around a cylindrical axis while a cylindrical side circumferential surface is in pressure contact with a nozzle surface of an ink head to clean the nozzle surface; a storage tank that immerses a lower part of the cleaning roller in a cleaning liquid stored therein; a unit moving mechanism that moves a cleaning unit including the storage tank and the cleaning roller in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cleaning roller; a hardware processor that controls a rotation speed [vr] of the cleaning roller and a moving speed [vx] of the storage tank and the cleaning unit; and a composition acquisition part that acquires a change in composition of the cleaning liquid in the storage tank due to mixing of ink supplied from the nozzle surface through the cleaning roller.

Abstract: Disclosed are an immunochromatographic test device which allows a target substance to be detected or quantified more rapidly and sensitively than conventional methods, and a method of forming a sample addition part of the test device. The method of forming a sample addition part of the immunochromatographic test device includes applying a surfactant that is in white powder form under normal conditions, such as sodium deoxycholate, to the sample addition part and drying it. The immunochromatographic test device includes the sample addition part formed by the method.

Abstract: A water-repellent film is formed on a first joint surface of a first member that contains any one of a macromolecular material, a metallic material, and an inorganic material. The water-repellent film is subjected to an activation treatment, and is thereby converted into a film having a high hydrophilicity and a nylon 6 contact angle of less than 25°. A second joint surface of a second member that contains at least a thermoplastic resin, which differs from the macromolecular material, is placed on the first joint surface having the film, whereupon the second member is heated and melted. Then, the molten second member is cooled and solidified in order to bond the first joint surface and the second joint surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, a primary transfer part, a droplet ejecting unit and a controller. On the photosensitive drum, an electrostatic latent image is formed. The developing device forms a toner image by causing a developing agent to adhere to the electrostatic latent image. The primary transfer part transfers the toner image onto an intermediate transfer belt. The droplet ejecting unit ejects droplets onto the toner image on the photosensitive drum after forming the toner image on the photosensitive drum and before transferring the toner image to the transfer member. The controller controls an ejection area of the droplet ejecting unit in accordance with image information of the toner image.

Abstract: A water-repellent film is formed on a first joint surface of a first member that contains any one of a macromolecular material, a metallic material, and an inorganic material. The water-repellent film is subjected to an activation treatment, and is thereby converted into a film having a high hydrophilicity and a nylon 6 contact angle of less than 25°. A second joint surface of a second member that contains at least a thermoplastic resin, which differs from the macromolecular material, is placed on the first joint surface having the film, whereupon the second member is heated and melted. Then, the molten second member is cooled and solidified in order to bond the first joint surface and the second joint surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a latent image forming device; a developing device; an electrode which faces to the image carrier; an electric power source, a toner contamination detecting device for detecting toner contamination onto the electrode; an electrode cleaning device for cleaning the electrode; and a controlling section. The control section controls the electric power source to apply at least an alternating current voltage to the electrode so that toner image is rearranged by reciprocally moving toner of the toner image between the image carrier and the electrode control section and allows the electrode cleaning device to clean the electrode when the toner contamination detecting device detects toner contamination on the electrode, and performs the toner rearrangement by the electrode from which the toner contamination is removed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, a primary transfer part, a droplet ejecting unit and a controller. On the photosensitive drum, an electrostatic latent image is formed. The developing device forms a toner image by causing a developing agent to adhere to the electrostatic latent image. The primary transfer part transfers the toner image onto an intermediate transfer belt. The droplet ejecting unit ejects droplets onto the toner image on the photosensitive drum after forming the toner image on the photosensitive drum and before transferring the toner image to the transfer member. The controller controls an ejection area of the droplet ejecting unit in accordance with image information of the toner image.

Abstract: Provided is a developing device employing a two-component developer where a good image can be obtained by preventing the influence of scratching caused by a magnetic brush.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a development apparatus that includes: a developer storing part; a developer supply mechanism; and a surplus developer removing section; wherein the developer supply mechanism includes: a toner storing part; a carrier storing part; a developer conveying path and a conveying mechanism, both are arranged between the toner storing part and the developer storing part, and between the carrier storing part and the developer storing part; wherein the developer conveying path includes a toner ejection outlet through which a toner stored in the toner storing part is ejected and a carrier ejection outlet through which a carrier stored in the carrier storing part is ejected, and a supplying developer ejection outlet through which a supplying developer is ejected to the developer storing part; and wherein the conveying mechanism is adapted to convey the toner and the carrier while stirring them.

Abstract: Provided is a developing device which can prevent the occurrence of a phenomenon of an excessive increase of a developer quantity in a developer standby space, thereby acquiring a stable image. The developing device comprises a developer agitation-transfer unit, a developer roller, a developer feeding roller, a developer guide member and a space forming member. The developing device is characterized in that the developer feeding roller rotates to transfer the developer transferred by the agitation-transfer means, upward from the clearance between the developer feeding roller and the developer guide member, and in that, when the developer standby space formed in the device is filled with the developer transferred by the developer feeding roller, the developer feeding roller is rotated to carry the developer, which overflows from the developer standby space, and to move the same in the direction away from the developer roller, so that the developer is once discharged from the developer standby space.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to remove the resistance reduced carriers included in the developer without abandoning normal carriers whose resistances have not reduced, even in mid-course of implementing the image forming operation. The image forming apparatus includes: a carrier adhering roller to make at least a part of carriers, included in the developer, shift and adhere onto a carrier adhering roller in response to an electric field generated between the developer conveyance member and the carrier adhering roller, a recollection roller, rotatably disposed in such a manner that the recollection roller and the carrier adhering roller oppose to each other with a gap between them, to attract carriers, currently adhered onto the carrier adhering roller, onto a circumferential surface of the recollection roller; and a scraping member, contacting the recollection roller, to scrape the adhered carriers off the circumferential surface of the recollection roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a developing section which develops the latent image on the image carrier with a toner to form an unfixed toner image; a transfer section which transfers the unfixed toner image to a transfer material; and a resilient roller member provided on a position downstream of the developing section and upstream of the transfer section in a rotational direction of the image carrier, which applies pressure to the image carrier and rotates in the same direction as the image carrier, wherein when a contact portion of the resilient roller member with the image carrier becomes a non-contact state as the rotation advances, the resilient roller member maintains a deformed state caused by the pressure, and the resilient roller member restores from the deformed state before the contact portion again comes into contact with the image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a supplying section for supplying developer; a first developing roller including plural magnetic poles and a first sleeve arranged rotatable to the first developing roller; a second developing roller including plural magnetic poles and a second sleeve arranged rotatable to the second developing roller, the second developing roller arranged adjacent to the first developing roller and parallel to the same; an electrode arranged between the first and second developing rollers; and a voltage applying unit for applying bias voltages each having different electric potential corresponding to the first developing roller, the second developing roller and the electrode, wherein an absolute value of the bias voltage to be applied to the electrode is larger than that of the bias voltage to be applied to the first developing roller and smaller than that of the bias voltage to be applied to the second developing roller.

Abstract: Described is a developing roller, which makes it possible to appropriately peel developer off the developing roller, even if the developing roller is a small-sized. The developing roller includes a non-magnetic developing sleeve and a magnetic member installed into an inner space of the developing sleeve and having plural magnetic poles including a peeling magnetic pole. When a reference position is defined as such a position that exhibits a maximum value of magnetic flux density to be generated in a normal direction by the peeling magnetic pole, a magnetic-flux density flat region within which the magnetic flux density is kept at substantially a constant value being closely approximate to the maximum value of the magnetic flux density and the reference position is included, exists while fulfilling an Equation indicated as follow: Z?7° where numeral Z indicates an angle of the developing roller in the magnetic-flux density flat region.

Abstract: A composite porous membrane comprises a porous matrix and a polymer. The porous matrix contains a fiber woven fabric, a fiber nonwoven fabric, a porous metal material, or a porous inorganic material, and the polymer forms a three-dimensional network structure in the porous matrix. The composite porous membrane may be obtained by impregnating the porous matrix with a solution of the polymer, and by solidifying while stretching the polymer. Preferred examples of the porous matrix include glass fiber nonwoven fabrics, and preferred examples of the polymer include polybenzimidazoles.

Abstract: Provided is a developing device which can prevent the occurrence of a phenomenon of an excessive increase of a developer quantity in a developer standby space, thereby acquiring a stable image. The developing device comprises a developer agitation-transfer unit, a developer roller, a developer feeding roller, a developer guide member and a space forming member. The developing device is characterized in that the developer feeding roller rotates to transfer the developer transferred by the agitation-transfer means, upward from the clearance between the developer feeding roller and the developer guide member, and in that, when the developer standby space formed in the device is filled with the developer transferred by the developer feeding roller, the developer feeding roller is rotated to carry the developer, which overflows from the developer standby space, and to move the same in the direction away from the developer roller, so that the developer is once discharged from the developer standby space.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to remove the resistance reduced carriers included in the developer without abandoning normal carriers whose resistances have not reduced, even in mid-course of implementing the image forming operation. The image forming apparatus includes: a carrier adhering roller to make at least a part of carriers, included in the developer, shift and adhere onto a carrier adhering roller in response to an electric field generated between the developer conveyance member and the carrier adhering roller, a recollection roller, rotatably disposed in such a manner that the recollection roller and the carrier adhering roller oppose to each other with a gap between them, to attract carriers, currently adhered onto the carrier adhering roller, onto a circumferential surface of the recollection roller; and a scraping member, contacting the recollection roller, to scrape the adhered carriers off the circumferential surface of the recollection roller.