Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an enclosure including a first opening provided at a front side thereof, a second opening provided at a left side thereof, and a third opening provided at a right side thereof. The enclosure further includes an image bearing member to bear a latent image on the surface thereof; an image forming unit including the image bearing member and detachably mountable from the first opening; an exposure unit to expose the image bearing member to form the latent image on the surface of the image bearing member and detachably mountable from either the second or the third opening that is opposite the opening from which an intermediate transfer unit is detachably mountable; the intermediate transfer unit to transfer the toner image and detachably mountable from either the second or the third opening that is opposite the opening from which the exposure unit is detachably mountable.

Abstract: A developer container that contains a two-component developer including a carrier and toner includes a developer containing portion configured to include a plurality of surfaces and to accommodate the two-component developer and a cap configured to communicate to a suction pump so that the two-component developer is sucked by the suction pump and is conveyed to a developing unit. The developer containing portion is configured to include an internal space having at least 12% of an air space measured after the two-component developer is packed in the developer containing portion and left still for at least 24 hours.

Abstract: A developing unit includes a developer bearing member, a developer transporter, a developer conveyance system for directing the developer, including a supply path, a recovery path, and an agitation path, a developer supply opening through which the developer is supplied to the developer conveyance system, a developer supply device for supplying the developer from the developer supply opening to the developer conveyance system, a developer discharge device for discharging the developer outside the developing unit, a developer level rise detector for detecting increase in a level of the developer between the downstream end of the recovery path facing the developer bearing member in the direction of developer transport and a portion of the agitation path where the agitation path receives the collected developer from the recovery path, and a controller for controlling the developer discharge device based on the detection result provided by the developer level rise detector.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism, a toner image carrier, a transfer unit, an application member, a pivot around which the transfer unit rotates, and an elongate hole which engages with the pivot and through which the pivot is movable in a longitudinal direction of the elongate hole. The transfer unit includes a transferor which opposes the toner image carrier, a pre-transfer guide, a post-transfer guide, and a first positioning member which positions the transferor with respect to the toner image carrier. The image forming apparatus further includes a second positioning member which engages with the first positioning member.

Abstract: The invention provides a developer supply device, a developer container, a developer and an image forming apparatus such that the developer is discharged stably from the developer container with a stable toner concentration in the developer, without damaging the developer, and in a relatively simple and small-size device having a relatively high degree of freedom as regards layout. The developer supply device comprises a partially or wholly deformable developer container and a pump for suctioning the developer held in the developer container, together with a gas, and for discharging the developer towards a developing unit. The toner comprises an additive formed so as to have a volume average particle size of 50 to 500 nm. The carrier is formed so as to have a weight average particle size of 20 to 60 ?m. The developer is formed so that the carrier concentration thereof is 1 to 30 wt %.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism, a toner image carrier, a transfer unit, an application member, a pivot around which the transfer unit rotates, and an elongate hole which engages with the pivot and through which the pivot is movable in a longitudinal direction of the elongate hole. The transfer unit includes a transferor which opposes the toner image carrier, a pre-transfer guide, a post-transfer guide, and a first positioning member which positions the transferor with respect to the toner image carrier. The image forming apparatus further includes a second positioning member which engages with the first positioning member.

Abstract: A developing-agent container contains a developing agent to be supplied to a developing unit. The developing agent contains toner and carrier. The developing-agent container is filled with the developing agent with the toner and the carrier evenly distributed in a highly air-containing state. After filling the developing-agent container with the developing agent, an external force is applied on at least one of the toner and the carrier in the toner container so that a difference in forces per unit volume of the toner and the carrier due to gravity becomes small.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism, a toner image carrier, a transfer unit, and a contact-separate mechanism. The image forming mechanism forms a toner image. The toner image carrier carries the toner image. The transfer unit includes a transferor, a pre-transfer guide, and a post-transfer guide. The transferor opposes the toner image carrier to form a transfer nip at which the toner image on the toner image carrier is transferred onto a recording medium. The pre-transfer guide and the post-transfer guide are respectively disposed on upstream and downstream sides from the transfer nip relative to a recording medium conveyance direction. The contact-separate mechanism moves the transfer unit including the transferor, the pre-transfer guide, and the post-transfer guide to contact and separate the transferor to and from the toner image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an enclosure including a first opening provided at a front side thereof, a second opening provided at a left side thereof, and a third opening provided at a right side thereof. The enclosure further includes an image bearing member to bear a latent image on the surface thereof; an image forming unit including the image bearing member and detachably mountable from the first opening; an exposure unit to expose the image bearing member to form the latent image on the surface of the image bearing member and detachably mountable from either the second or the third opening that is opposite the opening from which an intermediate transfer unit is detachably mountable; the intermediate transfer unit to transfer the toner image and detachably mountable from either the second or the third opening that is opposite the opening from which the exposure unit is detachably mountable.

Abstract: A developing unit includes a developer bearing member, a developer transporter, a developer conveyance system for directing the developer, including a supply path, a recovery path, and an agitation path, a developer supply opening through which the developer is supplied to the developer conveyance system, a developer supply device for supplying the developer from the developer supply opening to the developer conveyance system, a developer discharge device for discharging the developer outside the developing unit, a developer level rise detector for detecting increase in a level of the developer between the downstream end of the recovery path facing the developer bearing member in the direction of developer transport and a portion of the agitation path where the agitation path receives the collected developer from the recovery path, and a controller for controlling the developer discharge device based on the detection result provided by the developer level rise detector.

Abstract: A powder filling method, which fills at least two kinds of powders with different specific gravities into a powder container, and by which a region having only a powder with the highest specific gravity out of the at least two kinds of powders is prevented from being generated in the filled powder container. A toner, which is a first powder that does not include a carrier having the highest specific gravity, is mixed with air in a toner storage portion. The air is introduced into the toner particles to increase the bulk of the toner, and then a toner filling device fills a toner bottle serving as the powder container with the toner having the air. Upon completion of such filling, a carrier filling device starts filling the carrier, which is a second powder, into the toner bottle. Filling of the carrier is completed before the air is released from the toner particles contained in the toner bottle and thereby the bulk of the toner is reduced and then stabilized.

Abstract: A developing-agent container contains a developing agent to be supplied to a developing unit. The developing agent contains toner and carrier. The developing-agent container is filled with the developing agent with the toner and the carrier evenly distributed in a highly air-containing state. After filling the developing-agent container with the developing agent, an external force is applied on at least one of the toner and the carrier in the toner container so that a difference in forces per unit volume of the toner and the carrier due to gravity becomes small.

Abstract: The invention provides a developer supply device, a developer container, a developer and an image forming apparatus such that the developer is discharged stably from the developer container with a stable toner concentration in the developer, without damaging the developer, and in a relatively simple and small-size device having a relatively high degree of freedom as regards layout. The developer supply device comprises a partially or wholly deformable developer container and a pump for suctioning the developer held in the developer container, together with a gas, and for discharging the developer towards a developing unit. The toner comprises an additive formed so as to have a volume average particle size of 50 to 500 nm. The carrier is formed so as to have a weight average particle size of 20 to 60 ?m. The developer is formed so that the carrier concentration thereof is 1 to 30 wt %.

Abstract: A developer container that contains a two-component developer including a carrier and toner includes a developer containing portion configured to include a plurality of surfaces and to accommodate the two-component developer and a cap configured to communicate to a suction pump so that the two-component developer is sucked by the suction pump and is conveyed to a developing unit. The developer containing portion is configured to include an internal space having at least 12% of an air space measured after the two-component developer is packed in the developer containing portion and left still for at least 24 hours.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism, a toner image carrier, a transfer unit, and a contact-separate mechanism. The image forming mechanism forms a toner image. The toner image carrier carries the toner image. The transfer unit includes a transferor, a pre-transfer guide, and a post-transfer guide. The transferor opposes the toner image carrier to form a transfer nip at which the toner image on the toner image carrier is transferred onto a recording medium. The pre-transfer guide and the post-transfer guide are respectively disposed on upstream and downstream sides from the transfer nip relative to a recording medium conveyance direction. The contact-separate mechanism moves the transfer unit including the transferor, the pre-transfer guide, and the post-transfer guide to contact and separate the transferor to and from the toner image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging element configured to apply a charging voltage to an image bearing member to charge the image bearing member, an optical writing device configured to form a latent image on a charged surface of the image bearing member charged by the charging element, a developer bearing member which carries developer including toner having a same polarity as that of the charging voltage to the image bearing member and which applies the toner to the latent image on the image bearing member to form a toner image when a developing bias voltage is applied thereto, and a control device which controls application of the charging voltage by the charging element and application of the developing bias voltage to the developer bearing member so as to increase an absolute value of the charging voltage to the image bearing member and an absolute value of the developing bias voltage to the developer bearing member to a predetermined value in a plurality of steps, respectively and wherein the