Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first image bearer for bearing a toner image formed by a toner image forming device; a second image bearer for bearing the toner image which is transferred from the first image bearer; a first transferring device for transferring the toner image borne on the first image bearer onto the second image bearer or a front side of a transfer material; a second transferring device for transferring the toner image borne on the second image bearer onto a back side of the transfer material; a fixing device for fixing toner images transferred on both sides of the transfer material which is conveyed on the second image bearer and separated therefrom; and a separating claw for separating the transfer material from the second image bearer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which forms images on both surfaces of a sheet-shaped medium using the electrophotographic method. There is described a double-sided image forming apparatus, which includes a first and a second image bearing elements to bear toner images, a first and a second transfer units for transferring the toner images to the sheet-shaped medium from the first and the second image bearing elements, a fixing unit for fixing the toner images transferred to the sheet-shaped medium, a discharger to discharge electric charges residing on the sheet-shaped medium, a detector to detect thickness and/or stiffness data of the sheet-shaped medium, and a controller to control a first image forming mode which enables to form images on both surfaces of the sheet-shaped medium, and to control a second image forming mode which enables to form an image on only a single surface of the sheet-shaped medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a photoreceptor drum, a supporting member provided inside the photoreceptor drum and supporting plural exposure devices; and a signal passage to transmit an image signal to the plural exposure devices. The signal passage connects the outside and the inside of the photoreceptor drum by passing a part of the supporting member.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming toner images on both sides of a sheet includes a first transfer device which transfers a toner image from a rotatable image forming body onto a rotatable intermediate transfer member or onto the first side of a sheet; a second transfer device which transfers a toner image from the rotatable intermediate transfer member onto the second side of the sheet; and a fixing device which fixes the toner image on the first side of the sheet and the toner image on the second side of the sheet simultaneously. The sheet is conveyed to the first transfer device and to the second transfer device by the rotatable intermediate transfer member, is separated at a separating section from the rotatable intermediate transfer member, and is brought to the fixing device. The second transfer device is located between the first transfer device and the separating section, and a conductive member is located opposite the second transfer device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming body which is rotatable in a subsidiary scanning direction. A plurality of imagewise exposure devices for imagewise exposing the image forming body are arranged to face the image forming body and to be aligned in a straight line in a primary scanning direction perpendicular to the subsidiary scanning direction of the image forming body. A common supporting member is provided for supporting the plurality of exposure devices, and bearing members are provided on first and second ends of the common supporting member. The plurality of exposure devices are: (i) radially arranged on the common supporting member with respect to a rotation axis of the image forming body, and (ii) fixed on the supporting member with respect to the bearing members, and the image forming body is rotatable against the common supporting member through the bearing members.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an exposure optical system provided with an exposure light source in which light-emitting elements are arranged on a base plate to be line-shaped and with a lens array of a distributed refractive index type that converges a beam emitted from the exposure light source on the surface of a photoreceptor and conducts imagewise exposure. The apparatus is configured to satisfy the expression: ##EQU1## In the expression, .DELTA.T1 represents a variation width (K) of the temperature in the vicinity of light-emitting elements, R represents a radius of the photoreceptor mentioned above, Ri represents a length (.mu.m) of each member constituting the exposure optical system in the radial direction of the photoreceptor, .alpha. represents a coefficient of linear thermal expansion (.degree.C..sup.-1) of a transparent base that forms the photoreceptor, .alpha.i represents a coefficient of linear thermal expansion (.degree.C..sup.

Abstract: A method of producing a substrate for a photoreceptor having an exposing device therein for use in an electrophotographic apparatus, including the steps of: injecting polymerizable liquid material into a die whose inner surface is cylindrical; polymerizing the polymerizable liquid material while rotating and heating the die so that a substrate is formed inside the die; and removing the substrate from the die after the polymerizing, wherein the polymerizable liquid material is a transparent resin material and a thickness of the substrate is controlled according to an injecting amount of the polymerizable liquid material.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus including: an image forming body rotating about a rotary axis; a plurality of imagewise exposure devices mounted on an optical system supporting body and provided inside the image forming body for imagewise exposing the image forming body, wherein the image forming body is integrally formed with the optical system supporting body; a plurality of developing units provided around the image forming body; a suspending member for suspending the optical system supporting body; and guiding member for guiding the suspending member so that the image forming body is pulled out in a direction of the rotary axis of the image forming body.

Abstract: In a color image forming apparatus, wherein plural toner images are superimposed on the photoreceptor during a single rotation of the photoreceptor by a plurality of charging devices, image exposing means and developing means, each of the plurality of image exposing means comprises an array-shaped plural elements aligned in the axial direction of the photoreceptor and the color image forming apparatus further comprises heating means or heat absorbing means provided for each of the plurality of image exposing means and control means for controlling a temperature of each of the plurality of image exposing means independently of others by the heating means or the heat absorbing means.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotary image forming body; a charger provided around the image forming body for charging the image forming body; a plurality of imagewise exposure devices for imagewise exposing the charged image forming body to form respective latent images thereon; and a plurality of developing devices for developing the respective latent images formed on the image forming body to form respective toner images. A plurality of different color toner images thus formed by the respective chargers, the respective imagewise exposure devices and the respective developing devices are superimposed on the image forming body, thereby a color toner image is formed. The image forming apparatus further includes a transfer device for transferring the color toner image on the image forming body onto a transfer member; a cleaning device for removing a residual toner on the image forming body; a support member for supporting the plurality of exposure devices.

Abstract: An optical system assembling method in an image forming apparatus in which there are provided an image forming body around which a plurality of exposure device each having a linear exposure optical system to imagewise expose on the image forming body, and a plurality of developing device containing respective color toners different from each other which are superimposed on the image forming body to form a color toner image, the method further having the steps of: lighting the exposure optical system; forming an image emitted from the exposure optical system on a sensor which is disposed at a position corresponding to a photosensitive surface of the image forming body with respect to the exposure optical system; adjusting a position of the exposure optical system on the basis of a result of the image forming so that a focal point of the exposure optical system is coincident with a surface of the sensor; and fixing at the adjusted position the exposure optical system to an optical system supporting body provide

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor drum; a charger for charging an outer surface of the photoreceptor drum; image exposure devices each for exposing the photoreceptor drum to form a latent image thereon, wherein the image exposure devices are provided inside the photoreceptor drum, and are detachably mountable with the photoreceptor drum to the image forming apparatus; a developing device for developing the latent image to form a toner image on the outer surface of the photoreceptor drum; and a supporting member on which the image exposure devices are mounted, wherein the supporting member and the photoreceptor drum are connected through bearing members on both ends of the photoreceptor drum, and the supporting member has an engaging portion for engaging with a part of the image forming apparatus to fix the image exposure devices through the supporting member, while the photoreceptor drum is rotated around the image exposure devices through the bearing members.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes a drum type image forming body; four charging devices for charging the image forming body; four exposure devices fixed on the main body for imagewise exposing the charged image and forming body to form a latent image; four developing devices each for developing the latent image to form a different colored toner image. After operations by the charging devices, the exposure devices and the developing devices are repeated to superimpose the different colored toner images on the image forming body, the superimposed colored toner images are transferred by a transfer device including an intermediate transferring member and a transfer member in contact with the intermediate transferring member onto a recording material at one time.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming multi color toner images includes a photoreceptor drum which has an opening at a first end through which an inside of the photoreceptor drum is accessible, and which has an outer surface on which multi color toner images are formed. A supporting member is provided which is capable of being inserted into the inside of the photoreceptor drum through the opening thereof. A cover member is provided on a first end of the supporting member for covering the opening. A plurality of exposing devices are mounted on the supporting member so that the plurality of exposing devices and the supporting member are incorporated inside the photoreceptor drum when the cover member is fixed so as to cover the opening. A plurality of charging devices are provided around the outer surface of the photoreceptor drum for charging the outer surface of the photoreceptor drum.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer for forming a multicolor toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer for forming a color image. The image forming apparatus includes: a transparent photoreceptor drum for retaining a multi-color toner image in which the wall-thickness and an inner diameter of the drum are respectively between 2.5 mm and 8 mm and between 60 mm and 200 mm; plural chargers, provided on the periphery of the photoreceptor drum, for charging the drum surface; plural imagewise exposure systems, provided inside of the photoreceptor drum, for forming latent images on the drum surface; and plural developers, provided on the periphery of the photoreceptor drum, for developing the latent images with different color toners so as to form a superimposed multi-color toner image on the drum surface while the photoreceptor drum is being rotated one time.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes a plurality of chargers each provided in a periphery of an image forming body for charging the image forming body; at least two of a plurality of imagewise exposure devices each equally spaced with respect to the image forming body, for imagewise exposing a charged image forming body to form a latent image; and a plurality of developing devices each provided in the periphery of the image forming body to develop the latent image to form a toner image.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus provided with plural charging devices, plural image exposure devices, and plural developing devices which are arranged around the outer circumference of a photoreceptor so that a color image is formed during a single rotation of the photoreceptor. The apparatus comprises a supporting cylinder for enclosing the photoreceptor and for supporting the plural image exposure devices thereon.

Abstract: In a color image forming apparatus in which each of charging devices, image exposure devices and developing devices is provided in plural sets corresponding in number to plural different color components and placed in such an arrangement that the plural different color component toner images are superimposed on the image carrying member during a single rotation of the image carrying member, all of the plural image exposure means, and the image carrying member are constructed in a single body and is shiftable together in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the image carrying member from or to the working position of the image carrying member.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copier. The apparatus includes: a photoreceptor, having a transparent body, for forming a toner image; a charger for charging the photoreceptor; a LED array, accommodated inside the photoreceptor, for imagewisely exposing the photoreceptor with exposure light so as to form a latent image on the photoreceptor; a developer for developing the latent image with toner so as to form a toner image on the photoreceptor; in which a process of forming the toner image is repeated for plural times so that plural toner images are superimposed to from a composite toner image; a transferor for transferring the composite toner image onto a recording medium; and a photodetector, accommodated inside the photoreceptor, for detecting light from the photoreceptor in which the light has a high transmission factor for the photoreceptor.