Abstract: A developer collection system comprises a plurality of image carrier members, a plurality of development sections for developing the electrostatic latent images formed respectively on the plurality of image carrier members by means of liquid developers of different colors containing a non-volatile solvent as carrier, an intermediate transfer member for sequentially transferring the developer images developed by the primary transfer sections respectively corresponding to the plurality of image carrier members, superposing them one on the other and carrying and conveying the developer images, an output section for transferring the superposed developer images from the intermediate transfer member onto a sheet on a sheet conveyance route in the secondary transfer section and developer collection means for collecting excessive developers from at least two of the plurality of image carrier members, the plurality of development means, the intermediate transfer member and the output section and at least two of the fl

Abstract: There is provided a development system comprising a developer carrier member that carries a developer, a developer supply roller that supplies the developer carrier member with the developer, a developer container that stores the developer, a toner compression roller that contacts with the developer carrier member and presses toner against the developer carrier member, the toner included in the developer and a density sensing unit that senses a density of the toner in the developer in the developer container. A condition for the toner compression roller is changed depending on the density of the toner in the developer in the developer container or depending on a type of a recording medium.

Abstract: A developing system comprises: a plurality of image carriers; a plurality of developing devices for developing electrostatic latent images, formed on the plurality of image carriers, with respective liquid developers of different colors of which carrier is nonvolatile solvent; and developer collecting means which are disposed at a plurality of locations for collecting excess developers, wherein the developing devices have developer containers, respectively. The developing system further comprises a carrier storing tank for distributing the carrier to the respective developer containers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer belt that has an elastic layer to which a toner image on an image carrier developed using a liquid developer is primarily transferred, a cleaning roller that cleans an extraneous material remaining on the intermediate transfer belt after secondary transfer, and a coating member that coats the intermediate transfer belt with a cleaning liquid.

Abstract: In a device for fusing a toner image on a recording medium, a first roller provided with a heat source and a second roller are provided. A stretcher is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the second roller. An endless belt is stretched by an outer circumferential face of the second roller and a first face of the stretcher, and circulated in accordance with rotation of the first roller and the second roller. The endless belt is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller to form a nipping portion through which the recording medium passes to fuse the toner image thereon. A supporter is disposed between the second roller and the stretcher. The supporter is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the second roller, and is provided with at least one first projection having a first face which is brought into slide contact with at least a longitudinal center portion of the outer circumferential face of the second roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has plural image forming stations along a travel direction of a transfer medium. Each image forming station has a latent image carrier that rotates in a sub scanning direction, an image writer that forms a latent image on the latent image carrier and a developer that has a toner carrier extending along a main scanning direction approximately perpendicular to the sub scanning direction. Each image writer has a line head near the latent image carrier with light emitting elements arranged in a row along the main scanning direction. Rotation drive force developing at one common motor is transmitted to plural places in sections of the apparatus to superimpose toner images one atop the other. A motor main section of the common motor overlaps the transfer medium in the in-plane arrangement viewed from a vertical direction perpendicular to both the main and sub scanning directions.

Abstract: The invention provides a developing device employing a liquid developer which is capable of effectively cleaning a development roller or the like having an elastic outer layer. The developing device of the invention is provided with an elastic roller such as a development roller for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier. In image forming process, toner particles uniformly dispersed in carrier are agglutinated to the elastic roller side by means of compaction. A cleaning blade is provided for cleaning the agglutinated toner particles.

Abstract: A charge roller includes a core, a resistive layer disposed on a circumferential surface of the core to charge an image-bearing member without contact, and gap members formed of tape-shaped films. These films are fixed to both ends of the charge roller by winding each of the films in a direction opposite a rotational direction of the charge roller in use and perpendicular to the axial direction thereof to form n layers (wherein n?2) extending in the axial direction at every position in the circumferential direction of the charge roller. The gap members are pressed against a circumferential surface of an image-bearing member to define a charge gap between the image-bearing member and the charge roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus adapted for a smooth mounting/dismounting of a process unit and for the reduction of wasteful power consumption is provided. Unless a new image signal is applied after completion of an image forming operation, the apparatus starts a clocking operation by an internal timer (Step S101). If the apparatus is left standstill for a predetermined length of time (Step S102), a sleep process (Step S103) is executed to shift the apparatus to a power save mode to consume less power. When an outside cover is opened (Step S105), on the other hand, the apparatus is shifted to a replacement operation mode (Step S106) in which only the rotation of a development rotary is permitted. However, if the apparatus is left with the outside cover opened (Step S108), the sleep process is executed.

Abstract: As a user turns on the power, patch processing (Step S104) is executed and image forming conditions are accordingly adjusted. However, when a setting entry for prohibiting the patch processing has been made at the time of power-on (Step S101, Step S103), after setting the image forming conditions to predetermined default conditions without performing the patch processing (Step S108), execution of an image forming operation is permitted (Step S107). The setting entry in this context is pressing of a particular switch by the user at the time of power-on.

Abstract: The content of processing of an input image signal varies depending upon the conditions of an apparatus. In view of the fact that this results in the variations of correlation between tone data and toner consumption, a coefficient by which an integration value of the tone data is defined according to the content of the signal processing. In an image forming apparatus which performs tone correction as the signal processing and which has a characteristic (2) of forming images of higher densities relative to tone levels, for example, a larger amount of toner is consumed. Therefore, the coefficient of the apparatus is defined to be a higher value than that of an apparatus having a substantially linear characteristic (1). Conversely, in the case of an apparatus having a characteristic (3) of forming images of lower densities, thus consuming less toner, the coefficient is defined to be a lower value.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image is formed on a rotary image carrier. A developing roller is separatably abutted on the image carrier to supply toner onto the image carrier to make the latent image visible as a toner image. An intermediate transfer member is adapted to temporarily hold the toner image. A first transferer presses the intermediate transfer member against the image carrier to define a primary transfer position therebetween, so that the toner image on the image carrier is transferred to the intermediate transfer member. A second transferer is separatably abutted on the intermediate transfer member to transfer the toner image on the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming method using an image forming apparatus which includes: a driving roller; a blade opposing roller which is a follower roller biased by a biasing member in a bias direction to be moved away from the driving roller and free to reciprocate in the bias direction; a transfer belt which is stretched around at least two rollers including the driving roller and the blade opposing roller and which is rotatably transported in a predetermined transport direction; a cleaner blade unified with the blade opposing roller for reciprocating unitarily with the blade opposing roller in the bias direction and holding whose distal end in contact against the blade opposing roller via the transfer belt so as to clean a surface of the transfer belt; M, where M is integer which is equal to or larger than 2, image forming stations which are arranged on the downstream side of the blade opposing roller and on the upstream side of the driving roller in the transport direction and which individually form toner images of m

Abstract: An image forming method which generates a video signal corresponding to an image forming command based on a video clock signal, modulates a light beam according to the video signal, and scans the modulated light beam along a main scanning direction by means of an oscillation mirror which resonates based on a drive signal, so as to form a latent image in an effective image region of a latent image carrier, the method includes: synchronizing the drive signal with the video clock signal to synchronize a detection signal with the vide clock signal, the detection signal being output from a detector which detect the light beam scanned in the main scanning direction in a region away from an effective scan region which corresponds to the effective image region; controlling a resonant frequency of the oscillation mirror based on the detection signal so that the resonant frequency of the oscillation mirror almost coincides with the frequency of the drive signal; and adjusting a position, at which the latent image is wr

Abstract: An image forming method using an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier whose surface is driven in a sub scanning direction; a deflector which scans a beam spot reciprocally in a main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the sub scanning direction on the surface of the latent image carrier in the use of an oscillating deflect mirror so as to form spot latent images each of which formed on a pixel; developer which develops each of the spot latent images as a pixel-dot, the method includes of: halftoning for a tone reproduction in which a halftone-dot constituted by the pixel-dot(s) is formed on a cell consisting plural pixels according to a fattening type threshold matrix, wherein a plurality of cells are contiguously arranged in the main scanning direction so as to form a plurality of contiguous locations at each of which the cells adjoin mutually in the main scanning direction, each cell includes a larger-than-four even number of pixels in the sub scanning direction, and the c

Abstract: A development system comprises: an image forming section including a development roller for carrying developer, a developer supplying roller for supplying the developer to the development roller, a developer container for supplying the developer to the developer supplying roller, a photoconductor on which a developed image is formed with the developer carried by the development roller, and a transfer means for transferring the developed image on the photoconductor; a developer concentration adjusting section including a toner tank for reserving developer of which concentration is higher than that of the developer in the developer container, a liquid carrier tank for reserving liquid carrier, and a developer concentration adjusting tank into which the high-concentration developer is fed from the toner tank and the liquid carrier is fed from the liquid carrier tank; a paper type input means for inputting a paper type; and a developer concentration adjustment controlling section for controlling development condi

Abstract: A light scanning apparatus makes a light beam scan along a main scanning direction on an effective scanning region which has a predetermined width. The apparatus comprises: a light source which emits the light beam; a deflector which includes an oscillation mirror which oscillates about an oscillatory axis which is orthogonal or approximately orthogonal to the main scanning direction, deflects the light beam emitted from the light source using the oscillation mirror, and makes the light beam scan a second scanning range which contains but extends beyond a first scanning range which corresponds to the effective scanning region; a detector which detects the scanning light beam which moves through a position which is outside the first scanning range but is within the second scanning range, and outputs a signal; and a controller which controls a mirror drive signal fed to the oscillation mirror based on the output signal from the detector and accordingly adjusts the amplitude of the oscillation mirror.

Abstract: The size Hbs of a beam spot of an incident light beam on a deflection mirror surface 651 is larger than the width Hb of the deflection mirror surface 651 when a pivot angle ? is zero, and therefore, Hbs>Hb is satisfied at any pivot angle ? and the deflection mirror surface 651 is overfilled with the incident light beam. Hence, even when beam rotation occurs, only a central portion of the incident light beam is reflected by the deflection mirror surface 651 and guided as a scanning light beam to a scanning lens. Owing to this, the central axis CLs of the outgoing light beam (scanning light beam) Ls from a deflector becomes close to the central axis CLs as it is when the pivot angle ? is zero.

Abstract: Widths of a coating area, a developing agent carrier, a maximum image area and a first cleaning member taken along a second direction are respectively W1, W2, W3 and W4, the following conditions are satisfied: a first condition that W1>W2 is met and in the second direction, the both edges of the developing agent carrier are located on the inner side to the both edges of the coating area, a second condition that W2>W3 is met and in the second direction, the both edges of the image area are located on the inner side to the both edges of the developing agent carrier, and a third condition that W4>W2 is met and in the second direction, the both edges of the developing agent carrier are located on the inner side to the both edges of the first cleaning member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: at least an image carrier of which rotary shafts extending from both ends thereof are rotatably supported on an apparatus body by bearings; and a charging roller having gap members fixed to both end portions thereof, respectively, wherein the gap members are brought in contact with the peripheral surface of the image carrier with some pressure to form a charge gap between the image carrier and the charging roller so that the charging roller charges the image carrier in non-contact state with the charge gap, and wherein the gap members are each formed to have a small-diameter portion on the inside thereof and a large-diameter portion on the outside thereof such that the respective small-diameter portions are positioned to face each other.