Abstract: When the rocking side wall is to be opened, the rocking side wall is rotated about a shaft body and a cutout surface comes into contact with a side surface on the upper side of a connection plate When the rocking side wall is further opened with the cutout surface in contact with the side surface on the upper side of the connection plate, the rocking side wall is rotated about the shaft body in operative association with the connection plate. In the middle of the opening motion of the rocking side wall, a rocking axis of the rocking side wall moves from the shaft body to the shaft body. When the rocking side wall is rotated about the shaft body placed closer to the outside than the shaft body, the rocking side wall is opened while being further away from rough crush blades and the crush blades, and this widen the opening between the rocking side walls.

Abstract: When the rocking side wall is to be opened, the rocking side wall is rotated about a shaft body and a cutout surface comes into contact with a side surface on the upper side of a connection plate When the rocking side wall is further opened with the cutout surface in contact with the side surface on the upper side of the connection plate, the rocking side wall is rotated about the shaft body in operative association with the connection plate. In the middle of the opening motion of the rocking side wall, a rocking axis of the rocking side wall moves from the shaft body to the shaft body. When the rocking side wall is rotated about the shaft body placed closer to the outside than the shaft body, the rocking side wall is opened while being further away from rough crush blades and the crush blades, and this widen the opening between the rocking side walls.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and retransfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: In a process cartridge having a latent-image-bearing member and a developing device having a developer-holding part and a developing member, at a vertical section which bisects in the process cartridge the surface of the latent-image-bearing member with which surface the developing member is brought into pressure contact, a developer agitation and transport member has at least two rotary agitation and transport members having rotating shafts falling at right angles with the vertical section. Where, at the vertical section, the area of the developer-holding part is represented by S1 and the area of the part corresponding to the movable region of the rotary agitation and transport member is represented by S2, the ratio of S2 to S1, S2/S1, is from 0.8 to 0.99; and the ratio of a long side Sa to a short side Sb, Sa/Sb, of a circumparallelogram having a minimum area in respect to the area S1 in the vertical section is from 1.5 to 3.0.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: In a process cartridge having a latent-image-bearing member and a developing means having a developer-holding part and a developing member, at a vertical section which bisects in the process cartridge the surface of the latent-image-bearing member with which surface the developing member is brought into pressure contact, a developer agitation and transport member has at least two rotary agitation and transport means having rotating shafts falling at right angles with the vertical section. Where, at the vertical section, the area of the developer-holding part is represented by S1 and the area of the part corresponding to the movable region of the rotary agitation and transport means is represented by S2, the ratio of S2 to S1, S2/S1, is from 0.8 to 0.99; and the ratio of a long side Sa to a short side Sb, Sa/Sb, of a circumparallelogram having a minimum area in respect to the area S1 in the vertical section is from 1.5 to 3.0.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner is formed as a blend of toner particles and external additives. The external additives include (1) first inorganic fine particles having an average primary particle size of 80-800 nm of oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and zirconium, (2) second inorganic fine particles other than silica having an average primary particle size of below 80 nm and (3) silica fine particles having an average primary particle size of below 30 nm. As a result, the toner can be made free from difficulties, such as melt-sticking onto an image-bearing member in a low humidity environment, roughening of halftone images in a low humidity environment, toner blot-down after storage at high temperatures or in continuous image formation on a large number of sheets, fog in continuous formations of images of low color area percentage in a low humidity environment, and re-transfer in multi-color image formation.

Abstract: An image forming method using a dry toner and exhibiting good quick-start and power economization characteristics is provided. The image forming method includes a heat-pressure fixing step using a rotatable electromagnetic induction heat-generation type heating member. The toner used therein is characterized by a moisture content of at most 3.00 wt. %, and viscoelasticities as represented by a storage modulus at 110° C. of G′ (110° C.) and a storage modulus at 140° C. of G′ (140° C.) satisfying: G′ (110° C.)≦1.00×106 dN/m2, and G′ (140° C.)≧7.00×103 dN/m3.

Abstract: An image forming method using a dry toner and exhibiting good quick-start and power economization characteristics is provided. The image forming method includes a heat-pressure fixing step using a rotatable electromagnetic induction heat-generation type heating member. The toner used therein is characterized by a moisture content of at most 3.00 wt. %, and viscoelasticities as represented by a storage modulus at 110° C. of G′ (110° C.) and a storage modulus at 140° C. of G′ (140° C.) satisfying: G′ (110° C.)≦1.00×106 dN/m2, and G′ (140° C.)≧7.00×103 dN/m3.