Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes multiple image forming stations, and a controller for executing selectively a multi-color image mode or a monochromatic image forming mode, wherein in the monochromatic image forming mode, a first one of image forming stations which forms the image, and a second one which is upstream of the first image forming station exposes the image bearing members to a first image pattern and a second image pattern, respectively, and the controller determines the second image pattern in accordance with the first image pattern, and effects the exposure to the second image pattern.

Abstract: A system includes a calculation master storage unit to store a calculation master that is required for estimating the number of visitors to steady mobility facilities within a predetermined period of time, and is obtained by further classifying the steady mobility facilities by type, and a calculation master that is required for estimating the number of visitors to variable mobility facilities within a predetermined period of time, and is based on an actual survey value for each type obtained by further classifying the variable mobility facilities by type, and a building visitor number calculation unit to extract a name of a facility from map information, estimate a type of the facility based on the name, and refer to the calculation master corresponding to the type from the calculation master storage unit based on the estimated type, to calculate an estimate value of the number of visitors to the facility.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an electrostatic latent image; a developing device including a developer carrying member for carrying a developer and developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, and a supplying member for contacting to the developer carrying member to supply the developer to the developer carrying member; and a control device for controlling Vdr and Vrs such that Vrs relative to Vdr increases in a direction of a polarity which is the same as a polarity of the developer with the decrease of an absolute value S, where S is a difference between a peripheral speed Sopc of a surface of the image bearing member and a peripheral speed Sdr of the surface of the developer carrying member, Vrs is a voltage applied to the supplying member, and Vdr is a voltage applied to the developer carrying member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for carrying a developed image; a developer carrying member for carrying a developer to be supplied to the image bearing member; a cleaning blade for removing the developer from the image bearing member; a control device for executing, at predetermined timing during a non-image-formation period, sequence controls for moving a developer from the sleeve to the drum and removing a developer moved to the drum by the cleaning blade; and a removing device capable of removing the developer in a position before developer moved to the image bearing member by the cleaning blade, wherein the sequence controls includes a first sequence control and a second sequence control, and wherein an amount of the developer removed by the cleaning blade is controlled such that the amount is smaller in the first sequence control than in the second sequence control.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image, a toner carrier configured to carry a toner and develop the electrostatic latent image, a switching member configured to perform a switching operation between a contact state where the toner carrier contacts the image carrier and a separation state where the toner carrier is separated from the image carrier, a first electrode member, a second electrode member arranged such that the electrostatic capacity between the first and second electrode members in the contact state is different from the electrostatic capacity therebetween in the separation state, a detection device configured to detect the electrostatic capacity between the first and second electrode members, and a measurement unit configured to measure the time during which the image carrier contacts the toner carrier, wherein the measurement unit starts the measurement when the electrostatic capacity changes exceeding a predetermined value along wit

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging member for being supplied with a charging voltage which is a DC voltage not having an AC voltage component and for contacting the bearing member to electrically charge a surface of the bearing member using an electric discharge; a transfer member for transferring onto a transfer material a toner image formed on the surface of the bearing member by developing the electrostatic latent image, at a transfer position; wherein the charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region, and wherein the transfer member is not supplied with a voltage when the second region is at the transfer position, where the first region is a region on the image b

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording medium, includes: an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photoconductive layer on a rigid base; an exposure device forming a latent image on the electrophotographic photosensitive member; a developer carrying member that carries a developer to develop the latent image using the developer in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member; and a cleaning blade that cleans the electrophotographic photosensitive member in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein the following expression is satisfied: Le?Ldr>Lcl, where Le: a longitudinal length of the photoconductive layer Le, Ldr: a longitudinal length of the developer carrying member to be contacted with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and Lcl: a longitudinal length of the cleaning blade to be contacted with the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an electrostatic latent image; a developing device including a developer carrying member for carrying a developer and developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, and a supplying member for contacting to the developer carrying member to supply the developer to the developer carrying member; and a control device for controlling Vdr and Vrs such that Vrs relative to Vdr increases in a direction of a polarity which is the same as a polarity of the developer with the decrease of an absolute value S, where S is a difference between a peripheral speed Sopc of a surface of the image bearing member and a peripheral speed Sdr of the surface of the developer carrying member, Vrs is a voltage applied to the supplying member, and Vdr is a voltage applied to the developer carrying member.

Abstract: A charging device for electrically charging an image bearing member, includes a contact charging member contactable to the image bearing member to charge the image bearing member, the contact charging member being supplied only with a DC voltage; and a contact member contacted to the charging member, wherein the image bearing member is adapted to carry a toner image of toner which contains an externally added material comprising silica, wherein work functions of the charging member, the contact member and the silica satisfy, (the work function of the contact member)>(the work function of the silica)>(the work function of the charging member).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member, and a transfer member. A charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region on the image bearing member with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region on the image bearing member with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region. A third region on the image bearing member, with the transfer member being supplied with a voltage to provide a predetermined potential difference between a potential of the third region before being charged by the charging member and a potential of the third region after being charged by the charging member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging member for being supplied with a charging voltage which is a DC voltage not having an AC voltage component and for contacting the bearing member to electrically charge a surface of the bearing member using an electric discharge; a transfer member for transferring onto a transfer material a toner image formed on the surface of the bearing member by developing the electrostatic latent image, at a transfer position; wherein the charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region, and wherein the transfer member is not supplied with a voltage when the second region is at the transfer position, where the first region is a region on the image b

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording medium, includes: an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photoconductive layer on a rigid base; an exposure device forming a latent image on the electrophotographic photosensitive member; a developer carrying member that carries a developer to develop the latent image using the developer in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member; and a cleaning blade that cleans the electrophotographic photosensitive member in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein the following expression is satisfied: Le?Ldr>Lcl, where Le: a longitudinal length of the photoconductive layer Le, Ldr: a longitudinal length of the developer carrying member to be contacted with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and Lcl: a longitudinal length of the cleaning blade to be contacted with the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a cartridge is detachably mountable. The cartridge includes portion for accommodating a developer for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a roller for developing the electrostatic latent image with the developer, an opening for supplying the developer to the developing roller from the developer accommodating portion, and a sealing member for unsealably sealing the developer supply opening. The apparatus includes a detector for detecting that amount of the developer deposited on a member to be detected is less than a predetermined level, a retractor for producing an electric signal for retracting the sealing member from a sealing position where the sealing member seals the developer supply opening, when the detector detects that amount of the developer deposited on the member to be detected is less than the predetermined level.

Abstract: A developing apparatus including: a developer carrying member for carrying a developer, the developer carrying member being provided with an elastic layer and adapted to develop, with a developer, an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member; wherein the developer includes a toner, the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of 100 or more but less than 130, the toner has a storage modulus G? (140° C.) at 140° C. of 2.0×103 dN/m2 or more but less than 2.0×104 dN/m2, the toner has a temperature, when the toner has a viscosity of 1.0×103 Pa·s in a flow tester temperature elevation method, of 115° C. or more but less than 130° C., and, in a surface roughness of the developer carrying member, a center-line mean roughness Ra, a ten-point mean roughness Rz and a mean spacing Sm of irregularities satisfy following relationships (1): 0.06 ? Rz / Sm ? 0.4 0.8 ? Ra ? 2.0 ? ? ( ? ? ? m ) } .

Abstract: A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, includes (i) a mounting portion for detachably mounting process cartridges developing images with different colors and each including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a developing roller for developing an latent image formed on the drum, wherein roller is movable between a contact state contacting the drum and a spaced state spaced from the drum; (ii) a switching device switching the rollers between the contact and spacing states; (iii) a feeding belt for feeding the recording material along all of the drums; (iv) a controller for switching between a first monochrome mode in which the belt contacts all of the drums and a second monochrome mode in which the belt contacts only the drum of the cartridge which develops the latent image for image formation.

Abstract: A charging device for electrically charging an image bearing member, includes a contact charging member contactable to the image bearing member to charge the image bearing member, the contact charging member being supplied only with a DC voltage; and a contact member contacted to the charging member, wherein the image bearing member is adapted to carry a toner image of toner which contains an externally added material comprising silica, wherein work functions of the charging member, the contact member and the silica satisfy, (the work function of the contact member)>(the work function of the silica)>(the work function of the charging member).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging member for being supplied with a charging voltage which is a DC voltage not having an AC voltage component and for contacting the bearing member to electrically charge a surface of the bearing member using an electric discharge; a transfer member for transferring onto a transfer material a toner image formed on the surface of the bearing member by developing the electrostatic latent image, at a transfer position; wherein the charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region, and wherein the transfer member is not supplied with a voltage when the second region is at the transfer position, where the first region is a region on the image b

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a cartridge is detachably mountable, includes a) a cartridge including, a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image with a developer, a developer supply opening for supplying the developer to the developing roller form the developer accommodating portion, and a sealing member for unsealably sealing the developer supply opening; b) developer detecting means for detecting that amount of the developer deposited on a member to be detected is less than a predetermined level; c) sealing member retracting means for producing an electric signal for retracting the sealing member sealing the developer supply opening from a sealing position where the sealing member seals the developer supply opening, when the detecting means detects that

Abstract: A developing apparatus including: a developer carrying member for carrying a developer, the developer carrying member being provided with an elastic layer and adapted to develop, with a developer, an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member; wherein the developer includes a toner, the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of 100 or more but less than 130, the toner has a storage modulus G? (140° C.) at 140° C. of 2.0×103 dN/m2 or more but less than 2.0×104 dN/m2, the toner has a temperature, when the toner has a viscosity of 1.0×103 Pa·s in a flow tester temperature elevation method, of 115° C. or more but less than 130° C., and, in a surface roughness of the developer carrying member, a center-line mean roughness Ra, a ten-point mean roughness Rz and a mean spacing Sm of irregularities satisfy following relationships (1): 0.06 ? Rz / Sm ? 0.4 0.8 ? Ra ? 2.

Abstract: A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, includes (i) a mounting portion for detachably mounting a plurality of process cartridges each including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a developing roller for developing an latent image formed on the drum, wherein developing roller is movable between a contact state where the developing roller is contacted to the drum and a spaced state where the developing roller is spaced from the drum, wherein the cartridges develop the latent images with colors different from each other; (ii) switching means for switching the developing rollers between the contact state and the spacing state when the cartridges are set in the mounting portions; (iii) a feeding belt for feeding the recording material along all of the drums of the cartridges set in the mounting portion; (iv) control means for switching, in accordance with a kind of the recording material in a monochromatic mode operation, between a first mode i