Abstract: An image forming apparatus suppresses several kinds of inconveniences caused by unnecessary contact of a belt-formed member with opposing members and drives the belt-formed member accurately even when the belt-formed member separated from a part of a plurality of opposing members. In an image forming apparatus having a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers and a plurality of opposing members located side by side in a line to oppose and contact the belt-formed member, a pivot mechanism is employed to temporarily separate the belt-formed member from a part of the opposing members for color image formation. The image forming apparatus also includes a tension roller dive mechanism to increase a relative distance between the tension roller and other supporting rollers to suppress a decrease in a tension of the belt-formed member during the above-described separation of the belt-formed member from the plurality of opposing members.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention deposits charged toner on a latent image formed on a photoconductive drum or similar image carrier to thereby produce a corresponding toner image. The apparatus includes a toner flying device for electrostatically conveying the toner along the conveying surface of a conveyance board to one end of the conveyance board. The toner is caused to fly toward the image carrier from the end of the conveyance board.

Abstract: An integration density acquiring unit for a consumption information management apparatus acquires integration density from an image signal sent from an image processing section, and an information converting unit calculates a quantity of consumed toner (consumption information) by multiplying the integration density by a specified coefficient to send the quantity to a cumulative consumption information calculating unit. The cumulative consumption information calculating unit temporarily stores the information for the quantity of toner consumption in a memory, and reads out the information from the memory at predetermined timing. Accordingly, it is possible to determine only the cost for developer used by a user or calculate the quantity of developer remaining within an image formation apparatus based on the cumulative consumption information for the unadjusted developer stored in the memory.

Abstract: A tandem image forming device for an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of image forming means arranged side by side along an intermediate image transfer belt. The image forming means each include a developing device and a cleaning device arranged around an image carrier. One of nearby image forming means has its cleaning devise positioned above the developing device of the other image forming means, e.g., an agitating section forming part of the image forming means. This configuration insures smooth circulation of a developer and therefore obviates an irregular developer distribution while reducing the overall size of the image forming device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus allowing an image carrier included therein to be desirably cleaned is disclosed. A developing device uses a developing liquid consisting of a carrier liquid and toner dispersed therein. A toner image produced by the developing device is transferred to an intermediate image transfer belt. A cleaning roller cleans the surface of the intermediate image transfer belt after the transfer of the toner image to a paper sheet or similar recording medium. A liquid cleaning device feeds a cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller. The developing liquid may be replaced with a dry developer containing at least powdery toner.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus suppresses several kinds of inconveniences caused by unnecessary contact of a belt-formed member with opposing members and drives the belt-formed member accurately even when the belt-formed member separated from a part of a plurality of opposing members. In an image forming apparatus having a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers and a plurality of opposing members located side by side in a line to oppose and contact the belt-formed member, a pivot mechanism is employed to temporarily separate the belt-formed member from a part of the opposing members for color image formation. The image forming apparatus also includes a tension roller dive mechanism to increase a relative distance between the tension roller and other supporting rollers to suppress a decrease in a tension of the belt-formed member during the above-described separation of the belt-formed member from the plurality of opposing members.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a common sheet processing station with a sheet supply unit, at least one image forming unit which is detachably arranged with the common sheet processing station. The image forming unit forms images on a sheet carried from the common sheet processing station via a sheet carrying path. Many different image forming units may be utilized with the common sheet processing station.

Abstract: A virtual screen display apparatus includes a display arranged to generate display information and having an effective diagonal length DLC and an optical projecting element arranged to receive the display information from the display and to project and form an image, the optical projecting element having an effective F number which is defined by Fe=S1/PuD wherein S1 is a distance between the display and a principal point of the optical projecting element and PuD is a diameter of an exit pupil of the optical projecting element. A field optical element arranged to form an in-space image in a position of a virtual screen and to direct a divergent light flux from the virtual screen to a view region where the image is viewable to an observer.

Abstract: A testing method for a liquid developer which adjusts a narrow gap formed between circumferences of two moving elements, applies different electric potentials to surfaces of the two moving elements to generate an electric field at the narrow gap, and applies the liquid developer to at least one of the two moving elements at a position upstream from the narrow gap in a moving direction of the two moving elements. Further, the method measures one of 1) a thickness, 2) a weight per unit area, and 3) a volume per unit area of liquid developer adhered to the circumferences of the two moving elements at a position downstream from the narrow gap in the moving direction of the moving elements, and calculates a ratio of one of 1) the thicknesses, 2) the weights, and 3) the volumes of the liquid developer between the two moving elements according to a measuring result in the measuring step.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a developing device includes a reservoir storing a viscous and dense developing liquid. A developing sleeve, an applicator roller, a circulation pump for circulating the liquid and a screw for agitating the liquid are disposed in the reservoir. The reservoir is open only at its portion where the developing sleeve contacts an image carrier. The liquid is agitated by the screw before flowing into the circulation pump and then applied to the applicator roller. As a result, the liquid is fed to the developing sleeve via the applicator roller with a uniform toner content. The apparatus is small size and stably forms high quality images.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a liquid developing device, a thin layer of dense and viscous developing liquid is formed on a developer carrier and brought into contact with a latent image electrostatically formed on the surface of an image carrier in order to develop it. A preselected electric field is formed between the developer carrier and a device for regulating the thickness of the above layer, providing a dense layer with a uniform high toner content and an excess liquid surface layer. The excess liquid surface layer, formed with the developing liquid layer, is removed by a developing layer removing device. With this configuration, the apparatus ensures images free from irregularity.

Abstract: A developing device develops a latent image formed on a latent image carrier by supplying a developer to the latent image carrier. The developer comprises a carrier liquid and a toner dispersed in the carrier liquid. A gelling agent adding device adds a gelling agent to the developer remaining in the developing device so as to gel the developer.

Abstract: A developing device of the type using a highly viscous developing liquid is disclosed. The developing liquid applied to a developer carrier in the form of a thin layer is uniformed in order to form a high quality image. The developing liquid is capable of forming desirable images with a constant characteristic even when it is repeatedly used over a long period of time. An image forming apparatus including such a developing device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A device including a plurality of image-formation units stacked one over another, and a photosensitive body, provided in each of the image-formation units, which has an electrostatic image formed thereon. Also included is a development unit, provided in each of the image-formation units, which develops the electrostatic latent image with a liquid development agent to create a development-agent image on the photosensitive body. In addition, a sheet-conveyer/transfer unit is included which transfers the development-agent image formed by the image-formation units onto a sheet conveyed by the sheet-conveyed transfer unit.

Abstract: A density regulating apparatus includes a rotatable container for containing developing liquid and a rotating unit for rotating the container. The rotatable container when rotated generates a centrifugal force exerted on the developing liquid contained in the container so as to separate the developing liquid into a plurality of portions.

Abstract: An apparatus which forms a discharge electric field in order to discharge an object. The apparatus includes an electrode member facing and separated by a preselected gap from the object, and a power source which applies a discharge voltage to the electrode member to thereby cause discharge to occur between the object and the electrode member. Further, the electrode member at the gap includes a material selected in association with the gap so that a functional relationship between the discharge voltage and a discharge current caused by the discharge voltage is a continuous function.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming units or process units is disclosed. The process units may each be moved into and out of the body of the apparatus by hand. A plurality of support members for supporting the ends of the process units to be operated by hand extend substantially parallel to a linear path for conveying a recording medium, but outside of paths for moving the process units into and out of the apparatus body. A positioning mechanism positions the above end of the individual process unit relative to the support members. The positioning mechanism is implemented by holes formed in the support members, and pins studded on a positioning wall included in the individual process unit. The apparatus allows the process units to be positioned thereon accurately with a high mechanical strength, while allowing them to be mounted and dismounted with ease.

Abstract: A wet image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an intermediate transfer body having an uneven surface. Projections on the uneven surface contact the surface of an image carrier and that of a paper, guaranteeing a distance between the bottoms of recesses also present on the intermediate transfer body and the above surfaces. Therefore, a toner image formed on the image carrier is prevented from being smashed by a pressure. This insures desirable transfer of the toner image from the image carrier to the intermediate transfer body, and thereby prevents image quality from being lowered on the paper.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head for ejecting droplets of ink and a driving circuit for driving the recording head. The recording head includes a base, a plate on which a plurality of openings are formed; an ink chamber to be filled with ink being formed between the base and the plate; and heater elements, provided in the ink chamber so as to face the openings of the plate, each of which heater elements supplies heat energy to ink adjacent thereto so that the air bubble is generated on each of the heater elements and so that the air bubble grows toward a corresponding one of the openings. An area of each of the openings of the plate is greater than an area each of the heater elements. When the driving circuit activates each of the heater elements, a droplet of ink is ejected due to the air bubble from the corresponding one of the openings of the plate.

Abstract: A wet-type image forming apparatus produces a high-quality toner image by condensing a toner image on a photosensitive drum and adhering the toner image onto the photosensitive drum without contacting a liquid carrier applied on the photosensitive drum. The photosensitive drum carries a latent image formed thereon. The toner image is formed by developing the latent image by using a developing liquid including the liquid carrier and toner dispersed in the liquid carrier. An excessive amount of liquid carrier on the photosensitive drum is removed after the toner image is formed. An electric field is formed which causes a current to flow between an electrically conductive member and the photosensitive drum. An air gap is formed between the liquid carrier on the photosensitive drum and the electrically conductive member so that the current flows through the gap, the liquid carrier and the toner image.