Abstract: A protecting layer is formed on a surface of an image carrier with a protecting agent that contains at least an organic compound having melting property of which penetration at 25° C. ranges from 3 millimeters to 30 millimeters, and organic compound particles having thermal decomposition property of which a weight average particle size ranges from 2 micrometers to 20 micrometers. A melting temperature of the organic compound is lower than a decomposition temperature of the organic compound particles, and a volume ratio of the organic compound to the organic compound particles ranges from 99/1 to 50/50.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of types of operation control information of the image forming apparatus that indicate deterioration of a toner in the image forming apparatus or deterioration of a component of the image forming apparatus. An index value calculating unit calculates an index value indicating a state of the image forming apparatus based on the acquired operation control information. An abnormality judging unit judges whether the image forming apparatus abnormality has occurred and predicts an occurrence of a failure that requires maintenance of the image forming apparatus due to deterioration of the toner in the image forming apparatus or deterioration of the component of the image forming apparatus based on the index value.

Abstract: To provide an image-bearing member protecting agent used in an image forming method which includes applying or attaching the agent onto a surface of an image bearing member, the agent including: a fatty acid metal salt (A), and an inorganic lubricant (B), wherein the inorganic lubricant (B) has an average particle diameter of 0.1 ?m to 14 ?m.

Abstract: A rotation measuring mechanism capable of measuring a rotation amount and a displacement amount of a rotary member in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis is provided. An exemplary combination of the rotation measuring mechanism includes a detection target rotating in synchrony with the rotary member and range sensors. Each time the detection target rotates once, each sensor outputs one cycle of a sine wave. The amplitude of the sine wave output from the sensor varies in accordance with the displacement of the detection target together with the rotary member in the direction perpendicular to the axis, thereby obtaining the rotation amount and the displacement amount of the rotary member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes toner image forming devices for forming toner images of a plurality of mutually different colors, a toner image carrying member for carrying thereon the toner images of the plurality of colors to be transferred onto a recording medium at one time, an adhesion amount detection device for detecting a toner adhesion amount of each of the toner images, and a failure determination device for determining the presence or absence of a sign of failure in the toner image forming devices. The failure determination device determines the presence or absence of the sign of failure in one of the toner image forming devices on the basis of information based on adhesion amount detection results obtained through detection by the adhesion amount detection device of toner adhesion amounts of toner images formed on the toner image carrying member by the other toner image forming devices.

Abstract: A first feature quantity computing unit that computes a first feature quantity representing an average of a plurality of driving loads recorded by a driving load of a fixing section recording unit of an image forming device that records the driving load acquired by a driving load acquiring unit that acquires the driving load, a second feature quantity computing unit that computes a second feature quantity representing a deviation of the plurality of the driving loads, and a diagnosis unit that performs failure diagnosis including estimation of a cause of a failure of the fixing section using the first feature quantity and the second feature quantity are used.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method of predicting failure of a fixing device of an image forming apparatus are provided. Based on a plurality of sheet transfer time values of the fixing device, a first characteristic value that is an average value of the plurality of sheet transfer time values, and at least one of a second characteristics value that indicates the variance of the plurality of sheet transfer time values and a third characteristics value that indicates the maximum value of the plurality of sheet transfer time values are calculated. Using a determination result generated based on the first characteristics value and the at least one of the second and third characteristics values, failure of the fixing device is predicted.

Abstract: A state predicting apparatus collects internal information and usage information of an apparatus subjected for failure prediction determination, calculates a state index value using a regression model and the internal information of the apparatus, calculates a usage factor indicating a predicted remaining time period between a time when the state index value is calculated and a time when a failure is predicted to occur using the usage information of the apparatus, and calculates a failure risk based on the state index value and the usage factor.

Abstract: A protective-agent applying device that applies a protective agent mainly containing paraffin to a photosensitive element. The protective-agent applying device applies a protective agent to a surface of the photosensitive element in such a manner that when applying the protective agent for 10 minutes, the protective agent equal to or more than 0.5 ?g/cm2 adheres to the surface, and when applying the protective agent for 60 minutes, the protective agent equal to or less than 8 ?g/cm2 adheres to the surface.

Abstract: A protective layer forming device including: a protective agent block containing a metal soap, a protective agent supplying unit configured to supply a protective agent onto a photoconductor, and a pressing unit configured to press the protective agent supplying unit against the protective agent block, wherein the protective agent supplying unit is rotated while being pressed against the protective agent block by the pressing unit, so that the protective agent block is micronized to make the protective agent in the form of fine powder, and the protective agent in the form of fine powder is supplied onto the photoconductor, thereby forming a protective layer on the photoconductor, and wherein the protective agent in the form of fine powder has a particle diameter of 200 ?m or smaller and contains protective agent particles of 20 ?m to 200 ?m in an amount of 1% by mass to 70% by mass.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a protective agent, a photoconductor, a charging unit, a development unit, a cleaning unit, and an application unit. The protective agent includes paraffin as main component. The photoconductor has a surface including polycarbonate applied with the protective agent. The development unit develops a latent image on the photoconductor. The cleaning unit removes materials remaining on the photoconductor. The application unit applies the protective agent to the surface of photoconductor. One peak in a given binding energy range is used to determine a coating condition of the photoconductor coated by the agent. The coating condition is determined by comparing an area ratio A0 before applying the agent and an area ratio A after applying the agent, each of which is an area ratio with respect to a total area of C1s spectrum of the photoconductor. The coating ratio of the photoconductor is computed by (A0?A)/A0×100.

Abstract: A protective layer setting unit includes a protective agent and an application unit configured to apply the protective agent to an image carrying member in a manner sufficient to satisfy equations (1) and (2). A surface condition of the image carrying member is determined by an applied-agent amount index “X” and an agent coating ratio “Y,” and a ratio of “X/Y” is set to 0.020 or less after applying the protective agent for 120 minutes. applied-agent amount index X=Sb/Sa??(1) agent coating ratio Y=(A0?A)/A0×100(%)??(2).

Abstract: A developer for an electrophotographic tandem image forming method is provided that contains a toner; and a carrier, wherein the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of from 120 to 160, an average circularity of form 0.93 to 0.98, a weight-average particle diameter (D4) of from 3.0 to 8.0 ?m, and a ratio (D4/Dn) of the weight-average particle diameter (D4) to a number-average particle diameter (Dn) of from 1.01 to 1.20, and wherein the carrier is almost a spherical ferrite coated with a resin wherein alumina is dispersed, which has an average particle diameter of from 20 to 45 ?m and the following formula: (MgO)x(MnO)y(Fe2O3)z wherein x is from 1 to 5 mol %, y is from 5 to 55 mol % and z is from 45 to 55 mol %.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus including an image bearing member which is a rotatable photoconductor containing an organic photoconductive layer on a conductive cylindrical support, a latent electrostatic image forming unit configured to charge the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon, and a developing unit configured to develop the latent electrostatic image on the image bearing member with a developer to form a visible image, wherein the thickness of the organic photoconductive layer monotonically decreases or increases along the rotational axis from one end to the other end, wherein the developing unit includes a development sleeve for bearing and transferring the developer to a developing region, and wherein a development gap is formed between the image bearing member and the development sleeve, and becomes narrower from one end where the organic photoconductive layer is thicker to the other end where the organic photoconductive layer is thinner.

Abstract: A determining unit determines whether the printer is in the predictive failure state based on the internal information of the printer acquired by the information acquiring unit. A failure risk computing unit performs a failure risk determination process for determining the size of failure risk of the printer when the printer is in the predictive failure state. The determination result is reported to a maintenance person or a user. In this way, the maintenance person or the user who receives the report can definitely grasp a degree of urgency of maintenance at that point.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charger, a developing device, a cleaning device, a protective-agent bar, and a brush. The charger uniformly charges an image carrier. The developing device develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier to obtain a toner image as a visual image. The cleaning device removes toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier from which the toner image has been transferred onto a transfer material. The protective-agent bar contains a protective agent. The brush comes in contact with the protective-agent bar and the image carrier while rotating such that the protective agent adheres thereto and is supplied to the image carrier in an irregular form.

Abstract: A protective layer forming device including an image-bearing member protecting agent which contains a fatty acid metal salt and an inorganic lubricant, a protecting agent supply member configured to apply a surface of the image bearing member with the image-bearing member protecting agent, and a leveling member configured to level off the image-bearing member protecting agent applied on the surface of the image bearing member, wherein the leveling member serves as a cleaning blade having a ridge part with an obtuse angle, which comes into contact with the surface of the image bearing member in a direction counter to the rotation of the image bearing member.

Abstract: A protective agent for forming a protective layer on the surface of an image carrier includes at least a hydrophilic organic compound and an amphiphilic organic compound at a ratio of 1/99 to 20/80. Preferably, the hydrophilic organic compound contains at least one selected from a polysaccharide and a polyether compound, or the amphiphilic organic compound contains a nonionic surfactant.

Abstract: A system abnormality determining method comprises the steps of transmitting fake abnormal information representing an abnormal condition of the target instrument from the target instrument to a condition determination device via a network during a test operation of the target instrument instead of condition information, determining if the condition determination device can determine the target instrument as being abnormal based on the fake abnormal information, and operating the target instrument in a normal operation condition when the condition determination device can determine the target instrument as being abnormal.

Abstract: A plurality of weak discriminators output determinations results about a status of an apparatus. Weight values are individually assigned to the determination results. By performing majority vote of the weighted determination results, the status of the apparatus is determined. The determination results are displayed on a single status indicating screen such that portions corresponding to a normal status are indicated in white while portions corresponding to an anomalous status are indicated in one or more colors other than white. The areas of the portions differ from one another depending on magnitudes of weight assigned to the determination results corresponding to the portions.