Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of types of operation control information of the image forming apparatus; an index value calculating unit that calculates an index value indicating a state of the image forming apparatus based on the acquired operation control information; an abnormality judging unit that judges whether the image forming apparatus abnormality has occurred and predicts an occurrence of a failure based on the index value; and a detection pattern position detecting unit that detects a position of a detection pattern on an image carrier carrying a toner image. The detection pattern is formed on the image carrier carrying the toner image. The detection pattern position detecting unit detects the position of the detection pattern formed on the image carrier. The index value calculating unit uses information based on position detection data as the operation control information of the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a failure prediction unit, an image identification unit, a simulated-image generating unit, and an output unit. The failure prediction unit prepares an index value indicating a condition of the image forming apparatus based on multidimensional signal, obtained by monitoring the image forming apparatus, and compares the index value with a first threshold value to predict a failure mode of the image forming apparatus. The image identification unit identifies types of abnormal images based on the failure mode predicted by the failure prediction unit. An identified abnormal image is predicted to be appear a given time later. The simulated-image generating unit generates a simulated image of the identified abnormal image. The output unit outputs the identified abnormal image as the simulated image.

Abstract: A developer for developing an electrostatic latent image, including a carrier which includes core particles, and a surface layer surrounding each of the core particles and containing an acrylic resin binder; and a toner which includes toner particles and an external additive of inorganic or organic fine particles present on each of the toner particles. Each of the toner particles comprises a colorant, a matrix of a first resin, and a plurality of domains of a second resin dispersed in the matrix and containing a wax. The first resin is substantially free of tetrahydrofuran insoluble matters and has a weight average molecular weight of 3,000 to 90,000.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of includes a developing device bifunctioning as a cleaning device for collecting toner grains left on a photoconductive drum after the transfer of a toner image from the drum to a paper sheet or similar image transfer medium. In the event of toner collection, a DC voltage is applied that causes the residual toner to move from the drum toward a developing sleeve. A main-pole magnet generates, at a position where the developing sleeve faces the drum, a magnetic field of between 100 mT and 200 mT in a direction normal to the surface of the sleeve.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus effectively reduces its maintenance cost and prevents a failure of the image forming apparatus in a period of busy use by the user, which includes a failure prediction distinction device configured to predict a failure based on an internal state signal, a maintenance time determination device configured to determine a time when maintenance is needed based on the internal state signal, and a maintenance need distinction device configured to distinguish whether or not maintenance is needed based on a result from the failure prediction distinction device at the maintenance time determined by the maintenance time determination device.

Abstract: To provide an image bearing member protecting agent that includes at least a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound. Preferred embodiments are that the hydrophobic organic compound is a hydrocarbon wax, and the hydrocarbon wax is at least a wax selected from normal paraffins, isoparaffins, and cycloparaffins; and that the amphiphile organic compound is an polyalcohol esterified compound including a nonionic surface active surfactant, and the nonionic surface active surfactant is an alkyl carboxylic acid represented by a structural formula, CnH2n+1COOH.

Abstract: A carrier including a magnetic core material and a layer located on a surface of the magnetic core material, wherein the carrier satisfies the following relationships (1) to (3): 0.90?(?a/?b)<1.00 (1); 200?(?b·?c)?400 (2); 10?(?b/?c)?20 (3), wherein ?b represents a magnetization of the carrier at 1,000 Oe, ?a represents a magnetization of the carrier after frictionized with a cylindrical sleeve under a specific condition and ?c represents a true specific gravity of the carrier, wherein the carrier has a weight-average particle diameter of about 25 to about 65 ?m and includes carrier particles having a weight-average particle diameter not greater than about 12 ?m in an amount of not greater than about 0.3% by weight, wherein a ratio between the weight-average particle diameter and a number-average particle diameter of the carrier is about 1 to about 1.3, and wherein an electric resistance is from about 1.0×109 to about 1.

Abstract: A carrier for a double component developer for developing latent electrostatic images at least contains a particulate core material having a weight average particle diameter (Dw) of from 25 to 45 ?m and a magnetic moment of from 65 to 90 Am2/Kg at 1 KOe and a resin layer located on the surface of the particulate core material. Further, the carrier has a breakdown voltage not less than 1,000 V.

Abstract: A carrier for electrostatic development contains a core particle and a coating layer covering the core particle, and the core particle is a ferrite particle containing at least one of Zr in an amount of 0.005% by mass to 5% by mass and Bi in an amount of 0.001% by mass to 1% by mass. The carrier shows a sufficient resistance, is stably charged over a long period of time, can avoid roughness and irregular density in halftone images, prevents deposition of the carrier particles on a photoconductor, can satisfactorily reproduce character images and can produce high-quality images over a long period of time. The carrier is usable for constituting a developer, a container housing the developer, an image forming apparatus and process, and process cartridge using the developer.

Abstract: A carrier including a magnetic core material and a layer located on a surface of the magnetic core material, wherein the carrier satisfies the following relationships (1) to (3): 0.90?(?a/?b)<1.00 (1); 200?(?b·?c)?400 (2); 10?(?b/?c)?20 (3), wherein ?b represents a magnetization of the carrier at 1,000 Oe, ?a represents a magnetization of the carrier after frictionized with a cylindrical sleeve under a specific condition and ?c represents a true specific gravity of the carrier, wherein the carrier has a weight-average particle diameter of about 25 to about 65 ?m and includes carrier particles having a weight-average particle diameter not greater than about 12 ?m in an amount of not greater than about 0.3% by weight, wherein a ratio between the weight-average particle diameter and a number-average particle diameter of the carrier is about 1 to about 1.3, and wherein an electric resistance is from about 1.0×109 to about 1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a charging device configured to uniformly charge a surface of the image carrier with a charging member applied with a bias of a first polarity (e.g. a negative polarity) for charging. A latent image forming device forms a latent image on the surface of the image carrier uniformly charged. A developing device develops a latent image by depositing toner grains of the first polarity on the latent image to thereby form a corresponding toner image. A transferring device forms an electric field between the image carrier and a moving member that serves as a movable contact with the image carrier to thereby transfer the toner image from the surface of the image carrier to the moving member or to a recording member nipped between the image carrier and the moving member. A polarity controlling device sets residual toner to a second polarity (e.g.

Abstract: A carrier including a magnetic core material and a layer located on a surface of the magnetic core material, wherein the carrier satisfies the following relationships (1) to (3): 0.90?(?a/?b)<1.00 (1); 200?(?b·?c)?400 (2); 10?(?b/?c)?20 (3), wherein ?b represents a magnetization of the carrier at 1,000 Oe, ?a represents a magnetization of the carrier after frictionized with a cylindrical sleeve under a specific condition and ?c represents a true specific gravity of the carrier, wherein the carrier has a weight-average particle diameter of about 25 to about 65 ?m and includes carrier particles having a weight-average particle diameter not greater than about 12 ?m in an amount of not greater than about 0.3% by weight, wherein a ratio between the weight-average particle diameter and a number-average particle diameter of the carrier is about 1 to about 1.3, and wherein an electric resistance is from about 1.0×109 to about 1.

Abstract: A carrier including a manganese ferrite core material having a layer on its surface such that 0.1?K?30, where K=(S/M)×100, S and M represent the standard deviation and average of M2/(M1+M2), respectively, M ranging from 0.05 to 0.45, and M1 and M2 represent the content of iron and manganese, respectively, in a carrier particle. The carrier has a magnetization ranging from 45 to 75 emu/g at 1,000 Oe, a mass-averaged particle diameter, D4, ranging from 25 to 65 ?m and carrier particles having a particle diameter not greater than 12 ?m are included in an amount not greater than 0.3% by weight, and a ratio, D4/D1, ranging from 1 to 1.3, where D1 is a number-averaged particle diameter of the carrier.

Abstract: A carrier including a manganese ferrite core material having a layer on its surface such that 0.1?K?30, where K=(S/M)×100, S and M represent the standard deviation and average of M2/(M1+M2), respectively, M ranging from 0.05 to 0.45, and M1 and M2 represent the content of iron and manganese, respectively, in a carrier particle. The carrier has a magnetization ranging from 45 to 75 emu/g at 1,000 Oe, a mass-averaged particle diameter, D4, ranging from 25 to 65 ?m and carrier particles having a particle diameter not greater than 12 ?m are included in an amount not greater than 0.3% by weight, and a ratio, D4/D1, ranging from 1 to 1.3, where D1 is a number-averaged particle diameter of the carrier.

Abstract: A carrier for electrostatic development contains a core particle and a coating layer covering the core particle, and the core particle is a ferrite particle containing at least one of Zr in an amount of 0.005% by mass to 5% by mass and Bi in an amount of 0.001% by mass to 1% by mass. The carrier shows a sufficient resistance, is stably charged over a long period of time, can avoid roughness and irregular density in halftone images, prevents deposition of the carrier particles on a photoconductor, can satisfactorily reproduce character images and can produce high-quality images over a long period of time. The carrier is usable for constituting a developer, a container housing the developer, an image forming apparatus and process, and process cartridge using the developer.

Abstract: A toner for developing a latent electrostatic image to a toner image, including a binder resin, and a magnetic material which is blackened by coating the surface of a magnetic powder with a coloring agent, the magnetic material being in an amount of 10 wt.% to 40 wt.% of the entire weight of the toner, a method of forming an image, using a two-component developer containing the toner, an image formation apparatus using the two-component developer, and a toner container containing therein the toner, and an image formation apparatus equipped with the toner container are proposed.

Abstract: A carrier for electrostatic development contains a core particle and a coating layer covering the core particle, and the core particle is a ferrite particle containing at least one of Zr in an amount of 0.005% by mass to 5% by mass and Bi in an amount of 0.001% by mass to 1% by mass. The carrier shows a sufficient resistance, is stably charged over a long period of time, can avoid roughness and irregular density in halftone images, prevents deposition of the carrier particles on a photoconductor, can satisfactorily reproduce character images and can produce high-quality images over a long period of time. The carrier is usable for constituting a developer, a container housing the developer, an image forming apparatus and process, and process cartridge using the developer.

Abstract: A color toner composition including at least toner particles including at least a binder resin; a colorant and a release agent dispersed in the binder resin; and a titania as an external additive, wherein the colorant has an average dispersion particle diameter not greater than 0.5 ?m; the release agent and the binder resin are insoluble to each other; the toner particles satisfy the relationship: 0.05?Dw/D4?0.4, wherein Dw represents an average dispersion particle diameter of the release agent and D4 represents a weight-average particle diameter of the toner particles; and the titania has a segregation rate of from 0.5 to 5%.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing device bifunctioning as a cleaning device for collecting toner grains left on a photoconductive drum after the transfer of a toner image from the drum to a paper sheet or similar image transfer medium. In the event of toner collection, a DC voltage is applied that causes the residual toner to move from the drum toward a developing sleeve. A main-pole magnet generates, at a position where the developing sleeve faces the drum, a magnetic field of between 100 mT and 200 mT in a direction normal to the surface of the sleeve.

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 %.