Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image carrier, a toner image forming section which forms a toner image on the image carrier, a transfer section which transfers the toner image formed on the image carrier to an intermediate transfer member or a recording sheet, a cleaning section which includes a brush and a blade to remove toner particles remaining on the image carrier after the toner image are transferred by the transfer section, and a control section executes a blade cleaning mode in which toner particles having an opposite polarity against the toner particles adhered onto the blade are sent to the cleaning section while an amount of toner particles to be removed by the brush is changed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image heating apparatus. The image heating apparatus includes a rotatable heating member for heating an image on a recording material in a nip portion, and a heating unit for heating the heating member from the outside thereof. With this structure, a warm-up time period or a first print-out time period can be reduced, and low power consumption can be accomplished. Further, satisfactory image quality can be realized with no heating (fixing) irregularity. The heating member has a low thermal conductive elastic layer, and a heat storage layer outside the low thermal conductive elastic layer to have a volume heat capacity larger than the low thermal conductive elastic layer. A heat capacity of the heat storage layer per unit surface area of a fixing member is in a range of 100 J/m2K to 600 J/m2K.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having plural image carriers, respective chargers, exposure units, color toner developing units, a black toner developing unit, a transfer unit that transfers in the transfer section the color toner images and black toner image onto an intermediate transfer member by the application of a transfer bias from the power supply unit, and a controller that controls the transfer output, an an optical density sensor that detects the optical density of color toner patch images formed on the intermediate transfer member, and a controller transfers the color toner patch images onto the intermediate transfer member while changing the transfer output, detects the optical densities of color toner patch images transferred onto the intermediate transfer member using the optical density sensor, and controls the transfer output to transfer the black toner image based on the detected optical densities of the color toner patch images.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charging device to charge the image bearing member; an exposing device to form a latent image on the image bearing member; a developing device to form a toner image on the image bearing member; a transferring device to transfer the toner image onto an intermediate transfer member by applying a transfer bias voltage; an image stabilization controlling section for keeping a density of the toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer member within a predetermined range; a transfer output controlling section for controlling a transfer output based on a density of a toner patch image; and an overall controlling section to control both the image stabilization controlling section and the transfer output controlling section, in such a manner that the image stabilization controlling operation is conducted preceding to the transfer output controlling operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, comprising an image carrier to carry toner image formed based on image data, a cleaning blade to remove residual toner on the image carrier by being in contact with the image carrier and a toner storage portion structured to store the residual toner removed by the cleaning blade and so that the image carrier can rub on the residual toner, wherein the toner storage portion is located on an upstream side of a contacting point between the cleaning blade and the image carrier in a moving direction of the image carrier and in a position where the toner storage portion is not in contact with the cleaning blade.

Abstract: The heating apparatus has a heating member and a pressure member which are mutually pressure-welded to hold and convey and heat a heated member to be heated by a nip portion formed between the heating member and the pressure member, includes a temperature detector, power control means, and a curl reduction mode for setting a paper conveyance interval temperature which is the target temperature of the heating member set in a paper conveyance interval which is a period from end of heating the M-th member to be heated up to start of heating the M+1-th member to be heated in continuous heating of N members to be heated or in a certain period in the paper conveyance interval to a temperature higher than the heating temperature of a member to be heated which is the target temperature of the heating member when heating the M+1-th member to be heated.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: an image forming section to form a toner image on an image carrier; a transfer section to transfer onto a transfer medium the tone image formed on the image carrier; and a pair of opposing transfer guide members to guide the transfer medium into the transfer section, wherein a front edge of one transfer guide member, arranged on a side of the image carrier out of the pair of the transfer guide members, is disposed separately from the other transfer guide member, and one side portion of the front edge of the transfer guide member is more protruded than the other side portion into a conveying direction of the transfer medium.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus for heating a toner image formed on a recording material is constituted by a roller contactable with a toner image carrying surface of the recording material; a heating member for heating the roller, the hating member contacting a surface of the roller, wherein the toner image formed on the recording material is heated in contact with the roller; and a driving mechanism for moving the heating member to a first position contacting the roller and a second position, contacting the roller different from the first position with respect to a tangential direction of the roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer section for transferring a toner image on an image bearing member onto a transfer material; a conveyor for conveying the transfer material to a transfer position; a first guide for forming a guiding surface in said image bearing member side on a conveyance path between the transfer position and said conveyor; and a second guide for forming a guiding surface opposed to said first guide, wherein said first guide comprises a support member and a guiding member, which is supported by said support member and projected from said support member in a down stream side of a conveyance direction, said guiding member having a moving portion capable of elastically being deformed, and wherein said guiding member is formed so that a thickness of said guiding member becomes thin from an upper stream of the conveyance direction to a downstream of the conveyance direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms a toner image on a transfer material, including: an image carrier which carries a toner image; a transfer section which transfers the toner images carried on the image carrier onto a transfer material; and a guide section having paired guide surfaces whose guide surfaces guide the transfer material to a transfer position of the transfer section while supporting the transfer material in between; wherein an end of one of the paired guide surfaces, which is closer to the image carrier than another one of the paired guide surfaces, has an elastic extension guide member, and a tear resistance of an leading portion of the elastic extension guide member is greater than the tear resistance of other portions of the elastic extension guide member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, is provided with an image forming section, an image carrying member, a transferring section to transfer the toner image from the image carrying member to a recording sheet, and a cleaning section including a cleaning blade being in contact with the image carrying member and a toner supplying section located at an upper stream side of the contact point of the cleaning blade in the rotating direction of the image carrying member and to supply toner to the image carrying member; the toner supplying section including a toner storing section to store toner removed by the cleaning blade and a roller member being in contact with the image carrying member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a first transfer section for transferring a toner image, formed on an image carrier by utilizing a charging section, an exposing section and a developing section, onto a belt shaped intermediate transfer member; and a second transfer section for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member onto a recording material by applying an electric field between a second transfer roller being provided outside the intermediate transfer member and a backup roller being provided inside the intermediate transfer member, the second transfer roller and the backup roller sandwiching the intermediate recording member and the recording material, wherein the second transfer roller is grounded and a bias voltage is applied to the backup roller, and further provided is a second charging section for charging a surface of the second transfer roller with a predetermined polarity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, comprises an image carrier for carrying a toner image, a charging device for charging the carrier, wherein the charging device includes a discharge member and a grid which is arranged between this discharge member and the image carrier and has at least a surface made of gold; and a discharge product removing device for removing discharge products generated by the charging device from a portion of the image carrier to where the charging device is located to face.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable member contactable to a recording material for carrying an image; a heating member contacted to an outer surface of the rotatable member to heat the rotatable member; a holding member for holding the heating member; and an urging member for urging the holding member to contact the heating member to the rotatable member, wherein the holding member is rotatable relative to the apparatus about an axis parallel with a generating line of the rotatable member.

Abstract: Image heating apparatus capable of preventing an excessive temperature increase in a sheet non-passing area and heater for use in the image heating apparatus including: a substrate, a heat generating resistor formed on the substrate, and first and second electrodes for supplying an electric power to the heat generating resistor. Each of the first and second electrodes has a first area to contact a power supplying connector and a second area provided at an end portion electrically opposite to the first area along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, and the heat generating resistor is provided to electrically connect the second area of the first and second electrode so that when the heater is at a set temperature for an image heating operation a resistance value Rc of the second area, and a resistance value Rt between a portion within the second area of the first and second electrode and electrically closest to the first area satisfy a relation Rc/Rt<=1/30.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable member; a roller contacted to the movable member, the roller having an elastic layer contacted to the movable member, the elastic layer having an ion electroconductivity and having a hardness of not less than 20° and not more than 50°, wherein the hardness and a density of the elastic layer satisfy (hardness/density)?65, wherein the hardness is an Asker-C hardness of a material of the elastic layer cut out into a thickness of 4.0 mm under a weight of 500 g applied to the material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: an image forming body for forming a latent image and a toner image; a developing device for developing with a toner the latent image formed on the image forming body to form the toner image; a primary transfer device for transferring the toner image on the image forming body onto an intermediate transfer body; and a secondary transfer device for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer body onto an image support. The primary transfer device has conductive body or semi-conductive body, and is provided with a power supply unit for applying a bias voltage. It is characterized in that the variation coefficient of the shape factor of the toner is 16% or less, and the number variation coefficient of the number particle size distribution of the toner is 27% or less.

Abstract: There is described an image forming apparatus, which prevent toner from contaminating inside of the apparatus and the recording medium. The apparatus includes: an image bearing member; and a transferring member that press-contacts the image bearing member for transferring the toner image onto the recording medium. When the transferring member transfers the toner image onto the recording medium in such a state that the toner image is extended from an edge of the recording medium, the following relationship is fulfilled, 0<A<B where A: a length of an extended portion that the toner image residing on the image bearing member is extended from the edge of the recording medium; and B: a length of a distance from the edge of the recording medium to a position at which the transferring member and the image bearing member start to contact each other.

Abstract: An injection molding machine comprises a pre-pressure addition means 2 adding a pre-pressure B acting in the opposite direction of a molding material pressure A received by a screw 1 to a detection means 3 and/or the screw 1, the detection means 3 detecting the axial pressures A and B of the screw, and a screw movement control means 4 controlling the axial pressure based on a different between the pre-pressure B and the molding material pressure A, wherein the pre-pressure addition means 2 is made non-contact with the direction means 3, a forward and backward driving motor 17 is disposed adjacent to a heating cylinder 10, and a screw connector 21 at the rear end of the screw 1 is spline-connected inside a rotating rotor of a screw rotating motor 12. According to the machine, the molding material pressure received by the screw can be accurately detected without being affected by the wear of the machine so as to properly control the axial pressure of the screw and to make the machine compact.

Abstract: An image printing apparatus for performing duplex image printing to a transferring sheet, comprising: an image printing section for printing an image on the transferring sheet by making use of a toner including wax; a fixing section for fixing the image printed on the transferring sheet; and a transporting member for changing a moving direction of the transferring sheet, wherein the transporting member has at least a curvature and smooth surface which contacts uniformly the transferring sheet with the fixed image. The transporting member is formed with a plurality of convexity parts arranged in oblique, X-, or V-shapes.