Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member, a development member, a transfer member, a charging voltage application unit, a development voltage application unit, and a control unit. The development member collects toner that remains on a surface of the image bearing member after a toner image is transferred from the image bearing member surface to transfer material. The control unit controls application of a development voltage to apply, to the development member in a cleaning operation, a development voltage having a polarity that is opposite to a normal polarity, and controls application of a charging voltage to apply, to the charging member, a charging voltage having the normal polarity such that a potential difference formed at a charging portion between the applied charging voltage and a surface potential formed at the image bearing member surface is lower than or equal to a discharge start voltage.

Abstract: A control unit performs control to make a direction of an electric field generated in a first area of an image carrier forming a transfer portion during image forming operation, relative to a voltage applied to a brush member in a state where the first area passes through a contact portion, different from a direction of an electric field generated in a second area of the image carrier forming the contact portion, relative to the voltage applied to the brush member during a period when operation is shifted from first operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a first speed to second operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a second speed different from the first speed, during non-image forming operation different from the image forming operation.

Abstract: A driving unit is controlled so that a driving state where an image bearing member is driven with a first potential difference formed between a brush member and the image bearing member at a contact portion where the image bearing member is in contact with the brush member transitions to a stopped state where the image bearing member stops being driven with a second potential difference formed, the second potential difference having an absolute value less than that of the first potential difference.

Abstract: A cartridge attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material, the cartridge includes: an image bearing member; a developer container that contains therein a developer; a developing member that is rotatable and carries the developer supplied from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image bearing member; a developer supplying member that is rotatable and provided in the developer container and in contact with the developing member to supply the developer to a surface of the developing member; and a contact member provided in the developer container and in contact with a surface of the developer supplying member, wherein the developer remaining on the image bearing member after image formation is collected to the developing member, and the developer collected to the developing member is collected into the developer container.

Abstract: Provided are an image bearing member; a charging member that charges the image bearing member; an exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member; a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image as a developer image by supplying a developer, charged to regular polarity, to the image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers the developer image to a transfer-receiving body; and a collecting member that collects a deposit on the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the transfer-receiving body by the transfer member, and upstream of a charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in a rotation direction of the image bearing member. After transfer of the developer image to the transfer-receiving body, the developer remaining on the image bearing member is collected by the developing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, electrostatic image forming portion, a developing member, a transfer member, a transfer voltage source, a brush member, a brush voltage source, and a controller capable of executing a cleaning operation. The controller carries out control so that the cleaning operation includes a first operation in which a potential difference is formed between the transfer member and the photosensitive member so that toner charged to a normal charge polarity is moved from the transfer member toward the photosensitive member, and a second operation in which a potential difference is formed between the brush member and the photosensitive member so that the toner charged to the normal charge polarity is moved from the photosensitive member toward the brush member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developer bearing member, a frame having a storage member, and a first temperature detection unit. The storage member is for storing a developer for the developer bearing member to record an image on a recording material. The storage member includes an attachment part in which a supply container enclosing a developer is removably attachable to the attachment part. With reference to a recording material conveyance path having a center in a width direction of the recording material that is orthogonal to a recording material conveyance direction and in a case where an area on one side of the conveyance path center is a first area and the area on the other side of the conveyance path center is a second area, the attachment part is arranged in the first area and the first temperature detection unit is arranged in the second area.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, first and second rotating members, and a discharge unit to discharge a recording material to an outside. The fixing unit fixes an image from the image forming unit onto the recording material. The first rotating member comes into contact with and guides the image bearing recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The second rotating member comes into contact with the image bearing recording material more on a downstream side than the first rotating member in a conveyance direction of the recording material, guides the recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The first rotating member does not perform swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material, and the second rotating member performs swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable includes an opening/closing portion moving from a closed position to an open position in a case where the toner replenishment container attached to a replenishment port is rotated, and a locking membered to move between a restricting position restricting movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed. In addition, a controller, in a case where a replenishment operation, in which toner is supplied from the replenishment container to the replenishment port, displays, on a display, a ratio corresponding to an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a transfer member, a transfer power source, and a control unit. At a start time of a start-up operation at the time of starting an image forming operation, on the surface of the photosensitive member, a first position coincides with a charging position, and a third position coincides with a transfer position. During a period in which an area on the photosensitive member located between the first position and the third position in a rotation direction of the photosensitive member passes the transfer position, the control unit performs control of applying a first voltage having the same polarity as a normal charging polarity of toner to the transfer member by the transfer power source, and, at a predetermined timing, changing a voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage having an absolute value less than that of the first voltage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first display portion to display a ratio of an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container to a maximum amount of toner that the developer container is capable of accommodating, and a controller to, in a case where a replenishment operation, in which toner is supplied from the replenishment container to the replenishment port, is performed when a second display portion is in a second state, switch the second display portion from the second state to a first state and perform a display processing of displaying, on the first display portion, the ratio corresponding to an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a transfer member, a transfer power source, and a control unit. At a start time of a start-up operation at the time of starting an image forming operation, on the surface of the photosensitive member, a first position coincides with a charging position, and a third position coincides with a transfer position. During a period in which an area on the photosensitive member located between the first position and the third position in a rotation direction of the photosensitive member passes the transfer position, the control unit performs control of applying a first voltage having the same polarity as a normal charging polarity of toner to the transfer member by the transfer power source, and, at a predetermined timing, changing a voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage having an absolute value less than that of the first voltage.

Abstract: Provided are an image bearing member; a charging member that charges the image bearing member; an exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member; a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image as a developer image by supplying a developer, charged to regular polarity, to the image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers the developer image to a transfer-receiving body; and a collecting member that collects a deposit on the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the transfer-receiving body by the transfer member, and upstream of a charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in a rotation direction of the image bearing member. After transfer of the developer image to the transfer-receiving body, the developer remaining on the image bearing member is collected by the developing unit.

Abstract: A cartridge attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material, the cartridge includes: an image bearing member; a developer container that contains therein a developer; a developing member that is rotatable and carries the developer supplied from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image bearing member; a developer supplying member that is rotatable and provided in the developer container and in contact with the developing member to supply the developer to a surface of the developing member; and a contact member provided in the developer container and in contact with a surface of the developer supplying member, wherein the developer remaining on the image bearing member after image formation is collected to the developing member, and the developer collected to the developing member is collected into the developer container.

Abstract: A mechanism that enables developer replenishment by a simpler structure and a mechanism that enables more user-friendly developer replenishment are provided. An attachment port to which a developer supply bottle containing a developer stored therein is detachably attachable is disposed in an interior of an image forming apparatus. The developer supply bottle can be attached when the cover is in an open state. According to this image forming apparatus, when the developer supply bottle is attached to the attachment port, the developer inside the developer supply bottle moves into a developer housing chamber by its own weight.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member to bear an electrostatic latent image, a developing container to accommodate developer including toner and to allow new developer to be replenished by a developer replenishing container, and a developer bearing member to develop the electrostatic latent image into a toner image by using the developer in the developing container. A transfer roller transfers the toner image born on the image bearing member onto the recording material, and a controller notifies replenishment information for prompting replenishing the developing container with the new developer by the developer replenishing container. The controller notifies the replenishment information in a state in which an index correlated with a ratio of an amount of paper dust mixed in the developer in the developing container to an amount of the developer in the developing container has not exceeded a preset threshold value of the index.

Abstract: A charging member which is driven so that the surface of the charging member has a speed difference from the surface of an image bearing member. In a cleaning operation for cleaning the charging member by transferring toner adhering to the surface of the charging member from the charging member to the image bearing member and collecting the transferred toner with a developing member, a first charging voltage forming a potential difference between the charging member and the image bearing member is applied to the charging member, and then a second charging voltage having the same polarity as that of the first charging voltage and an absolute value greater than that of the first charging voltage is applied. The potential difference is in a direction in which electrostatic force directed from the charging member to the image bearing member acts on the toner charged to normal polarity.

Abstract: An image forming method comprising a fixing step of fixing a toner image to a recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material, on which the toner image has been formed, by a fixing nip portion, wherein the toner comprises a toner particle comprising a toner base particle and an organosilicon polymer on a surface thereof, the organosilicon polymer has a structure represented by R—SiO3/2, where R is an C1 to C6 alkyl group or a phenyl group, the organosilicon polymer has convex portions formed on an outer surface thereof, and the convex portions satisfy specific relationships, and a contact pressure ? (MPa) of the pressure member and the fixing film and a storage elastic modulus G (MPa) of the toner at a temperature of a surface of the fixing film when the recording material is nipped and conveyed by the fixing nip portion satisfy specific relationships.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first display portion configured to display a ratio of an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container to a maximum amount of toner that the developer container is capable of accommodating, and a controller configured to, in a case where a replenishment operation, in which toner is supplied from the replenishment container to the replenishment port, is performed when the second display portion is in the second state, switch the second display portion from the second state to the first state and perform a display processing of displaying, on the first display portion, the ratio corresponding to an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation.