Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a correcting portion for correcting an image forming condition on the basis of a result of detection of a first control toner image; a supply controller for controlling a supplying device on the basis of a result of detection of a second control toner image; an executing portion for executing an operation at least in a first image forming mode in which the image is formed at a first speed and in a second image forming mode in which the image is formed at a second speed; and a controller for controlling an image forming condition such that during the second image forming mode, the first control toner image is formed at the speed of the second image forming mode, and the second control toner image is formed after the speed is changed to a third speed which is higher than the second speed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing container for containing a developer including toner and a carrier; a feeding member for feeding the developer contained in the developing container; a drive control portion, capable of selectively executing at least operations in a first mode in which the developer is fed at a first feeding speed by the feeding member to form an image and a second mode in which the developer is fed at a second feeding speed, different from the first feeding speed, by the feeding member to form an image, for controlling the feeding speed of the developer by the feeding member depending on the operation in the mode to be executed; a toner content detection sensor for detecting toner content by using magnetic permeability of the developer contained in the developing container; and a voltage control portion for controlling a control voltage to be inputted into the toner content detection sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a developer bearing member for bearing and conveying a developer and configured to develop a latent image formed on an image bearing member using the developer, a bias application unit configured to apply at least an AC bias to the developer bearing member, an integration unit configured to integrate an application time of the AC bias applied by the bias application unit, and a determination unit configured to determine a replacement timing of the developing device based on an integrated value by the integration unit.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing container for containing a developer including toner and a carrier, a feeding member for feeding the developer in the developing container through a feeding path, and a detecting portion for detecting information on magnetic permeability of the developer in the developing container. A cross-section of said feeding path includes a first area and a second area which has a larger height than that of the first area, and said detection portion is provided vertically below the first area.

Abstract: This invention provides an image forming apparatus, which attains a uniform gloss level of an overall image by preventing regions having different gloss levels from being generated on the image to be formed upon execution of image formation using a transparent toner, and a control method thereof. To accomplish this, an image forming apparatus of this invention identifies pixels to be developed using only a black toner of colored toners from an image signal of an image to be formed on a printing material upon execution of image formation using the transparent toner. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus executes exposure control so as to perform development using the transparent toner in an amount required to reduce a gloss level difference between the pixels to be developed using only the black toner and those to be developed using the colored toners other than the black toner.

Abstract: A titanium oxide-based photocatalyst which can exhibit excellent photocatalytic properties in response to visible light while maintaining its inherent activity in response to ultraviolet light and which is suitable for mass production contains bismuth as a first additional metal component and at least one metal element selected from silicon, zirconium, aluminum, and hafnium as a second additional metal component in titanium oxide. The Bi/Ti atomic ratio is preferably at least 0.0001 and at most 1.0, the atomic ratio of the second additional metal to Ti is preferably at least 0.0001 and at most 0.8, and a portion of bismuth is preferably present in the form of lower valence (Bi2+ or Bi0). The presence of lower valence bismuth can be ascertained by XPS analysis.

Abstract: A copying apparatus detects a non glossy portion (K, M, C, or Y) and a glossy portion (T) of a document based on image data output from a reader unit. The copying apparatus forms an image of the detected non glossy portion (K, M, C, or Y) with a colored toner and an image of the detected glossy portion (T) with a transparent toner, on a sheet, based on the image data output from the reader unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first developing device for developing an electrostatic image with a first developer including a non-transparent toner and a carrier; a second developing device for developing an electrostatic image with a second developer including transparent toner and carrier; a first supplying device for supplying a first supply developer including non-transparent toner and a carrier to the first developing device; a first supplying device for supplying a second supply developer including transparent toner and a carrier to the second developing device; a control device for superimposing a toner image of the transparent toner on the non-transparent toner image so as to reduce a height difference in toner layer or layers of the toner image provided by the non-transparent toner, wherein a carrier weight ratio in the first supply developer and a carrier weight ratio in the second supply developer are substantially equal to each other.

Abstract: A titanium oxide photocatalyst responsive to visible light which can exhibit a high photocatalytic activity in response to visible light is produced by subjecting titanium oxide and/or titanium hydroxide obtained by neutralizing an acidic titanium compound with a nitrogen-containing base to heat treatment in an atmosphere containing a hydrolyzable metal compound (e.g., a titanium halide) and then to additional heat treatment in a gas having a moisture content of 0.5-4.0 volume % at a temperature of 350° C. or above. The photocatalyst which is a nitrogen-containing titanium oxide has no substantial peak at a temperature of 600° C. or above in a mass fragment spectrum obtained by thermal desorption spectroscopy in which the ratio m/e of the mass number m to the electric charged e of ions is 28, and the peak having the smallest half band width is in the range of 400-600° C. in the spectrum. The nitrogen content calculated from the peak appearing at 400 eV±1.

Abstract: A titanium oxide-based photocatalyst which can exhibit excellent photocatalytic properties in response to visible light while maintaining its inherent activity in response to ultraviolet light and which is suitable for mass production contains bismuth as a first additional metal component and at least one metal element selected from silicon, zirconium, aluminum, and hafnium as a second additional metal component in titanium oxide. The Bi/Ti atomic ratio is preferably at least 0.0001 and at most 1.0, the atomic ratio of the second additional metal to Ti is preferably at least 0.0001 and at most 0.8, and a portion of bismuth is preferably present in the form of lower valence (Bi2+ or Bi0). The presence of lower valence bismuth can be ascertained by XPS analysis.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image bearing member; a first developing means forming a toner image of transparent toner on an electrostatic latent image formed on the first image bearing member; a second image bearing member having an electrostatic capacity per unit area which is smaller than an electrostatic capacity per unit area of the first image bearing member; second developing means for forming a toner image of chromatic toner on an electrostatic latent image formed on the second image bearing member, wherein a maximum toner amount of the toner image formed on the first image bearing member is larger than a maximum toner amount of the toner image formed on the second image bearing member; and transferring means for transferring the transparent toner image and the chromatic toner image onto a transfer material.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developing device for color receiving colored toner and a carrier and developing an electrostatic image; a developing device for transparence receiving transparent toner and a carrier and developing the electrostatic image; a developer replenishment container for color receiving a replenishment developer for color; a developer replenishment container for transparence receiving a replenishment developer for transparence; a developer discharge aperture for color; and a developer discharge aperture for transparence, respectively, discharging developers in the developing devices to the outside of the developing devices in association with replenishment with the replenishment developers and a related image forming method. The replenishment developer for transparence has a carrier weight ratio lower than a carrier weight ratio in the replenishment developer for color.

Abstract: A developing device configured to carry out development of an electrostatic image using color toner particles and transparent toner particles includes color and transparent developing units configured to store toner particles, carrier particles, and additive particles and configured to carry out development of the electrostatic image; color and transparent developer replenishment containers configured to store replenishment developers including at least the toner particles and the carrier particles and configured to replenish developing units with the replenishment developers; and color and transparent developers openings provided at the developing units and configured to discharge the developers in the developing units outside the developing units while replenishing the developing units with the replenishment developers, wherein the carrier particle weight ratio of the transparent replenishment developer is higher than the carrier particle weight ratio of the color replenishment developer.

Abstract: A highly active titanium oxide photocatalyst of the type responsive to visible light is prepared by subjecting a titanium (hydr)oxide raw material obtained by neutralizing an acidic titanium compound in ammonia or an amine under conditions such that the final pH is 7 or below to heat treatment in an atmosphere containing a hydrolyzable compound followed by contact with water and additional heat treatment at a temperature of at least 350° C. The resulting titanium oxide photocatalyst comprises titanium oxide with a specific surface area of at most 120 m2/g and with the amount of surface hydroxyl groups being at least 600 ?eq/g. Preferably the density of surface hydroxyl groups is at least 8 ?eq/m2, and the ratio of the amount of terminal type hydroxyl groups (T) to the amount of bridge type hydroxyl groups (B) in the surface hydroxyl groups satisfies T/B?0.20. This titanium oxide photocatalyst has an ESR spectrum having two types of triplet signal for which the g values of the main spectra are 1.993-2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first developing means for developing an electrostatic image with a first developer including non-transparent toner and carrier; second developing means for developing an electrostatic image with a second developer including transparent toner and carrier; first supplying means for supplying a first supply developer including non-transparent toner and carrier to the first developing means; first supplying means for supplying a second supply developer including transparent toner and carrier to the second developing means; control means for superimposing a toner image of the transparent toner on the non-transparent toner image so as to reduce a height difference in toner layer or layers of the toner image provided by the non-transparent toner, wherein a carrier weight ratio in the first supply developer and a carrier weight ratio in the second supply developer are substantially equal to each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing and conveying an electrostatic image; a first developer carrying member for carrying and conveying a developer toward a first developing position; and a second developer carrying member for carrying and conveying the developer toward a second developing position, wherein when a time period required for a movement of the developer carried and conveyed by the first developer carrying member and the second developer carrying member from the first developing position through the developer delivering portion to the second developing position is assigned TA, and a time period required for a movement of the developer on the image bearing member from the first developing position to the second developing position is assigned TB, and wherein respective driving speeds of the image bearing member, the first developer carrying member, and the second developer carrying member are controlled so that TA and TB are different values.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image bearing member; a first developing means forming a toner image of transparent toner on an electrostatic latent image formed on the first image bearing member; a second image bearing member having an electrostatic capacity per unit area which is smaller than an electrostatic capacity per unit area of the first image bearing member; second developing means for forming a toner image of chromatic toner on an electrostatic latent image formed on the second image bearing member, wherein a maximum toner amount of the toner image formed on the first image bearing member is larger than a maximum toner amount of the toner image formed on the second image bearing member; and transferring means for transferring the transparent toner image and the chromatic toner image onto a transfer material.

Abstract: A developing device configured to carry out development of an electrostatic image using color toner particles and transparent toner particles includes color and transparent developing units configured to store toner particles, carrier particles, and additive particles and configured to carry out development of the electrostatic image; color and transparent developer replenishment containers configured to store replenishment developers including at least the toner particles and the carrier particles and configured to replenish developing units with the replenishment developers; and color and transparent developers openings provided at the developing units and configured to discharge the developers in the developing units outside the developing units while replenishing the developing units with the replenishment developers, wherein the carrier particle weight ratio of the transparent replenishment developer is higher than the carrier particle weight ratio of the color replenishment developer.

Abstract: A developing apparatus including: a developing device for color receiving colored toner and a carrier and developing an electrostatic image; a developing device for transparence receiving transparent toner and a carrier and developing the electrostatic image; a developer replenishment container for color receiving a replenishment developer for color with which the developing device for color is to be replenished; a developer replenishment container for transparence receiving a replenishment developer for transparence with which the developing device for transparence is to be replenished; a developer discharge aperture for color discharging a developer in the developing device for color to the outside of the developing device in association with replenishment with the replenishment developer for color; and a developer discharge aperture for transparence discharging a developer in the developing device for transparence to the outside of the developing device in association with replenishment with the replenishm

Abstract: In a device for controlling the amount of toner replenished to a developing device depending on the density of a reference image formed on a photoconductor, if the toner density of a developer in the developing device fluctuates extremely; there may occur toner scattering, formation of coarse or rough images, and carrier attachment. To overcome those problems, a photosensor is disposed to detect the toner density in the developing device, and when an output of the photosensor is outside of a predetermined range, a target value to be compared with the detected density of the reference image is modified.