Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear a toner image on a surface thereof. A charging mechanism is configured to uniformly charge the surface of the image bearing member. An intermediate transfer mechanism is configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto an image receiver. A cleaning mechanism is configured to clean the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the image receiver. A lubricant supplying mechanism is configured to supply a lubricant contained therein onto the surface of the image bearing member and form a thin layer using a lubricating blade. The lubricant supplying mechanism is disposed between the cleaning mechanism and the charging mechanism.

Abstract: A process cartridge including an image bearing member; a lubricant applicator, which includes a lubricant application member configured to apply a solid lubricant to the surface of the image bearing member; and a smoothing member configured to smooth the applied solid lubricant, and at least one of a charging device, a developing device and a cleaning device, wherein the amount of the solid lubricant present on a portion of surface of the image bearing member, which is located between the lubricant application member and the smoothing blade, is from 0.11 to 1.2 mg/m2. The smoothing member is preferably a blade having a JIS-A hardness of not less than 79°. The process cartridge is preferably assembled by a method including setting the lubricant smoothing member, the lubricant and the lubricant application member to a housing of the process cartridge; and then setting the image bearing member to the housing.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade that cleans toner on an image carrier and a brush-shaped roller that applies a lubricant of a molded lubricant on the image carrier. The brush-shaped roller is insulative, and delivers the toner cleaned by the cleaning blade to inside of the cleaning unit.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade that cleans toner on an image carrier and a brush-shaped roller that applies a lubricant of a molded lubricant on the image carrier. The brush-shaped roller is insulative, and delivers the toner cleaned by the cleaning blade to inside of the cleaning unit.

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably attached to an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, at least one image forming process device, a case that integrally accommodates the image carrier and the at least one image forming process device, and a first non-slip holding portion provided on a partial surface of the case. The process cartridge is configured to move in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the image carrier. When the process cartridge is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus, an operator of the image forming apparatus holds the process cartridge by grasping the first non-slip holding portion and a rear surface of a part of the case located on a side opposite from the first non-slip holding portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a moving member, a cleaning device that removes toner attached onto a surface of the moving member, and a lubricant applying device that is provided at the outside of the cleaning device and applies a lubricant onto the surface of the moving member to decrease the coefficient of friction between the surface of the moving member and a substance in contact with the surface of the moving member. The lubricant applying device includes a casing having an opening facing the surface of the moving member and having an inner wall surface. A closed space is formed by being surrounded by the inner wall surface of the casing and the surface of the moving member, and the lubricant applying device accommodates the lubricant in the closed space and applies the lubricant to the surface of the moving member in the closed space.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an image support body configured to support a latent image, a charging member configured to provide a substantially uniform charge to a surface of the image support body and a spacer coupled to the charging member and configured to contact the image support body to maintain a gap between the image support body and the charging member. A cleaning part is configured to clean the surface of the image support body after developer is applied to the image support body and transferred to a recording medium. The cleaning part is configured to satisfy the relationship A+B?C, where A is a width of the effective charging area of the charging member that charges a surface of the image support body, B is a total width of the spacer that contacts the image support body, and C is a width of cleaning part that contacts the image support body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a transfer device, cleaning devices, and a waste toner collecting unit. The cleaning devices collect toner remaining on the image carrying member and toner remaining in the transfer device as waste toner after a toner image is transferred by the transfer device from the image carrying member to a recording medium. The waste toner collecting unit includes a container storing the waste toner, a conveying device provided in the container, and a detection unit provided above a position where the waste toner is pressed and up-thrust by the conveying device. The conveying device horizontally conveys the waste toner, and presses and up-thrusts the waste toner after an amount of the waste toner reaches a predetermined value. The detection unit is pressed and displaced by the pressed and up-thrust waste toner, and detected by a sensor.

Abstract: A cleaning device, a process cartridge, an image forming apparatus, and toner to maintain improved cleaning performance for a long time. The cleaning device includes a cleaning blade, a lubricant applying part, and a toner removing part. The cleaning blade is disposed in contact with a surface of an image bearing member. The lubricant applying part coats a solid lubricant on the surface of the image bearing member, and is disposed in an upstream side from the cleaning blade with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner removing part removes toner particles, and is disposed in an upstream side from the lubricant applying part with respect to the rotational direction of the image bearing member.

Abstract: A charging apparatus, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus with which current fluctuation values in the charging current can be suppressed, and image defects caused by filming and the like can be prevented, by specifying a permissible gap fluctuation value by quantitatively ascertaining the relationship between the fluctuation value in charging current and the fluctuation value in the gap between the photosensitive body and the charging roller. In a charging apparatus equipped with a charging roller provided at a minute gap away from a photosensitive body, for performing charging, the relationship Gmax?Gmin?30 (?m) is satisfied when the gap (?m) between the charged side of the photosensitive body and the charging side of the charging roller has a maximum value Gmax (?m) and a minimum value Gmin (?m).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided having an image carrier, a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a cleaning mechanism, and an application mechanism, in which the developing unit supplies a toner, free from zinc and having an average circularity of at least 0.93, to the latent image to make visible the latent image, and wherein the cleaning mechanism cleans the image carrier, and the application mechanism applies a lubrication agent preferably formed of zinc stearate on the image carrier, such that the zinc amount on the surface of the image carrier after a cleaning process and an application process is from 0.4 to 2.5 atm %.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof, a developing mechanism configured to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing member into a toner image with toner, a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member to an image receiver, and a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning blade configured to scrape a residual toner on the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred to the image receiver, the cleaning blade disposed in contact with the image bearing member and having a JIS-A hardness equal to or more than 70 and a repulsion elasticity equal to or less than 30%, and a friction reducing member configured to reduce a coefficient of friction on the surface of the image bearing member.

Abstract: A process cartridge of the present invention includes a photoconductive member with a rotatable axis, a cleaning member to contact on the photoconductive member, and plates to support both ends of the rotatable axis of the photoconductive member. The plates further support the supporting member, so that the process cartridge is improved accuracy between the photoconductive member and the cleaning member. Further, an image forming apparatus of the present invention can mount the same process cartridge inside.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs electrophotographic image forming using a toner and includes an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof, a developing mechanism configured to develop the electrostatic latent image in to a toner image by using a toner, a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member to an image receiver, a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning blade and configured to remove a residual toner on the image bearing member after toner image is transferred to the image receiver. The toner includes a binder resin and a colorant, forms a toner powder layer, and satisfies an inequality Y??0.05X+0.029, in which “X” expresses a porosity of the toner powder layer after uniformly compressed at a constant force and “Y” expresses a torque value obtained by rotatably sticking a conical rotor into the toner powder layer.

Abstract: There is provided a cleaning device for an image-forming device configured so as to be capable of preventing the image quality from deteriorating by being able to prevent the deterioration of the charging state caused by deposits of foreign matter without increasing costs. There is also provided a cleaning member that can make contact with the cleaning target-members. The cleaning member has a portion composed of melamine resin foam for making contact with at least the cleaning target members, and the melamine resin foam has an Asker F hardness of 5 to 25 points and a hardness variation of 5 points or less, and is used on the cleaning target members in a state obtained by heat compression from the original shape. The pressing member is furthermore disposed in contact with the cleaning member.

Abstract: An lubricant for electrophotography is applied to a latent image carrier that is supplied with toner having a sphericity of 0.94 or more. The lubricant for electrophotography is added with an inorganic additive having the following relationship: 2Y/1000?X?Y/10 where Y is a toner particle size (micrometer), and X is an inorganic additive particle size (micrometer).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear a toner image on a surface thereof. A charging mechanism is configured to uniformly charge the surface of the image bearing member. An intermediate transfer mechanism is configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto an image receiver. A cleaning mechanism is configured to clean the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the image receiver. A lubricant supplying mechanism is configured to supply a lubricant contained therein onto the surface of the image bearing member and form a thin layer using a lubricating blade. The lubricant supplying mechanism is disposed between the cleaning mechanism and the charging mechanism.

Abstract: A lubricant applying unit includes application mechanism that applies a lubricant from a solid lubricant on a surface of an image carrier that carries an image. The lubricant is a silicon-based-powder or a silicon-based-granule. Since the lubricant is less likely to adhere on a charging member that comes in contact with the image carrier, insufficient charge in the charging roller can be prevented, and a lifetime of the charging roller increases.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on the image carrier, a developing unit that develops the latent image to form a toner image, a transferring unit that transfers the toner image to a recording medium, a cleaning unit that cleans toner remaining on the image carrier, a lubricant applying unit that applies a solid lubricant to a surface of the image carrier, and a detecting unit that detects whether the image carrier is brand new. The toner has an average roundness of 0.94 or more. The lubricant applying unit is operated when the detecting unit detects that the image carrier is brand new.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade that cleans toner on an image carrier and a brush-shaped roller that applies a lubricant of a molded lubricant on the image carrier. The brush-shaped roller is insulative, and delivers the toner cleaned by the cleaning blade to inside of the cleaning unit.