Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging device, a transfer device, a lubricant supplying device, a developing device to develop the latent image with a developer, a discharging device, a cleaning device, and a controlling device configured to control an lubricant supplying mode and a lubricant removing mode in which at least a portion of the lubricant is removed from the surface of the image bearing member, a method of using the image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge used with the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant composed of metal salt of fatty acid; an applying member that applies the lubricant on a subject under lubricant application; and a spreading member that forms a thin layer of the lubricant applied on the subject. The spreading member spreads the lubricant in such a manner that a thickness of the thin layer is in a range of 8 nanometers to 12 nanometers.

Abstract: A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant applying member, and a leveling member for use in an image forming apparatus having a photosensitive member. The lubricant applying member applies lubricant on a surface of the photosensitive member, and the leveling member levels off the lubricant on the surface of the photosensitive member. The lubricant applying unit applies the lubricant with a predetermined amount on the surface of the photosensitive member. The photosensitive member includes polyarylate resin in a surface layer of the photosensitive member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an object to be charged whose surface moves. A charging device for charging the object uses an electrical discharge generated by applying a voltage including an alternating current component to a charging member provided in contact with or in proximity to the object. A latent image forming device forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the object. A developing device causes a two-component developer to come into contact with the image portion of the electrostatic latent image formed by the latent image forming device and affixes toner thereto. A protective substance is present on the surface of the object in the discharge region for charging the object, and the saturation magnetization of the carrier of the two-component developer with respect to an applied magnetic field of 1000 oersted is 40 to 80 emu/g.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus including at least a moving body to be charged, a charging device for charging the body to be charged using discharge caused by applying a voltage to a charging member provided in contact with or proximity to the body to be charged, a latent image formation device for forming a latent image on a surface of the body to be charged which is charged by the charging device, and a development device for depositing toner on an image portion of the latent image formed by the latent image formation device, wherein an elastic displacement ratio ?e for the surface of the body to be charged is equal to or greater than 40% which is defined by the following formula, elastic displacement ratio ?e (%)=[(maximum displacement)-(plastic displacement)]/(maximum displacement)×100, and the image formation apparatus further includes a protective material feeding device for depositing a protective material on at least a discharge area of the surface of the body to be charged.

Abstract: A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant composed of metal salt of fatty acid; an applying member that applies the lubricant on a subject under lubricant application; and a spreading member that forms a thin layer of the lubricant applied on the subject. The spreading member spreads the lubricant in such a manner that a thickness of the thin layer is in a range of 8 nanometers to 12 nanometers.

Abstract: A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant composed of metal salt of fatty acid; an applying member that applies the lubricant on a subject under lubricant application; and a spreading member that forms a thin layer of the lubricant applied on the subject. The spreading member spreads the lubricant in such a manner that a thickness of the thin layer is in a range of 8 nanometers to 12 nanometers.

Abstract: A charging device includes a charging member which is applied with a voltage including an alternating current voltage superimposed on a direct current voltage to charge an image carrier. An equation of “7?f/v?17” is satisfied, where “f” is a frequency (Hz) of the alternating current voltage, and “v” is a moving speed (mm/sec) of the image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging device, a transfer device, a lubricant supplying device, a developing device to develop the latent image with a developer, a discharging device, a cleaning device, and a controlling device configured to control an lubricant supplying mode and a lubricant removing mode in which at least a portion of the lubricant is removed from the surface of the image bearing member, a method of using the image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge used with the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: A lubricant applying unit includes a lubricant applying member, and a leveling member for use in an image forming apparatus having a photosensitive member. The lubricant applying member applies lubricant on a surface of the photosensitive member, and the leveling member levels off the lubricant on the surface of the photosensitive member. The lubricant applying unit applies the lubricant with a predetermined amount on the surface of the photosensitive member. The photosensitive member includes polyarylate resin in a surface layer of the photosensitive member.

Abstract: A charging device of the present invention includes a charging member and a body to be charged forming a nip therebetween. Charge-promoting conductive grains, frictionally charged to polarity opposite to the polarity of a voltage applied to the charging member, are held at the above nip. The charging device is operable in a cleaning mode for cleaning the body to be charged.

Abstract: A charging device includes a charging member which is applied with a voltage including an alternating current voltage superimposed on a direct current voltage to charge an image carrier. An equation of “7?f/v?17” is satisfied, where “f” is a frequency (Hz) of the alternating current voltage, and “v” is a moving speed (mm/sec) of the image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a charging device that charges a surface of the image bearer, a latent image forming device that forms a latent image on the image bearer, a developing device that develops the latent image on the image bearer with a spherical toner into a toner image, a transfer device that transfers the toner image to a transfer material, and a cleaning device that removes the spherical toner remaining on the image bearer after the toner image is transferred to the transfer material. The cleaning device including a cleaning roller that removes the spherical toner on the image bearer while rotating and contacting the image bearer and which has a greater coefficient of static friction than the surface of the image bearer. An electric field is formed between the cleaning member and the image bearer by applying a voltage to the cleaning member so that the spherical toner adhered onto the image bearer is electrostatically attracted to the cleaning member.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that employs a system of charging by adjacent discharge, not only can degradation of the photoreceptor surface caused by adjacent discharge be prevented, but also there is no side effect on the developer, and at the same time size reduction is achieved. The image forming apparatus comprises an object to be charged whose surface moves; a charging device for charging the object to be charged using an electrical discharge generated by applying a voltage comprising an alternating current component to a charging member provided in contact with or in proximity to the object to be charged; a latent image forming device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the object charged by the charging device; and a developing device for causing a two-component developer to come into contact with the image portion of the electrostatic latent image formed by the latent image forming device and affixing toner thereto.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus comprising at least a moving body to be charged, a charging device for charging the body to be charged using discharge caused by applying a voltage to a charging member provided in contact with or proximity to the body to be charged, a latent image formation device for forming a latent image on a surface of the body to be charged which is charged by the charging device, and a development device for depositing toner on an image portion of the latent image formed by the latent image formation device, wherein an elastic displacement ratio ?e for the surface of the body to be charged is equal to or greater than 40% which is defined by the following formula, elastic displacement ratio ?e(%)=[(maximum displacement)?(plastic displacement)]/(maximum displacement)×100, and the image formation apparatus further comprises a protective material feeding device for depositing a protective material on at least a discharge area of the surface of the body to be charged.