Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body, a developer recovery container, a detecting section, a power supply, a detection object part, a pair of wires, a conducting section, a drive section, and a determining section. The determining section determines the developer recovery container to have been used in a case where the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part on the basis of information from the detecting section, and in a case where the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part, checks the information from the detecting section again after driving the drive section, and determines the recovery container to have not been used when the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part and determines the recovery container to have been used when the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body, a developer recovery container, a detecting section, a power supply, a detection object part, a pair of wires, a conducting section, a drive section, and a determining section. The determining section determines the developer recovery container to have been used in a case where the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part on the basis of information from the detecting section, and in a case where the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part, checks the information from the detecting section again after driving the drive section, and determines the recovery container to have not been used when the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part and determines the recovery container to have been used when the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is a protective sheet including: a protective portion that can be inserted between a charging member which is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a latent image carrier and the latent image carrier, and that can cover an image forming area formed on the outer peripheral surface of the latent image carrier; and a high friction portion that is connected to an end portion of the protective portion, that can be inserted between a pressing portion for being pressed against a background area formed on the outer peripheral surface of the latent image carrier and the background area of the latent image carrier, and whose dynamic frictional force when pulled out from the latent image carrier is higher than that of the protective portion.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is a protective sheet including: a protective portion that can be inserted between a charging member which is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a latent image carrier and the latent image carrier, and that can cover an image forming area formed on the outer peripheral surface of the latent image carrier; and a high friction portion that is connected to an end portion of the protective portion, that can be inserted between a pressing portion for being pressed against a background area formed on the outer peripheral surface of the latent image carrier and the background area of the latent image carrier, and whose dynamic frictional force when pulled out from the latent image carrier is higher than that of the protective portion.

Abstract: An electrostatic charging apparatus, includes: an endless-shaped electrostatic charging belt having electrical conductivity, the electrostatic charging belt being arranged in a state of having a predetermined contact zone being in contact with a moving to-be-charged body and moving in the same direction as a moving direction of the to-be-charged body; and plural electrode members including at least a first electrode member and a second electrode member, the plural electrode members being provided inside the electrostatic charging belt, and the first and second electrode members being provided on both sides of the contact zone of the electrostatic charging belt in the moving direction thereof so as to press the electrostatic charging belt against the to-be-charged body and forming gaps that permit electric discharge between the to-be-charged body and the electrostatic charging belt, the gaps being adjacent to the respective sides of the contact zone of the electrostatic charging belt.

Abstract: A charge device includes a charging belt, an electrode member, a bias supplying unit and a discharge region forming member. The belt comes into contact with a charged body. The electrode member is in contact with a part of an inner peripheral surface of the charging belt. The electrode member faces the charged body across the charging belt between the electrode member and the charged body. A downstream-side portion of the charging belt is located downstream of a position where the charged body faces the electrode member, in a moving direction of the charged body. The discharge region forming member brings the downstream-side portion into contact with the electrode member to form a discharge region in which discharge occurs between the downstream-side portion and the charged body.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a cleaning layer to face a image holding body and a back layer to be disposed at a side opposite to the image holding body and removes discharge products and developer residues that are stuck to a surface of the image holding body in such a manner that an edge of the cleaning layer comes into contact with the surface of the image holding body, and the back layer and the cleaning layer are molded integrally and a surface roughness Ra of the cleaning layer is lower than or equal to 0.12 ?m.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus including: a photoconductor provided with a charge generation layer and an overcoat layer; a first charging unit charging the photoconductor when an image is formed; an exposure unit irradiating the photoconductor with light having a wavelength to which a relative sensitivity of the charge generation layer is larger than a relative sensitivity of the overcoat layer; a development unit developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor by the first charging unit and the exposure unit with toner; a transfer unit transferring an image developed on the photoconductor to a medium; a light irradiation unit irradiating the photoconductor with light having a wavelength to which the relative sensitivity of the overcoat layer is larger than the relative sensitivity of the charge generation layer; and an erasing unit erasing a charge from the photoconductor irradiated with light by the light irradiation unit.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is a protective sheet including: a protective portion that can be inserted between a charging member which is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a latent image carrier and the latent image carrier, and that can cover an image forming area formed on the outer peripheral surface of the latent image carrier; and a high friction portion that is connected to an end portion of the protective portion, that can be inserted between a pressing portion for being pressed against a background area formed on the outer peripheral surface of the latent image carrier and the background area of the latent image carrier, and whose dynamic frictional force when pulled out from the latent image carrier is higher than that of the protective portion.

Abstract: A charge device includes a charging belt, an electrode member, a bias supplying unit and a discharge region forming member. The belt comes into contact with a charged body. The electrode member is in contact with a part of an inner peripheral surface of the charging belt. The electrode member faces the charged body across the charging belt between the electrode member and the charged body. A downstream-side portion of the charging belt is located downstream of a position where the charged body faces the electrode member, in a moving direction of the charged body. The discharge region forming member brings the downstream-side portion into contact with the electrode member to form a discharge region in which discharge occurs between the downstream-side portion and the charged body.

Abstract: An electrostatic charging apparatus, includes: an endless-shaped electrostatic charging belt having electrical conductivity, the electrostatic charging belt being arranged in a state of having a predetermined contact zone being in contact with a moving to-be-charged body and moving in the same direction as a moving direction of the to-be-charged body; and plural electrode members including at least a first electrode member and a second electrode member, the plural electrode members being provided inside the electrostatic charging belt, and the first and second electrode members being provided on both sides of the contact zone of the electrostatic charging belt in the moving direction thereof so as to press the electrostatic charging belt against the to-be-charged body and forming gaps that permit electric discharge between the to-be-charged body and the electrostatic charging belt, the gaps being adjacent to the respective sides of the contact zone of the electrostatic charging belt.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus including: a photoconductor provided with a charge generation layer and an overcoat layer; a first charging unit charging the photoconductor when an image is formed; an exposure unit irradiating the photoconductor with light having a wavelength to which a relative sensitivity of the charge generation layer is larger than a relative sensitivity of the overcoat layer; a development unit developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor by the first charging unit and the exposure unit with toner; a transfer unit transferring an image developed on the photoconductor to a medium; a light irradiation unit irradiating the photoconductor with light having a wavelength to which the relative sensitivity of the overcoat layer is larger than the relative sensitivity of the charge generation layer; and an erasing unit erasing a charge from the photoconductor irradiated with light by the light irradiation unit.

Abstract: The development apparatus of this invention includes a developer supporting body consisting of a rotatable non-magnetic sleeve and a magnet roll fixedly installed within the rotatable non-magnetic sleeve.