Abstract: A development device includes a developer carrier configured to carry on a surface thereof a developer, the developer carrier being disposed to face a latent image carrier, a developer tank having the developer carrier, a developer container configured to house the developer to be supplied to the developer tank, the developer container being connected to the developer tank through a partition having an opening, and a developer carrier member configured to carry the developer in the developer container, the developer being supplied to the developer tank from the opening while being carried by the developer carrier member, and the amount of developer to be supplied to the developer tank from the opening being gradually increased in a developer carrying direction of the developer carrier member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, an image writing unit, a development unit, a transfer device, a charging device, and a toner charge control device. The image writing unit forms a latent image on the image carrying member, which is developed as a toner image by the development unit, and the toner image is transferred to a transfer member by the transfer device. The charging device charges the image carrying member and toner on the image carrying member. The toner charge control device, controls a polarity of charge and charging voltage level of toner remaining on the image carrying member. The toner charge control device includes an endless belt having a surface made of a conductive material, a support member extending the endless belt pressed against the image carrying member, and a bias voltage applicator for supplying a voltage to the surface of the endless belt.

Abstract: Toner is supplied from a toner container to a developing part that causes the toner to adhere to a latent image formed on a latent image carrying member and develops the latent image, a pre-toner-supply operation of supplying a predetermined amount of toner to the developing part is carried out, a fog detecting image is formed and fog is detected in the fog detecting image, a toner supply amount to be supplied to the developing part is determined based on the fog detected in the detecting and an operational status of the developing part since the toner was supplied to the developing part the last time, and the toner supply amount of the toner determined in the determining is supplied to the developing part.

Abstract: A toner supplying method for supplying toner from a toner container to a developing part that causes toner to adhere to a latent image formed on a latent image carrying member and develops the latent image, includes detecting a toner amount in the developing part as being equal to or less than a predetermined toner amount value; forming a fog detecting image in a case where the toner amount in the developing part is equal to or less than the predetermined toner amount value, and detecting fog; and determining based on the detected fog whether to execute a toner ejecting process of ejecting the toner remaining in the developing part toward the latent image carrying member before supplying the toner to the developing part from the toner container.

Abstract: A developing unit includes: a developer carrier; a toner supplying member having a porous surface layer; a toner storage storing therein toner; a stirring member that is rotated to stir the toner; a toner amount detecting unit that detects an amount of the toner; a toner supplying unit that supplies new toner to the toner storage based on a detection result; and a toner removing member that removes the toner carried in the porous surface layer, wherein the toner removing member is arranged in a separable and contactable manner from and with the porous surface layer, and the developing unit has a stirring mode in which the toner removing member is brought into contact with the porous surface layer, and the toner supplying member is rotated while the stirring member is rotated to stir the toner.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier on which a latent image is formed, a charging device that charges the image carrier, an exposing device that irradiates the image carrier, thereby forming a latent image on the image carrier, a developing device that develops the latent image into a visible image by using a monocomponent developer that is carried and transferred by a developer carrier and that is charged to a predetermined polarity, and a toner supply container that is installed in the developing device for toner supply. Used old toner is conveyed from the developing device to the toner supply container and mixed with unused new toner within the toner supply container and thus a mixed toner is produced, and the mixed toner is supplied to the developing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is more capable of preventing the occurrence of image quality deterioration caused by defective charging of a photoreceptor than the conventional one. As a charging device, there is used a member which has: a conductive sheet that causes the surface thereof applied with a predetermined bias to abut against the surface of the photoreceptor after passing through a primary transfer nip obtained by abutment between the photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer belt and before entering a development step performed by a developing device; a conductive brush member that applies a predetermined bias to the surface of the photoreceptor obtained after passing through the position of abutment with the sheet and before entering the development step; and a charging roller that uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor after passing through the position of abutment with the brush and before entering the development step.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of maintaining cleaning performance of a cleaning brush and downsizing the apparatus main body. Transfer residual toner accumulated on the cleaning brush is transferred onto a photoreceptor by an electrostatic force, hence the cleaning brush becomes clean and the cleaning performance thereof improves. Therefore, the photoreceptor and a charging roller can be cleaned well by the cleaning brush over a long period of time, and the photoreceptor can be charged well by the charging roller over a long period of time. Moreover, because the transfer residual toner that is transferred from the cleaning brush onto the photoreceptor is recovered by a developing device, it is not necessary to provide the apparatus main body with a toner recovery portion that is specially designed for recovering the transfer residual toner, hence the apparatus main body can be downsized.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus in which the cleaning performance of a cleaning brush is preserved over time while affording a smaller apparatus main body. During a print job, toner recovered from a charging roller to a cleaning brush is transferred from the cleaning brush to a cleaning auxiliary roller, thereby preventing excessive accumulation of toner in the cleaning brush. During non print job times, toner accumulated in the cleaning brush is transferred to the charging roller directly and via the cleaning auxiliary roller, whereby the cleaning brush becomes clean while preserving its cleaning performance. Also, toner transferred to the charging roller is transferred to a photosensitive unit is recovered into a developing device, which does away with the need for a dedicated recovery toner holding portion for recovering residual toner, thereby reducing the size of the apparatus main body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrying member having a movable surface; a charging device including a rotatable charging member which is supplied with a voltage including a direct voltage superimposed with an alternating voltage, and which contacts and charges the image carrying member; an electrostatic latent image forming device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrying member; and a development device for developing the electrostatic latent image. The frequency of the alternating voltage is lower in a non-image forming area than in an image forming area. In the non-image forming area, the image carrying member is charged to a surface potential having a waveform shape in accordance with the alternating voltage, and the potential difference between the surface potential and the voltage applied to the charging member generates an electric field which moves toner adhering to the charging member to the image carrying member.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a latent image carrier, a charging unit, a latent image forming unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a rotary brush contacting a curved surface of the latent image carrier to form a nip, and a brush housing including a first tip and a second tip, covering the rotary brush such that a place where the rotary brush contacts the latent image carrier is opened. A downstream end of the nip where the rotary brush contacts the latent image carrier in the rotation direction of the rotary brush is not higher than a center of curvature of the latent image carrier where the rotary brush contacts, and the first tip of the brush housing is downstream of the rotary brush, further toward the latent image carrier than a tangent to the surface of the latent image carrier at the downstream end of the nip.

Abstract: A brush member includes plural raisings and contacts a surface of an image bearer downstream of a transfer station and temporary captures toner remaining on the surface of the image bearer into the brush member in a toner capturing process. The brush member returns the toner to the surface of the image bearer at a prescribed time in a toner returning process. A bending direction of the plural raisings is opposite in the returning process to that in the toner capturing process.

Abstract: A cleanerless image forming apparatus configured to reduce the density unevenness of halftone images. The apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging roller device for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive member, an optical writing unit for forming latent images on the surface of the photosensitive member after uniform charging, a developing device for developing the latent toner image on the photosensitive member, a transfer unit for transferring the toner image to an intermediate transfer belt, and a brush member for trapping post-transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive member after passing through the transfer process by the transfer unit and before entering the developing process by the developing device, wherein the post-transfer residual toner is recovered within the developing device after re-transfer of the post-transfer residual toner within the brush member to the surface of the photosensitive member.

Abstract: A semiconductive member including an alkali metal salt having the formula (M)n·X in a surface layer thereof. M represents Na+, K+, or Li+; X represents Cl?, Br?, I?, F?, CH3COO?, CF3COO?, CH(COOH)CHCOO?, (CHCOO?)2, CH2(COOH)CH2COO?, (CH2COO?)2, (HOOC)Ar(COO?), Ar(COO?)2, (HOOC)2Ar(COO?), (HOOC)Ar(COO?)2, Ar(COO?)3, (HOOC)3Ar(COO?), (HOOC)2Ar(COO?)2, (HOOC)Ar (COO?)3, Ar(COO?)4, Ar—SO3?, Ar(SO3?)2, an oligomer or a polymer having an acrylic acid anion unit, or an oligomer or a polymer having an methacrylic acid anion unit; Ar represents a benzene ring, a naphthalene ring, or a biphenyl ring; and n is a numeral equivalent to the anionic valence of X.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, performing a corresponding method of image forming, includes an image carrier, a writing unit, a developing unit, a charging member configured to rotate continuously with the image carrier at a portion contacting the image carrier and uniformly charge a surface of the image carrier while contacting a surface thereof with the surface of the image carrier, a charge bias applying unit configured to apply a charge bias to the charging member, and a controller configured to control of driving of the image carrier and the charging member and reduce at a charge nip at a given timing a linear velocity ratio of a travel speed of the surface of the charging member to a travel speed of the surface of the image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and process cartridge employed in same which, when contact charging processing is implemented employing a brush roller, suppresses the generation of localized excessive discharge and suppresses a state of localized excessive discharge on a photosensitive drum surface. Charging means is configured from a brush roller in the surface of which a brush is formed, drive means for rotationally driving the brush roller, and a power source for applying a prescribed charging voltage to the brush roller, and uniformly charges the surface of the latent image carrier by bringing the brush roller into contact with the surface of the latent image carrier.

Abstract: An electrifying apparatus, a processing unit including the electrifying apparatus, and an image formation apparatus including the electrifying apparatus. The electrifying apparatus includes a conductive sheet for electrifying at least one of a surface of a photoconductor and toner adhered to the surface. The conductive sheet is specified to have a pure-water contact angle equal to or greater than 108 degrees, and to have a shore D hardness equal to or less than 65.

Abstract: A charging device and an image forming apparatus using the charging device. The charging device includes a charging member to uniformly charge a surface of a latent image bearing member in contact therewith, a charge bias application unit to apply a charge bias to the charging member, a conductive member to contact a surface of the charging member, and a different-valued bias application unit to apply a different-valued bias different from the charge bias to the conductive member. The image forming apparatus includes a latent image bearing member to bear a latent image, a latent image forming unit to form the latent image on the latent image bearing member, a development unit to develop the latent image with toner, and the charging device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes at least a latent image carrier, a latent image forming mechanism, a developing mechanism and a charger. The latent image carrier bears a latent image. The latent image forming mechanism forms the latent image on the latent image carrier. The developing mechanism develops the latent image on the latent image carrier with toner. The charger includes a conductive member supplied with a bias voltage while contacting a surface of the latent image carrier, and charges at least one of the surface of the latent image carrier and a toner adhering to the surface thereof through the conductive member. A tensile strength of the conductive member at break is no less than 10 MPa and no more than 40 MPa, and a contact pressure between the conductive member and the latent image carrier is no less than 4 kN/m2 and no more than 15 kN/m2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging device for charging a photosensitive element having a moving surface, by bringing a charging roller, to which voltage is applied, into pressure-contact with the photosensitive element, wherein to the charging member there is applied voltage for forming an electric field such that toner adhered to the charging roller surface at a non-image forming area is oriented towards the photosensitive element. The image forming apparatus is provided with pressure contact force modifying means for making the pressure contact force of the charging roller against the photosensitive element at the non-image forming area greater than that at an image forming area.