Abstract: A charging device is provided. The charging device comprises a charging member having two spacers made of tape, and the charging member is pressed to contact with the non-image forming region of an image supporter. The surface of the charging member between the spacers is opposite to the surface of the image supporter by a tiny gap. A charging voltage is then applied to the charging member to charge the image supporter. As the image supporter rotates, a large variation of the tiny gap can be avoided. The pressing force of the spacers against the image supporter is set at 4 N to 25 N (Newton), and in a moving direction of the surface of the supporter, a contact width of a contact portion where the spacer is pressed to contact with the image supporter is set below 0.5 mm.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a photoconductive drum provided with a photoconductive layer on its surface. A charger uniformly charges the surface of the drum while an exposing unit exposes the charged surface of the drum to thereby form a latent image on the drum. A developing device develops the latent image with toner by feeding the toner to the drum to thereby produce a corresponding toner image and collects residual toner left on the drum after image transfer. An image transferring device transfer the toner image from the drum to an intermediate image transfer body. An air conditioning unit sends dehumidified, air-controlled air to a space around said photoconductive element.

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: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming cartridges removably mounted to an apparatus body one above the other is disclosed. Structural members each partition off a space between nearby image forming cartridges mounted to the apparatus body. The apparatus is capable of obviating banding ascribable to the vibration of the cartridges.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a frame, a photoconductive drum disposed in the frame, and an air conditioning device for removing moisture around the drum inside the frame. The drum has a wear-resistant, durable surface layer that wears by an amount of 0.05 &mgr;m to 0.5 &mgr;m for 100,000 rotations.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus has a branching claw with a first guide surface along a side of a sheet to be fed into a reversing path and a second guide surface along a side of a sheet to be fed out of the reversing path. This branching claw is disposed so as to enable switching between a first switching position where the sheet is allowed to be fed into the reversing path through its conveyance along the first guide surface, and a second switching position where the sheet is allowed to be forwarded from the reversing path toward the downstream side of a sheet conveying path through its conveyance along the second guide surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a conveyance path extending from a sheet tray to an image forming section. A switchback path with a reversing device is connected to the intermediate portion of the conveyance path for switching back a sheet thereon. The switchback path reduces an interval between consecutive sheets being conveyed in the apparatus for thereby enhancing the productivity of image formation. In addition, the switchback path switches back a sheet being conveyed via a refeed path and the above conveyance path in a duplex print mode, thereby obviating the need of an exclusive switchback path for the duplex print mode. The apparatus is reduced in thickness despite the presence of the switchback path.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming cartridges removably mounted to an apparatus body one above the other is disclosed. Structural members each partition off a space between nearby image forming cartridges mounted to the apparatus body. The apparatus is capable of obviating banding ascribable to the vibration of the cartridges.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming cartridges removably mounted to an apparatus body one above the other is disclosed. Structural members each partition off a space between nearby image forming cartridges mounted to the apparatus body. The apparatus is capable of obviating banding ascribable to the vibration of the cartridges.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming cartridges removably mounted to an apparatus body one above the other is disclosed. Structural members each partition off a space between nearby image forming cartridges mounted to the apparatus body. The apparatus is capable of obviating banding ascribable to the vibration of the cartridges.

Abstract: A tree-structured diagram output method outputs a tree-structured diagram representing association of objects. In the method, an identifier which is specific to each of the objects is assigned to every object. A first object is selected from among the objects. An identifier of the selected first object is stored into a first storage portion. A second object, different from the first object, is selected from among the objects. An identifier of the selected second object is stored into a second storage portion. The identifier of the first storage portion is associated with the identifier of the second storage portion so that the association of the identifiers of the first and second objects is obtained. A tree-structured diagram representing the association of the first and second objects is outputted based on the association of the identifiers obtained in the associating step.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an apparatus body, a single vertical stay disposed between optical writing devices and image forming cartridges and extending from a top wall to a bottom wall of the apparatus body, a plurality of horizontal stays disposed at least between consecutive image forming cartridges, and being attached to the single vertical stay, and a plurality of structural members disposed at least between consecutive image forming devices and being attached to the vertical stay. Further, the horizontal stays, the single vertical stay, the structural members and the apparatus body comprise a single structural body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a casing, an image forming unit, and an air conditioning device. The image forming unit includes a case accommodating at least a photoconductive element therein and formed with an opening for image transfer via which the photoconductive element is partly exposed to the outside. The opening is the only opening that might allow substances harmful to image formation into the case when the image forming unit is mounted to the casing. The air conditioning device removes the harmful substances flowing into the image forming unit from the outside.

Abstract: A charging device is provided. The charging device comprises a charging member having two spacers made of tape, and the charging member is pressed to contact with the non-image forming region of an image supporter. The surface of the charging member between the spacers is opposite to the surface of the image supporter by a tiny gap. A charging voltage is then applied to the charging member to charge the image supporter. As the image supporter rotates, a large variation of the tiny gap can be avoided. The pressing force of the spacers against the image supporter is set at 4N to 25 N (Newton), and in a moving direction of the surface of the supporter, a contact width of a contact portion where the spacer is pressed to contact with the image supporter is set below 0.5 mm.

Abstract: A tree system diagram output method of correlating a plurality of objects and outputting the plurality of objects as a tree system diagram includes the steps of: (a) storing, in a first storing part, an identifier specific to each of the plurality of objects written on a first worksheet; (b) selecting at least one object among the plurality of objects written on the first worksheet; (c) pasting the object selected in the step (b) to a second worksheet; and (d) changing the identifier of the object to be pasted in the step (c) to a second identifier.

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 member that removes the spherical toner on the image bearer while rotating and contacting 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: A cleaning device of the present invention is configured to remove toner left on an image carrier after the transfer of a toner image from the image carrier to a recording medium. A rotatable cleaning roller contacts the image carrier for removing the toner left on the image carrier. A rotatable brush roller is positioned upstream of the cleaning roller in the direction of rotation of the image carrier and rubs against the surface of the image carrier and that of the cleaning roller. The cleaning device is free from defective cleaning despite the use of spherical, dry toner grains capable of forming high-quality toner images.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of an electrophotographic type including a paper feeding device for separating and feeding piled recording paper, an image forming device for forming the image in order on the fed recording paper, a paper turning-over device for switching back the recording paper and turning over the front and rear tip ends of the recording paper, and a paper re-feeding device for re-feeding the recording paper having the image on one-side surface. In such an apparatus, the both-surfaces image formation can be practiced at the same paper distance, keeping the image forming apparatus small in size and low cost. Furthermore, a conveying roller for switching back the paper and sending out the paper to a printer engine is provided such that the rear tip end of the paper accommodated in the switching-back path becomes the front tip end thereof, and a jogger for performing compensation of lateral registration for the paper is provided in the switch-back path.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming cartridges removably mounted to an apparatus body one above the other is disclosed. Structural members each partition off a space between nearby image forming cartridges mounted to the apparatus body. The apparatus is capable of obviating banding ascribable to the vibration of the cartridges.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming cartridges removably mounted to an apparatus body one above the other is disclosed. Structural members each partition off a space between nearby image forming cartridges mounted to the apparatus body. The apparatus is capable of obviating banding ascribable to the vibration of the cartridges.