Abstract: A toner bearing member having an electroconductive substrate, an insulation layer formed on the electroconductive substrate, multiple electrodes spaced a constant distance apart therebetween, formed on the insulation layer, and a surface layer that covers the multiple electrodes, the surface layer comprising a polymerizable material comprising a structure unit represented by the following chemical structure 1 and at least one of cyclohexanone and cyclopentanone, where R1 and R2, each, independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aryl group, or form a cyclic hydrocarbon residual group having 5 to 8 carbon atoms, R3 and R4, each, independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aryl group, and “a” and “b” represent integers of 1 or 2.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor, including an electroconductive substrate; an intermediate layer, located overlying the electroconductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer, located overlying the intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer includes a N-alkoxymethylated nylon including a component having a molecular weight not greater than 5,000 in an amount of from 3 to 10% by weight.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for removing charged particles includes a cleaning brush and a recovery unit. The cleaning brush removes the charged particles from an object by attracting the charged particles having positive and negative polarity. The recovery unit for recovering the charged particles from the cleaning brush includes a recovery member, a first charge applicator, a second charge applicator, and a voltage control unit. The recovery member is supplied with a voltage to attract the charged particles. The recovery member has a core and a surface layer. The first charge applicator applies a voltage to the surface layer of the recovery member. The second charge applicator applies a voltage to the core of the recovery member. The voltage control unit controls a polarity of the voltage to be applied by the first and second charge applicators depending on a polarity of the charged particles to be recovered.

Abstract: A cleaning device including a polarity control unit to control a charge polarity of residual toner particles, a cleaning member, a surface of which is movable, to electrostatically remove the residual toner particles, provided on a downstream side from the polarity control unit relative to a surface moving direction of an image bearing member, a toner collecting unit to collect the residual toner particles on the cleaning member, and a neutralizing member to neutralize the image bearing member, provided on a downstream side from the polarity control unit and an upstream side from the cleaning member relative to the surface moving direction of the image bearing member.

Abstract: The developing device includes a developer charging member configured to charge a toner serving as a one developer; and a developer bearing member configured to bear and feed the charged toner while forming an electric field so that the toner hops. The developer bearing member includes an insulating substrate; plural electrodes arranged on the insulating substrate in a developer feeding direction to form the electric field; and an outermost layer covering the plural electrodes. The toner has a softening point of from 115 to 130° C.

Abstract: A toner bearing member is provided which includes a conductive support, an insulation layer provided on the conductive support, multiple electrodes arranged at regular intervals on the insulation layer, a surface layer covering the multiple electrodes, comprising a polymerized compound having a specific unit, and a voltage applicator that applies a voltage between the conductive support and the multiple electrodes while periodically reversing an electric field generated therebetween.

Abstract: A cleaning blade for removing fine particles from a cleaning target by contact with the cleaning target is provided. The cleaning blade includes an elastic blade A leading edge of the elastic blade includes a friction coefficient of 0.5 or less. The cleaning blade also includes a surface layer that covers the leading edge of the elastic blade. A thickness of the surface layer is between 1 to 50 ?m at a position 50 ?m away from the leading edge, and a hardness of the surface layer is greater hardness than the elastic blade.

Abstract: The present invention provides a latent electrostatic image bearing member which includes a support, a charge generating layer, and a charge transporting layer, the charge generating layer and the charge transporting layer being arranged in this order on or above the support, wherein the charge transporting layer comprises at least a charge transporting material and a binder resin and has a thickness of 30 ?m to 50 ?m; and the distribution representing the relation between the absorbance ratio of the charge transporting material and the binder resin measured by infrared spectroscopy and the distance from the surface of the charge transporting layer toward the thickness direction thereof represents a generally linear shape without having inflection points within 20 ?m from the surface of the charge transporting layer toward the thickness thereof.

Abstract: An image bearing member including an electroconductive substrate, a charge blocking layer disposed overlying the electroconductive substrate, a moire prevention layer disposed overlying the charge blocking layer, and a photosensitive layer disposed overlying the moire prevention layer. The charge blocking layer contains N-alkoxymethylized nylon and optionally at least one of an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and an aliphatic tricarboxylic acid. The moire prevention layer contains a titanium oxide having a purity not less than 99.0% and a cross-linking resin.

Abstract: An image processing member that is included in an image forming apparatus employing method of evaluating and determining adhesion forces thereof, includes an optical writing unit configured to optically write an image, and an image processing member configured to process the image formed by the optical writing unit. The image processing member has good cleaning performance, which is determined by a method of determining a distribution of adhesion forces generated between a surface of the image processing member and a particle of a powder used to reproduce the image in the image forming apparatus in which the adhesion forces are measured at multiple points on the surface of the image processing member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning member, a collection member, an electrical field generator, and a separation member. The cleaning member has a surface capable of moving while contacting a surface of a cleaning target to remove toner on the surface of the cleaning target. The collection member has a surface capable of moving while contacting the surface of the cleaning member to collect the toner on the surface of the cleaning member. The electrical field generator generates an electrical field to move the toner from the cleaning member to the collection member. The separation member contacts the surface of the collection member to separate the toner on the surface of the collection member. The collection member has a centerline average surface roughness of not more than 0.1 ?m and shows a surface hardness rank of B or higher in a steel-wool scratch test.

Abstract: A cleaning brush configured to remove toner from a surface of a member of an image forming apparatus; wherein the cleaning brush includes a plurality of fibers having an inside part formed from a conductive material and a surface part formed by an insulating material.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for removing charged particles includes a cleaning brush and a recovery unit. The cleaning brush removes the charged particles from an object by attracting the charged particles having positive and negative polarity. The recovery unit for recovering the charged particles from the cleaning brush includes a recovery member, a first charge applicator, a second charge applicator, and a voltage control unit. The recovery member is supplied with a voltage to attract the charged particles. The recovery member has a core and a surface layer. The first charge applicator applies a voltage to the surface layer of the recovery member. The second charge applicator applies a voltage to the core of the recovery member. The voltage control unit controls a polarity of the voltage to be applied by the first and second charge applicators depending on a polarity of the charged particles to be recovered.

Abstract: A cleaning device including a cleaning brush to which a voltage is applied to remove residual toner particles from a cleaning target having a moving surface. The cleaning brush is configured to be triboelectrically charged to a polarity opposite to that of the voltage applied to the cleaning brush by contacting the cleaning target.

Abstract: A cleaning device including a polarity control unit to control a charge polarity of residual toner particles, a cleaning member, a surface of which is movable, to electrostatically remove the residual toner particles, provided on a downstream side from the polarity control unit relative to a surface moving direction of an image bearing member, a toner collecting unit to collect the residual toner particles on the cleaning member, and a neutralizing member to neutralize the image bearing member, provided on a downstream side from the polarity control unit and an upstream side from the cleaning member relative to the surface moving direction of the image bearing member.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a conductive substrate, an undercoat layer located overlying the conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer located overlying the undercoat layer. The photosensitive layer has a charge generation layer located overlying the undercoat layer and a charge transport layer located overlying the charge generation layer. In addition, when the charge generation layer is irradiated in the absence of the charge transport layer with light in a range of from 360 nm to 740 nm having the highest reflectivity for the charge generation layer, the charge generation layer has a reflectivity of from 15 to 21%.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photoconductor comprising a photoconductive layer, a protective layer, and a conductive support, wherein the protective layer is disposed as the outermost layer of the photoconductive layer, and 20% by volume to 60% by volume of fine particles of fluorine-contained resin and at least one compound selected from amine aromatic compounds and hydroxy aromatic compounds are incorporated into the protective layer. According to the present invention, high durability may be achieved, image degradation such as lags may be controlled from the increase of residual potential and decrease of charging, and high quality images may be formed stably even after the prolonged and repeated usage. The present invention also relates to an electrophotographic process, an electrophotographic apparatus and a process cartridge for the electrophotographic apparatus which utilize the electrophotographic photoconductor respectively.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image carrier, a charger, an electrostatic latent image forming member, a developing member, a transferor, and a cleaning device. The electrostatic latent image forming member forms an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the image carrier charged by the charger. The developing member develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with toner particles to form a toner image. The transferor transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier onto a recording medium. The cleaning device includes a fine particle supplier and an electrostatic cleaning mechanism. The fine particle supplier supplies fine particles onto the surface of the image carrier while an image forming operation is not performed. The electrostatic cleaning mechanism electrostatically removes a foreign substance adhered to the supplied fine particles from the surface of the image carrier.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor including an electroconductive substrate and a photosensitive layer located overlying the electroconductive substrate, wherein an outermost layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a particulate fluorine-containing resin, and wherein a primary particle of the particulate fluorine-containing resin and a secondary particle formed of agglomerated primary particles thereof, which are projected from a surface of the outermost layer and have an average particle diameter of from 0.15 to 3 ?m, are present in an area ratio not less than 10% based on total surface area of the outermost layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus containing an electrophotographic photoconductor, a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit and a cleaning unit, wherein the electrophotographic photoconductor contains a support and at least a photosensitive layer disposed on the support, wherein the photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material and a compound expressed by the following Structural Formula (1), and wherein, in the Structural Formula (1), “R1” and “R2” may be identical to each other or different, and represent any one of hydrogen atom, alkyl group which may be substituted, cycloalkyl group which may be substituted and aralkyl group which may be substituted.