Abstract: Disclosed are a belt member having high wear resistance and thereby capable of maintaining its initial surface properties for a long period of time and a fixing device provided with, the belt member, and an image forming apparatus. The belt member has a belt shape, and its surface is formed of a cured resin including a structural unit derived from urethane (meth)acrylate (A) having at least three (meth)acryloyloxy groups per molecule, a structural unit derived from a polyfunctional monomer (B) having no urethane bond and having at least three (meth)acryloyloxy groups per molecule, and a structural unit derived from a fluorine-modified acrylate (C). The cured resin contains 18 to 63% by mass of the structural unit derived from the urethane(meth)acrylate (A), 18 to 63% by mass of the structural unit derived from the polyfunctional monomer (B), and 10 to 40% by mass of the structural unit derived from the fluorine-modified acrylate(C).

Abstract: An image forming method which applies a zinc-containing metal soap to a surface of an intermediate transfer belt including nitrogen on its surface. At least one of the following formulae is satisfied: (1?C/D)×100(%)?(B/A)×100(%)?10(%) (F/E)×100(%)?30(%) wherein A and B represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after image formation on 1,000 sheets, respectively, C represents a percentage content of zinc at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after the image formation on 1,000 sheets, D represents a percentage content of zinc based on all elements other than hydrogen in the zinc-containing metal soap, and E and F represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after application of the metal soap thereto for 5 minutes without image formation, respectively.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for transferring and superimposing toner images formed on plural image bearers onto an endless intermediate transfer member in an electric field created between the plural image bearers and plural semi conductive transfer members internally contacting the endless intermediate transfer member. The image forming apparatus includes a heat generating member arranged inside the intermediate transfer member to generate heat. A heat transfer member is provided to transfer the heat to the plural semi conductive transfer members.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a detector that detects a density of developer on the image bearing member, a support member supported in the image forming apparatus and removably supporting the detector, a separator disposed with a space from the detector, a first connected unit disposed on the support member between the separator and detector, a second connected unit disposed on the support member on an opposite side of the detector from the first connected unit, a fixing member including a first connecting unit that passes through the space and is supported by the first connected unit and a second connecting unit supported by the second connected unit, where the fixing member fixes the detector to the support member, and a disengagement restricting unit disposed on an opposite side of the detector from the separator so as to be adjacent to the second connecting unit.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a plurality of rollers, a rotatable intermediate transfer belt wound around and stretched between the rollers, a transfer member disposed in the inner loop of the belt and facing an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus disposed at an outer circumference of the belt, to transfer an image formed onto the surface of the image bearing member when contacting the intermediate transfer belt, and a position adjuster to adjust the position of the intermediate transfer belt at different positions relative to the image bearing member. The positions include a contact state in which the intermediate transfer belt applied with a predetermined tension contacts the image bearing member, a first separation state in which the tensioned intermediate transfer belt separates from the image bearing member, and a second separation state in which the intermediate transfer belt separates further away from the image bearing member.

Abstract: A tubular member formed of a polyamide resin layer includes carbon black and a semi-aromatic polyamide resin having at least a repeating unit structure derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic compound and an aliphatic diamine compound with the alkyl carbon number in the range of from 9 to 13.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include an electrophotographic photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member. An image may be formed by primary transferring a toner image held on a surface of an electrophotographic photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer member, and secondary transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transferee material. A dispersive component of surface energy of the electrophotographic photoreceptor and a dispersive component of surface energy of the intermediate transfer member may satisfy a relationship of (the dispersive component of surface energy of the electrophotographic photoreceptor)?(the dispersive component of surface energy of the intermediate transfer member).

Abstract: An intermediate transfer member that includes a polyimide, a conductive component, and a carboxylic acid functionalized fluoro component.

Abstract: An area in which a sheet member and an intermediate transfer belt are in contact with each other is provided between an intersection between a guide surface of the second guide portion configured to guide a recording material toward the intermediate transfer belt and the intermediate transfer belt and a nip portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include a first and second mode. In the first mode, the image forming apparatus uses a second charging member to charge toner that remains on an intermediate transfer member and then transfers the charged, remaining toner to an image carrier in a primary transfer portion. In the second mode, the image forming apparatus transfers the remaining toner adhered to the second charging member in the first mode to the intermediate transfer member. Also in a second mode, the image forming apparatus controls so that a surface potential of the image carrier that reaches the primary transfer portion at a timing at which the remaining toner transferred to the intermediate transfer member passes through the primary transfer portion has a same polarity as that of a surface potential of the image carrier in the first mode and also has an absolute value smaller than that thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic ink composition, comprising a single charge director and a charge control agent that counters the build up of negative optical density memory on the intermediate transfer member of a printing apparatus using the electrostatic ink.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an endless belt; a steering roller for supporting the endless belt and correcting a deviating motion of the endless belt; and a conveying section for conveying a recording material, wherein the conveying section has a position control mechanism of a recording material, and said mechanism conveys the recording material along a conveyance reference, established at a predetermined position in a width direction of the recording material, said width direction is perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording material, wherein the steering roller is configured to be supported on a supporting point at a side on which the conveyance reference is established, and to be tilted at a side which is opposite to the side on which the conveyance reference is established, with respect to the width direction of the recording material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a semi-conductive polyimide film having: a common logarithm of a surface resistivity at 25° C. and 60% RH of 9 to 15 log ?/square; a common logarithm of a volume resistivity of 8 to 15 log ?·cm; a fatigue stress in accordance with a fatigue test complying with JIS K7118, upon a number of repetition being 107, of 160 MPa or more; and a number of durable bending in accordance with an MIT test complying with JIS P8115 of 2,000 times or more, and an intermediate transfer belt and an transfer transportation belt using the semi-conductive polyimide film.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member on which a toner image is to be formed; a transfer device for transferring the toner image carried on the image bearing member; and a rotationally movable endless transfer belt onto which the toner image is to be transferred or on which a transfer material onto which the toner image is to be transferred is to be conveyed. The transfer device includes a sheet member contacted to an inner peripheral surface of the transfer belt while being supported by a supporting member at an end thereof and includes an urging member for urging the sheet member against the transfer belt in contact to the sheet member. The urging member includes a projected portion projected toward the transfer belt at its downstream end portion more than at its upstream end portion with respect to a movement direction of the transfer belt.

Abstract: To provide an intermediate transfer belt, which contains a base layer, and an elastic layer formed on the base layer, wherein the base layer contains polyimide which has a constitutional unit derived from pyromellitic acid and a constitutional unit derived from diaminodiphenyl ether, wherein the intermediate layer has a curling amount of 1.5 mm or less in an absolute value, and wherein the intermediate transfer belt is configured to receive, by transferring, a toner image formed by developing, with a toner, a latent image formed on an image bearing member.

Abstract: At least a portion of an intermediate transfer member includes a release layer facing outwardly from and supported by a supportive portion. The release layer includes an inner layer and an outer layer over and in contact with the inner layer, The inner layer has a thickness of between about 1 ?m and about 8 ?m and a bulk swelling of between 120% and 350%. The outer layer has a thickness of less than about 5 ?m and a bulk swelling of less than 120%.

Abstract: An annular intermediate transfer member can be used to transfer toner particles. This annular intermediate transfer member comprises an innermost non-metallic core, a cushioning layer, and an outermost toner-carrying layer. The innermost non-metallic core has 1) a mounting force of equal to or less than 15 lbf, 2) a radial resistance of up to and including 50,000 ohm of the innermost non-metallic core thickness, and 3) a surface resistance of up to and including 17,000 ohm. The annular intermediate transfer member can be incorporated into various apparatus that are used to provide toner images and used in methods for providing black-and-white and color toned images on various substrates.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer media, such as a belt, that includes a fluorinated polymer associated with, attached to, and more specifically, chemically attached to a carbon black.

Abstract: A detection unit is disposed between a feeding unit and a secondary transfer unit on a conveyance path, and detects a transfer material that is conveyed. A control unit, if the detection unit cannot detect the transfer material by a predetermined timing after a feeding operation by a feeding unit, moves the secondary transfer unit away from a intermediate transfer member, causes the intermediate transfer member to continue rotating, and causes the feeding unit to retry feeding of the transfer material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first transportation unit for transporting a medium; a second transportation unit including a first transportation member and a second transportation member disposed on both sides of a transportation path of the medium on a downstream side of the first transportation unit in a transportation direction of the medium for transporting the sheet supplied from the first transportation unit; and a medium guiding portion disposed between the first transportation unit and the second transportation unit for guiding the medium supplied from the first transportation unit toward the second transportation unit. The medium guiding portion includes a guide surface formed to face the transportation path for guiding the medium toward the first transportation member of the second transportation unit.

Abstract: An image forming device having a cleaning device that removes an adhered object on an endless belt body by contacting the endless belt body, which rotates while under tension. The endless belt body is formed with the following includes: an indentation Young's modulus is equal to or more than 5.5 GPa and is equal to or less than 10.0 GPa, and a specularity of a contacting surface that contacts the cleaning device is equal to or more than 50 and is equal to or less than 100.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer member to which an image on an image bearing member is primarily transferred. The image primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred to a recording medium. The velocity at which the recording medium is conveyed is switched to a velocity different from the image forming velocity before the recording medium is conveyed to the transfer position.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer member that includes biaryl polycarbonates, an optional polysiloxane, and an optional conductive filler component.

Abstract: There is described an intermediate transfer member comprising a seamless layer comprising a polyphenylsulfone and a polysiloxane having dispersed therein carbon black particles. The composition used to manufacture the seamless intermediate transfer member is also described.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer device including an intermediate transfer body having a primary transfer portion and a secondary transfer portion which bears a secondary image formed by transferring a primary image from an image bearing member; a pair of secondary transfer rollers having a secondary transfer roller and a support roller provided in contact with each other via the intermediate transfer body at the secondary transfer portion, which transfers the secondary image to a recording medium at the secondary transfer portion; a variation detection device that detects an amount of variance occurring to a transfer rotation body when the recording medium is transferred to the secondary transfer portion; and an adjustment device that adjusts the distance between the pair of the secondary transfer rollers according to the amount of variance detected by the variation detection device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polyamic acid composition in which carbon black with a pH value approximately 7 or less is dispersed in a solution comprising a polyamic acid represented by Formula (1) having amino groups at molecular terminal ends thereof, and a solvent. In Formula (1), R1 represents a tetravalent organic group, R2 represents a divalent organic group, and m represents an integer of 1 or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes toner image forming units that are arranged in a line at two end portions and at an intermediate portion of the line, each of the toner image forming units forming a toner image; an image transfer body to which the toner images formed by the toner image forming units are transferred; pressing members that are linearly arranged so that each of the pressing members faces a corresponding one of the toner image forming units with the image transfer body therebetween, each of the pressing members applying a pressing force to the image transfer body; and a fixing unit that fixes the toner images on a recording member. The pressing forces applied by the pressing members that are disposed at the two end portions are smaller than the pressing force applied by the pressing member that is disposed in the intermediate portion.

Abstract: A disclosed to-be-transferred object length measurement device includes a first rotating body; a passage detection unit detecting a passage of the to-be-transferred object; a rotation amount measurement unit measuring a rotation amount of the first rotating body in a first measurement period; a second rotating body feeding the to-be-transferred object; a speed detection unit detecting a first feeding speed and a second feeding speed of the to-be-transferred object; and a calculation unit calculating a feeding distance of the to-be-transferred object per a predetermined rotation amount of the first rotating body based on the first feeding speed, and further calculating a length of the to-be-transferred object based on the rotation amount of the first rotating body in the first measurement period, the feeding distance, and the second feeding speed of the to-be-transferred object in the second measurement period.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member bearing a toner image, an endless rotatable transfer belt for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member to a transfer material, and a transfer device transferring the toner image from the image bearing member to the transfer belt. The transfer device includes a sheet member, one end of which is fixed and the other end of which comes in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the transfer belt, and a pressing member for pressing the sheet member to the transfer belt. In addition, a moving unit moves the pressing member in a moving direction of the transfer belt so that a contact state of the sheet member with respect to the transfer belt is changed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which includes an image forming unit, a main body having a pair of frames, a pair of rollers, a belt which is endless, and a reinforcing member. The frames are disposed to sandwich the image forming unit therebetween. The rollers are spaced apart from each other such that an axial direction of each of the rollers extends in a direction perpendicular to the frames. The belt extends around the rollers. The reinforcing member is disposed in an area enclosed by the belt. One end of the reinforcing member is fixed to one of the frames, and the other end of the reinforcing member is fixed to the other one of the frames.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable belt; a transfer member opposed to the image bearing member with the belt therebetween; wherein the transfer member has a contact surface substantially parallel with a surface of the belt and contacted to the belt, and wherein when the belt is moving, the belt rubs the contact surface, and a toner image is transferred from such a part of image bearing member as is opposed to the contact surface; and a supporting member for supporting the transfer member, the supporting member being swingable.

Abstract: The present invention is an electroconductive endless belt used in an image forming apparatus in which a decrease with use in the gloss value caused by frictions and the like with papers and cleaning blade is suppressed. In the electroconductive endless belt, the base resin of the electroconductive endless belt comprises a polyalkylene terephthalate resin in combination with a naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic resin and/or a naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic elastomer having a melting point higher than that of the polyalkylene terephthalate resin, and the mass ratio of the polyalkylene terephthalate resin to the naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic resin and/or the naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic elastomer in the base resin is in the range of 90/10 to 50/50.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include an electrophotographic photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member. An image may be formed by primary transferring a toner image held on a surface of an electrophotographic photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer member, and secondary transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transferee material. A dispersive component of surface energy of the electrophotographic photoreceptor and a dispersive component of surface energy of the intermediate transfer member may satisfy a relationship of (the dispersive component of surface energy of the electrophotographic photoreceptor)?(the dispersive component of surface energy of the intermediate transfer member).

Abstract: An intermediate transfer member including an optional supporting substrate, and in contact with the supporting substrate in the configuration of a layer a polyarylsulfone, a polyetheramine, and nano-size zinc oxide particles.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an endless belt that travels circularly by a drive member and has an outer peripheral surface on which an image is formed; a tension applying member around which the endless belt is trained and that applies tension to the endless belt by pressing an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt; a detection member that detects the image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt; a support member to which the detection member is attached and that movably supports the detection member with respect to an apparatus main body; and a positioning member that positions the detection member with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt at a portion pressed by the tension applying member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a paper cassette feeding a recording material, an image forming unit forming an image on a photosensitive member, a primary transfer roller transferring the image onto an intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer roller transferring the image onto the recording material, and a sensor detecting the size of the recording material. The timing of starting feeding the recording material is earlier than the timing of starting forming the image. When image formation on the recording material is started, until the sensor detects the size of the recording material, a plurality of images are formed on the intermediate transfer belt at a first interval according to a predetermined recording material size, and after the sensor detects the size of the recording material, a plurality of images are formed on the intermediate transfer belt at a second interval according to the detected recording material size.

Abstract: A secondary transfer facing roller includes a roller part that has a through-hole penetrating in a rotary shaft line direction at a rotation center position, and a penetrating shaft member penetrating the through-hole of the roller part and spinning the roller part on a surface of the penetrating shaft member. Eccentric cams are fixed to both end regions that are not located in the roller part, so as to rotate integrally with the penetrating shaft member. A position regulating cam and an abutting roller form a gap between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller immediately before a transfer sheet enters a transfer nip part. While the gap is formed, current flows between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller via the position regulating cam and the abutting roller.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an endless and movable transfer material bearing belt, a transfer member, an opposing member and a belt guide member, wherein a conveyance direction of the transfer material in a first area is substantially the same as a conveyance direction of the transfer material in a second area, the first area corresponding to a nip area formed by the opposing member and the transfer member and the second area corresponding to an area in which the belt guide member bringing the transfer material bearing belt and the image bearing belt come into contact with each other. By the virtue of the present invention, a transfer material is restrained from scraping off the leading end of a toner image before the leading end of the toner image enters a transfer nip portion, while suppressing spattering of the toner image on the upstream of the transfer nip portion.

Abstract: Provided are coating compositions for imaging components, methods of forming imaging components, and imaging components such as, for example, intermediate transfer belts, transfer belts, bias charge rolls, bias transfer rolls, and a magnetic roller sleeve. An exemplary imaging component can include an ultraviolet (UV) cured composite, the UV cured composite including a plurality of conductive species substantially uniformly dispersed in a UV cured acrylate polymer, wherein each of the plurality of conductive species can be selected from a group consisting of salts of organic sulfonic acid, esters of phosphoric acid, esters of fatty acids, ammonium salts, and phosphonium salts, and wherein the UV cured composite can have a surface resistivity in the range of about 107 ?/square to about 1013 ?/square.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming image on a recording medium includes a photosensitive member, a motor, a belt, and a drive member to rotate the belt, the drive member including a driven coupling. The apparatus also includes a drive coupling to rotate by a driving force generated by the motor, the drive coupling being movable in an axial direction to take an engagement position at which the driving force is transmittable to the driven coupling, and a release position. The apparatus further includes a transfer member to transfer a toner image onto the recording medium or the belt, a voltage application unit to apply a voltage to the transfer member, and a control unit to cause the voltage application unit to apply the voltage to the transfer member after the drive coupling moves to the engagement position and the driving force is transmitted to the driven coupling.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable belt; a transfer member opposed to the image bearing member with the belt therebetween; wherein the transfer member has a contact surface substantially parallel with a surface of the belt and contacted to the belt, and wherein when the belt is moving, the belt rubs the contact surface, and a toner image is transferred from such a part of image bearing member as is opposed to the contact surface; and a supporting member for supporting the transfer member, the supporting member being swingable.

Abstract: A transfer belt unit satisfies the following conditions. An intermediate transfer belt has a thickness not less than 100 micrometers and not more than 200 micrometers, a tension not less than 80 N/m and not more than 180 N/m, and a tensile elastic modulus not less than 1000 megapascals and not more than 2000 megapascals. A secondary-transfer bias roller has an Asker C hardness not less than 35 degrees and not more than 50 degrees. Stretching rollers for stretching the intermediate transfer belt have an outer diameter not less than 6 millimeters.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer member including a base layer as first layer, an elastic layer as second layer, and a particle layer as third layer and containing fine spherical particles arranged in plane direction thereof where the particle layer has a concavo-convex pattern formed by the fine spherical particles, the elastic layer and the particle layer being formed on the base layer in this order, wherein the intermediate transfer member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or lower and an elastic recovery rate of 75% or higher when the intermediate transfer member is indented at a load of 40 mN under conditions of 25° C. and 50% RH, wherein an embedment rate of the fine spherical particles in the elastic layer is 33% to 99%, and wherein the intermediate transfer member is configured to receive a toner image formed by developing, with a toner, a latent image on an image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a belt member which bears a toner image, a transfer portion for forming a transfer nip portion, a changing unit for changing an advancing angle of the belt member advancing into the transfer nip portion, a guide member which is arranged at an upstream side of the transfer nip portion in a recording material conveying direction and face to a untransfered face of the recording material and guide a recording material to the transfer nip portion, and a controller for controlling the changing unit so that a belt face advancing into the transfer nip portion and conveying a recording material having a first thickness is at a position farther from the guide member than the belt face advancing into the transfer nip portion and conveying a recording material having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness.

Abstract: When at least one of first image data and second image data is captured, according to a moving speed of an object while an image sensor is capturing an image, exposure time for capturing the image is controlled to decrease a difference between object blur widths in a direction in which the object moves.

Abstract: Described herein is a method of forming a composition including mixing an anhydride, a silane and a solvent to form a solution. Carbon black and an isocyanate are mixed to form a carbon black mixture. The solution and the carbon black mixture are homogenized to form a carbon black dispersion.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a plurality of rollers, a rotatable intermediate transfer belt wound around and stretched between the rollers, a transfer member disposed in the inner loop of the belt and facing an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus disposed at an outer circumference of the belt, to transfer an image formed onto the surface of the image bearing member when contacting the intermediate transfer belt, and a position adjuster to adjust the position of the intermediate transfer belt at different positions relative to the image bearing member. The positions include a contact state in which the intermediate transfer belt applied with a predetermined tension contacts the image bearing member, a first separation state in which the tensioned intermediate transfer belt separates from the image bearing member, and a second separation state in which the intermediate transfer belt separates further away from the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an image carrying member supported in a body housing and forming a visible image by a developing agent; a transfer unit including a driving roller supported in the body housing and an intermediate transfer belt rotated by the driving roller in a first direction on which the visible image on the image carrying member is intermediately transferred to when a printing process is conducted on a recording medium; a cleaning blade in contact with the intermediate transfer belt to clean a remaining developing agent on the intermediate transfer belt rotating in the first direction; the intermediate transfer belt being rotated in an opposite direction to the first direction, for a preset period of time before the visible image is intermediately transferred and rotating the intermediate transfer belt in the first direction so that the visible image is intermediately transferred when the printing process starts.

Abstract: A belt device includes an endless belt including at least a base layer and a coat layer, the coat layer formed on the base layer and configuring an upper most surface of the belt; a driving member that rotates the belt and that is provided at one end of the belt to bias an inner circumferential surface of the belt; and a driven member that rotates the belt and that is provided at other end of the belt to bias the inner circumferential surface of the belt. Wherein the base layer has a mirror specularity of 20-60.

Abstract: A UV curable intermediate transfer media, such as a belt, that includes a first supporting substrate, such as a polyimide substrate layer, and a second surface layer of a mixture of a carbon nanotube component, a photoinitiator component, and an organic inorganic hybrid component.