Abstract: An inventive developing roller is adapted for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The developing roller includes a roller body. At least an outer peripheral surface of the roller body is formed from a rubber composition containing a base rubber. The base rubber contains a styrene butadiene rubber in a proportion of not less than 10 mass % and not greater than 70 mass % based on the overall amount of the base rubber. The outer peripheral surface of the rubber body has a surface roughness Ra of not less than 0.78 ?m and not greater than 1.8 ?m.

Abstract: An electrically conductive roller which may easily obtain a desired surface roughness, and which has good setting property without problems such as high cost and compression set is provided. An electrically conductive roller 10 comprises a shaft 1, an elastic layer 2 supported on the periphery of the shaft and one surface layer 3 formed on the peripheral surface of the elastic layer 2. The elastic layer 2 is composed of a urethane foam in which the degree of swelling is not more than 120% with respect to the solvent used in the formation of the surface layer 3. The urethane foam preferably contains, as a polyol component, a polyester polyol having a hydroxyl value of 200 to 400 and 3 or more functional groups.

Abstract: Provided are a charging member capable of maintaining excellent wear resistance even after repeated use, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each having the charging member. The charging member is characterized in that its surface layer has a polysiloxane to which a silsesquioxane is bonded.

Abstract: A pickup roller includes a supporting layer and a pickup layer, which includes a base surrounding the outer perimeter of the supporting layer and a plurality of particles which are distributed throughout the base and have a different hardness than a hardness of the base.

Abstract: An apparatus and method support rollers with a shaft along an axis absent of deflection of the shaft. Under load, the shaft deflects and the rollers reorient themselves along the shaft such that outer circumferential surfaces of the rollers are substantially parallel to the undeflected axis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a charging member which can maintain excellent wear resistance even though being used repeatedly. In the charging member having a surface layer, the surface layer is a surface layer constituted by at least one selected from silsesquioxanes having structures represented by a compound (1), a compound (2), a compound (3), a compound (4), a compound (5) and a compound (6), and a polysiloxane having a first unit represented by SiO0.5R1(OR2)(OR3), a second unit represented by SiO1.0R4(OR5) and a third unit represented by SiO1.5R6, wherein the silsesquioxane is contained in the polysiloxane.

Abstract: A shaft of a sheet conveying roller is a pipe shaft. Both ends of the pipe shaft are formed into small-diameter portions, and a mounted portion on which a friction member is provided is formed into a large-diameter portion, which has a diameter larger than a diameter of the both ends of the pipe shaft.

Abstract: A conductive member (10) includes a conductive supporting body (1), an electric resistance adjusting layer (2), which is formed onto the conductive supporting body (1) and is disposed to face a photoconductor (4), and a pair of space holding members (3, 3) disposed in both ends of the electric resistance adjusting layer (2), so as to have contact with the photoconductor (4) to maintain a predetermined gap (G) between the electric resistance adjusting layer (2) and the photoconductor, and each of the space holding members (3, 3) includes a cylinder portion (3a) attached to the outer circumference surface (2a) of the electric resistance adjusting layer and an end plate (3b) provided in one end portion of the cylinder portion and disposed to have contact with the end surface (2b) of the electric resistance adjusting layer.

Abstract: A pinch roller assembly useable in a document processing system is disclosed. The pinch roller assembly includes a pinch roller housing movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a path of travel of documents. The pinch roller assembly also includes a pinch roller rotatably mounted to the pinch roller housing and located adjacent to the path of travel of documents, and a biasing member arranged to exert a biasing force on a deflection element. The deflection element directs the biasing force onto the pinch roller housing.

Abstract: A conductive rubber roller comprising a conductive core material and provided thereon a rubber layer; the rubber layer being formed by using a rubber composition containing as rubber components at least a polar rubber and an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer; the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer having a melt peak temperature of from 20 to 30° C. and a melt enthalpy change ?H of from 40 to 70 mJ/mg as measured with a differential scanning calorimeter; and the allyl glycidyl ether in the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer being in a copolymerization ratio of from more than 10 mol % to 20 mol % or less.

Abstract: Provided are photosensitive body or bodies 31b carrying toner; transfer roller(s) 31d, rotating and coming in contact with photosensitive body or bodies 31b, for causing toner image(s) formed on photosensitive body or bodies 31b to be electrostatically relocated onto paper 5; and paper transport means disposed upstream in transport direction(s) from transfer roller(s) 31d and comprising drive roller(s) 36d1 and idler roller(s) 36d2 holding lead edge portion(s) 5a of paper 5 in nip(s) formed therebetween and rotating so as to cause transport of same; drive roller(s) 36d1 and idler roller(s) 36d2 being disposed to the side, on which photosensitive body or bodies 31b is or are present, of a plane L more or less tangent to nip(s) formed between photosensitive body or bodies 31b and transfer roller(s) 31d; and direction(s) R of transport of paper from drive roller(s) 36d1 and idler roller(s) 36d2 being disposed so as to be directed toward transfer roller(s) 31d.

Abstract: An electroconductive rubber roller (10) whose outermost layer consists of a rubber layer (1) made of a rubber composition containing an ionic-conductive rubber as a main component thereof. The surface of the rubber layer consists of an oxide film; and the rubber composition contains a dielectric loss tangent-adjusting filler to set a dielectric loss tangent of the electroconductive rubber roller to 0.1 to 1.5. Weak electroconductive carbon black and/or calcium carbonate treated with fatty acid can be used as the dielectric loss tangent-adjusting filler.

Abstract: A self-adaptive sheet feeding roll for reliably feeding, within a sheet feeding apparatus, sheets of various and different sheet weights along a sheet path. The self-adaptive sheet feeding roll includes (a) a cylindrical core having a longitudinal axis and an outer surface; (b) a compliant surface layer formed over the outer surface of the cylindrical core and having an external surface and a given layer thickness; and (c) a series of spaced apart, non-radial slots formed from the external surface into the compliant surface layer and defining a series of spaced apart blade portions within the compliant surface layer for adaptively compressing and deforming against, and responsively to, sheets of various and different sheet weights, thereby self-adjusting a normal force Fn as well as a sheet driving force Fd thereof and enabling reliable feeding, within a sheet feeding apparatus, of such sheets of various and different sheet weights.

Abstract: A method for developing an electrostatic latent image including the step of developing an electrostatic latent image with a two component developer including a particulate carrier and a negatively charged toner and held on the surface of a developing roller to form a toner image, wherein the developing roller surface includes a material including one or more carbon atoms and one or more nitrogen atoms, and wherein a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the number of nitrogen atoms is not greater than 100/1.

Abstract: The present invention provides an extruded external drum for an imaging system. The external drum is extruded from a light-weight and strong material such as an aluminum alloy. The external drum includes a thin outer wall, a hollow cylindrical hub, and a plurality of thin radial spokes extending between the cylindrical hub and the outer wall. The present invention provides a stiff external drum having low rotational inertia.

Abstract: A transfer belt for use on an electrostatographic duplicator. The belt has a body defining an image transfer surface. The body is made up of a rubber composition including a combination of epichlorohydrin-ethyleneoxide copolymer and hydrogenated nitrile rubber, to which a metallic salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid and an organic peroxide are added.

Abstract: A device in an axially extending tension channel on the circumferential surface of a cylinder for fastening a flexible plate on the cylinder periphery. The leading edge of the plate is held by a leading edge fastening device in the channel, and the trailing edge is held by a trailing edge fastening device in the channel. The leading edge fastening device is a start hook-in bar which the leading edge of the plate engages. The trailing edge fastening device is formed by an end hook-in bar which is engaged by the trailing edge of the plate. The end hook-in bar projects tangentially from a tensioning shaft which is rotatable to set the tension of the plate without means to apply a clamping load. Various devices for fastening and adjusting the leading and trailing edges of the plate are disclosed.

Abstract: A member for feeding sheets is provided with a core and a cover mounted on the core. The cover is made of a conductive material or one whose coefficient of friction is lower than that of the sheets.

Abstract: A development system that contains a developer carrier for carrying a developer on the surface thereof to a development region opposite to an image bearing body, and a regulating member biased into contact with the surface of the developer carrier by a predetermined pressure for regulating an amount of developer carried by a developer transport member. The developer carrier has a surface coated with fine particles with an average particles size of between 3 and 30 .mu.m which are bonded with the surface.

Abstract: A rubber covered roll of a structure that a rubber layer is formed on the surface of a roll-like base is provided. The rubber layer is a layer formed of a vulcanizate of a rubber composition comprising 25-95 wt. % of copolymer rubber (A) obtained by copolymerizing 28-70 mol % of an alkylene oxide, 28-70 mol % of an epihalohydrin and 2-15 mol % of an ethylenically unsaturated epoxide, and 5-75 wt. % of unsaturated rubber (B). The rubber covered roll does not contaminate any photosensitive member, stably has a low electric resistance, and is low in dependence of electric resistance on environment and in hardness. An image-forming apparatus equipped with the rubber covered roll as a development roll or charging roll, and a rubber composition for the rubber covered roll are also provided.

Abstract: A developer roll for use in an electrophotographic printing machine of the type having an electrostatic latent image recorded on a photoconductive member in which a voltage differential is applied between the roll and a region adjacent the roll is provided. The developer roll includes a wound roll of media and a layer of resin. The wound roll is formed from a sheet of the media. The layer of resin is applied to the periphery of the wound roll. The layer of resin and the roll of media are selected of materials to obtain a decay rate relating to the electrical response of the layer of resin to the applied voltage differential.

Abstract: A gimballed roller automatically positions itself with regards to a moving web of material to minimize misalignment forces on the web material and additionally incorporates a feature of being quickly adjusted by an operator to accommodate different widths of web material.

Abstract: A roll stamper used in a process of continuously forming a uniform sheet of a resin from which information recording medium bases are obtained. This roll stamper has a stamper member having in its surface a pattern corresponding to a pre-format pattern of an information recording medium, fixing members fixed on opposite end portions of a reverse surface of the stamper member so as to be integral with the stamper member, and a specular roll base having an engagement groove formed in its circumferential surface parallel to its axis. The stamper member is fixed on the specular roll base by fitting the fixing members in the engagement groove. A recess formed in a circumferential surface of the roll stamper as a gap between the fixing members is filled with a filler so that the roll stamper circumferential surface is substantially smooth. Side surfaces of the fixing members and/or the engagement groove are shaped as to suitably retain the filler.

Abstract: A printing mechanism such as a thermal printer includes an elastomer coated platen having a circumference smaller than the printing length of an image to be reproduced on a print medium. The platen has a width which is wider than the width of the print medium. The platen includes a rigid central longitudinally-disposed shaft, and opposing end sections. Each end section extends under the nearest edge of the print medium from an associated end of the platen, and includes means for coupling a contacting print medium to a rotation of the shaft. In a preferred embodiment, the coupling means is formed of a non-elastomeric thin-walled cup either disposed near the surface of the platen within the elastomer coating or at the surface of the platen with a thin layer of fine grit particles formed thereon. Each thin-walled cup is fixedly connected to the shaft by a rigid torsion coupling member.

Abstract: An image transfer apparatus which comprises a platen (8) to which an image-forming material is to be attached and a transfer cylinder (1) to which an image receptor is to be attached, and which is for transferring an image formed in a photosensitive layer of an image-forming material to an image receptor by the introduction of the image-forming material and the image receptor into a nip formed by the platen and the transfer cylinder by the rotation of the platen and the transfer cylinder, the apparatus having an image-forming material attaching device comprising a device for holding the top end side of the image receptor to a platen surface along the entire width of the image receptor and a device for holding the bottom end side of the image receptor to a platen surface along the entire width of the image receptor, the device for holding the top end side being a pin bar (13) having pins protruded from an inside of a blanket (10) in a slope portion (12) continued from a partial cut-off portion formed in the pl