An image forming apparatus includes: an apparatus body; a body cover: photoreceptor drums; developing devices; toner containers; container covers; lock release mechanisms; pressing units; latching parts; and interlocking mechanisms. Each of the plurality of pressing units presses the toner container toward the container cover within the apparatus body. Each of the plurality of latching parts latches the toner container against pressing force of the pressing unit at a replenishment position where the toner is replenishable to the developing device within the apparatus body. Each of the plurality of interlocking mechanisms moves the toner container from the replenishment position to a side of the container cover by the pressing force of the pressing unit by releasing the latch of the latching part to the toner container in conjunction with lock release of the container cover by the lock release mechanism.

An inventive developing roller (1) includes a roller body (5) which includes an inner layer (2) having a porous structure and an outer layer (4) of a seamless nonporous tube. The porous structure of the inner layer (2) is formed from a semiconductive rubber composition containing ethylene propylene rubber, paraffin oil and carbon black having a DBP oil absorption amount of not less than 400 cm.sup.3/100 g. The nonporous tube for the outer layer (4) contains a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer having a type-A durometer hardness of not higher than 93, carbon black and crosslinked PMMA particles having a median particle diameter of 5 m to 20 m.

A developing device includes a developing roller, a toner supply roller, a regulating blade, a casing, a toner-reception supporting member, a toner reception member, and a vibration generating unit. The toner-reception supporting member is opposed to the developing roller or the toner supply roller between the regulating blade and the image carrier. The toner reception member is located so as to make a downward slope toward the toner supply roller side from the image carrier side along a longitudinal direction of the toner-reception supporting member. The toner reception member has a toner receiving surface that receives the toner dropping from the developing roller. The vibration generating unit vibrates the toner reception member. The toner reception member includes a sheet-shaped toner crushing member attached to overlap approximately a whole region of the toner receiving surface in a longitudinal direction. The toner crushing member is swingably supported with respect to the toner receiving surface.

When the area of a developing frame member corresponding to the maximum image area of an image bearing member is, in a section perpendicular to a rotational axis of a developing rotary member, divided by a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the developing rotary member and the center of rotation of the image bearing member and a perpendicular line passing through the center of rotation of a first conveying screw with respect to the straight line, a gate portion is provided at a bottom portion of the developing frame member in a divided area of the developing frame member not provided with the attachment portion, and a gate portion is not provided at the bottom portion of the developing frame member in a divided area of the developing frame member provided with the attachment portion.

A binary ink developer (BID) assembly for a liquid electrophotography (LEP) printing device can include a developer roller having an electrically insulating exterior coating that receives ink from an ink supply and transfers the received ink to a photoconductive imaging cylinder in accordance with an electrostatic image on the imaging cylinder. A charge-specified boundary condition can exist at the boundary between the exterior coating and the ink. Electrically conductive ink may not be transferred to the imaging cylinder at background portions of the electrostatic image.

A developing device includes a housing including a development opening and a containing unit that contains a developer, a developer carrier that rotates to pass through the development opening while holding the developer in the containing unit of the housing, an inlet portion of a flow path located in the housing at a portion including a downstream edge portion of the development opening on a downstream side in a rotation direction of the developer carrier, the inlet portion taking in part of an airflow caused by a rotation of the developer carrier to allow the part of the airflow to flow over an outer surface of the housing, and a guide member extending toward the developer carrier from a portion of the housing on a side of the inlet portion opposite to the development opening to guide the part of the airflow to the inlet portion.

A developing device includes a developer bearing member, a developer container, a regulating blade including a plate-like elastic portion, and an elastic seal sealing, and a pressing member pressing the elastic seal, wherein the plate-like elastic portion includes a metal plate, a second projection projecting from a second surface of the metal plate facing the developer bearing member, and a first projection projecting from a first surface opposite to the second surface of the metal plate, and wherein a projecting amount of the first projection is greater than a projecting amount of the second projection, wherein a top surface of the second projection contacts the surface of the developer bearing member, and an end surface of the first projection contacts an end surface of the elastic seal in the rotation axis direction.

A developer cartridge is described. The developer cartridge detachably mountable on a tandem type photosensitive unit slidable to a drawn-out position and a mounted position with respect to an image forming apparatus body may include a casing; a developer carrier rotatably supported on one end portion of the casing for carrying a developer; a pair of upright portions arranged on another end portion of the casing at an interval from each other in the axial direction of the developer carrier to extend from another end portion of the casing in a detaching direction for the developer cartridge; and an elastically deformable coupling portion extending in the axial direction of the developer carrier for coupling the upright portions with each other.

An inventive developing roller (1) includes a roller body (5) which includes an inner layer (2) having a porous structure and an outer layer (4) of a seamless nonporous tube. The porous structure of the inner layer (2) is formed from a semiconductive rubber composition containing ethylene propylene rubber, paraffin oil and carbon black having a DBP oil absorption amount of not less than 400 cm.sup.3/100 g. The nonporous tube for the outer layer (4) contains a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer having a type-A durometer hardness of not higher than 93, carbon black and crosslinked PMMA particles having a median particle diameter of 5 m to 20 m.

An image forming apparatus includes a developer, a development device, and an image bearing member. The developer includes an initial developer containing an initial carrier and a replenishment developer containing a replenishment carrier. The initial carrier has a surface roughness Sa1 of at least 0.3 ?m and no greater than 1.0 ?m. A ratio Sa1/Sa2 of the surface roughness Sa1 of the initial carrier to a surface roughness Sa2 of the replenishment carrier is at least 1.2 and no greater than 3.4. The packing volume Vp calculated from equation (1)Vp=100?Y/(Z?DS) was at least 40% and no greater than 70%. In equation (1), Y represents an amount of the developer conveyed by a developer bearing member. Z represents an apparent density of the initial developer. DS represents a width of a space between the developer bearing member and the image bearing member.