G03G15/0121

Image forming apparatus
11726426 · 2023-08-15 · ·

The process unit is configured to be rotatable relative to the frame about a rotation axis extending in a rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum between a first position at which the photosensitive drum comes into contact with the transfer member and forms the transfer nip portion and a second position at which the photosensitive drum is separated from the transfer member, and a direction in which the process unit rotates from the first position to the second position is a direction in which the replenishing port of the process unit moves away when the process unit is viewed from the front surface side.

Image forming apparatus restricting usage of non-specific-color cartridge
11726422 · 2023-08-15 · ·

In an image forming apparatus, a controller performs processes in accordance with an operation mode settable to one of a first subscription mode and a second subscription mode. The first subscription mode corresponds to a first subscription in which a specific-color cartridge is a subscription subject and a non-specific-color cartridge is not the subscription subject. The second subscription mode corresponds to a second subscription in which both the specific-color cartridge and the non-specific-color cartridge are the subscription subject. The controller performs restricting usage of the non-specific-color cartridge in a case where the first subscription mode is set as the operation mode and the type information of the non-specific-color cartridge indicates the subscription type, compared to a case where the second subscription mode is set as the operation mode and the type information of the non-specific-color cartridge indicates the subscription type.

ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, DEVELOPING APPARATUS, AND COUPLING MEMBER
20230305486 · 2023-09-28 ·

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprises a main assembly that includes moving force applying portion, a main assembly engaging portion having a driving shaft and a rotational force applying portion provided on the driving shaft, and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum. A cartridge is dismountable from the main assembly without dismounting the electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the main assembly. The cartridge includes a developing roller for developing a latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a rotatable member for transmitting a rotational force to the developing roller, and a coupling member including a rotational force receiving portion engageable with the rotational force applying portion to receive a rotational force from the main assembly engaging portion, and a rotational force transmitting portion for transmitting the rotational force to the rotatable member. The cartridge also includes a frame including a moving force receiving portion that receives a moving force from the moving force applying portion, the frame supporting the developing roller and the rotatable member.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND TONER CARTRIDGE
20220011690 · 2022-01-13 ·

According to one embodiment, a developing device forms a toner image on a photoconductive image carrier with toner supplied from a toner cartridge. A toner supply motor supplies the toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device based on the toner concentration. A processor detects an empty toner based on a toner supply rate, a print rate of the image data, and toner characteristics that are characteristics of the toner supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device, the toner supply rate being calculated based on a pixel count value that is an integrated value of pixel values of the image data and a toner supply motor count value that is an integrated value of drive times of the toner supply motor.

Image forming apparatus and collecting device

An image forming apparatus includes a black image carrier that holds toner images of black, a yellow image carrier that holds toner images of yellow, a magenta image carrier that holds toner images of magenta, a cyan image carrier that holds toner images of cyan, at least one spot-color image carrier, and multiple collecting units. The at least one spot-color image carrier holds toner images of a spot color other than black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. Each of the collecting units collects waste toner. The collecting units include a first collecting unit that collects waste toner removed from the black image carrier, and waste toner removed from the spot-color image carrier.

Curable coating material for non-impact printing

A coating material processable by non-impact printing to form at least a part of a coating layer representing an image, the coating material having an amorphous resin portion, is curable and is configured for being applied with a thickness of at least 15 μm, the coating material having one or more of the following: a polyester resin having at least one incorporated acid monomer and wherein at least 10 weight percent of the at least one incorporated acid monomer is isophthalic acid; a polyester resin containing 1 to 100 w-% of cycloaliphatic glycol compounds with respect to the total weight of the glycol compounds of the polyester resin component; an acrylic resin; a fluorine containing polymer; a polyurethane resin.

PRINTED MATTER, INFRARED-ABSORBING-PIGMENT-CONTAINING TONER, TONNER SET, IMAGE FORMING METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Printed matter is provided which includes a recording medium, a colored layer overlying the recording medium, and an infrared-absorbing-pigment-containing layer overlying the recording medium and underlying the colored layer. The colored layer contains a colorant. The infrared-absorbing-pigment-containing layer contains an infrared absorbing pigment having an average diameter of from 120 to 250 nm in the infrared-absorbing-pigment-containing layer.

Image forming apparatus having movable developing roller with bidirectionally-rotatable cam

An image forming apparatus, having a casing, a cover, a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a photo-interrupter, a moving mechanism to move the developing roller between a contacting position and a separated position, and a controller, is provided. The moving mechanism has a cam including, a first cam portion, a phase-detector wall including a first slit and a second slit, and a cam follower. When the cover moves from the open position to the closed position, the controller conducts a first initializing control to cause the cam to rotate in a reverse direction, and after detecting the first slit based on a time period, in which light in the photo-interrupter passes through one of the first slit and the second slit, cause the cam to stop rotating.

DEVELOPING DEVICE
20230288843 · 2023-09-14 ·

A developing device includes a developing container; a developing roller; a supplying roller; a first magnet including a first magnetic pole; a second magnet including second to fourth magnetic poles; and a regulating member. A maximum magnetic flux density of the second magnetic pole is larger in absolute value than a maximum magnetic flux density of the third magnetic pole in a normal direction to the supplying roller, and a maximum magnetic flux density of the third magnetic pole is larger in absolute value than a maximum magnetic flux density of the fourth magnetic pole in the normal direction. With respect to a rotational direction of the supplying roller, an angle between maximum magnetic flux density positions of the second and third magnetic poles is smaller than an angle between maximum magnetic flux density positions of the third and fourth magnetic poles by 10 degrees or more.

ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PHOTORECEPTOR, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate, and a lamination type photosensitive layer disposed on the conductive substrate and including a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer in this order, in which the charge transport layer contains at least one resin selected from a polyester resin or a polycarbonate resin, and in a case where a Martens hardness and an indentation hardness, which are acquired by an indentation test performed on the charge transport layer to a depth of 0.5 μm, are respectively defined as HM (N/mm.sup.2) and nIT (N/mm.sup.2), Relational Equation (0) is satisfied, an elastic deformation modulus is 45% or greater and 70% or less, and a tensile elastic modulus of the charge transport layer is 2,300 MPa or greater and 5,000 MPa or less,


nIT=a×HM−b(a=2±0.2,b=100±20).  (0)