An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, a developing roller, a transfer roller, and a brush configured to be brought into contact with a surface of the image bearing member on a side downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotation direction of the image bearing member and in which, wherein, after the transfer of a developer image onto a transferred member, a developer remaining on the surface of the image bearing member is collected by the developing roller, the brush is disposed such that, in a cross section perpendicular to a rotation axis of the image bearing member, a contact region of the surface of the image bearing member in contact with the brush overlaps a virtual line containing the rotation axis of the image bearing member and extending upward from the rotation axis in a vertical direction.

Proposed are a home port and a substrate processing apparatus using the same. The home port is installed in the substrate processing apparatus to temporarily mount a nozzle for discharging a process liquid to a substrate, and includes a main body having a space therein, a nozzle holder provided at an upper portion of the main body and configured to mount the nozzle, an inclined surface formed below the nozzle holder in the space, a first supply pipe configured to discharge a rinse liquid to a tip of the nozzle, a second supply pipe configured to inject the rinse liquid into the main body, a conductive wire configured to electrically connect the inclined surface and the first supply pipe, and a first switch installed on the conductive wire.

A developing apparatus including: a first chamber including a first conveyance member conveying developer in a first direction; a second chamber including a second conveyance member having a conveyance portion conveying the developer in a second direction opposite to the first direction and a return conveyance portion provided downstream of the conveyance portion in the second direction to convey the developer in the first direction; a first partition wall provided between the first chamber and the second chamber to form a first communication portion and a second communication portion to form a circulation route; and a bearing member configured to rotatably support the second conveyance member and including: a discharge port provided downstream of the return conveyance portion; and a second partition wall extending from the bearing member in the first direction to cover a portion of the return conveyance portion confronting the first communication portion.

A cartridge includes a photosensitive member, a charging member configured to charge the photosensitive member, a first unit including the photosensitive member and the charging member, a developing member configured to deposit toner onto the photosensitive member, and a second unit including the developing member. A holding portion is movably supported by the first unit or the second unit, with the holding portion being configured to restrict a relative position between the first unit and the second unit, the holding portion being movable between a first position for holding the second unit in a spaced position by the first unit and a second position for holding the second unit in a developing position by the first unit. An urging portion including a force receiving portion capable of receiving an external force, with the urging portion being capable of applying, to the second unit, an urging force for urging the second unit toward the developing position while receiving the external force at the force receiving portion.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic member which has a high ability to impart charge to toners while the charge imparting ability is unlikely to be reduced even under an environment at high temperature and high humidity.

The electrophotographic member comprises a substrate, an elastic layer formed on the substrate, an intermediate layer covering the surface of the elastic layer, and a surface layer covering the surface of the intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer contains a binder resin and a polymer having a specific structure, the surface layer contains silicon oxide, and the surface layer has a thickness of 10 nm or more and 300 nm or less.

A developing roller comprising an electroconductive substrate and an electroconductive elastic layer constituted by a single layer on an outer periphery of the substrate. The elastic layer contains a diene-based rubber, has a thickness of 0.30 mm or more, and the elastic layer has a crown shape in which an outer diameter of a center portion in a longitudinal direction along an axis of the substrate is larger than an outer diameter of each of both end portions in the longitudinal direction. Elastic moduli E11, E12 and E13 in a first region of the elastic layer in cross-sections at positions P1, P2 and P3 of the elastic layer are each 500 MPa or more.

A charging roller comprising an electroconductive mandrel and an electroconductive layer as a surface layer, the electroconductive layer including a matrix containing a cross-linked product of a first rubber and domains dispersed in the matrix, each of the domains containing a cross-linked product of a second rubber and an electroconductive particle, the domains each having a volume resistivity lower than a volume resistivity of the matrix, and when sampling a cubic sample of the electroconductive layer having a side of 20.0 μm from a region from an outer surface of the electroconductive layer to a depth of 20.0 μm, 50 number % or more of all the domains in the cubic sample satisfy a specific condition.

An image forming apparatus comprises a spacing member provided on a rotation shaft of a charging roller, the spacing member configured to include an engaging portion that engages with a rotation member, and to be rotatable between a spaced position at which a spaced state in which a photosensitive drum and the charging roller are spaced apart is maintained, and a released position at which the spaced state is released and the photosensitive drum and the charging roller are caused to be in contact; and a cover portion provided on the rotation shaft of the charging roller, and configured to cover an end face of the spacing member so that a fitting portion of the charging roller and the spacing member is covered.

Provided is a roller capable of suppressing generation of cut waste from an end of a roller due to contact with another member inside a device when mounted on an image forming device, particularly a conductive roller, and an image forming device using the same. A roller includes a shaft 1 and a base layer 2 provided on the outer periphery of the shaft. A filler layer 4 covering the base layer is provided on end faces of both ends of the base layer in the roller axial direction, and the filler layer is composed of a material having a breaking strain measured according to a tensile test of JIS K 7127 of not less than 120% and a tensile stress at 100% elongation measured according to a tensile test of JIS K 7127 of from 5 to 30 N/mm.sup.2.

A charging device (51) includes a charging roller (65), a supporting section (71), a guide (73), a first biasing section (75), and a second biasing section (90). The charging roller (65) charges an image bearing member (50). The supporting section (71) supports the charging roller (65) such that the charging roller (65) is rotatable. The guide (73) guides the supporting section (71) in a first direction (D1). The first biasing section (75) biases the supporting section (71) in the first direction (D1) to press the charging roller (65) against the image bearing member (50). The second biasing section (90) biases the supporting section (71 toward the guide (73).