A cartridge attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material, the cartridge includes: an image bearing member; a developer container that contains therein a developer; a developing member that is rotatable and carries the developer supplied from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image bearing member; a developer supplying member that is rotatable and provided in the developer container and in contact with the developing member to supply the developer to a surface of the developing member; and a contact member provided in the developer container and in contact with a surface of the developer supplying member, wherein the developer remaining on the image bearing member after image formation is collected to the developing member, and the developer collected to the developing member is collected into the developer container.

According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes: a registration roller; a motor configured to drive the roller; and a controller configured to control the motor. The roller is disposed at a first position on a conveyance path of paper on which an image is to be formed, and sends out the paper toward a second position on the conveyance path. The second position is downstream from the first position on the conveyance path and is an image transfer position on the paper. The controller controls the motor by using both speed control and position control when the leading end of the paper is at a position from the first position to the second position, and controls the motor by using only the speed control when the leading end of the paper reaches the second position.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming part, a toner storage part, a toner conveyance part, a drive motor and a control part. The image forming part forms an image on a sheet using a toner. The toner storage part stores the toner replenished to the image forming part. The toner conveyance part conveys the toner. The drive motor generates a drive force by which the toner conveyance part conveys the toner. The control part generates a control signal for controlling the drive motor, based on information showing a rotational speed of the drive motor. The control part executes a determination processing for determining whether a driving of the drive motor is stopped, based on the control signal.

A powder transporting device includes: a circulation path that receives and accommodates a developer from multiple toner cartridges filled with the developer, and along which the accommodated developer is transported while circulating; a first supply port that allows the developer to be fed onto the circulation path; a transport path that merges with the circulation path at a portion of the circulation path upstream from the first supply port to allow the developer to be transported therealong into the circulation path; a second supply port through which the developer is fed to the transport path; a detector that detects the developer accommodated in the circulation path; a first transporter that transports the developer in the circulation path at a first transport speed; and a second transporter that extends along the transport path in the circulation path, and that transports the developer into the circulation path at a second transport speed higher than the first transport speed.

In an example of the disclosure, carrier liquid is supplied to a container with a set of walls defined at least partially by a surface of an electrode. The carrier liquid is caused to move through a container via a carrier liquid flow path to sequentially encounter a set of accumulation elements. Each accumulation element is situated between adjacent walls. A voltage is applied to the electrode to generate an electric field between the electrode surface and the set of accumulation elements. The electric field causes contaminant from the carrier liquid to adhere to the set of accumulation elements.

An image forming apparatus includes a main body that includes a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed and a development unit configured to develop the photosensitive member with toner. The main body is configured to discharge a recording material on which an image is formed with the toner onto a discharge tray. The image forming apparatus also includes a toner supply port on which a supply container is mounted to supply toner to a toner containing portion of the development unit. The image forming apparatus further includes a non-contact communication portion including an antenna and configured to receive a signal for user authentication. The discharge tray, the toner supply port, and the non-contact communication portion are provided at an upper portion of the main body. The non-contact communication portion is provided outside the discharge tray when the main body is viewed from above.

A developer conveying mechanism includes a pipe-shaped conveying path that conveys developer and includes a discharge port formed in part of a side surface thereof, a shutter that is slidably attached to the pipe-shaped conveying path and that is selectively arranged at a closing position overlapping with the discharge port and an opening position retreated from the discharge port, a seal member that is fixed to a seal affixing surface of the shutter, and a biasing member that biases the shutter toward the closing position. The shutter includes the seal affixing surface, which is a flat surface, and a pair of engagement portions that are opposite to each other across the seal affixing surface in a circumferential direction of the pipe-shaped conveying path. The pipe-shaped conveying path includes a pair of guide ribs with which the pair of engagement portions slidably engage.

A toner container information acquiring method includes: measuring a toner amount contained in a resin forming a toner container; and acquiring information regarding mechanical strength of the toner container based on the measured toner amount.

An image forming apparatus including: an image forming portion that forms a toner image on a recording material; a fixing portion that has a heater unit including a heater and that fixes the toner image on the recording material, the heater being capable of changing a heat generating region; a control portion that controls the heater; and an image adding portion that adds a predetermined additional image to a desired image, wherein the control portion sets the heat generating region according to a width of the desired image in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction or a width of the recording material in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the width of the predetermined additional image in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is equal to or less than the width of the heat generating region in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

A developing device includes: a housing which includes an opening portion open downward and in which a developer is stored in an internal storage space, the storage space being formed of a region of the internal space in which the developer is present; a sealing part that seals the opening portion and is removed to allow the developer to fall through the opening portion; a storage part that stores the developer having fallen through the opening portion; an inlet that is provided in the housing, allows the developer floating from the storage part to flow into the storage space from which the developer has fallen, and is different from the opening portion; and a collecting part that is provided on the housing and collects the developer having flowed into the storage space through the inlet.