Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Yamanashi Electronics Co., Ltd.

Keisuke Shimoyama

Eiji Kurimoto

Akihiro Sugino

Hidetoshi Kami

Shinichi Kawamura

Tomoharu Asano

Hideo Nakamori

Yuuji Tanaka

Hajime Suzuki

Takaaki Ikegami

Kohsuke Yamamoto

Ryohta Takahashi

Nobutaka Eguchi

Tomoyuki Shimada

Tatsuya Niimi

Masafumi Ohta

Hiroshi Ikuno

Yoshiki Yanagawa

Takeshi Takada

Mitsuaki Hirose

Kazuhiro Egawa

Michitaka Sasaki

Hideki Nakamura

Shinji Nousho

Noboru Toriu

Toshihiko Koizumi

Tetsuro Suzuki

Toshiyuki Kabata

Yohta Sakon

Naohiro Toda

Yasuyuki Yamashita

Masahiro Ohmori

Tetsuya Toshine

Yasuhito Kuboshima

Michio Kimura

Takeshi Orito

Toshihiro Ishida

Tadayoshi Uchida

Tetsuya Sakuma

Takumi Shinohara

Shin-ichi Kawamura

Shinich Kawamura

An image forming method includes forming an image with a toner using a photoconductor in which an intermediate layer and a photosensitive layer including a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer are formed overlying an electroconductive substrate, wherein the ionization potential of the surface of the photoconductor and the ionization potential of the surface of the toner satisfy the following relations 1 and 2,|(the surface of the photoconductor)&#x2212;(the surface of the toner)|&#x2264;5.53 (eV)&#x2003;&#x2003; Relation 15.45 (eV)&#x2264;(the surface of the photoconductor)&#x2264;5.53 (eV)&#x2003;&#x2003; Relation 2where Ip (the surface of the photoconductor) represents the ionization potential of the surface of the photoconductor and Ip (the surface of the toner) represents the ionization potential of the surface of the toner.

Image forming method, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge

An image forming method includes forming an image with a toner using a photoconductor in which an intermediate layer and a photosensitive layer including a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer are formed overlying an electroconductive substrate,

A photoconductor is provided. The photoconductor includes a support, an undercoat layer overlying the support, and a photosensitive layer overlying the undercoat layer. The undercoat layer includes a binder resin and a zinc oxide particle. The photosensitive layer includes a compound represented by the following formula (1): where each of Rand Rindependently represents an alkyl group or an aromatic hydrocarbon group.

Photoconductor, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge

Disclosed herein is a photoconductor containing an electroconductive substrate and a photosensitive layer, wherein, in a curve obtained by the steps (I) through (V) described herein, a surface of the photosensitive layer has a WRa (LML) of from 0.02 &#x3bc;m to 0.03 &#x3bc;m, a WRa (LHL) of from 0.006 &#x3bc;m to 0.01 &#x3bc;m, and a WRa (HLH) of 0.001 &#x3bc;m or less, where the arithmetical mean roughness (WRa) are defined as Ra in JIS-B0601:2001 and WRa (HHH) to WRa (LLL) represent individual Ra's as described herein.

Photoconductor, image forming method using the same, method of manufacturing the photoconductor, and image forming apparatus

A photoconductor includes an electroconductive substrate; an intermediate layer overlying the electroconductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer overlying the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer includes a metal oxide particle and a binder resin, and satisfies the following relations (1) and (2):cut/&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)0.4&#x2266;&#x2266;0.6&#x2003;&#x2003;(2)where Smr represents an areal ratio of concave parts; Sk represents a reference area; and a Scut represents a cross-sectional area obtained by cutting a three-dimensional curved surface obtained from the reference area with an average height surface, the average height surface being a surface constituted of averaged height of all measured height data.

Photoconductor, and image forming method and image forming apparatus using the photoconductor

A photoconductor, including an electroconductive substrate; an intermediate layer overlying the electroconductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer overlying the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer includes a metal oxide and a binder resin, and has a WRa (LLH) less than 0.12 &#x3bc;m and WRa (LHH) of from 0.03 to 0.2 &#x3bc;m in a curve.

Photoconductor, and image forming method and image forming apparatus using the same

In a photoreceptor including an electroconductive substrate; a photosensitive layer; and a protective layer, the protective layer includes a crosslinked resin having a residual group of a polycarboxylic acid compound and a group having the below-mentioned formula (10), and at least one of a compound having the below-mentioned formula (2) and a compound having the below-mentioned formula (3). wherein each of R5 and R6 independently represents a hydrogen atom, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. wherein each of Rand Rindependently represents a hydrogen atom, or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and Zrepresents a vinylene group, a divalent aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, or a 2,5-thiophenediyl group. wherein each of Arand Arindependently represents an aromatic group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, Zrepresents a divalent aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, and each of Rand Rindependently represents a hydrogen atom, or a methyl group.

Photoreceptor, method for preparing photoreceptor, and image forming apparatus and process cartridge using the photoreceptor

An image forming apparatus, including a photoreceptor; a charger; an irradiator; an image developer; a transferer; a fixer; and a cleaning blade formed of a strip-shaped elastic blade, removing a powder from the surface of the photoreceptor passing an edge line of the blade while contacting thereto, wherein the photoreceptor includes a crosslinked resin surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, and the cleaning blade includes a contact point with the photoreceptor, including a substrate; a mixed layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located at the surface of the substrate; and a surface layer formed of at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, located on the surface of the substrate.

Image forming apparatus and process cartridge

An image bearing member having an electroconductive substrate, a photosensitive layer overlying the electroconductive layer, and a cross-linked surface layer overlying the photosensitive layer, which contains a cross-linked polymer and a first compound consisting essentially of a nitrogen atom and a phenyl group, biphenyl group, and condensed polycyclic hydrocarbon group, or a second compound consisting essentially of a nitrogen atom and hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, alkyl groups, alkoxy groups, or aryl groups, substituted or non-substituted alkyl groups, substituted or non-substituted alkoxy groups, substituted or non-substituted aralkyl groups, substituted or non-substituted aryl group, substituted or non-substituted alkylene groups, cyano groups, nitro groups, or &#x2014;OCO&#x2550;CHR16, in which R16 represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group, a substituted or non-substituted alkoxy group, or a substituted or non-substituted aryl group.

Image bearing member and image forming method, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge using the same

An image forming apparatus having a rotary image bearing member, a charging device to charge the image bearing member. an irradiator to irradiate the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon, a developing device to develop the latent electrostatic image with a developing agent containing toner to obtain a visible image, a transfer device to transfer the visible image to a recording medium, a first cleaner that slidably contacts the image bearing member to remove toner remaining thereon, a driving mechanism to drive the image bearing member at different linear speeds, a noise detector provided in the vicinity of the image bearing member to detect noise, and an abnormal noise predictor device to predict whether abnormal noise hear during image formation based on noise detected by the noise detector when the image bearing member is driven not during image formation at a linear speed different from that during image formation.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus including a latent image bearing member, a charging device, a latent electrostatic image formation device, a development device, a transfer device, and a lubricant supplying device, the latent image bearing member satisfying (I), (II) and (III):|(1&#x2212;1)&#x2212;(2&#x2212;2)|&#x2266;5.0&#x2003;&#x2003;(I)B1&#x2267;1 (atomic %)&#x2003;&#x2003;(II)1 (nm)&#x2266;X&#x2266;30 (nm)&#x2003;&#x2003;(III),

An image forming apparatus including at least an image bearing member having a substrate having a photosensitive layer thereon, the image bearing member to bear a latent electrostatic image on a surface thereof, a charging device to the surface of the image bearing member, an irradiation device to irradiate the surface of the image bearing member with light to form a latent electrostatic image thereon, a development device to develop the latent electrostatic with toner to obtain a developed image, a transfer device to transfer the developed image to a recording medium, and a cleaning device to clean the surface of the image bearing member, wherein the photosensitive layer includes naphthalene tetracarbonic acid diimide derivative as a charge transport material represented by the following Chemical Structure (1):  In the Chemical Structure (1), Z represents a group represented by the following Chemical Formula (1): or the following Chemical Formula (2):&#x2014;R&#x2003;&#x2003;Chemical Formula (2). In the Chemical Structure (1), and the Chemical Formulae (1) and (2), R, R, R, Rand Reach, independently, represent a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group or a substituted or non-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon group, R, R, Rand Reach, independently, represent hydrogen atom, a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group, or a substituted or non-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon group, and Rand Rand Rand Roptionally share a bond connectivity to form a substituted or non-substituted heterocyclic group including a nitrogen atom.

An electrophotographic photoconductor including a conductive substrate and a photoconductive layer thereover, wherein the photoconductive layer contains a charge generation agent and a charge transport agent represented by General Formula (A-I), (B-I) or (C-I), and an amine compound represented by General Formula (II):    

Electrophotographic photoconductor, and electrophotographic method, electrophotographic apparatus and process cartridge containing the electrophotographic photoconductor

An electrophotographic photoconductor including an electroconductive support and a photoconductive layer provided thereon, wherein the photoconductive layer includes a charge generating material, an electron transporting material and a hole transporting material, the electron transporting material being a diphenoquinone compound represented by formula (1) described herein, the hole transporting material being a compound represented by formula (2) described herein.

Electrophotographic photoconductor

An electrophotographic photoconductor including a conductive support and a photosensitive layer, wherein the photosensitive layer contains a charge generation agent, a charge transport agent and a binder resin, and wherein the charge generation agent contains an asymmetric disazo pigment represented by General Formula (I), the charge transport agent contains a triphenylamine compound represented General Formula (IX), and the mass ratio of the charge transport agent to the binder resin is 0.3 to 2.0,  where Rand Reach represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, alkoxy group, aryl group or heterocyclic group, provided that Rand Rare different,  where Rto Reach represent hydrogen, a halogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, an alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms.

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Numazu, Japan

Keisuke Shimoyama