Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Rie Mitani

Tomofumi Yoshida

Yuusuke Furuichi

Tetsumaru Fujita

Yasuhide Ohkubo

Takafumi Miyazaki

Ryuji Inoue

Shintaro Yamada

Kei Hasegawa

Shinji Aoki

Osamu Saito

Yoshihiro Fukuhata

Yasunobu Ogata

Takahiro Sanada

Hidekazu Shono

Ryouhei Ohi

Yohsuke Terada

An image forming apparatus includes a latent image bearer to bear a plurality of halftone images having a same image density and a high-density image located one cycle downstream of the latent image bearer from at least one of the plurality of halftone images, a transferor to apply a predetermined transfer voltage to transfer the plurality of halftone images and the high-density image, a transfer electric field forming target to bear the plurality of halftone images and the high-density image transferred from the latent image bearer, a detector to detect image densities of the plurality of halftone images on the transfer electric field forming target, and a controller to determine a primary transfer voltage applied at a time of image formation, based on image density variations of the plurality of halftone images detected by the detector.

Image forming apparatus including an image density detector of halftone images

A developing device includes a housing to store a powder, a developing roller to hold the powder, a supplying roller to supply the powder to the developing roller, a regulator to regulate the powder held by the developing roller, a powder conveyer to convey the powder for image forming, a first powder storing chamber, and a second powder storing chamber. The powder conveyor includes a first conveying part that includes a rotating axis, and a conveying surface inclined with respect to the rotating axis along a direction of the rotating axis. The powder conveyor further includes a second conveying part that includes a conveying surface parallel to the rotating axis along the direction of the rotating axis, and the first conveying part and the second conveying part are disposed alternately along the direction of the rotating axis.

Developing device having a powder conveyor, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus including the same

A developing device is provided. The developing device includes a developer carrier, a regulator, a first developer storing chamber, a plurality of conveyers disposed within the first developer storing chamber, a second developer storing chamber in communication with the first developer storing chamber, and a supply member disposed within the second developer storing chamber. The developer carrier carries developer on its surface and supplies developer to a latent image carrier carrying a latent image. The regulator regulates the thickness of developer on the surface of the developer carrier. The first developer storing chamber stores developer separated from the developer carrier by the regulator and is to be supplied with fresh developer. Each of the plurality of conveyers coveys developer in a different conveyance direction. The second developer storing chamber is to be supplied with developer from the first developer storing chamber. The supply member supplies developer to the developer carrier.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A toner container includes a substantially tetrahedral toner-containing portion having an openable edge to discharge toner contained in the toner-containing portion, and a reference fold along which the toner container is foldable after the openable edge is opened. The reference fold extends from the openable edge and is provided on medians of two triangular faces of the toner-containing portion adjoining each other along the openable edge.

Toner container, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A sealing assembly to contact a rotator includes a sealing member to slidably contact a surface of an end of the rotator in an axial direction of the rotator. The sealing member has an end in a circumferential direction thereof to contact the surface of the rotator with a first pressure. The end in the circumferential direction is fixed to a bearing surface formed on the opening on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side in a rotation direction of the rotator. The sealing member has an intermediate portion between an upstream end and a downstream end in the circumferential direction to contact the surface of the rotator with a second pressure lower than the first pressure.

Sealing assembly, developing device, process unit, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A developing device includes a toner bearer including a surface in which multiple recesses having a cross-sectional void rate of 50% or smaller are formed, a toner supply member to supply toner to the toner bearer, and a developer regulator disposed facing or in contact with the toner bearer and including a bent tip portion. The toner bearer has a surface roughness Ra within a range from 1.0 &#x3bc;m to 2.0 &#x3bc;m, and a surface area ratio within a range from 2.0 to 4.0. The developing device uses polymerized toner having a weight average particle diameter of 8.0 &#x3bc;m or smaller and an average circularity of 0.98 or greater.

Developing device and process unit and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A powder supply device including a powder storage, a powder discharge part, and an air suction part. The powder storage stores a powder. The powder discharge part is adapted to discharge the powder from the powder storage to a powder container. The powder discharge part is communicatable with the powder storage and connectable to the powder container. The air suction part is adapted to suck an air from the powder container to generate an air current flowing from the powder storage to the powder container.

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Hyogo, Japan

Rie Mitani