Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shuuichi Nakagawa

Atsushi Yamamoto

Ryuji Inoue

Shintaro Yamada

Rumi Konishi

Chiyoshi Nozaki

Tomofumi Yoshida

Hideaki Yasunaga

Tsuyoshi Nozaki

Shin Murayama

Kazushige Oonishi

Tomofumi Inoue

Hidekazu Shono

Kazushige Ohnishi

Hirobumi Ooyoshi

Makoto Matsushita

Yuji Nagatomo

Akira Izutani

Keiichiro Juri

Yoshiko Ogawa

Kenji Asuwa

An image developer, including a developer container containing a developer developing a latent image on a latent image bearer; a developer bearer bearing the developer, located close to or contacting the latent image bearer; and a developer feeding and collection roller feeding the developer onto the developer bearer and scraping the developer therefrom, rotating while contacting thereto with pressure, wherein the developer feeding and collection roller includes an inner layer formed of an electroconductive foamed rubber; and an outer layer formed of an insulative foamed rubber, and wherein the following relationship is satisfied:&#x3b1;&#x2267;Twherein &#x3b1; represents a compression amount of the pressure of the developer feeding and collection roller to the developer bearer; and T represents a thickness of the outer layer, and wherein an offset voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the charged developer is applied to the developer feeding and collection roller.

Image developer, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

In a fixing device, an opposing member contacts a heating member to form a fixing nip between the heating member and the opposing member. A driver rotatively drives at least one of the heating member and the opposing member. A sheet supplier supplies and conveys a sheet to the fixing nip. A recording medium bearing an unfixed toner image is conveyed through a gap between the sheet and the opposing member at the fixing nip with a side of the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image facing the sheet. At least one of the rotating heating member and the rotating opposing member applies a driving force to the sheet supplied to the fixing nip while the sheet contacts the sheet supplier to apply tension to the sheet at a position upstream from the fixing nip in a sheet conveyance direction.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

A conductive composition including a matrix resin comprising a thermoplastic resin, a conductive agent comprising a carbon black having an amine value of 1 to 100 mgKOH/g, and a stiffening agent comprising an acid anhydride, a carboxylic acid, or a compound having an epoxy group.

Conductive composition, electrophotographic belt, image forming apparatus, and method of manufacturing conductive composition

When a gloss application sheet is conveyed through a nip formed between a first nip formation member and a second nip formation member pressing against each other, the gloss application sheet is sandwiched between the first nip formation member and a recording medium simultaneously conveyed through the nip. The gloss application sheet includes a first contact surface contacting the first nip formation member and a second contact surface disposed opposite the first contact surface for contacting the recording medium. The first contact surface has a reduced adhesive force compared to the second contact surface.

Gloss application sheet for applying a uniformed gloss to a toner image on a recording medium

A developing device develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier with toner. The developing device includes a developer carrier, a developer supplying unit that supplies a developer on the developer carrier, a layer shaping member that shapes the developer supplied on the developer carrier into a thin layer, and an electric-field control member that is arranged downstream of a shaping nip formed between the developer carrier and the layer shaping member and that controls an intensity of an electric field generated between the developer carrier and the layer shaping member.

Device for developing an electrostatic latent image, and process cartridge and image forming apparatus including the same

A developer regulating member capable of stably regulating the thickness of a developer even when used for a long time, while preventing the increase in the production cost, a developing device having the developer regulating member, an image forming apparatus having the developing device, a process cartridge, and a method of producing the developer regulating member. The average crystal particle diameter D [&#x3bc;m] of a plate-like member provided in a layer-thinning blade which functions as the developer regulating member and which abuts against a developing roller functioning as a developer carrier, and the curvature radius R [&#x3bc;m] of a bent portion satisfy the relationship of D&#x2266;60.53&#xd7;R&#xd7;10&#x2212;12.61.

Developing device having developer regulating member, and image forming apparatus using developing device

A developing device that prevents the formation of agglomerated masses of developing agent in the bottom of the developing agent housing chamber near the developing roller and the supply roller, and that maintains the fluidity of the developing agent in the bottom of the developing agent housing chamber, while minimizing any increase in size of the developing device. The developing device includes an agitator disposed higher than the developing roller, the regulating blade, and the supply roller, and that agitates a non-magnetic one component developing agent within the developing agent housing chamber; and a developing agent ingress prevention member disposed higher than the supply roller, and lower than the agitator, and the side surface or edge portion of the developing agent ingress prevention member near the developing roller is higher than the topmost point of the supply roller, and lower than the lowermost point of the regulating nip formed by the contact of the developing roller and the regulating blade.

Developing device, process unit, and image forming apparatus which prevents ingrass of the developing agent in the vicinity of the developing member

A developing device that can reliably supply toner from a toner supply roller to a developing roller and that does not generate scraping irregularities in the toner thin layer on the developing roller, and a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus having the same. The developing device has: a toner supply chamber; a developing roller provided in the toner supply chamber; a toner supply roller provided in the toner supply chamber for supplying toner to the developing roller; and a layer regulation member for forming the toner on the developing roller into a thin layer, and develops electrostatic latent images on an image carrier by applying bias voltage to the developing roller. An intermediate contact member is interposed between the developing roller and the toner supply roller. The intermediate contact member is a sheet member fixed at one end, and the free end of the sheet member is interposed between the developing roller and the toner supply roller, with the free end side protruding therebetween.

Developing device for image forming apparatus and process cartridge having the same

An image developing method is disclosed that is able to efficiently remove degraded toner on a developing agent carrier, prevent formation of abnormal images, ensure good image quality over time, and increase the service life of the device. The developing method includes a step of calculating an amount of consumption of the developing agent during image formation and an amount of consumption of the developing agent in a compulsory toner consumption mode under different calculation conditions between the image formation and the compulsory toner consumption mode. In the compulsory toner consumption mode, a developing bias different from a developing bias used during image formation is applied for a predetermined time period to discharge residual developing agent on a developing agent carrier to a latent image carrier.

Image developing method, image developing device, and image forming device

A disclosed developing device includes a developing roller; a supply roller that is in contact with the developing roller and configured to supply toner to the developing roller; a current measuring unit configured to measure an electric current that flows from the developing roller to the supply roller when the toner is supplied from the supply roller to the developing roller; and an error determining unit configured to detect a development error of the developing roller based on the electric current measured by the current measuring unit.

Developing device, image forming apparatus, and development error detecting method

A developing device is provided with which the increase in torque of a supply roller, unevenness of image density, and wear to the supply roller caused by the formation of an aggregated block of toner in the gap between the supply roller and the opposing side wall of a supply developer holding chamber can be suppressed. This developing device comprises a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image supported on a photoconductive member, a supply developer holding chamber for holding toner to be supplied to the developing roller, a supply roller for supplying the toner supported on the peripheral face thereof to the developing roller, a hopper that is disposed above the supply developer holding chamber and used to hold toner for replenishing the supply developer holding chamber, and a communication opening for allowing the hopper to communicate with the supply agent holding chamber, wherein a canopy member is provided directly above the gap to impede the advance of the toner on the supply roller into the gap between the supply roller and the opposing side wall of the supply developer holding chamber.

Developing device including an advance impeding member and an image forming apparatus using the same

A developing apparatus is disclosed that includes a developer carrier for carrying a developer used for developing a latent image, a developer supplying chamber having a developer supplying member for supplying the developer to the developer carrier by rotation, a developer storing chamber positioned above the developer supplying chamber for storing the developer and supplying the developer to the developer supplying chamber, and a partitioning member positioned between the developer supplying chamber and the developer storing chamber. The partitioning member has an opening through which the developer is supplied from the developer storing chamber to the developer supplying chamber. The developing apparatus includes a conveying member positioned above the partitioning member for conveying the developer in a substantially horizontal direction. The conveying member has an opening facing part situated directly above the opening for conveying the developer with less force than the other parts of the conveying member.

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Osaka, Japan

Shuuichi Nakagawa