# US 8,273,513 B2 · Image forming apparatus, process cartridge, and image bearing member > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,273,513 B2 - Document ID: US8273513B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/823,865 - Filed: 2010-06-25 - Published: 2010-12-30 - Granted: 2012-09-25 - Earliest claimed: 2009-06-25 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Nozomu Tamoto; Mitsuaki Hirose; Akio Kosuge; Makoto Yasuda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8273513B2 ## CPC - G03G 5/14791: {Macromolecular compounds characterised by their structure, e.g. block polymers, reticulated polymers, or by their chemical properties, e.g. by molecular weight or acidity} - G03G 5/06144: {diamine} - G03G 5/061473: {plural alkenyl groups linked directly to the same aryl group} - G03G 5/072: {comprising pending monoamine groups} - G03G 5/0732: {comprising pending alkenylarylamine} - G03G 5/074: {comprising pending diamine} - G03G 5/147: Cover layers - G03G 5/14704: {comprising inorganic material} - G03G 15/751: {relating to drum (G03G15/757 takes precedence)} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member having an electroconductive substrate on which are provided at least a photosensitive layer and a protection layer, in that sequence, a charging device that charges the surface of the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon, a development device that develops the latent electrostatic image with a development agent containing toner to obtain a developed toner image, a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the surface of the image bearing member and a lubricant material applicator that applies a lubricant material to the surface of the image bearing member, the protection layer containing a cured resin and a filler and the surface form of the protection layer having an arithmetical mean waviness Wa of from 0.05 to 0.3 μm and an average length WSm of profile elements of from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, which are obtained from a waviness profile obtained by filtering a coarse component with a λc profile filter of 0.25 mm and filtering a wavelength component longer than a waviness with a λf profile filter of 2.5 mm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member comprising an electroconductive substrate on which are provided at least a photosensitive layer and a protection layer, in that sequence; a charging device that charges a surface of the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon; a development device that develops the latent electrostatic image with a development agent comprising toner to obtain a developed toner image; a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the surface of the image bearing member; and a lubricant material applicator that applies a lubricant material to the surface of the image bearing member, the protection layer comprising a cured resin and a filler, a surface form of the protection layer having an arithmetical mean waviness Wa of from 0.05 to 0.3 μm and an average length WSm of profile elements of from 0.5 to 1.5 μm, which are obtained from a waviness profile obtained by filtering a coarse component with a λc profile filter of 0.25 mm and filtering a wavelength component longer than a waviness with a λf profile filter of 2.5 mm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cured resin is a resin formed by curing a polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure and a polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure, the polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure comprises a polymerizable compound having at least three functional groups, and the number of functional groups of the polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure is one. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the functional groups of the polymerizable compound having no charge transport structure and the functional group of the polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure are either or both of an acryloyloxy group and a methacryloyloxy group. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the charge transport structure of the polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure is a triaryl amine structure. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure is at least one kind of compounds represented by the chemical structure 12 and 13: where R232 represents hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group, a substituted or non-substituted aralky group, a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, cyano group, nitro group, an alkoxy group, —COOR241, wherein R241 represents hydrogen atom, a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group, a substituted or non-substituted aralkyl group or a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, a halogenated carbonyl group or —CONR242R243, wherein R242 and R243 independently represent hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group, a substituted or non-substituted aralkyl group or a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, Ar141 and Ar142 independently represent a substituted or non-substituted arylene group, Ar143 and Ar144 independently represent a substituted or non-substituted aryl group, X represents a single bond, a substituted or non-substituted alkylene group, a substituted or non-substituted cycloalkylene group, a substituted or non-substituted alkylene ether group, oxygen atom, sulfur atom, or vinylene group, Z represents a substituted or non-substituted alkylene group, a substituted or non-substituted divalent alkylene ether group or a divalent alkyleneoxy carbonyl group, and m and n represent an integer of from 0 to 3. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filler has an average primary particle diameter of from 0.1 to 1.0 μm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filler is α alumina. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image foaming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protection layer comprises a polycarboxylic compound. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging device employs a roller system comprising a charging roller provided in the vicinity of the image bearing member. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a voltage in which an alternating current component is overlapped with a direct current component is applied to the charging roller to charge the image bearing member. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging device employs a scorotron system in which the charging device is not in contact with the image bearing member. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device has a blade form and is arranged in contact with the image bearing member against a rotation direction of the image bearing member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant material applicator is integrated into with at least one of the charging device, the development device, and the cleaning device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the lubricant material applicator is integrated with the development device and the lubricant material is applied to the surface of the image bearing member together with the toner when the development device develops the latent electrostatic image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant material comprises zinc stearate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a blade is provided between the cleaning blade and the charging device and arranged in contact with the image bearing member in a trailing direction relative to a rotation direction of the image bearing member. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein multiple image formation elements are provided in a tandem arrangement, each of which comprises the image bearing member and at least one of the charging device, the development device, the cleaning device, and the lubricant material applicator. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein one of the image formation elements comprises a combination of the development device using black toner and the charging device employing a scorotron system and the rest of the multiple image formation elements comprise a combination of the development device using a toner color other than black and the charging device employing a charging roller. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A process cartridge comprises: an image bearing member comprising an electroconductive substrate on which are provided at least a photosensitive layer and a protection layer, in that sequence; and at least one of devices selected from the group consisting of a charging device that charges a surface of the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon, a development device that develops the latent electrostatic image with a development agent comprising toner to obtain a developed toner image, a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the surface of the image bearing member, and a lubricant material applicator that applies a lubricant material to the surface of the image bearing member, wherein the protection layer comprises a cured resin and a filler and a surface form of the protection layer has an arithmetical mean waviness Wa of from 0.05 to 0.3 μm and an average length WSm of profile elements of from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, which are obtained from a waviness profile obtained by filtering a coarse component with a λc profile filter of 0.25 mm and filtering a wavelength component longer than a waviness with a λf profile filter of 2.5 mm, and wherein the process cartridge is detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus of claim 1. ### Claim 20 An image bearing member comprising: an electroconductive substrate; and layers comprising a photosensitive layer and a protection layer laminated on the electroconductive substrate, in that sequence, wherein the protection layer comprises a cured resin and a filler and a surface form of the protection layer has an arithmetical mean waviness Wa of from 0.05 to 0.3 μm and an average length WSm of profile elements of from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, which are obtained from a waviness profile obtained by filtering a coarse component with a λc profile filter of 0.25 mm and filtering a wavelength component longer than a waviness with a λf profile filter of 2.5 mm.