Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming device for forming an image on a sheet, a discharging device for discharging the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming device, a containing portion for containing the sheet discharged from the discharging device, a sheet holding device capable of holding the sheet before the discharged sheet is contained in the containing portion, and a switching device for switching the holding of the sheet holding device for the sheet in response to an image forming method of the sheet.

Abstract: According to a discharged sheet stacking apparatus and an image forming apparatus, in which sheet collecting ability can be improved by preventing scattering of discharged sheets, in order to prevent the scattered stacking when sheets having B5 size longitudinal or A5 size longitudinal are discharged and stacked, a discharged sheet stacking portion is provided with two supporting members (high rib and low rib) constituting a scattering preventing means extending in a direction parallel to a sheet discharging direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a discharged-sheet stacker in which a longer time period can be secured until sheets are superposed. A plurality of stages of discharged-sheet supports, each for holding a sheet, are provided in the discharged-sheet stacker. By sequentially operating the discharged-sheet supports, a printed sheet is sequentially shifted between the discharged-sheet supports, and is finally mounted onto a discharged-sheet tray. By operating the discharged-sheet supports even after printing has been completed, all printed sheets are finally mounted on the discharged-sheet tray.

Abstract: A disaster prevention apparatus is adapted to intercept and disperse gas leaking from a disaster ship offshore. The apparatus includes a marine mover and a water curtain forming device for forming a water curtain on the lee of the disaster ship. Pressurized water is supplied to the water curtain forming device by a water pump. The water thusly supplied is ejected from the water curtain forming device in a direction substantially perpendicular to the water surface, thereby creating a water curtain on the water.

Abstract: A method of controlling the position of an on-water water curtain device for building a water curtain on the water in order to stop or disperse dangerous gas leaking from a ship or to block flame and radiant heat due to the leaking gas. The method comprises the steps of detecting positions of the ship and the water curtain device, detecting wind direction and tidal current, and adjusting the position of the water curtain device to an optimal position in accordance with detected values so as to maintain the diaster prevention water curtain substantially perpendicular to the leaking gas.

Abstract: An apparatus for moving a driven member, such as a stage, in response to inclination of an operating member, such as a joy stick, produces signals that are transformed between different coordinate systems, such as rectangular and polar coordinate systems, one of the signal transformations being nonlinear. By virtue of the invention, the velocity of the driven member, which is dependent upon the inclination of the operating member, does not depend on the direction of inclination of the operating member, and the direction of movement of the driven member corresponds accurately to the direction of inclination of the operating member.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device comprises a detector for detecting distributions of the images of an object which are formed by two light beams passing through two different points in a photographing optical system and for providing corresponding video signals. The video signals are processed to obtain an output signal representative of a relative positional relation between the video signals for use in establishing the optical system moving direction and the distance of movement of the focusing position, or to determine only the direction of movement of the optical system so that the optical system is moved in the direction thus determined to the focusing position. The automatic focusing operation can be accomplished without using movable members other than the photographing lens of the optical system, or in the case of using a movable member, the focusing operation can be achieved with high accuracy by operating the movable member only once.