Abstract: An image-reading apparatus includes a gain correction processing portion, and a gain setting control portion including a setting portion that sets a gain condition, the gain setting control portion: repeatedly sets the gain condition in the setting portion at predetermined time intervals, and records the set gain condition in the recording portion, in an idling state from when the power supply portion switches to an on state until a reception portion receives a read instruction; stops setting the gain condition in the setting portion in a reading state after the reception portion receives the read instruction; and implements gain correction on electrical signals output from an imaging element in the gain correction processing portion by applying the gain condition recorded in the recording portion just before the reception portion receives the read instruction.

Abstract: An inkjet recording liquid contains water, an organic solvent, a pigment, and a pigment dispersing resin. An weight-average molecular weight of the pigment dispersing resin exceeds 30000 and is 150000 or less. A mass ratio of the pigment dispersing resin to the pigment in the recording liquid (resin content/pigment content) is 0.1 or more and 1.0 or less. An acid value of the pigment dispersing resin is 160 or more and 240 or less. The inkjet recording liquid is discharged from a recording head of the inkjet recording device. Even when nozzles of the recording head become clogged due to drying or thickening of the inkjet recording liquid, the nozzle clogging can be easily resolved with a purge operation and wiping operation of the recording head by a wipe unit. Thus, it is possible to reduce an overconsumption of the recording liquid due to the foregoing purge operation.

Abstract: A multifunctional printer comprises a CCD for reading an image on one side of a document, a CIS for reading an image on the other side of the document, an image processing unit for processing the image of the side read by the CCD or the CIS, and a determining unit (S12) for determining which of the images of the sides read by the CCD and the CIS is to be processed first by the image processing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet including: a housing; a cassette detachably accommodated in the housing and configured to store the sheet; a feeding unit configured to feed the sheet; and an image forming unit configured to form the image on the sheet fed by the feeding unit, wherein the cassette includes: a first wall along the trailing edge, a second wall along the leading edge, a first bottom plate extending from the first wall toward the second wall, a second bottom plate extending from the second wall toward the first wall, and a connecting member configured to set a first state where the first and second bottom plates are connected and a second state where the first and second bottom plates are disconnected, and the first and second bottom plates in the second state are independently withdrawable from the housing.

Abstract: An optical scanning device is configured in such a manner that, of four light beams for colors corresponding to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, the number of folding mirrors disposed in the optical path of a light beam corresponding to an mage in yellow having the highest brightness and the lowest visibility is the greatest number, and further, the number of the folding mirrors disposed in the optical path of a light beam corresponding to an image in black having the lowest brightness and the highest visibility is the least number. It is thus possible to reduce unevenness in color in the color image resulting from the folding of light beams by the folding mirrors.

Abstract: A clearing section includes a counter for measuring a period up to the reset of contents set by means of an operation panel to initial values. If a position discriminating section discriminates that the operation panel is at a first position, the clearing section starts measuring the period by means of the counter from the first entry made to the operation panel. When a count value reaches a predetermined value, the clearing section executes an automatic clear processing to reset the contents set by means of the operation panel to the initial values. On the other hand, the clearing section cancels the execution of the automatic clear processing if the position discriminating section discriminates that the operation panel is at a second position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a rotary guide including a path for a sheet being conveyed. The guide is rotatable so that an exit of the path faces one of at least two conveyance destinations. A motor rotates the guide, and a detector outputs a detection signal when a predetermined posture of the guide is detected. An instructing section outputs instruction signals to the motor to rotate the guide toward the predetermined posture. A judging section judges whether a detection signal has been received in response to the instruction signal, and a notifying section counts a consecutive occurrence number of a judgment result to the effect that no detection signal was received in response to the instruction signal this time and gives a notification prompting an inspection request of the image forming apparatus when the consecutive occurrence number reaches a set number.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes a housing, light deflector, first optical system and reinforcement member. The housing includes a peripheral wall and a partitioning portion to divide an inner side of the peripheral wall into first and second portion. The partitioning portion includes a first hole to cause the first portion to communicate with the second portion to form an optical path. The light deflector mounted in the first portion has a rotatable polygon mirror to perform deflection scanning of scanning light beams emitted from light sources and a drive unit to drive the rotatable polygon mirror to rotate. The first optical system mounted at least in the first portion causes the scanning light beams reflected from the rotatable polygon mirror to return towards the first hole. The reinforcement member mounted on a surface facing at least the second portion on the partitioning portion reinforces the housing.

Abstract: A cooling mechanism for a photoreceptor includes: a photoreceptor of cylindrical shape; a pair of flanges respectively attached to both ends in an axial direction of the photoreceptor; a rotational shaft that is inserted into a shaft center of the photoreceptor; a holder that is disposed to face a first flange and rotatably supports the rotational shaft; and a main body frame that supports the holder. In such a cooling mechanism for a photoreceptor, an air duct is configured by the through hole formed in the flange and the concave portion formed on the holder, and discharges air flow generated inside the photoreceptor to the outside thereof.

Abstract: Toner for electrophotography contains toner base particles containing a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, resin particles containing a binder resin and a wax, but substantially not containing a colorant, and an external additive that is externally added to the toner base particles and the resin particles, with a mean domain diameter of the wax in the resin particles being larger than a mean domain diameter of the wax in the toner base particles.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer storing portion, a developer carrying body, a first regulating member having a first regulating surface regulating a layer thickness of the developer on the developer carrying body, a second regulating member having a second regulating surface that is set so as to gradually become apart from the developer carrying body toward the upstream side with respect to the rotation direction of the developer carrying body to regulate an amount of the developer conveyed to the first regulating surface, the second regulating surface being arranged with a step formed between the second regulating surface and the first regulating surface, and a sheet member so attached to the second regulating surface as to cover at least a portion of the step between the first regulating surface and the second regulating surface.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a first conveying roller conveying the sheet, a second conveying roller conveying the sheet conveyed from the first conveying roller, a first driving gear having a first number of teeth, and a second driving gear having a second number of teeth. When a first meshing frequency defined by multiplication of the first number of teeth and the number of rotations of the first driving gear is defined as A, and a second meshing frequency defined by multiplication of the second number of teeth and the number of rotations of the second driving gear is defined as B, the first meshing frequency A and the second meshing frequency B are set so as to satisfy the following expression (1):A>B.

Abstract: An image formation controller judges whether or not a tint block has been detected by a tint block processor upon judging that an automatic color determination mode is set in a multi functional peripheral. The image formation controller causes an image forming section to perform a monochromatic image forming operation if the tint block is a chromatic tint block when the tint block was detected by the tint block processor. On the other hand, the image formation controller causes the image forming section to perform an image forming operation corresponding to a determination result by an ACS processor when no tint block was detected and when the tint block was determined to be a monochromatic tint block.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes an image reader with an original document table. An image reading part has a light source, a light-receiving part, a reflection part, and a carriage that supports the light source or the reflection part. A cover covers a replacement member and is opened/closed integrally with the image reader. A main body accommodates an operation part for performing operations based on image data. An axis connects the image reader to the main body and turnably supports the image reader and the cover in approaching/separating directions with respect to the main body. An open/close detector detects an open/closed state of the image reader and the cover and a movement controller moves the carriage in a sub-scanning direction. When the image reader and the cover are open, the movement controller moves the carriage to a retreat position that is outside the original document table.

Abstract: A plurality of LED circuits are each configured having white LEDs serially connected therein, and the white LEDs are arranged in alternate main scanning direction positions for each of the LED circuits. When any of these LED circuits has failed, an output light power of white LEDs of LED circuits that have not failed is increased by a light power control section, thereby compensating an extinguished amount of the failed LED circuit.

Abstract: A document management section 77 updates and manages stored information in an additional information storage section 74 in such a manner that when details of operation information having been acquired in an operation information acquisition section 71 regard an operation of reading all the pages that is an operation targeting all the pages of an unread document, the current status of processing of the document is changed from unread to read, whereas when the details of operation information regard an operation of reading a part of the pages that is an operation targeting a part of the pages of an unread document, the current status of processing of the document is changed from unread to hold. By this means, a current status of a management target document that changes every moment can be updated and managed in detail in real time.

Abstract: To provide a job scheduler, a job scheduling method, and a job control program that are capable of, even with an incapable CPU not equipped with a real-time OS, meeting basic real-time property that is required in a system. The job scheduler is a job scheduler 5 for calling each of a plurality of jobs for controlling an appliance to a main loop and causing each job to be executed. The job scheduler 5 carries out calling control including: dividing the jobs into a plurality of groups according to a degree of need for real-time processing of each jobs; setting a priority on a group basis; and restricting a calling frequency, per cycle, of a job belonging to a group of low priority to a minimum tolerated frequency.

Abstract: A power saving mode includes a plurality of levels that are different in recovery time to a normal mode and in power consumption of a main body system. The plurality of levels are set to correspond to remaining heat temperature of a fixing device so that the recovery time to the normal mode becomes shorter as the remaining heat temperature is higher, and the power consumption of the main body system becomes lower as the remaining heat temperature is lower. Depending on a change in the remaining heat temperature, a power control section switches to a level corresponding to the remaining heat temperature, of the plurality of levels of the power saving mode of the main body system.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing roller incorporating a fixed magnet body having a plurality of magnetic poles in a circumferential direction; a regulating member for regulating an amount of toner on the developing roller by means of a magnetic field formed by the regulating member and the fixed magnet body; and a magnetic-field generating member for scraping off, on an upstream of the regulating member in a rotational direction of the developing roller, toner which is not used for development on the developing roller. A relation Bm/Br>1 is satisfied, where Br represents a magnetic flux density of a distal end portion of the regulating member facing a surface of the developing roller and Bm represents a magnetic flux density of a distal end portion of the magnetic-field generating member facing the surface of the developing roller.