Abstract: A sheet reversing device has a vertical first conveyance path, a horizontal second conveyance path into which a sheet is carried via the first conveyance path and a horizontally third conveyance path into which the switched-back sheet is carried from the second conveyance path. A curved guide plate is disposed between the first and second conveyance paths and includes a curved guide surface for guiding the sheet to the second conveyance path, and a pivotal guide pivotably supported with a part thereof projecting from the curved guide surface. The pivotal guide pivots to retract into the inner side of the curved guide by being pushed by the sheet moving from the first conveyance path toward the second conveyance path while guiding the sheet switched back and carried out from the second conveyance path toward the third conveyance path with the part thereof projecting from the curved guide surface.

Abstract: When an image forming apparatus sequentially reads the document images of a plurality of pages, forms images on sheets and outputs the sheets (aggregation mode and similar), the image forming apparatus compares, for partial data of the data for a plurality of pages generated by a reading device, coded partial data after first image processing with coded partial data after second image processing. If the coded partial data after first image processing is smaller, the coded data for the plurality of pages after first image processing is caused to be stored in a compressed data storage portion. Then, a first coding/decoding portion is caused to read the stored data, a second image processing portion and similar are caused to perform processing of the data, and a printer is caused to form images on sheets and output the sheets.

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.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image carrier for carrying toner. A charger charges the surface of the image carrier and an exposure part then forms an electrostatic latent image thereon. A developer uses toner to develop the electrostatic latent image and a transfer part transfers a toner image from the image carrier to a recording medium. A cleaning roller has a circumferential surface that contacts with the surface of the image carrier and removes deposits therefrom by using toner that the circumferential surface carries. A carrier driver drives the image carrier and a power detector detects power consumption of the carrier driver. A roller controller determines, based on the detected power consumption whether a removal capacity of the cleaning roller to remove the deposits needs to be increased, and then controls rotation of the cleaning roller in response to a result of the determination.

Abstract: A rotary driving device includes a rotary shaft supported rotatably about an axis thereof on a predetermined supporting member, a rotary load body mounted on the rotary shaft to project radially outward from the rotary shaft in such a manner that the rotary load body can rotate integrally with the rotary shaft about the axis thereof, a driver for rotating the rotary shaft about the axis thereof, a disk mounted on the rotary shaft coaxially therewith for integral rotation with the rotary shaft, the disk having a mounting hole formed therein, a pendulum loosely fitted in the mounting hole, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position relationship between a central axis position of the mounting hole and a center of gravity position of the pendulum under conditions where the disk is rotating.

Abstract: When a selection for canceling a security image is input at a client computer, then a password authentication unit causes a display unit to display a password reception screen, whereby an input password is compared with an authentication password stored in a password storage unit. When the passwords are matching, the print data generation unit of the client computer generates print data without adding a security image to the original data, and outputs the print data to a print server. A control unit of the print server transfers the print data to a printer, a print log acquisition unit acquires print log information from the printer, and the print log information and print data are stored in a print information storage unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a first light controller to shift starts of image writing operations of light sources by a first time interval. A test data storage stores, beforehand, test image data having dot columns formed by one-dot images arranged in a row in a sub-scanning direction and at predetermined intervals in a main scanning direction. An operation controller controls an image carrier at a speed so that adjacent dot images in the sub-scanning direction overlap. A second light controller forms electrostatic latent test images on the image carrier based on timing signals with the image carrier moved by the operation controller, and draws electrostatic latent test images with different time intervals. A density measurer measures densities of the developed test images. A time interval adjusting section adjusts the time interval based on the time interval used to draw the electrostatic latent test image having the lowest measured density.

Abstract: An image reading device includes: a light source irradiating a reading target with light; an image sensor receiving incoming reflection light from the reading target and reading the reading target; a plurality of kinds of white reference plates of mutually different brightness levels provided for acquiring a white reference in shading correction; an input part accepting input of selection, as a mode for document reading, between a character mode prioritizing character reproduction and a photo mode prioritizing figure and photo reproduction; and a shading correction part, when the character mode has been selected, perform the shading correction by defining the white reference based on output of the image sensor when the character-mode white reference plate darker than the photo-mode white reference plate has been read.

Abstract: A toner set is composed of toners of a plurality of colors that are used in a tandem-type color image forming apparatus. Each of the toners of a plurality of colors includes toner base particles and an external additive. The external additive includes small-diameter silica particles and large-diameter silica particles larger than the small-diameter silica particles. When, of the toners of a plurality of colors, three color toners to be used consecutively for forming the toner image are defined as a first toner, second toner and third toner respectively in order of usage thereof, the average particle diameter of the large-diameter silica particles contained in the second toner is smaller than the average particle diameter of the large-diameter silica particles contained in the first toner and is larger than the average particle diameter of the large-diameter silica particles contained in the third toner.

Abstract: A belt device includes an endless belt bearing a toner image having a plurality of different colors superimposed one on another, a plurality of rollers on which the belt is mounted, a meandering correcting member correcting the meandering of the belt in a belt width direction, a sensor detecting the position of an end surface of the belt in a width direction of the belt, an adjusting mechanism adjusting the movement of the meandering correcting member, and a controller controlling the adjusting mechanism based on the position detection of the belt end surface by the sensor. The controller controls the adjusting mechanism so that the belt end surface approaches a specified target position and lies within a specified position range including the specified target position. The specified position range is set based on the magnitude of fluctuation of the position of the belt end surface.

Abstract: A conveying platen is provided with a plurality of air circulation parts, each of which includes a long groove opened toward the conveying belt and formed in a longitudinal direction following a conveying direction, and a hole that penetrates in a thickness direction from a part of a bottom surface of the long groove. These air circulation parts are arrayed in the conveying direction and a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The conveying platen has an opposed region which faces a nozzle surface. The long groove is provided in the opposed region. The hole is provided in a region other than the opposed region.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image reading device in which light guiding paths can be formed in a simple structure and adjustment of irradiation position of light irradiated onto the original is easy, including: a luminescence portion; a light guiding body including a first light incidence portion disposed on a luminescence portion side and a first light emission portion disposed on an original side; a first reflective surface connecting the first light incidence portion and the first light emission portion in the light guiding body; a light guiding space constitutive member including a second reflective surface facing the first reflective surface; a light guiding space formed between the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface, having a second light incidence portion disposed on an illumination portion side and a second light emission portion disposed on the original side; a mirror; an imaging lens; and a reading portion.

Abstract: An image forming system configured to eject ink onto a sheet conveyed in a first direction including a first head including a plurality of first ejection ports configured to eject the ink; a second head including a plurality of second ejection ports configured to eject the ink; an input part configured to be input ejection port information on the plurality of first ejection ports and the plurality of second ejection ports; and a controller configured to control ejection of the ink from the first ejection ports and the second ejection ports based on the ejection port information.

Abstract: Clutch mechanism includes support plate, input element to which driving force is input, output element configured to rotate upon receiving driving force, first elastic member configured to bias output element toward support plate, first member including sliding arm inserted through through-hole of support plate and first slide surface, and second member configured to accommodate first member and including second slide surface. Insertion of the sliding arm into through-hole prevents rotation of first member with respect to support plate but allows first member to approach and move away from support plate. Output element moves apart from input element to cut off driving force when second member is in first rotational position. When second member rotates to second rotational position, output element outputs driving force transmitted from input element.

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: A sheet feeder includes a tray on which sheets are to be placed, a rope connected to the tray, a pulley which includes a shaft and on which the rope is taken up such that the winds thereof are aligned in an axial direction of the shaft, and a motor for moving the tray upward by rotating the pulley about the shaft in a direction to take up the rope to locate the uppermost sheet on the tray at a sheet pickup position. A sheet remaining amount detection device applied to this sheet feeder includes a position detector for detecting a present position which is a present take-up position of the rope on the pulley in the axial direction, and a remaining amount detecting section for detecting the remaining amount of the sheets on the tray based on the present position detected by the position detector.

Abstract: A rotary driving device includes a rotary shaft supported rotatably about an axis thereof on a predetermined supporting member, a rotary load body mounted on the rotary shaft to project radially outward from the rotary shaft in such a manner that the rotary load body can rotate integrally with the rotary shaft about the axis thereof, a driver for rotating the rotary shaft about the axis thereof, a disk mounted on the rotary shaft coaxially therewith for integral rotation with the rotary shaft, the disk having a mounting hole formed therein, a pendulum loosely fitted in the mounting hole, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position relationship between a central axis position of the mounting hole and a center of gravity position of the pendulum under conditions where the disk is rotating.

Abstract: A toner-remaining-amount detection sensor includes a rubber member, an actuator, a transmission sensor, and a holder member which integrally holds the rubber member, the actuator, and the transmission sensor. The actuator is supported by the holder member so as to move to a first position at which the transmission sensor detects that a toner remaining amount in a toner storage container is a predetermined amount or more when a toner pressure in the toner storage container acts on the rubber member, and to move to a second position at which the transmission sensor detects that the toner remaining amount in the toner storage container falls below the predetermined amount when the toner pressure in the toner storage container does not act on the rubber member. When the actuator is at the second position, the actuator partially comes into contact with the holder member so that a gap is formed between the actuator and the rubber member.

Abstract: Provided is a document feeding device including: a document feeding portion for feeding a document; a document set detecting portion for detecting presence/absence of a set document; a determination portion for determining whether power supply to the device is started by turning-on of main power or by cancellation of a power saving mode; an initial operation portion for performing an initial operation of initializing the document feeding portion when the power supply to the document feeding device is started by the turning-on of the main power, and restricting execution of the initial operation when the power supply to the document feeding device is started by the cancellation of the power saving mode; and a display portion for displaying, when there is a set document at the start of the power supply, a request to reset the document.

Abstract: A fixing device is provided with a heating member, a pressing member, a coil, a fixed core, a movable core and a shielding member provided on the movable core and a position switching unit moving the shielding member between a shielding position where a ring part shields magnetism and a retracted position where the ring part does not shield magnetism. A first area requiring magnetic shielding and a second area not requiring magnetic shielding are selectively set in the heating member. The shielding member includes a first annular portion provided at a position corresponding to a boundary part between the first and second areas, and the first annular portion has a shape closed in a circumferential direction and is electrically insulated at a circumferential part when viewed in an axial direction of the movable core.