Abstract: A developer container has a cylindrical container body with a bottom end and an open end and a cap closing the open end of the container body. The developer container has a spiral rib, a outlet opening and a bank portion. The spiral rib is formed on the inner surface of the container body. The outlet opening is formed on the side surface in vicinity of one end of the container body, whereby the rotation of the container disposed horizontally causes a developer contained in the container to move to one end of the container along the spiral rib and to flow out through the outlet opening. The bank portion is formed on the inner surface at the upstream side of the outlet opening with respect to the rotational direction of the container, the bank portion being positioned in the vicinity of the outlet opening and being continuous with the terminate end of the spiral rib.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a zoom lens system used for photo-taking in a 35 mm single lens reflex camera. The zoom lens system consists of, from the object side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power. Zooming from a wide-angle side to a telephoto side takes place by moving all of the first lens unit through the fourth lens unit to the object side. Focusing on an object at a short distance is performed by moving the second lens unit to the object side.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the electrophotographic type wherein a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum is transferred to recording paper by a transfer roller to form an image is disclosed. When the size of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is larger than the size of the recording paper, a portion of the toner image which projects from the recording paper is transferred to the transfer roller and will soil another sheet of recording paper supplied subsequently. Therefore, when comparison between the size of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum and the size of the recording paper reveals a difference between them, an image forming operation is interrupted and a cleaning device is rendered operative to remove the toner from the transfer roller.

Abstract: A zoom lens system has, from the object side to the image side, a first lens unit of positive power, a second lens unit of positive power and a third lens unit of negative power. Each lens unit has two lens elements. The air space between the first and second lens units and the air space between the second and third lens units are varied during a zooming operation. The zoom lens system fulfills the following condition: ##EQU1## Here, f1 is a focal length of the first lens unit and fW is a focal length of the entire lens system at the shortest focal length condition.

Abstract: An induction heating fixing device comprises a heat roller in which coil assemblies are disposed. The coil assemblies are aligned axially of the roller to produce magnetic flux in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the heat roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a developing device which accommodates a developer for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a latent image carrier, a developing member provided in said developing device for supplying the developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the latent image carrier and a mixing member provided in the developing device for mixing the developer accommodated within the developing device. In the above image forming apparatus, the operating time of the mixing member is determined prior to the start of operation of the developing member based on at least one value of a toner density at the end of developing, the developer standing idle time, and the total number of developing cycles with the same developer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a scanning unit for reading image information, an image forming device for forming images corresponding to the image information, a memory for storing the image information read by the scanning unit, an identification device for identifying the users of the image forming apparatus, a setting device for setting the time period for maintaining the image information stored in the memory in accordance with the user of the image forming apparatus, and an erasing device for erasing the image information stored in the memory after the elapse of the time period set for each user by the setting device.

Abstract: An optical device having an optical element, a base plate which has a mount surface for setting the optical element, a first holding member composed of at least a hole and a projection so as to permit the optical element mounted on the base plate to move longitudinally and a second holding member composed of a hole and a projection so as to restrain the optical element from moving in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis.

Abstract: A defocus amount of an object is detected by a focus detection unit of a camera, whereby a defocus velocity is calculated according to the detected amount. An average velocity is calculated using a plurality of defocus velocities and then a smoothing velocity is calculated, whereby a reversed position of a velocity direction is detected using the data. An average velocity, a smoothing velocity, and the time of a velocity direction reversed are calculated, whereby a correction velocity is obtained according to the calculation. A driving amount of lens is calculated according to the calculated correction velocity, whereby the photographic lens is driven by the lens driving device so as to follow the moving of an object.

Abstract: A heater driving device for supplying AC power to a heater of a fixing device of an image forming apparatus. The heater driving device has self arc suppression type elements between an AC power source and the heater for controlling supply of AC power to the heater in accordance with a control signal supplied to the self arc suppression type elements. The control signal is obtained by modifying signal voltage corresponding to the temperature of the heater in accordance with an absolute value signal which is generated by reducing AC power and converting the reduced AC power to an absolute value, and then comparing the modified signal voltage and a pulse signal generated by a triangular wave oscillator.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder (ADF) for feeding a document across a platen is attachable to different types of copying machines which have different copying speeds. The ADF has a detector for detecting the copying speed of the copy machine and a controller for adjusting the document feeding speed of the ADF to the copying speed of the copy machine. The controller also controls the feeding speed of the document at a standard speed in a condition which does not lower copying efficiency and at a higher speed in a condition which lowers copying efficiency. A condition which does not lower copying efficiency is feeding documents other than the last document from the platen. A condition which lowers copying efficiency is feeding the first document to the platen and ejection of the last document from the platen.

Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus of a camera according to the present invention includes: a focus detector which detects repeatedly focus conditions of a photographic lens and outputs successively focus signals corresponding to the focus conditions; a drive unit for driving the photographic lens for focus adjustment; a predictor for predicting an in-focus point from the plurality of focus signals from the focus detector; a control unit for controlling the drive unit to drive the photographic lens toward the in-focus point predicted by the predictor; an auxiliary light projector for projecting auxiliary light onto an object to enable detecting operation of the focus detector; and a forbidding device for forbidding the control of drive by the control unit while the auxiliary light is projected by the auxiliary light projector.

Abstract: In a data processor, image data of a pixel matrix is subjected to orthogonal transformation to coefficient data, the coefficient data is quantized with a first quantization table for character image and a second quantization table for half-tone image, and the image data is discriminated to be character image data or half-tone image data according to the quantization data. The selected data is then coded. In another processor, image data are divided into first and second processing blocks of m*m and M*M pixel matrices wherein M>m and the second processing block includes one of first processing blocks and adjacent pixels. Image data in a first and second processing block are subjected to orthogonal transformation to coefficient data.

Abstract: A flash apparatus which allows flashlight photographing of various subjects in a photographing screen in appropriate exposure by simple operation without failure. The flash apparatus comprises a flashlight emitting section having a predetermined irradiation angle with respect to a light emission optical axis, and irradiating direction changing means for automatically changing the direction of the light emission optical axis of the flashlight emitting section in response to subject information such as distribution information of brightness values of or distances to subjects in a photographing screen. Also a camera is disclosed which assures photographing of a main subject with appropriate exposure even when the main subject is in a backlighted condition or when another body is positioned nearer to the camera than the main subject.

Abstract: A title generator (titler) for a video camera judges whether a title fits the current time (month, season, etc.) and selects only those titles adequate to the time, thereby preventing unnecessary titles from appearing on the display and saving title selecting time. Also disclosed is a video camera system with a titler including an external memory which stores a group or groups of relevant titles. The external title memory can be used in combination with a conventional internal title memory.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an ink-jet type recorder comprising reserving means for withholding a recording liquid consisting of a mixture of electroviscous liquids (EVL) and coloring materials, the reserving means including a plurality of nozzles from which a jet of the recording liquid spouts out, and a plurality of pairs of electrodes for impressing a voltage to the recording liquid withheld in the reserving means, wherein the impressed voltage to the plurality of pairs of electrodes is controlled in order to change the viscosity of EVL so that a jet of the recording liquid spouts out from the plurality of nozzles onto recording media.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a thin-layer component having a thin layer of (100)-oriented platinum or the other metals in Group VIII, which is formed on amorphous silicon dioxide, and further relates to a thin-layer producing system for producing such thin-layer components, the thin-layer producing system being a sputtering system wherein an auxiliary electrode is provided between two electrodes.

Abstract: A sorter with a plurality of sheet containing bins. The sorter has a first roller and a second roller for transporting a sheet received from a copying machine, and a punching mechanism for punching a sheet is provided immediately after the first roller. Power transmission to the second roller can be connected and disconnected. Immediately before the trailing edge of a sheet passes through the first roller, rotation of the second roller is stopped. Thereby, the trailing portion of the sheet makes a curve, the curve in the sheet caused by buckling of the sheet as the first roller holds the sheet against any further downstream movement, and the trailing edge is regulated by the first roller. In this moment, the punching mechanism is driven to punch the sheet.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder having a pick-up roller for feeding a document out of a tray, a conveyer belt for conveying and stopping the document on a platen and ejecting the document from the platen, and a register roller for stopping the document fed by the pick-up roller once and feeding the document onto the platen. A driving mechanism for driving the belt and the register roller is connected with the belt and the register roller with no clutches in-between. The driving mechanism is driven by pulses, and the document conveying amount is controlled by detecting the number of pulses. In the automatic document feeder, if two successive documents are of a size smaller than a half of the platen, the two documents are set on the platen side by side, and a next document is fed out of the tray. If a latter document of two successive documents is of a size larger than a half of the platen, feeding of a next document is inhibited.

Abstract: A field frame changeover mechanism suitable for a single-lens reflex camera, which allows clear confirmation of the photo range without increasing the size of the camera.The mechanism has darkening plates movable between a darkening position where the plates cover a part of the focusing screen and an open position where the focusing screen is uncovered by the plates. When the mirror which reflects the light transmitted from the photo-taking lens of the camera to the optical system of the viewfinder of the camera moves from an observation position located in the path of light transmitted through the photo-taking lens to a photo-taking position, the darkening plates retract from the locus of the mirror's movement in a correlated manner.