Abstract: A bracket is provided which is supported by a shaft so as to be freely rotatable between a pair of supporting frames, a line head is fixed on the bracket through an elastic member, a platen is disposed in a position opposing to a heating element array of the line head and is capable of freely approaching to or receding from the platen, engaging holes are formed on a supporting frame, an engaging claw to be engaged with the engaging hole is formed on the bracket, and the pressing force of the line head toward the platen is varied in several steps by holding the bracket stepwise.

Abstract: A high-voltage power source control device comprises a pulse generating section for holding duration data and periodically generating a switching pulse of a duration corresponding to the duration data, a monitor circuit for generating a monitor voltage corresponding to an output voltage of a high voltage power source, an A/D converter for outputting monitor voltage data based on a monitor voltage from the monitor circuit, and a processing section for deriving as adjustment data a difference between the monitor voltage data from the A/D converter and the reference voltage data, adding the adjustment data to the duration data, and setting the result of addition into the pulse generating section as new duration data to change the duty ratio of the switching pulse, thereby maintaining the output voltage of the high voltage power source at or near the reference voltage. The processing section in the control device has a shift register for decreasing the adjustment data at a preset rate.

Abstract: A piezoelectric plate polarized in the direction of its thickness and a base plate having a rigidity lower than that of the piezoelectric plate are joined together. A plurality of parallel grooves are cut through the piezoelectric plate into the base plate so that the grooves are separated from each other by side walls each having an upper portion formed of the piezoelectric plate and a lower portion formed of the base plate. A top plate is attached to the upper surface of the piezoelectric plate to close the upper open ends of the grooves. A nozzle plate provided with a plurality of ink jets is attached to one end of the assembly of the base plate, the piezoelectric plate and the top plate so that the ink jets correspond respectively to the grooves to form pressure chambers. Electrodes are formed by depositing a metal over bottom surface of the grooves and side surfaces of the side walls.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image printing method whereby a line head of a line printer performs line emission a plurality of times to print one primary scanning line. The number of times light is emitted by each edge emission type EL device corresponding to each pixel of one primary scanning line is controlled according to print density information contained in an input print signal. A plurality of flat pixel components are generated lengthwise and crosswise to form an approximately square pixel. This pixel is printed a plurality of times lengthwise and crosswise to form an image. The edges of the image are filled with suitably positioned pixels that have some of their components selectively left blank for visually smoothing effects.

Abstract: A label printer comprises a supporting frame having a pair of side plates facing each other. A print head and a platen roller are arranged between the side plates. Above the print head is arranged a ribbon supply device for running a transfer ribbon between the print head and the platen roller. The ribbon supply device includes a ribbon drive section, and a ribbon unit supported on a supporting member and movable between a first position wherein the unit engages the drive section and a second position wherein the unit is located outside the supporting frame. A fixing member is attached to one of the side plates and movable between a release position wherein the fixing member allows the ribbon unit to move and a fixing position wherein the fixing means engages the ribbon unit to hold it in the first position.

Abstract: An electrophotography apparatus for performing exposure and recording of information onto a charged photosensitive body using a line head consisting of an array of a large number of EL elements, developing the information-recorded photosensitive body, and transferring a developed image onto a recording medium, includes a current detection unit for detecting peak values of AC currents flowing through electrodes of the EL elements when the EL elements emit light, and a discriminator for discriminating based on current detection outputs from the current detection means whether or not the EL elements are defective. In this arrangement, the EL elements of the line head are caused to emit light, peak values of AC currents flowing through the electrodes of the EL elements are detected, and whether or not the EL elements are defective is discriminated based on the detected current peak values.

Abstract: A load cell balance including a load cell and a scale frame connected to the load cell at a position offset from the center of the scale frame, so as to improve weighing accuracy and reduce a size of the balance. The scale frame is provided with a slit for making amounts of flexure of four corners of the scale frame equal to one another upon receiving of the same load, so that the amounts of flexure of the four corners of the scale frame having received the same load can be made equal to one another. Accordingly, the gap defined between the scale frame and each of four stoppers for limiting the amounts of flexure can be easily adjusted.

Abstract: On the surface of a developing roller disposed closely to a photosensitive drum, a toner supplied from a toner container to the surface is spread into a thin layer by a toner distribution and charging blade. The triboelectric charge, q.sub.1, of the toner and the triboelectric charge, q.sub.2, of the surface of the toner distribution and charging blade are equalized in polarity and made to satisfy a relation, .vertline.q.sub.2 .vertline.<.vertline.q.sub.1 .vertline.. The triboelectric charge, q.sub.3, of the surface of the developing roller is made to satisfy a relation, -4.0.ltoreq.q.sub.1 /q.sub.3 .ltoreq.-1.2. The triboelectric charge of the toner, q.sub.1, and the triboelectric charge, q.sub.4, of the surface of a recovery blade for recovering the residue of toner adhering to the developing roller are equalized in polarity and, at the same time, made to satisfy a relation, .vertline.q.sub.4 .vertline.<.vertline.q.sub.1 .vertline..

Abstract: An exposure method for use in an image forming apparatus for having each of edge emission type electroluminescent (EL) devices emit light a plurality of times to form one pixel of an image. The gradient of the image outline relative to the horizontal scanning direction is checked to see if it falls in one of two ranges: between 0.degree. and 45.degree., or between 45.degree. and 90.degree.. If the gradient falls between 0.degree. and 45.degree., the edge emission type EL devices are made to emit light selectively according to the proportion of image-filled regions in the pixels intersected by the outline. If the gradient falls between 45.degree. and 90.degree.

Abstract: The invention provides an original reading apparatus which is small in overall thickness and size and light in weight. The original reading apparatus includes a body case having an original insertion opening formed in a wall thereof. An original transport passageway is formed substantially horizontally in the body case and communicated with the original insertion opening. A white roller of an original reading section and a feed roller for transporting an original are positioned along the original transport passageway and disposed in a horizontal position at a substantially same height.

Abstract: A card issuing apparatus comprising a convey path for a card, a conveying section for moving the card along the convey path, a magnetic card reading/writing device and a thermal printer which are arranged on the convey path and sequentially subject the card to magnetical recording and printing, respectively. The card issuing apparatus further comprises a main processor connected to receive boarding information, for converting the boarding information into control data for the magnetical recording and the printing, a memory section for storing the control data supplied from the main processor, and a sub-processor for causing each of the magnetic card reading/writing device and the thermal printer to process the card according to corresponding control data stored in the memory section while the card passes through the magnetic card reading/writing device and the thermal printer.

Abstract: The invention provides an original reading apparatus which is small in overall thickness, light in weight and easy to hold by hand. The original reading apparatus includes a body case in the form of a flattened casing in which a power source and an electric controlling section to which power is supplied from the power source are contained. The body case has an original insertion opening formed in a wall thereof, and an original passageway is formed in the body case and communicated with the original insertion opening. An original reading section is disposed in the original passageway, and an operating section is mounted on the body case such that an operating face thereof is disposed on a surface of the body case. The original reading section and the operating section are disposed in a juxtaposed relationship in a horizontal position at a substantially same height.

Abstract: A sales transaction apparatus includes a weighing section for measuring the weight of a coin, a memory section for storing the weight data of plural types of coins, and a processing section for determining the types and numbers of coins to be paid back as a change amount. A total weight of the coins is obtained as a sum by multiplying the numbers of coins by the weights read out in correspondence with the types of coins, and the total weight is checked against a weight data obtained from the weighing section in correspondence with the coins to be actually paid back as the change amount.

Abstract: A fixed cover (7) having a pair of manual feed guides (12) for guiding opposite side edges of manual feed paper (10) is fixedly provided at a front portion of an upper opening of a cassette case (5) in respect of the paper feeding direction. A rotatable cover (8) is located behind the fixed cover (7), and a front end portion of the rotatable cover (8) is vertically rotatably supported to the cassette case (5). Accordingly, the manual feed guides (12) can be located near a paper feed roller in a body of a printer. In feeding the manual feed paper (10) along an upper surface of the fixed cover (7), the inclination of a front end of the manual feed paper (10), which causes skewing, can be prevented. Furthermore, in supplying sheets of paper into the cassette case (5) with the rotatable cover (8) opened, the interference of the front end of the rotatable cover (8) with the sheets can be prevented.

Abstract: A laser power control apparatus which comprises an exciting section for supplying a drive current to a laser oscillation device, a laser power controller for generating current designating data which is incremented and decremented in a binary order, first and second digital/analog converters respectively assigned to lower digits and higher digits of the current designating data, for performing digital-to-analog conversion on the lower-digit data and the higher-digit data, a current setting section for setting a level for the drive current in accordance with the sum of output voltages of the first and second digital/analog converters. In the apparatus, the current setting section has circuit constants which cause the ranges of the drive current for sequential two values of the higher-digit data to be overlapped with each other by a predetermined amount, and the laser power controller has a circuit for limiting the range of the lower-digit data to compensate the overlap of the drive current ranges.

Abstract: A load cell weighing device has a plurality of load cells. In the device, detection values are respectively output from the load cells. The detection values are digitized by analog-to-digital conversion circuits. Low frequency noise components involved in the digitized detection values are reduced by digital filters. Then, the noise-reduced values are summed to provide weight data.

Abstract: A thermal printer has a memory for storing printing patterns; a printer unit on which a thermal printing head having one line of dot print elements is replaceably mounted, the printer unit driving the printing head to print a printing pattern stored in the memory in a unit of one line; and a paper feed unit for feeding paper in a direction perpendicular to a direction of a print element line of the printing head. A first timer is provided for setting a print cycle for the printing head; and a second timer is provided for setting a feed cycle for feeding paper to the printing head at a selected speed. A controller concurrently drives the printer unit in the print cycle and the paper feed unit in the feed cycle, the controller driving the printer unit to cause the printing head to print in a print cycle while the paper feed unit is driven to continuously feed paper to the printer unit at the selected speed determined by the feed cycle set by the second timer.

Abstract: An apparatus for inputting commodity data including a bar code scanner having a reading window on a front surface thereof, a keyboard for inputting the commodity data which keyboard is supported at an upper portion of the bar code scanner, and a supporting member for rotatably supporting the bar code scanner in such a manner that the bar code scanner can be rotated about a horizontal pivotal axis. The bar code scanner can be rotated according to the kind of a commodity or the height of a cashier. Accordingly, a bar code of the commodity can be placed to a laser beam scanning area by the cashier in a natural posture, and can be read by the bar code scanner reliably and easily.

Abstract: A laser printer includes a photoconductor unit and a developer unit which are removable from a housing of the printer. A fixing device having a heating roller and a cover covering the heating roller is arranged in the housing adjacent to the photoconductor unit. The cover includes an upper wall and a plurality of ribs formed on the outer surface of the upper wall to prevent an operator's hand from directly touching the outer surface of the cover. That rib which is closest to the photoconductor unit is formed to prevent the operator's fingers from being caught by the fixing-device-side end portion of the photoconductor unit.