Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet-feeder for feeding a recording sheet from a sheet cassette. Image forming devices are provided for forming a toner image. An image bearer bears a toner image formed by the image forming devices; and a transferring device transfers the toner image on the image bearer to a recording sheet. A sheet amount detector detects the amount of recording sheets in the cassette. A mode controller allows the image forming devices to start their operations before the sheet feeding section conveys a recording sheet when the amount of recording sheets detected by the sheet amount detector exceeds a predetermined reference amount, and allows the image forming devices to start their operations after the sheet-feeding section conveys the recording sheet when the amount of recording sheets detected by the sheet amount detector is smaller than the reference amount.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an apparatus main body that performs image forming processing to a recording sheet; a sheet receiving member provided on a top surface of the apparatus main body and provided with a sheet receiving surface; a sheet discharge port through which a recording sheet bearing thereon a formed image is discharged toward the sheet receiving surface; and a swinging mechanism that allows the sheet receiving member to swing. The swinging mechanism allows the sheet receiving member to swing for the sheet receiving surface to change a posture between a first state where the sheet receiving surface sinks on the sheet discharge port side and a second state where the sheet receiving surface on the sheet discharge port side is closer to horizontal than in the first state.

Abstract: An image recording system is configured in which a plurality of image recording apparatuses provided with a recording medium storage portion are disposed in a line, and a recording medium storage means shared by these image recording apparatuses is provided, and a recording medium that has been recorded by the plurality of image recording apparatuses is transported toward the recording medium storage means and stored in the recording medium storage means.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms an image electrophotographically, comprises an image transfer unit which transfers a toner image to a recording medium, a fixing unit comprising a heat roller and a pressure roller, a conveying direction change unit which changes a conveying direction of the recording medium discharged from the fixing unit upwardly, a discharge roller which discharges the recording medium, of which conveying direction has been changed by the conveying direction change unit, to a discharge part, and a curl removing roller which is provided on a conveying extending between the conveying direction change unit and the discharge roller and bends the recording medium in an opposite direction from a bend direction imparted to the recording medium at the heat roller.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of restricting copying using, as a master copy, a copy of a produced work such as a book. An MFP is provided with a printing permission/prohibition judging section and an output paper sheet selection section. The printing permission/prohibition judging section judges whether or not restriction information for restricting image formation is contained in either (i) an information tag provided in a document, or (ii) image data acquired by an image scanning section. The output paper sheet selection section selects a regulatory-information-containing recording paper sheet (i.e.

Abstract: A document feeding apparatus includes a first delivery roller delivering a document sheet discharged from a fixing unit, a second delivery roller discharging the document sheet to a paper delivery tray, a motor driving the second delivery roller, a lever installed at the downstream, or upstream, side of the first delivery roller out of a document sheet transporting pathway, which rotates at a predetermined angle when contacting the document sheet and returns to an original position when not contacting the document sheet, a sensor sensing a rotation time and a returning time of the lever, and a controller determining a double feeding or slipping state of the document sheet based on a signal transferred from the sensor regarding the rotation time and the returning time of the lever, and controlling the driving speed of the motor according to the determination result.

Abstract: System and methods providing a plurality of fusers, and one or more radius profiled media handling transports for transporting media in a radius, in an image forming device. The system includes one or more of a plurality of fusers, and radius profiled media handling transport devices arranged in a fashion allowing for improved throughput of media while reducing operating costs. The plurality of fusers allows for the use of individual low capacity fusers that are equal to or less than the overall capacity of the image forming device. Media transport devices transport media on stretch belts across a radius of rollers with a means for providing an adhering force for stabilizing the media to the belt. The rollers are arranged along one side of the frame, along which the media is transported, and a frame may contain an air plenum so as to allow for the drawing of a vacuum through the rollers. The media transport device allows for optimizing a configuration of the image forming device.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a body casing having on upper surface thereof a paper ejection tray on which a sheet of paper ejected after formation of an image is stacked; a side cover capable of opening and closing a side surface of the body casing on the downstream side in the direction of ejection of the sheet of paper so as to cover the side surface of the body casing; and an extension tray being attached to an upper portion of the side cover. The extension tray is capable of extending to the downstream side in the direction of ejection of the sheet of paper with respect to the paper ejection tray so as to support an end portion of the sheet of paper.

Abstract: A hinge apparatus for a cover of an image forming apparatus has a hinge body with supporting brackets, movably inserted into a coupling hole positioned in a main body of the image forming apparatus, a hinge cam connected to the cover and pivotably connected to the supporting brackets, and a pressure device disposed at the hinge body to press the hinge cam. Accordingly, the hinge apparatus can be implemented with a simple and easy assembly operation, since it is not a complicated structural connection among the component parts of the hinge apparatus.

Abstract: A bookbinding apparatus includes a collecting device, a bookbinding path, a bundle conveying device for transferring the sheet bundle to a paste applying position and then to a cover binding position, a paste applying device for applying an adhesive to a spine part of the sheet bundle, and a cover feeding path. A cover binding device binds the sheet bundle with the adhesive to the cover sheet, and a cover binding control device controls the cover binding device. The cover binding device includes a back folding press member and a back abutting plate member. The cover sheet is sandwiched between the back abutting plate member and the spine part of the sheet bundle with a small gap between the back abutting plate member and the spine part. The cover binding control device adjusts a size of the gap depending on a thickness of the cover sheet when folded back.

Abstract: A printing system comprises a paper path architecture for parallel printing using multiple marking engines. The media path configuration enables all the media feed trays to be located in one place, relative to the marking engines. A cross-over module is located between marking engines. The cross-over module can interleave media sheets that are being transported away from a first marking engine with the sheets being transported to the second marking engine. The cross-over module also includes a straight through path that enables media sheets to be transported directly to a finishing device without going through either marking engine. The marking engines include internal duplex loops such that media can be supplied to each engine in alternate groups. A merge module selectively merges the media which can then be further processed in a finishing transition module prior to communication to a finishing device.

Abstract: A laser printer forms images on a recording sheet fed from a paper cassette. A conveying gap between consecutively fed recording sheets is adjusted such that a conveying gap between consecutively fed thin sheets is larger than a conveying gap between consecutively fed thick sheets.

Abstract: An image-forming device includes: an image-forming unit; a sheet discharge unit; a sheet support unit; and a reading unit. The image-forming unit forms images on a recording sheet. The sheet discharge unit discharges, in a sheet discharging direction, a recording sheet formed with an image by the image-forming unit. The sheet support unit is disposed above the image-forming unit, and supports sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit. The reading unit is disposed above the sheet support unit, with an underside surface of the reading unit opposing a top surface of the sheet support unit. The sheet discharge unit is configured to discharge the sheet diagonally upwardly so that sheet discharged by the sheet discharge unit contacts the underside surface of the reading unit.

Abstract: When an original document is placed on the lift tray, a timer is reset and starts counting a predetermined time. Whether an alignment device is moved to adjust the original documents loaded on the lift tray in, for example, the widthwise direction transverse to the transportation direction is then determined. If a change in the detected width of the original documents is detected, the timer is reset and started again. If there is no change in the detected width of the original documents, a control waits for the timer to time out. If the timer reaches the predetermined time, the lift tray is driven up by the lift motor and rises until the top limit sensor turns on.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeding portion, an image forming portion, a discharge portion, a paper transport path, a plurality of detection members, and a control portion. The image forming portion forms images on sheets of paper fed from the feeding portion. The path transports paper from the feeding portion to the discharge portion via the image forming portion. The detection members detect transport state of paper at respective locations on the path including the feeding portion, between the feeding and image forming portions, within the image forming portion, between the image forming and discharge portions, and the discharge portion. Upon detection of paper jam at any of the locations, the control portion displays, on an indicator, information identifying a location where the jam has occurred, and the image forming portion where paper is detected by the detection members, as locations of paper to be eliminated from the path.

Abstract: A modular duplexing housing for an all-in-one device which may be added at a final stage of assembly in order to convert a simplex printing unit into a duplex printing and duplex ADF scanning unit. The modular duplexing unit includes a duplexing feedpath which may be positioned for feeding communication with a simplex printing feedpath in the all-in-one device. The modular duplexing unit may also comprise a secondary input tray in feeding communication with the simplex printing unit and duplexing ADF scanning unit.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus including: a body; a supply tray attached to the body for putting a recording sheet thereon; a recording mechanism provided in a middle of a feed path defined in the body for recording an image on the recording sheet; a feeding mechanism which has an arm pivotably supported at one of opposite ends thereof and a feeding roller rotatably provided in the other of the opposite ends of the arm, and which is configured such that the recording sheet is fed toward the recording mechanism by rotating of the feeding roller held in contact with the recording sheet; a discharge opening provided in the body for discharging the recording sheet therethrough; a cover supported by the body to be pivotable between an open position and a closed position; and a cover-arm interlock mechanism which permits the arm to pivot such that the feeding roller contacts the recording sheet when the cover is positioned at the open position, and which positions the arm such that the feeding roller is away from the

Abstract: A continuous feed (CF) printing module, printing system, and method is provided. The CF printing module comprising an image transfer system configured to selectively mark a media web, and a media web transport system configured to selectively advance a media web without image marking by the image transfer system at a first speed and selectively route a media web for image marking by the image transfer system at a second speed. The first speed greater than the second speed.

Abstract: The presence/absence of a printing failure on a printed product is accurately detected to prevent a defective product from mixing in printed products to be delivered to a customer. In order to achieve this object, a printing processing method according to this invention includes steps of inputting first image data, executing the printing process for a printing medium based on the first image data, reading the printing medium on which the first image data is printed to obtain second image data, specifying a determination area to be used to determine the presence/absence of a printing failure in the second image data based on a processing content after the printing process for the printing medium, and determining the presence/absence of the printing failure by comparing the first image data and the second image data corresponding to the determination area.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus wherein, when forming an image on transfer sheet, the transfer sheet is shifted across the width immediately before transfer of the image onto transfer sheet based on the position of a toner image formed on an intermediate transfer member as an image carrier, and the misalignment across the width is adjusted, thereby ensuring high-speed and high-precision adjustment of the position of the image formed on a single side or both sides.