Abstract: A printing apparatus prints on a medium at a first transport speed or a second transport speed lower than the first transport speed. The printing apparatus includes: an image forming unit for forming a developer image on the medium according to a print job sent from a host device; a fixing unit for fixing the developer image on the medium; a discharge roller for discharging the medium; a discharged medium detection unit for detecting a trailing edge of the medium passing through the fixing unit; a last medium determining unit for determining whether the discharged medium detection unit detects a last medium of the print job; and a control unit for discharging the medium at the first transport speed or controlling the last medium determining unit to determine the last medium and discharging the last medium at a transport speed higher than the second transport speed.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus has an original placing portion on which an original is placed, a feed portion for feeding the original placed on the original placing portion to convey the original from one end side of an original plate onto the original plate, a conveying rotary member for conveying the original on the original plate, a reversing and conveying portion for reversing the front side and back side of the original conveyed to the other end side of the original plate by the conveying rotary member, and conveying the reversed original from the other end side onto the original plate, an image reading unit for reading the image of the original stopped on the original plate while being moved, and a control portion for controlling the driving of the conveying rotary member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus feeds a paper picked up by a pickup roller directly to a photoconductive drum and controls a linear velocity of the pickup roller so that it is slower than that of the photoconductive drum. The different linear velocities of the pickup roller and the photoconductive drum produces different velocities at the transfer nip (the area of contact between the photoconductive drum and a transferring roller) and the point where paper is picked up by the pickup roller. To compensate for the different velocities, the pickup roller can be rotated faster than the photoconductive drum for an angle that corresponds to the velocity difference. Additionally, when a velocity difference occurs between two rollers for feeding the paper, one of the rollers can be further rotated to compensate for the velocity difference.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder for duplex scanning includes a scanning module, a pickup roller assembly, a first discharging roller assembly, a second discharging roller assembly, a first path, a second path, a third path, a sheet feeding tray, a first discharging tray and a second discharging tray. The first discharging tray is used as a reverse region. Since only the scanning module inside the automatic document feeder is used for scanning the document without the participation of the flatbed image scanning portion, the operative space for accommodating the scanning module in the flatbed image scanning portion is not required. As a result, the length and the overall volume thereof are reduced.

Abstract: A paper delivering device to deliver printing paper, including: a lower frame; an upper frame rotatably coupling with the lower frame by a hinge part and rotating between a driving position in which the upper frame is disposed to parallel with respect to the lower frame with putting a delivery pathway of the printing paper between there and an opened position where the upper frame is spaced from the driving position; an upper delivery roller disposed on a lateral surface facing to the lower frame in the upper frame; a plate, interposed between the lower frame and the upper frame, to be detachable from the lower frame in a surface direction of the printing paper; and a lower delivery roller disposed on a lateral surface facing the upper frame of the plate and delivering the printing paper by oppositely rotating with the upper delivery roller when the plate is disposed at the lower frame.

Abstract: There is described an image forming apparatus, in which the recording medium and the insertion recording medium are conveyed in a state that they overlap each other. The image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section to form an image on a recording medium; a sheet tray on which an inserting sheet is stacked; a sheet overlapping section to make the recording medium and the inserting sheet overlap with each other; a first conveyance section to convey the recording medium from the image forming section to the sheet overlapping section; a second conveyance section to convey the inserting sheet from the sheet tray to the sheet overlapping section; and a third conveyance section to simultaneously convey the recording medium and the inserting sheet from the sheet overlapping section to a post-processing section. The post-processing section processes the recording medium and the inserting sheet conveyed by the third conveyance section.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling a printer or copier device by which errors, such as paper jams, can be cleared automatically. A controller commands a module having the error to clear the error automatically. The commands are sent to modules beginning at the output of the printer or copier device and moving in a reverse direction to the paper flow direction of the printer or copier so as to automatically clear errors such as paper jams. Status signals indicating whether the error has successfully been cleared are reported back to the controller. A printer or copier for carrying out the method and a computer program for carrying out the method are also disclosed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a discharging roller decelerating unit and a method of decelerating discharging rollers. The image forming apparatus includes a print unit, discharging rollers, a sensor unit that sensing a trailing edge of paper, and the discharging roller decelerating unit. The method includes detecting a trailing edge of paper using a sensor unit and decelerating the discharging rollers after a predetermined period of delay time subsequent to the sensing of the trailing edge of the paper. Accordingly, even when there is a difference between the sensing moments of the trailing edge of the paper, the decelerating moments of the discharging rollers are stabilized, and thus the paper can be uniformly stacked regardless of double-sided printing or single-sided printing, even when the paper is discharged at a high speed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an original scanning section, a sheet feeding section, an image forming section, a sheet receiving section and an indicator (LEDs). The image forming section is located between the original scanning section and the sheet feeding section and has a smaller cross-sectional area when cut by a horizontal plane than either of the original scanning section and the sheet feeding section such that a sheet receiving space into which each sheet of the printing medium is ejected is left between the original scanning section and the sheet feeding section. The sheet receiving section is located in the sheet receiving space for receiving the sheets of the printing medium ejected from the image forming section. The indicator notifies users that one or more sheets of the printing medium have been delivered to the sheet receiving section by emitting light.

Abstract: A system for adding a post-collation operation to an imaging job is disclosed. The system includes a computing device with executable instructions. The executable instructions are executable on the computing device and are configured to implement a method for adding a post-collation operation to the imaging job. The imaging job is received downstream from an origination point of the imaging job and upstream from a job interpreter/rasterization process in an imaging device. New commands are inserted into the imaging job that relate to a post-collation operation. Another use of the method for multi-job interleaving is also disclosed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an automatic document conveying apparatus including a table, first and second conveyance paths, a scanning device, and first and second switchback mechanisms. A document of the document bundle set on the table is reversed and conveyed by the first conveyance path through the scanning device with its first surface facing the scanning device, guided to the first switchback mechanism by the second conveyance path, switched back by the first switchback mechanism, reversed and conveyed to the second switchback mechanism by the second conveyance path, and switched back by the second switchback mechanism to detect a size of the document based on information sent from a sensor included in the first conveyance path. Thereafter, the document is reversed and conveyed by the first conveyance path to the scanning device to have its first surface scanned. A method of automatically conveying documents is also described.

Abstract: An automatic original cover closer to practically realize an automatic opening and closing function of an original cover, has a hinge part to rotatably support an original cover to the main body of office equipment and a driving part to automatically drive the hinge part. The hinge part includes a mounting member to mount on the main body and a supporting member to support the original cover to be axially supported to this mounting member so as to be rotatable with a rotary shaft via the rotary shaft. The driving part includes a positively and reversely rotatable drive motor and a power transferring mechanism to decelerate and transfer the rotary driving power of this drive motor to a drive shaft. The rotary driving power of the drive motor is transferred to the supporting member via the drive shaft and the rotary shaft, by connecting the rotary shaft to the drive shaft.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus that includes plural paper feed trays, and when there occurs out-of-paper in a paper feed tray during printing, changes over from the paper feed tray to another to continue the printing, which includes a detection section that detects that paper is added in the paper feed tray, a memory that stores paper feed trays for which the detection section detects that paper is added therein in the sequence of paper being added; and a paper feed tray changing section that, when there occurs out-of-paper in a paper feed tray in operation during printing, selects a paper feed tray in which paper is added in the earliest time among the paper feed trays which are stored in the memory, and changes over the paper feed tray.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion that superposes images on an intermediate transfer member by rotations of the intermediate transfer member to form a color image on the intermediate transfer member, a transfer portion that transfers the image formed on the intermediate transfer member in the image forming portion to a sheet, a fixing portion that fixes the image onto the sheet, and a switchback portion that switches back the sheet so as to return the sheet to the transfer portion for forming the image on a second face of the sheet, after the image has been formed on a first face of the sheet. The sheet is returned through a return path at a return speed equal to or lower than a delivery speed of the sheet in the transfer portion, when the image for the second face of the sheet is the color image.

Abstract: An auto document feeder which loads and feeds a document to a read position provided on a read surface of a reader, the auto document feeder including a conveying device having an upstream roller placed upstream of the read position and a downstream roller placed downstream of the read position, the conveying device conveying the loaded document through the read position, a stabilizing roller provided upstream of the read position and opposing to the read surface, the stabilizing roller stabilizing movement of the document conveyed by the conveying device, and a guide member provided downstream of the read position and opposing to the read surface, the guide member guiding the document conveyed by the conveying device, wherein the following relationship is established the thickness of the document<a gap between the read surface and the stabilizing roller<a gap between the read surface and the guide member.

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: Printing sheets (4) are placed on a sheet placing plate (103). A pickup roller (6) contacts a surface of the uppermost printing sheet (4) placed on the sheet placing plate (103) and feeds the printing sheet (4) out of the sheet placing plate (103). A spring (109) resiliently urges the sheet placing plate (103) toward the pickup roller (6). A ratchet (108) moves in accordance with the movement of the sheet placing plate (103). The printing sheets (4) on the sheet placing plate (103) urges the pickup roller (6) upward so that a pickup frame (115) moves upward to a position detected by a position detecting sensor (65). In accordance with the detection signal from the position detecting sensor (65), a solenoid (71) moves a lock lever (110) so that the lock lever (110) engages the ratchet (108) to thereby restrict the movement of the sheet placing plate (103).

Abstract: A document size sensor is disposed on a document feed path at a location between a document tray and a juncture and on the front side in the primary scanning direction perpendicular to a document feed direction. The document size sensor is located between a sheet edge position for B4-size document sheet and a sheet edge position for A 4 -size document sheet, which are situated on the front side in the primary scanning direction. The document size sensor detects A3 - and B 4 -size document sheets but does not detect A 4 - or B5-size document sheet. Based on a detection signal from the document size sensor, judgment is made as to whether a document sheet fed from the document tray is a larger-sized document sheet or a smaller-sized document sheet.

Abstract: An image forming member has a first sheet conveying member arranged at upstream side of a sheet conveying path of a sheet material, a second sheet conveying member arranged at downstream side of said sheet conveying path, a guide member which is provided between the first and the second sheet conveying members and guides the sheet material and a movable portion which is provided in the guide member and executes front-and-far-side adjustment of the sheet material by moving a portion against which the tip of sheet material is abutted in parallel to a sheet width direction perpendicular to a conveying direction.

Abstract: An image formation device is equipped with a withdrawably provided paper supply cassette. A display portion and a cover-like opening/closing portion are also provided. The display portion is formed at an upper portion of a withdrawal side of the paper supply cassette and shows information relating to the paper supply cassette. The opening/closing portion structures a portion of a side wall of the device at an upper side relative to the paper supply cassette, at the withdrawal side of the paper supply cassette, and includes an openably/closeably attached manual tray. A masking portion, which masks at least some of the display portion when the manual tray is open, is also provided.