Abstract: A heat roller device includes a frame, a hollow cylindrical fixing roller accommodating therein a heat source for fixing a toner image on a recording medium; a driving gear for driving the fixing roller; a first flange shaped bearing having a base attached to the frame and a projection extending from the base in order to accommodate the driving gear, for rotatably supporting one end of the fixing roller; and a second flange shaped bearing having a base attached to the frame, a projection extending from said base and a pair of hooks integrally extending from the projection for preventing movement of the fixing roller in its longitudinal axis, when the fixing roller is driven by the driving gear.

Abstract: For enabling efficient two-side recording of images from plural image sources, there is provided a recording apparatus with plural image input devices for respectively entering image signals, a recording unit for recording images of the image signals entered from the plural image input devices, respectively on first and second sides of a recording medium, and a manual designation unit for setting the color mode of the image to be recorded by the recording unit, independently for each of the first and second sides.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a jam sensor for detecting a jammed sheets in a transporting path, a paper guide which can be switched between a close state that guides sheets to an image forming section and an open state that make a jammed sheet removable, a movable backward end plate which is provided on an ADU tray and regulates a position of stored sheets according to the size of sheet, and a pulse motor that moves the movable backward end plate. When the paper guide is converted to the open state, an interference section where the movable backward end plate contacts with the paper guide and a non-interference section are formed. The image forming apparatus is provided with a CPU which drives the pulse motor so as to move the movable backward end plate to the non-interference section based upon a jam detecting signal from the jam sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the invention includes: a sheet-type determining device which determines whether the fed sheet is of plain paper or of OHP film; a first timer which sets up the arrival timing of the sheet for the high-speed mode; a second timer which sets up the arrival timing of the sheet for the low-speed mode; a selecting device which selects the first timer when the type of the sheet determined by the sheet-type determining device is plain paper and selects the second timer in the case of OHP film; and a warning device which, if in either of the modes, the sheet does not reach a predetermined site within the predetermined arrival time, determines that the sheet has jammed and informs the user of the point of jamming.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a toner image, formed by developing an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor, is primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer member and is secondarily transferred to a recording sheet. The image forming apparatus is provided with a retractable transfer member, which secondarily transfers the toner image on the recording sheet, and a retractable cleaning member, which removes a residual toner on the intermediate transfer member after the secondary transfer. In the above apparatus, when the primary transfer and the secondary transfer are not being performed, the transfer member and the cleaning member are allowed to contact with or retract from the intermediate transfer member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image carrier, and a plurality of developing devices for developing a latent image formed on the image carrier. The plurality of developing devices contain developing agents of different colors and are arranged in the direction of movement of the image carrier. The plurality of developing devices are arranged in an ascending order of the visual sensitivity of the colors of the developing agents from the upstream side in the direction of movement of the image carrier, for example, in one aspect cyan, magenta, yellow and black developing devices may be sequentially arranged from an upstream side to a downstream side and operated in an order of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Abstract: An apparatus for developing a latent image recorded in a surface of a flexible photoconductive member. The apparatus includes a developer unit having a developer roll and a backing member. The roll is positioned opposed from the surface of the flexible photoconductive member and is used for developing the latent image with developer material. The backing member has an arcuate surface in engagement with a surface of the flexible photoconductive member opposed from the surface having the latent image recorded thereon. The flexible photoconductive member is wrapped about at least a portion of the arcuate surface of the backing member to form a negative wrap angle opposed from the developer unit. The centerpoint of the developer roll, the centerpoint of the backing member and the centerpoint of the arcuate surface are colinear.

Abstract: Image fixing device for use in electrophotographic apparatus, capable of suppressing gloss of fixed toner image, thus stably producing images of high quality and high level of fixing intensity over a long period of time. The fixing device is composed of a belt-type heating member and a pressing roller which are contacted with each other and rotate to form therebetween a nip through which a paper supporting unfixed toner image is passed to have the toner image fixed to the paper. The belt-type heating member comprises a metallic endless belt having fine irregularities formed on its surface and a surface layer made of a resin. The surface roughness of the fine irregularities ranges between 10 and 45 .mu.m, when measured by a ten-point averaging method.

Abstract: A scanning system enables a user to nondestructively mark certain pages in a document stack and cause these page to be skipped during the scanning on a digital scanner. The pages of the document stack to be skipped are marked with a small adhesive backed label placed at a pre-defined location on the page by the user. The label is large enough to carry a simple, but unique image (machine-readable code) that can be read by a single sensor. The machine-readable code may be a barcode, glyph, color pattern, or reflective/nonreflective pattern, etc. The label's adhesive is such that it can be easily removed from the document stack without destroying the integrity of the page to which it was attached. In operation, the scanner utilizes a label sensor located before the scanning station/platen area so as to sense the skip label prior to the actual image capturing operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for filtering and sensing a developer fluid in a printing or copying machine for processing purposes. In order to insure that developer fluid reclaimed from a developing process is free from contamination, a filter/sensor system is provided in the reclaimed fluid path. The reclaimed fluid passes through the filter and then the sensor senses the amount of toner remaining in the fluid. If the toner contamination level is too high, the fluid is recirculated to the filter where it is re-filtered. This process is repeated until the reclaimed fluid is free of contaminants. The filter/sensor system can also indicate process failure in the developing system. Cleaning a developer housing is yet another use for the recirculating sensor/filter process. In this mode the developer fluid in the toner sump is circulated through the sensor/filter until all of toner has been removed from the fluid.

Abstract: A centralized control system capable of remote controlling terminal devices such as a copying machine or automatic vending machine by using communication lines. The system displays information identifying the terminal devices which have not transmitted the information to a central unit after predetermined time. Further, the system is provided with a back-up power source for backing up a memory storing the information to be transmitted and an IC for clocking the present time. The information stored in the memory is to be transmitted when the power is supplied again in the case where the transmission has not been carried out at the predetermined time because the power source for the terminal device was shut off. Moreover, the system judges, in the case where an image forming apparatus is adapted as a terminal device, whether the image forming apparatus has recovered from trouble condition to normal condition by judging whether a copy paper is actually discharged.

Abstract: The present invention provides a development apparatus capable of improving the development pole of a plurality of development rolls and the rotation speed thereof, thus obtaining stable printing quality. A first development roll rotatable in the opposite direction to the moving direction of photosensitive body is disposed in the upstream of it, whereas a group of second development rolls are disposed in the down stream, which development rolls are rotatable in the same direction as the moving direction of photoconductive body and have magnets of the same polarity. The first development roll and the photoconductive body define a peripheral speed ratio ranging from 0.5 to 1.5, while allowing the second development roll and the photoconductive body to define a peripheral speed ratio ranging from 0.6 to 1.5. A development control member is provided between the first development roll and the group of second development rolls.

Abstract: An image fixing apparatus includes a heater having heat generating resistors producing heat by being supplied with electrical energy; a film movable together with a recording material, wherein a toner image on the recording material is heated by heat generated by the heat generating resistors through the film; an energizing device for energizing the heat generating resistor with an AC voltage; a temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the heater; and a control device, responsive to an output of the temperature detecting element, to control a phase of the AC voltage.

Abstract: An electrophotographic recording apparatus includes an image supporting member for supporting an electrostatic latent image on its surface, and a developing unit for supplying one-component toner to the image supporting member. The developing unit has a toner delivering member for directly delivering toner to the image supporting member. The included wetting angle to water of the surface of the toner delivering member is more than 20 degrees.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing roller which has a heater therein, a pressing roller which is in contact with the fixing roller, a cleaning roller which is in contact with and cleans the fixing roller, a blade which is in contact with the cleaning roller and scrapes toner or paper dust on the cleaning roller. The surface of the blade is coated with a resin containing an additive and the surface resistance value of the coating layer is 1.times.10 .OMEGA. or less.

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to make good self-repair on which little secondary effect is exerted by calculating a manipulated variable of a parameter at the time of the repair by a functional amount in an image forming apparatus having a self-repair function. When a fault occurs, control-type repair for operating a physical parameter is first made. In this repair, the physical parameter to be operated is searched for (n3). If the physical parameter to be operated is determined, a manipulated variable of the physical parameter is then calculated by a functional amount (n4). The manipulated variable of the parameter by the functional amount is determined by adjusting the degree to which a plurality of functions are developed. Therefore, a manipulated variable in which the development of the functions is most preferable as the entire apparatus is determined. If the fault cannot be repaired by the control type repair, functional redundancy type repair is made (n6, n7, n8, n9).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning triboelectric negative toner particles from the photoreceptor surface without the need of a preclean corotron. To remove the residual particles, a first cleaning brush, in the direction of motion of the photoreceptor, is negatively biased to remove the positive (+) toner and charge the toner particles negative. Then, the second brush, in the direction of motion of the photoreceptor, is positively biased to remove the residual negative toner particles from the surface as the second brush contacts the surface.

Abstract: A device for regenerating a sheet-like recoding medium which feeds a printed sheet-like recording medium. A regenerating treatment unit eliminates a image formed on the recording medium. The recording medium is then discriminated and separated based on whether the regenerated recording medium is reusable or not and whether the regenerated recording medium is to be treated again by the regenerating treatment unit, and a storing unit stores the separated reusable recording medium. Further, a control section controls the regenerating treatment unit to treat the regenerated recording medium again when the regenerated recording medium is judged to be treated again by the regenerating treatment unit.

Abstract: A device is provided for storing a supply of particles for use in a developer unit of an electrophotographic printing machine. The device includes an open ended container which has a chamber in communication with the open end of the container. The particles are stored in the chamber of the container. The device also includes a feature associated with the container which extends substantially the length of the container, for urging the marking particles in the chamber toward the center of the chamber.

Abstract: A detector for detecting status quantities in processes of an image forming apparatus and a correction mechanism for changing parameters are connected to a controller. By virtue of this arrangement, the amount of current associated with a primary charging device in a latent-image process, the surface potential of a photoreceptor drum and a voltage correction coefficient are fed into the controller as status quantities. By using the entered status quantities as well as membership functions and fuzzy rules that have been stored in an internal memory of the controller, the controller executes fuzzy reasoning and outputs a signal indicating the failure rate or rate of erroneous setting of each processing element.