Abstract: A pair of indentations is formed with a vertical spacing on a side wall of a toner cartridge, respective translucent windows are arranged on opposing upper and lower surfaces of the indentations protruding into the toner cartridge, and a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of a remaining toner sensor are inserted to the indentations such that the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the remaining toner sensor face each other via the translucent windows of the indentations.

Abstract: A particles supply apparatus is equipped with cylindrical particles discharge unit(s) provided with particles discharge outlet(s) at lower portion(s) thereof, and is equipped with cylindrical shutter cap(s) covering outside circumferential surface(s) of particles discharge unit(s). Shutter cap(s) is/are provided with opening(s) for opening and/or closing particles discharge outlet(s) of particles discharge unit(s), and shutter cap(s) is/are disposed so as to be capable of moving in substantially parallel fashion with respect to axial direction(s) of particles discharge unit(s) while rotating in helical fashion.

Abstract: A particles supply apparatus is equipped with cylindrical particles discharge unit(s) provided with particles discharge outlet(s) at lower portion(s) thereof, and is equipped with cylindrical shutter cap(s) covering outside circumferential surface(s) of particles discharge unit(s). Shutter cap(s) is/are provided with opening(s) for opening and/or closing particles discharge outlet(s) of particles discharge unit(s), and shutter cap(s) is/are disposed so as to be capable of moving in substantially parallel fashion with respect to axial direction(s) of particles discharge unit(s) while rotating in helical fashion.

Abstract: A pair of indentations is formed with a vertical spacing on a side wall of a toner cartridge, respective translucent windows are arranged on opposing upper and lower surfaces of the indentations protruding into the toner cartridge, and a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of a remaining toner sensor are inserted to the indentations such that the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the remaining toner sensor face each other via the translucent windows of the indentations.

Abstract: The length of a conveying sheet is set to be greater than the rotational radius of an agitating element so that the distal end of the conveying sheet will slide over the inner wall of the toner container. A slider element having a low frictional resistance is attached at the distal end of the conveying sheet. The slider element preferably has a low coefficient of dynamic friction and is preferably made of a soft resilient material having a thickness smaller than the conveying sheet. Cutouts or openings may be preferably formed at the distal part. A multiple number of ribs are attached to the wall surface of the toner container at the highest position at which the wall and the top plate meet. The ribs are arranged apart from each other in the direction parallel to the agitating shaft of the agitating element. Each rib is a plate-like element projected inward from the wall surface in the toner container with its width put in the direction of the spacing.

Abstract: A shutoff lid of a toner hopper is formed with locking elements for locking the lid and a fixing element for fixing the locking elements. In the front face of a bottle slider, a pair of projected abutments abutting the fixing element are arranged on the left and right sides and a pair of switching portions for moving the locking elements are formed. The rear face of the fixing element is shaped with a stepped face which corresponds to the projected abutments. As the bottle slider moves forwards, each projected abutment abuts the stepped face of the fixing element and moves the fixing element, to thereby cancel restraint of the fixing element on the locking elements. A further advancement of the bottle slider causes the locking elements to move and release the locked state. If a projected abutment does not match the fixing element, the fixing element cannot be moved thus making release of the lock impossible.

Abstract: In image forming, the ratio of foreign substances mixed in the recycled toner which is removed from the photoreceptor drum surface by means of the cleaning device is computed as one of the characteristics of the recycled toner, based on the paper size, the image area and the transfer efficiency. If the recycled toner has a high ratio of foreign substances mixed therein and is determined to have a low quality, collection of the recycled toner into the developing unit is temporarily interrupted and a fixed amount of toner is conveyed from the developing unit to the cleaning device so as to improve the quality of the recycled toner. In this way, recycled toner of a low quality is prohibited from being used for subsequent image forming operations so as to prevent degradation of the image quality.

Abstract: A housing accommodating a fur brush and a cleaning blade is pivoted to a position close to a photoconductive drum and at another position far from the photoconductive drum by positioning a positioning shaft. When the positioning shaft is slid for moving the positioning shaft away from a photoconductive drum, an operating member attached to the positioning shaft is put into contract with a pivoting lever to raise the pivoting lever away from the photoconductive drum. Since the pivoting lever is attached to a blade shaft, a cleaning blade attached to the blade shaft is pivoted away from the photoconductive drum.

Abstract: A movable frame is mounted on a stationary frame so as to be reciprocatingly moved in a predetermined direction by a moving means. The movable frame is equipped with a plurality of developing mechanisms which may be selectively located at a developing position by the motion of the movable frame to carry out multi-color developing. The developing mechanisms are urged toward a rotary drum. In order to prevent the developing agent from scattering, side sealing pieces are provided near the non-developing operation region on both sides of a sleeve member in a magnetic brush mechanism of each developing mechanism. A toner container unit including toner containers and toner feeding means is rotatably supported by the stationary frame. The toner feeding means includes a extensible and contractible means which is detachably coupled to the developing mechanism.

Abstract: A movable frame is mounted on a stationary frame so as to be reciprocatingly moved in a predetermined direction by a moving means. The movable frame is equipped with a plurality of developing mechanisms which may be selectively located at a developing position by the motion of the movable frame to carry cut multi-color developing. The developing mechanisms are urged toward a rotary drum. In order to prevent the developing agent from scattering, side sealing pieces are provided near the non-developing operation region on both sides of a sleeve member in a magnetic brush mechanism of each developing mechanism. A toner container unit including toner containers and toner feeding means is rotatably supported by the stationary frame. The toner feeding means includes a extensible and contractible means which is detachably coupled to the developing mechanism.

Abstract: A movable frame is mounted on a stationary frame so as to be reciprocatingly moved in a predetermined direction by a moving means. The movable frame is equipped with a plurality of developing mechanisms which may be selectively located at a developing position by the motion of the movable frame to carry out multi-color developing. The developing mechanisms are urged toward a rotary drum. In order to prevent the developing agent from scattering, side sealing pieces are provided near the non-developing operation region on both sides of a sleeve member in a magnetic brush mechanism of each developing mechanism. A toner container unit including toner containers and toner feeding means is rotatably supported by the stationary frame. The toner feeding means includes a extensible and contractible means which is detachably coupled to the developing mechanism.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic brush developing method using a two-component developer, characterized in that the development is carried out under such conditions that at the position where the sliding contact of the magnetic brush with the surface of the photosensitive material drum terminates, the following requirement is satisfied:P.sub.x .gtoreq.430, orP.sub.x <430 and P.sub.y .gtoreq.-P.sub.x +800,wherein P.sub.x represents the magnetic force (Gauss) acting in the tangential direction on the surface of the developing sleeve, and P.sub.y represents the magnetic force (Gauss) acting in the normal line direction on the surface of the developing sleeve.

Abstract: Disclosed is a developing process using a two-component type magnetic developer, where the main pole of developing magnetic poles in the developing sleeve is arranged upstream of the position, where a photosensitive drum becomes closest to the developing sleeve, in the rotation direction of the developing sleeve, this closest position between the drum and the developing sleeve is included in a region where the flux density in the magnetic force distribution of the main pole decreases toward the downstream side in the rotation direction of the sleeve, an alternating current voltage is applied between the developing sleeve and the drum to form an alternating electric field between the highest voltage and lowest voltage of the electrostatic latent image and in this state the development is carried out. According to this process, the conditions required for the supply of the developer are considerably moderated and an image having a high quality can be advantageously obtained.

Abstract: A multicolor developing device having a plurality of developing mechanisms for executing developing with differrent colors. The developing device includes a stationary frame member, a movable frame member mounted on the stationary frame member to reciprocally move in a predetermined direction, and a moving device for reciprocally moving the movable frame member. The plurality of developing mechanisms are mounted on the movable frame member and maintaining a distance in the said predetermined direction. Any one of the plurality of developing mechanisms is selectively positioned at a developing zone depending on the movement of the movable frame member. The moving device includes a screw device having a threaded shaft extending in the predetermined direction and a nut engaged with the threaded shaft, a stepping motor for rotating the threaded shaft, and a nonexcited operation-type electromagnetic brake.

Abstract: Guided through a sliding member by a guide member set before a photoreceptor, a plurality of developing units approach the photoreceptor in turn and face the photoreceptor, thereby to develop, at an open portion of the guide member with being projected by an enforcing member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to various improvements in a scanning optical device having a pair of supporting members spaced from each other in a width-wise direction and an optical element assembly mounted reciprocably on the pair of supporting means. According to one aspect of the invention, the optical element assembly includes a supporting frame having optical elements mounted on it and support portions to be supported by the pair of supporting members, and at least one of the support portions is mounted on the supporting frame such that its position can be freely adjusted. According to another aspect of the invention, the optical element assembly is reciprocated by a front and a rear power transmission mechanism, and the front and rear power transmission mechanisms and a common driving source are disposed between a front and a rear upstanding base plate in which the pair of supporting members are provided.

Abstract: A supporting apparatus for optical unit having an optical unit to expose an original set on a contact glass, a reciprocatingly movable supporting frame body equipped with the optical unit, a sliding member provided on both ends of the supporting frame body, and an eccentric cam mechanism provided on one end of the supporting frame body to vertically adjust one of the sliding member. By operating the eccentric cam mechanism, one end of the supporting frame body can be adjusted to a desired height so as to enable to adjust horizontality of the optical unit mounted on the supporting frame body. Furthermore, because a large gap is provided between a pair of sliding members provided on one end of each supporting frame body and the ends of the two supporting frame bodies where the sliding members are mounted are mutually disposed at reverse side, both supporting frame bodies can be caused to come as close at their home positions as possible.

Abstract: A document size detecting device with the arm which folds by interlocking with the reciprocating motion of the optical system of the image forming apparatus and extends and contracts by interlocking with the reciprocating motion of the optical system. The optical sensor for detection of the document size is installed at a prescribed position of the arm and the feeder line for the light source is held. Therefore, the special mechanism for holding the feeder line is not necessary and it is possible to achieve simplified construction of the image forming apparatus. Also, because the feeder line is caused to curve along the outside of the arm at the rotating section thereof, it is possible to provide a large radius of the bent portion of the feeder line, there will be no considerably concentrated stress which is locally applied to the feeder line, therefore the life of the feeder line can be extended.