Abstract: A foreign matter removing apparatus includes: a removing plate disposed above a recording medium carriage path, a first sensor and a second sensor which interpose the removing plate therebetween at equal distances in a carriage direction of the recording medium and are disposed on both sides of the recording medium carriage direction, a first plate and a second plate which come in contact with each other at a position below the removing plate, and are disposed at positions opposed to the first sensor and the second sensor while interposing the recording medium carriage path therebetween so as to be opened and closed in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium carriage direction, a first driving roller disposed between the first sensor and the removing plate, and a second driving roller disposed between the second sensor and the removing plate.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an erasing apparatus includes: a recording medium sorting apparatus including a first conveyance guide having a curvature radius smaller than curvature radiuses of all curved surfaces present in a downstream direction in a recording medium conveying path, a second conveyance guide forming the recording medium conveying path in conjunction with the first conveyance guide and set to be capable of opening and closing the recording medium conveying path, and a displacing device configured to open and close the second conveyance guide; and a control unit. If the control unit determines that a jam occurs in the recording medium sorting apparatus, the control unit opens the second conveyance guide to collect a recording medium that causes the jam.

Abstract: An erasing device includes an image erasing portion that erases an erasable image which is printed on a sheet using an erasable color material, a reusability determination portion that determines whether or not to reuse the sheet obtained by erasing the erasable image by the image erasing portion; a sorting carrying portion that carries the determined sheets to a carrying destination for reusable sheets and a carrying destination for non-reusable sheets according to the determination result from the reusability determination portion; a common sheet cassette that can be used in an image forming apparatus and detachably installed in the carrying destination for reusable sheets, and that stacks and contains the sheets from the sorting carrying portion therein; a storage medium that is installed in the common sheet cassette; and a communication portion that stores information regarding the sheets contained in the common sheet cassette in the storage medium.

Abstract: There is provided a decoloring device including a decoloring unit, a first sheet conveying unit, a first sheet feed unit, a thickness detecting unit, a decolorability determining unit, and a second sheet feed unit. The first sheet conveying unit conveys the sheet to the decoloring unit. The first sheet feed unit feeds the sheet to the first sheet conveying unit. The decolorability determining unit determines whether or not the sheet which is subject to thickness detecting is decolorable by the decoloring unit based on a detection result in the thickness detecting unit. A second sheet feed unit is disposed at a downstream side in relation to the thickness detecting unit and at an upstream side in relation to the decoloring unit in a sheet conveying path by the first sheet conveying unit and feeds the sheet to the first sheet conveying unit.

Abstract: An image processing device has an image forming portion, a heating portion and a supplying portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a sheet. The heating portion heats the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming portion at a predetermined temperature, to thereby fix the image on the sheet. The supplying portion supplies the sheet on which an image is fixed previously. Further, the heating portion heats the sheet on which the image is fixed and which is supplied from the supplying portion at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature to thereby remove the image.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an erasing apparatus including a recording medium removing apparatus includes: a thickness sensor configured to change an output signal according to the thickness of a recording medium; a recording medium conveying mechanism configured to convey the recording medium; a recording medium removing mechanism provided downstream in a recording medium conveying direction of the thickness sensor and configured to remove the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveying direction; a control unit configured to remove, if the control unit determines that the recording medium is unconveyable, the recording medium from a recording medium conveying path with the recording medium removing mechanism; and a heating roller configured to heat the recording medium to temperature equal to or higher than erasing temperature.

Abstract: There is provided a decoloring device including a decoloring unit, a first sheet conveying unit, a pre-decoloring reading unit, a type determining unit, a second sheet conveying unit, a post-decoloring reading unit, a decoloring success or failure determining unit, and a determination criterion setting unit. The type determining unit determines the type of image on the sheet conveyed to the decoloring unit based on the reading result in the pre-decoloring reading unit. The post-decoloring reading unit reads an image on the sheet after the decoloring, which is conveyed by the second sheet conveying unit. The decoloring success or failure determining unit determines whether or not the decoloring in the decoloring unit is successful based on the reading result in the post-decoloring reading unit. The determination criterion setting unit sets a determination criterion in the decoloring success or failure determining unit, based on the type of image, which is determined by the type determining unit.

Abstract: There is provided a decoloring device including a decoloring unit, a first sheet conveying unit, a second sheet conveying unit, a reversing and conveying unit, a manual feed tray, and a manual discharge tray. The reversing and conveying unit is disposed adjacent to an outer wall of the decoloring device in relation to the first sheet conveying unit, and conveys once again the sheet, which is temporarily brought into the second sheet conveying unit after being decolored by the decoloring unit and is switch-back conveyed, to the first sheet conveying unit. The manual feed tray is provided at an outer wall side of the decoloring device adjacent to the reversing and conveying unit. The manual discharge tray is provided at a position of the outer wall side of the decoloring device adjacent to the reversing and conveying unit.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an erasing apparatus including a recording medium removing apparatus includes: a thickness determining unit configured to determine whether the thickness of a recording medium is equal to or larger than a first threshold, a conveyance guide forming a conveying path for the recording medium; a conveyance guide displacing device configured to lift the conveyance guide if the thickness determining device determines that the thickness of the recording medium is equal to or larger than the first threshold, and a removing mechanism configured to remove, from a recording medium conveying path, the recording medium determined as unconveyable.

Abstract: An image erasing apparatus includes a sheet stacking tray, a first sheet feeding roller, a pair of separation rollers, a pair of second sheet feeding rollers, a carrying detection sensor, a sheet carrying device, a heating device, and a stacking device. The pair of the separation rollers is provided downstream of the first sheet feeding roller configured to take in sheets from the sheet stacking tray and separates the sheets. The pair of the second sheet feeding rollers is provided downstream of the pair of the separation rollers and carries the sheets in the sheet carrying direction. The carrying detection sensor is provided in the vicinity of the pair of the second sheet feeding rollers and detects passing of the sheets. The heating device erases images formed on the sheets by heating the sheets to or above a color erasing temperature of a developer.

Abstract: An image erasing apparatus includes a scanning unit, a memory unit, an erasing unit, and a carrying unit. The scanning unit converts an image formed on a sheet into image data which is electronic data. The memory unit stores the image data converted by the scanning unit. The erasing unit erases the image formed on the sheet. The carrying unit carries the sheet to the scanning unit and the erasing unit in this order.

Abstract: A printing sheet reusability determination device includes a sheet carrying path that carries a second state sheet obtained by erasing an erasable image from a first state sheet on which the erasable image is printed, an imaging portion that images the second state sheet on the sheet carrying path, an illumination portion that illuminates the second state sheet on the sheet carrying path at a first irradiation angle when images remaining on the second state sheet are photographed, and at a second irradiation angle smaller than the first irradiation angle when a projected image generated by illuminating the second state sheet is photographed, an irradiation angle changing portion that changes the first irradiation angle and the second irradiation angle, and a reusability determination portion that determines whether or not to reuse the second state sheet based on imaging information obtained by the imaging of the imaging portion at the first irradiation angle and determines whether or not to reuse the second s

Abstract: There is provided a device detecting curling of a sheet, the device including a first guide member carrying the sheet; a second guide member including a carriage path that is broader than the carriage path of the first guide member and accepting the curling of the sheet; and sensors with detection ranges into which a portion of the curling of the sheet enters, in the carriage path of the second guide member.

Abstract: There is provided a print state detection device for a printed sheet surface including a sheet conveying path on which a sheet printed with an image is conveyed, a contact member that contacts with the surface of the sheet moving on the sheet conveying path, a contact state detecting part that detects a physical phenomenon occurring when the contact member contacts with the sheet, a separating part that separates the difference in the physical phenomenon occurring when the contact member comes into contact with the ground of the sheet surface and when the contact member comes into contact with an image, based on detection information obtained by the detection of the contact state detecting part, and a print state determining part that determines the print state of an image on one sheet based on separation information obtained by the separation by the separating part.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a hole punching section arranged orthogonally to a conveying path of a sheet, a moving mechanism which moves the hole punching section along a direction orthogonal to the conveying path, a detection unit which is arranged upstream from the hole punching section and which moves by being interlocked with the hole punching section and detects a lateral edge of the sheet conveyed thereto, and a control unit which controls the moving mechanism in accordance with the result of detection by the detection unit and varies the position of the hole punching section, thus controlling the punching processing position.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, an erasing apparatus includes a used sheet stacking tray, an image erasing unit, a stand-by tray, a stand-by tray driving unit, and an erased sheet stacking tray. The used sheet stacking tray stacks thereon a used sheet on which an image is formed using an erasable colorant of which a color is erased by a predetermined heating process. The image erasing unit performs the heating for the used sheet which is received one by one from the used sheet stacking tray and discharges an erased sheet from which the image formed on the used sheet is erased. The stand-by tray has a mechanism which can be driven in a predetermined direction and places thereon the erased sheet discharged by the image erasing unit. The stand-by tray driving unit drives the stand-by tray and enables the erased sheet to free-drop. The erased sheet stacking tray is disposed under the stand-by tray and stacks thereon the erased sheet which free-drops from the stand-by tray.

Abstract: In so-called an image forming apparatus of an in-body paper discharging type, a technology which improves convenience of handling of sheets discharged from the apparatus is provided. The holding unit holding a sheet received by a predetermined sheet receiver is moved between a sheet receiving position positioned above the discharge tray in a body for receiving the sheet discharged from the discharge port by the predetermined sheet receiver of the holding unit and a retracted position at which the holding unit is retracted from above the discharge tray so as to avoid the abutment with the sheet placed on the discharge tray.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a decolorizing device includes a first stacker to stack sheets to be decolorized images on the sheets, a second stacker arranged adjacent to the first stacker, wherein the sheets stacked on the first stacker is kept waiting on the second stacker in order to be decolorized the images, a pressing unit to urge the sheets stacked on the second stacker downward and keep the sheets stacked on the second stacker flat, an image decolorizing unit to decolorize the images on the sheets, and a sheet feed unit positioned on an upper surface of the pressing unit to convey the sheets pressed on the pressing unit from the second stacker to the image decolorizing unit.

Abstract: An image erasing apparatus includes: a paper feeding tray configured to feed a recording medium; a sensor group including a double-feed detection sensor configured to detect double feed of the recording medium and a media sensor configured to detect the thickness of the recording medium; a collecting device configured to drop the recording medium in the vertical direction and collect the recording medium; and a recording-medium conveying device configured to convey the recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image decoloring apparatus including a plurality of, at least three, sheet load portions, each of the portions being able to be loaded with a sheet, an decoloring portion which performs decoloring an image on a sheet formed with the decolorable colorant, a first sheet transfer portion which transfers the sheet loaded in each of the plurality of sheet load portions to the decoloring portion, and a second sheet transfer portion which transfers the sheet after the decoloring is performed thereto by the decoloring portion to each of the plurality of sheet load portions.