Abstract: An image fixing apparatus includes a rotatable member for being heated by a heating source to fix an image on an image supporting member, first and second detecting elements responsive to temperature of the rotatable member, and wherein the first and second detecting elements are disposed on substantially the same circumferential line of the rotatable member.

Abstract: A driving mechanism for driving an electrophotographic photosensitive body operates through a torque limiter. The torque limiter is arranged on a support shaft for supporting the photosensitive body. A driving gear for driving a developing member is arranged coaxially with the torque limiter independently of the latter. This arrangement reduces the load applied to the torque limiter. In addition, the mechanism remains compact.

Abstract: An original scanning apparatus comrpises a scanning unit for scanning an original. The scanning unit has a mirror and a light source for illuminating the original. A connecting member is electrically connected to the scanning unit. A guide member supports and guides one end of the scanning unit. The guide member fixes a position of the one end of the scanning unit in a vertical direction. At least a part of a driving element is disposed at the position overlapping with the guide member in the vertical direction, but not overlapping with the mirror of the scanning unit. The connecting member is provided at the side of the guide member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cassette loading device for an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding portion within which a cassette for accommodating sheets is loaded, and a sheet feeding device arranged in the sheet feeding portion and adapted to feed the sheet from the cassette loaded within the sheet feeding portion. The cassette loading device has a guide for guiding the cassette to be loaded; a cassette shifting device rotatable along the guide means and having pins engageable with the cassette inserted into the sheet feeding portion; a driver for driving the cassette shifting device; vertical surfaces formed in the cassette and against which the pins are abutted to shift the cassette; and horizontal recesses formed in the cassette and adapted to direct the pins toward the vertical surfaces. The present invention further provides an image forming apparatus which includes an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the sheet being fed, and the above-mentioned cassette loading device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a sheet cassette for containing sheets is removably mounted to a body of the apparatus. The image forming apparatus comprises a frame structure having a pair of legs spaced apart from each other, a bottom plate arranged on the legs, a first side plate arranged at one ends of the legs and uprightly mounted on the bottom plate, a second side plate arranged in confronting relation to the first side plate at the other ends of the legs and having a lower end portion extending below the legs and covering the other ends of the legs, and stay members for interconnecting the first and second side plates at their upper portions.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for use in an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet support plate and one or more rotary members for separating and feeding sheets. A recessed portion is formed on the sheet support plate in a position opposing to each rotary member. A detachable auxiliary member is provided to be fitted in the recess to form a plane coplanar with that of the sheet support plate. An engaging device can be provided, to engage with a step portion formed in a cassette housing portion of the apparatus to keep the cassette from being entirely removed from the housing. The engaging device may, for example, include an elastic part and an engaging part integrally molded with each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising a first body and a second body which are openable or separable from each other. The apparatus contains a plurality of developing devices, each of which is movable between its developing position for developing a latent image on an image bearing member of the image forming apparatus and a retracted position where the developing device is retracted from the developing position. At least the developing device that is located at its developing position when the apparatus is closed, is moved away from the image bearing member in response to an operation for opening the second body relative to the first body.

Abstract: This specification discloses a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets from a sheet supporting bed such as a cassette or a deck, and more particularly a sheet feeding device having a sheet supporting bed holding sheets thereon and adapted to be removably mounted at a predetermined position in an image forming apparatus, a rotatable member for contacting the sheets on the sheet supporting bed and feeding the sheets when the sheet supporting bed is mounted at the predetermined position in the image forming apparatus, support means for supporting the rotatable member for idle rotation by a predetermined amount in a forward direction and a reverse direction, and intermittent means for intermittently connecting the support means to a drive source.

Abstract: A dry-type developing apparatus includes a developer container for accommodating a magnetic developer, the developer container being provided with an opening, developer carrying member, disposed in the opening, for carrying the magnetic developer out of the developer container. The developer carrying member including a magnetic field generating magnet which is provided with magnetic field generating portions having different polarities arranged in a direction of carrying the magnetic developer, a continuous elastic sheet including a contact portion for contacting the magnetic developer carrier out of the developer container by the developer carrying member. The elastic sheet having upstream and downstream portions which are respectively fixed to the developer container at positions upstream and downstream of the contact portion with respect to movement of the magnetic developer.

Abstract: A heating device having a heating roller for heat-treating an object to be heated or for heat-treating an object to be heated on a support member comprises a heat loss preventing device for preventing heat loss at the end portions of the roller, and a heating device provided internally or externally of the roller to efficiently heat the heating roller and secure a uniform heat distribution on the surface of the roller during heat treatment.

Abstract: An image fixing device, including first and second rotatable members for forming a nip therebetween, which transports from an entrance side to an exit side a recording material and fixes an image thereon; a mechanism for driving the first and second rollers; charge removing members having charge removing ends arranged along a longitudinal direction of the rotatable members and adjacent to a peripheral surface of the first rotatable member without contact thereto, the charge removing ends are within a region defined by the exist side ends of press-contact areas between the first rotatable member and the recording material and between the second rotatable member and the recording material, peripheral surfaces of the first and second rotatable members at the exit side, and a common tangent plane which is tangent to both of the peripheral surfaces of the first and second rotatable members at the exist side.

Abstract: A variable magnification copying apparatus capable of not only one-to-one magnification copying but also reduction copying, and particularly a variable magnification copying apparatus of the slit exposure scanning type which is capable of two or more types of reduction copying and which uses two movable mirrors and an in-mirror lens on the object side, characterized in that the optical axis of the in-mirror lens is set non-parallel to an original carriage to make the apparatus compact and during magnification change, the in-mirror lens and the second movable mirror are initially displaced by predetermined distances in predetermined directions, whereby the object point position and image point position of an image forming principal light ray on the original supporting surface and photosensitive surface are made fixed irrespective of the copying magnification.

Abstract: An image fixing device having at least a pair of rotatable members for fixing a toner image on an image supporting material. In order to provide a simple structure in which the image supporting material can be readily and positively removed during jamming or the like, the apparatus includes a discharge device selectively shiftable between a normal position and a temporal retracted position, a first power transmitting member for applying a driving force to one of the rotatable members, a second power transmitting member for applying a driving force from a source of power to the first power transmitting member, cooperating elements for positioning the first and second power transmitting members selectively at an operative position in which the members cooperate to transmit the driving force and at an inoperative position in which the first power transmitting member is separated from the second power transmitting member, and a manually operable member for rotating at least one of the pair of rotatable members.