Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes the following. A measuring unit measures a physical property of media as a target on which an image is formed. An image forming operator forms an image on the media. A hardware processor controls an operation of the image forming operator and extracts a candidate of a type of media based on a measured result by the measuring unit. An operation receiver receives input to specify one type from the candidate extracted by the hardware processor. The hardware processor controls the image forming operator to form on the media an identification image determined according to a combination of the extracted candidates.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for separating and conveying documents from a bundle of documents, causing the document to pass through a reading position, and reading an image from the document, includes: a reading translucent plate; a rotation member capable of rotating around a shaft; and a rotation driver that rotates the rotation member, wherein in the rotation member, each of: a cleaning member; a white reference area; and an end portion detection area is formed partially with regard to a circumferential direction, the cleaning member and the end portion detection area are arranged adjacent to each other, the rotation driver is arranged so that the end portion detection area faces an opposing surface, and the rotation member is rotated in a paper interval period from when a trailing edge of the document passes the reading position to when a leading edge of a subsequent document reaches the reading position.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus has a reference roller, a detection roller, and a detection sensor. The detection roller can move, and makes contact with the reference roller, facing the reference roller. The detection sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the displacement of the detection roller. The sheet is conveyed to a nip portion of the pair of rollers. At this time, the timing when an edge portion of the sheet being conveyed passes through the nip portion is detected. In response to the timing detected, the thickness of the sheet is detected, based on the signal output from the detection sensor.

Abstract: Provided is a document conveyance apparatus that conveys a document along a document conveyance path including a reading position at which an image on a surface of the document is read, the document conveyance apparatus including: a hardware processor; an end detector that detects an angle of a corner portion of a front edge of the document; and an inclination detector that detects an amount of inclination of the front edge, wherein, in a case where it has been determined that the corner portion of the front edge includes a right angle portion on the basis of information obtained from the end detector, the hardware processor determines the amount of inclination of the front edge obtained from the inclination detector as an amount of inclination of the document, and performs inclination correction of the image read at the reading position.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for separating and conveying documents from a bundle of documents, causing the document to pass through a reading position, and reading an image from the document, includes: a reading translucent plate; a rotation member capable of rotating around a shaft; and a rotation driver that rotates the rotation member, wherein in the rotation member, each of: a cleaning member; a white reference area; and an end portion detection area is formed partially with regard to a circumferential direction, the cleaning member and the end portion detection area are arranged adjacent to each other, the rotation driver is arranged so that the end portion detection area faces an opposing surface, and the rotation member is rotated in a paper interval period from when a trailing edge of the document passes the reading position to when a leading edge of a subsequent document reaches the reading position,

Abstract: An image forming apparatus as a sheet conveying apparatus comprises a paper feeding roller, an upstream side sensor, and an ultrasonic wave sensor. The paper feeding roller provides a plurality of sheets placed on a document tray in series to a conveying path. The upstream side sensor detects presence or absence of a sheet being conveyed along the conveying path, at a location of a downstream side of the paper feeding roller along the conveying path. The ultrasonic wave sensor detects presence or absence of occurrence of multiple feed, based on intensity of ultrasonic waves received at a location of a downstream side of the upstream side sensor along the conveying path.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus has a reference roller, a detection roller, and a detection sensor. The detection roller can move, and makes contact with the reference roller, facing the reference roller. The detection sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the displacement of the detection roller. The sheet is conveyed to a nip portion of the pair of rollers. At this time, the timing when an edge portion of the sheet being conveyed passes through the nip portion is detected. In response to the timing detected, the thickness of the sheet is detected, based on the signal output from the detection sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus as a sheet conveying apparatus comprises a paper feeding roller, an upstream side sensor, and an ultrasonic wave sensor. The paper feeding roller provides a plurality of sheets placed on a document tray in series to a conveying path. The upstream side sensor detects presence or absence of a sheet being conveyed along the conveying path, at a location of a downstream side of the paper feeding roller along the conveying path. The ultrasonic wave sensor detects presence or absence of occurrence of multiple feed, based on intensity of ultrasonic waves received at a location of a downstream side of the upstream side sensor along the conveying path.

Abstract: A serial tandem image forming system is described which is capable of inhibiting both the degradation of image quality and the reduction of the productivity. This system consists mainly of the control units of upstream and downstream apparatuses. When a preceding sheet differs from the subsequent sheet in sheet type, a control unit for controlling the image forming system has the subsequent sheet stand by at a paper stop roller of the upstream apparatus, and performs the operation of switching the operating states of the upstream and downstream apparatuses in accordance with the sheet type of the subsequent sheet. Also, the control unit predicts the timing of finishing the switching of the operating state, and then re-starts the conveyance of the subsequent sheet, in advance of finishing the switching of the operating state, by controlling the paper stop roller on the basis of the predicted finishing timing.

Abstract: An image forming system having a preceding stage apparatus for forming a toner image on a paper sheet, and a subsequent stage apparatus, connected downstream of the preceding stage apparatus, for forming a toner image on the paper sheet ejected from the preceding stage apparatus, includes: a first maintenance counter correlating with a part, subject to maintenance, in the preceding stage apparatus; a second maintenance counter correlating with a part, subject to maintenance, in the subsequent stage apparatus, in response to the first maintenance counter; a counter control section for increasing a count value of the first and the second maintenance counters by a first and a second designated value, respectively, in response to formation of a toner image on the paper sheet; and a setting section for setting the first and second designated values individually based on an operation mode of the image forming system.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus receives setting of an object to be adjusted, on an adjustment object selection screen when selecting an adjustment mode. After the object to be adjusted is set, camera(s) photograph(s) the object to be adjusted so that the image forming apparatus obtains photographed data of current object to be adjusted. Next, the apparatus searches photographed data of the object to be adjusted in the ideal state thereof from the database. Name of the object to be adjusted and related information in the photographed data agree with those of the photographed data of current object to be adjusted. The higher ranked related information is preferentially searched and it is determined whether or not pieces of the higher ranked related information thus preferentially searched agree with each other.

Abstract: A sheet of paper is set on a paper-supplying portion of a top surface gloss processing apparatus while its top surface is faced upward. A gloss level sensor measures gloss level of the top surface of the sheet of paper. Data of this measurement is compared with a previously set threshold value. Based on this comparison, it is determined whether or not the gloss processing has been performed on the top surface thereof. When determining that the gloss processing has been already performed, a warning message such that the gloss processing has been already performed on the top surface of the sheet, of paper is displayed on a screen. On the other hand, when determining that the gloss processing has not performed, the top surface gloss processing apparatus performs the gloss processing on the top surface thereof.

Abstract: A serial tandem image forming system is described which is capable of inhibiting both the degradation of image quality and the reduction of the productivity. This system consists mainly of the control units of upstream and downstream apparatuses. When a preceding sheet differs from the subsequent sheet in sheet type, a control unit for controlling the image forming system has the subsequent sheet stand by at a paper stop roller of the upstream apparatus, and performs the operation of switching the operating states of the upstream and downstream apparatuses in accordance with the sheet type of the subsequent sheet. Also, the control unit predicts the timing of finishing the switching of the operating state, and then re-starts the conveyance of the subsequent sheet, in advance of finishing the switching of the operating state, by controlling the paper stop roller on the basis of the predicted finishing timing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus receives setting of an object to be adjusted, on an adjustment object selection screen when selecting an adjustment mode. After the object to be adjusted is set, camera(s) photograph(s) the object to be adjusted so that the image forming apparatus obtains photographed data of current object to be adjusted. Next, the apparatus searches photographed data of the object to be adjusted in the ideal state thereof from the database. Name of the object to be adjusted and related information in the photographed data agree with those of the photographed data of current object to be adjusted. The higher ranked related information is preferentially searched and it is determined whether or not pieces of the higher ranked related information thus preferentially searched agree with each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance section having a sheet storing member to store sheets that have been aligned in a prescribed placing direction, which conveys a sheet stored in the sheet storing member; an image forming section having an image carrier, which forms an image on the image carrier; an image transfer section which transfers the image formed on the image carrier onto a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section; a winding detection section which detects whether or not the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section is wound around the image carrier; and a controller which controls to instruct an operator to conduct a change operation of the placing direction of the sheets stored in the sheet storing member based on a sheet winding detection signal outputted from the winding detection section.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding tray to store sheets for image forming; a sheet feeding section to feed the sheets form the sheet feeding tray so as to supply the sheets for the image forming; and a control section to individually administer remaining sheets stored in the sheet feeding tray in advance and replenishment sheets replenished when the sheet feeding tray is replenished with the sheets in a state where the sheets stored in the sheet feeding tray in advance is remaining. Whereby, a JOB can be continued or aborted appropriately with reference to information and remaining amounts of remaining sheets and replenishment sheets in one sheet feeding tray, since the information and the remaining amounts are administered individually.

Abstract: A sheet of paper is set on a paper-supplying portion of a top surface gloss processing apparatus while its top surface is faced upward. A gloss level sensor measures gloss level of the top surface of the sheet of paper. Data of this measurement is compared with a previously set threshold value. Based on this comparison, it is determined whether or not the gloss processing has been performed on the top surface thereof. When determining that the gloss processing has been already performed, a warning message such that the gloss processing has been already performed on the top surface of the sheet, of paper is displayed on a screen. On the other hand, when determining that the gloss processing has not performed, the top surface gloss processing apparatus performs the gloss processing on the top surface thereof.

Abstract: A sheet of paper is set on a paper-supplying portion of a back surface gloss processing apparatus while its top surface is faced upward. A gloss level sensor measures a gloss level of a back surface of the sheet of paper. Data of this measurement is compared with a previously set threshold value. When this measurement result does not exceed the threshold value, it is determined that the gloss processing has not been performed on the back surface thereof. It is then determined whether or not the presently set operation mode is a top surface gloss processing mode. When determining that the present operation mode is not the top surface gloss processing mode, the operation mode is automatically changed from a presently set back surface gloss processing mode to the top surface gloss processing mode.

Abstract: There are provided a plurality of sheet feed trays in which sheets are stored, a sheet feeding section which enables a continuous sheet feeding of sheets stored in the above sheet feed tray, and a control section which controls the above sheet feeding section and has an auto tray switch function, and the aforesaid control section obtains information on an amount of sheets stored in the above sheet feed tray, during a continuous sheet feeding from the above sheet feed tray, and judges whether or not the amount of the remaining sheets in the above sheet feed tray satisfies the prescribed condition. In the case where the above prescribed condition is satisfied, the control section stops motion of sheet feeding from the above sheet feed tray while leaving sheets in the above sheet feed tray.

Abstract: An image forming system having a preceding stage apparatus for forming a toner image on a paper sheet, and a subsequent stage apparatus, connected downstream of the preceding stage apparatus, for forming a toner image on the paper sheet ejected from the preceding stage apparatus, includes: a first maintenance counter correlating with a part, subject to maintenance, in the preceding stage apparatus; a second maintenance counter correlating with a part, subject to maintenance, in the subsequent stage apparatus, in response to the first maintenance counter; a counter control section for increasing a count value of the first and the second maintenance counters by a first and a second designated value, respectively, in response to formation of a toner image on the paper sheet; and a setting section for setting the first and second designated values individually based on an operation mode of the image forming system.