Abstract: A stencil discharge apparatus for a stencil printing machine has a discharge box for storing a predetermined amount of stencil sheets after being peeled off from a printing drum so as to discharge the stencil sheets. The stencil discharge apparatus includes a compressing device for compressing the stencil sheets discharged into the discharge box through motion of a compressing plate; a compressing pressure sensing device for sensing and outputting a compressing pressure of the compressing means; a moving amount sensing means for sensing and outputting an amount of motion of the compressing plate; and a control device for calculating a storing amount of the stencil sheets in the discharge box on the basis of sensing a predetermined pressure through the compressing pressure sensing device and an amount of motion sensed by the moving amount sensing device.

Abstract: A printer includes a printing mechanism and an ink container. The ink container includes a cylinder having a side wall and provided with an ink discharge port in its front end face, a piston received in the cylinder to be slidable along the side wall of the cylinder, and ink between the piston and the front end face in the cylinder. An LED projects light onto the side wall of the cylinder in a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder, and a phototransistor is positioned near a rear end face of the cylinder to be adapted to receive the light projected by the LED and passing through the side wall of the cylinder only once, and outputs an electric signal upon receipt of light. The remainder of ink in the ink container is detected on the basis of the output of the phototransistor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus such as a printer and a copier has rotating devices such as a drum and a press roller to print an image on a paper sheet while rotating and a paper-transporting mechanism having guide rollers and timing rollers for transporting a paper sheet to these rotary devices, controlled by a control device such that irregularities in the printed images due to fluctuations in the speed of transportation of the paper sheets. The guide rollers may be operated to transport the paper sheet at a faster speed than the paper sheet is transported by the rotary devices such that the paper sheet becomes bent before being delivered to the rotary devices to be printed on. The control may be such that the guide rollers transport the paper sheet while the timing rollers downstream is released from the transportation of paper sheets. The control device may also operate so as to stop the guide rollers when the paper sheet comes to a position where the rotary devices can start transporting it.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus such as a printer and a copier has rotating devices such as a drum and a press roller to print an image on a paper sheet while rotating and a paper-transporting mechanism having guide rollers and timing rollers for transporting a paper sheet to these rotary devices, controlled by a control device such that irregularities in the printed images due to fluctuations in the speed of transportation of the paper sheets. The guide rollers may be operated to transport the paper sheet at a faster speed than the paper sheet is transported by the rotary devices such that the paper sheet becomes bent before being delivered to the rotary devices to be printed on. The control may be such that the guide rollers transport the paper sheet while the timing rollers downstream is released from the transportation of paper sheets. The control device may also operate so as to stop the guide rollers when the paper sheet comes to a position where the rotary devices can start transporting it.

Abstract: A printer includes a printing mechanism and an ink container. The ink container includes a cylinder having a side wall and provided with an ink discharge port in its front end face, a piston received in the cylinder to be slidable along the side wall of the cylinder, and ink between the piston and the front end face in the cylinder. An LED projects light onto the side wall of the cylinder in a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder, and a phototransistor is positioned near a rear end face of the cylinder to be adapted to receive the light projected by the LED and passing through the side wall of the cylinder only once, and outputs an electric signal upon receipt of light. The remainder of ink in the ink container is detected on the basis of the output of the phototransistor.

Abstract: A sheet sorter includes a plurality of bins arranged in a vertical direction each of which receives a plurality of sheets discharged from an image recording apparatus and forms thereon a stack of sheets. A sheet transfer mechanism transfers the sheets discharged from the image recording apparatus, and an indexer receives the sheets from the sheet transfer mechanism and distributes the sheets to the respective bins through the sheet inlet ends. A sheet stack ejector mechanism ejects the stack of sheets on each of the bins beyond the sheet inlet end of the bin by a predetermined length, thereby giving a stapler access to the stack of sheets. The ejector mechanism includes a guide rail which extends in a vertical direction through the bins, and a sheet stack ejector member which is mounted on the guide rail to be movable up and down along the guide rail and is adapted to eject the stacks of sheets on the respective bins one by one toward the stapler.

Abstract: A stencil printer includes a rotary printing drum around which the stencil master is wrapped, a main motor which rotates the printing drum, a press roller which is rotatable in parallel to the printing drum in contact with the printing drum, and a pair of opposed conveyor rollers which feed a printing paper between the printing drum and the press roller so that the leading end of the printing paper meets the printing drum in a predetermined position of the printing drum. A conveyor roller motor is provided separately from the main motor and drives the conveyor rollers. A reference position sensor detects a reference position on the printing drum, a printing drum rotation detector detects rotation of the printing drum on the basis of the reference position, and a conveyor roller rotation detector detects rotation of at least one of the conveyor rollers.