Abstract: A hinge mechanism of an image forming apparatus supporting a platen cover for holding an original at a fixed position on a platen glass includes a hinge unit for supporting the platen cover in such a manner that the platen cover can be opened and closed by swinging it up and down, a compression coil spring for biasing the platen cover in its opening direction, and a hinge holder attached to a housing of the apparatus for accommodating the compression coil spring. The hinge unit is provided with a hinge torque keeping mechanism which causes the compression coil spring to produce a specific amount of hinge torque to bias the platen cover in its opening direction even when the platen cover is closed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an apparatus body; a first unit which can be pulled/pushed from/to the body along a first direction and which includes at least a part of an image forming section for forming an image and/or of a sheet transporting section for transporting a sheet onto which the formed image is transferred, and; a second unit which can be pulled/pushed from/to the first unit along a second direction in a state where the first unit is pulled from the body, the second direction being different from the first direction; and a housing permitting mechanism for permitting the first unit to be pushed into the body by a predetermined operation, the housing permitting mechanism being provided for at least one of the body and the first unit.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a sheet transport path, a first unit, and a second unit. The sheet transport path guides a sheet from a sheet feeding section, through an image recording section, to a sheet output section. The sheet transport path includes a first path and a second path. The first unit is mounted detachably in a housing. The first unit is detached from the housing by being moved in a first direction toward the front of the housing. In the first unit, the first path is positioned. The second unit is mounted detachably in the first unit. The second unit is detached from the first unit by being moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with the first unit detached from the housing. In the second unit, the second path is positioned.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes first to fifth transport paths. The first path transports a sheet from a sheet feeding section to a sheet output section through a first confluence, an image recording section, a first bifurcation, and a second confluence in that order. The second path transports a sheet from the first bifurcation down to a switchback section through a second bifurcation and a third bifurcation in that order. The third path transports a sheet from the third bifurcation to the first confluence through a third confluence, and vice versa. The third path is positioned between the switchback section and a portion of the first transport path located in the image recording section. The fourth path transports a sheet from the second bifurcation to the third confluence, and vice versa. The fifth path transports a sheet from the second bifurcation to the second confluence.

Abstract: In an embodiment of the present invention, a pickup roller R1 makes soft contact to an upper surface of a manuscript by being lowered incrementally in four raising-lowering operations S1 to S4 in which, when an electromagnetic clutch connects, the pickup roller is lowered, while being rotated, to approach the upper surface of the top manuscript and, when the electromagnetic clutch disconnects, the pickup roller, while stopping to rotate, is raised away from the upper surface of the top manuscript by an amount smaller than a lowering amount. Between an electromagnetic clutch-side engaging portion and a pickup roller-side engaging portion of a torque limiter, an elastic member is arranged that suppresses drive power load fluctuation produced by disconnection/connection of the electromagnetic clutch and applies a biasing force in a direction to raise the pickup roller when the electromagnetic clutch disconnects.

Abstract: A sheet feeder device is provided with a pick-up roller driving section which is operative to position the pick-up roller into a retracted position spaced a predetermined distance apart from a stack of document sheets on a document tray before and after the operation for feeding the series of document sheets, into a sheet feed position in which the pick-up roller abuts against the stack of document sheets for feeding the document sheets at an occasion of feeding of each of the document sheets in the operation for feeding the series of document sheets, and into the standby position above and close to the height of a stack of a maximum load number of document sheets carried on the document tray during a period from a point in time just after feeding of one sheet to a point in time just before feeding of a succeeding sheet.

Abstract: An original reading device includes a registration roller located upstream of an original reading position in an original transport path for adjusting the timing of feeding an original to the original reading position. There is at least one original feed roller for transporting the original which has been fed from an original loading tray into the original transport path toward the registration roller. A rotary motion controller is also provided, and it causes the original feed roller closest to the registration roller to rotate when a rear part of the original close to a trailing edge thereof passes over the original feed roller closest to the registration roller.

Abstract: In the context of a structure wherein outer casing(s) is/are disposed so as to permit opening and closing about shaft(s), stopper member(s) and engagement piece(s) engaging with such stopper member(s) being disposed at such outer casing(s) so as to permit independent displacement in pivoting fashion about shaft(s) for each thereof, one end(s) of arm member(s) is/are supported by outer casing(s) so as to permit displacement in pivoting fashion, and shaft(s) of stopper member(s) is/are secured to other end(s) of such arm member(s). In addition, when bottom region(s) of stopper member(s) in engaged state(s) with engagement piece(s) abuts or abut and is/are pressed upward by original(s) loaded in original tray(s) during closing of outer casing(s) which had at least immediately prior thereto been in open state(s), this causes other end(s) of arm member(s) to be displaced upward in pivoting fashion, in accompaniment to which stopper member(s) is/are lifted upward.

Abstract: A hinge mechanism of an image forming apparatus supporting a platen cover for holding an original at a fixed position on a platen glass includes a hinge unit for supporting the platen cover in such a manner that the platen cover can be opened and closed by swinging it up and down, a compression coil spring for biasing the platen cover in its opening direction, and a hinge holder attached to a housing of the apparatus for accommodating the compression coil spring. The hinge unit is provided with a hinge torque keeping mechanism which causes the compression coil spring to produce a specific amount of hinge torque to bias the platen cover in its opening direction even when the platen cover is closed.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus in which the paper output portion is arranged under the scanner portion and over the main part including a paper feed cassette, image forming portion and control panel, a box-like paper output tray without lid is provided in the paper output portion. This paper output tray has a transparent shroud formed upright with respect to the tray bottom along the edge of the paper output tray and positioned at the front side of the image forming apparatus when the tray is folded up into the paper output portion. This paper output tray is pivotally supported on the main part by the vertical shaft arranged at the front right corner thereof. The paper output tray can swivel in the horizontal plane so that the printed sheets held in the paper output tray can be easily picked up by turning the tray forwards with respect to the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus in which the paper output portion is arranged under the scanner portion and over the main part including a paper feed cassette, image forming portion and control panel, a box-like paper output tray without lid is provided in the paper output portion. This paper output tray has a transparent shroud formed upright with respect to the tray bottom along the edge of the paper output tray and positioned at the front side of the image forming apparatus when the tray is folded up into the paper output portion. This paper output tray is pivotally supported on the main part by the vertical shaft arranged at the front right corner thereof. The paper output tray can swivel in the horizontal plane so that the printed sheets held in the paper output tray can be easily picked up by turning the tray forwards with respect to the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: The feed device includes: a feed tray for stacking a multiple number of sheets thereon; a feed roller for feeding sheets from the feed tray; and a frictional plate which is pivotally supported on a pivotal axle and urged by a pressure spring in order to prevent multiple delivery of sheets from being caused by feed roller. The pivotal axle of the frictional plate is disposed on the downstream side, with respect to the sheet feeding direction, of the pressure nip between the feed roller and frictional plate, and on the feed roller side with respect to the tangent line of the frictional plate to the feed roller.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus of simple structure which enables supply of paper onto a paper feeding tray and replacement of the paper thereon with an excellent operability. The paper feeding tray is rotated to be engaged with a locking piece of an engaging member and held at a standby position. At this position, the paper feeding tray presses the locking piece, while the engaging member rotates around a supporting shaft and a disengaging piece moves onto the rotational track of a disengaging element. After supplying paper onto the paper feeding tray or replacing the paper thereon, when a roller drive gear of the paper feeding roller rotates, the disengaging element presses the disengaging piece, the engaging member moves in the axial direction, the locking piece withdraws, and the locking piece is disengaged from the paper feeding tray, thereby returning the paper feeding tray to a paper feeding position.

Abstract: A spring clutch includes a driving-side boss integrally formed with a driving gear and a driven-side boss having a feed roller fixed. The driving-side and driven-side bosses are arranged on a common axis so as to be opposed to each other. A coil spring is wound on the peripheral side of the driving-side boss and driven-side boss. The spring clutch further has a sleeve fitted over the coil spring while a driving-side coil end of the coil spring is engaged with the sleeve. As rotation of the coil spring and the sleeve is restricted by a projection formed on the peripheral surface of the sleeve, the coil spring is idly fitted on the driving-side boss so that the rotation of the driving-side boss is not transmitted to the driven-side boss while the reverse rotation of the driven-side boss is restricted.

Abstract: A cassette size detecting mechanism in accordance with the present invention, comprises a cassette size detection block set 2 of blocks disposed on a cassette side; a switch operating mechanism 10, disposed on a copier body and activated by the block set 2; and switches 5 operated by the switch operating mechanism 10. The switch operating mechanism 10 comprises a plurality of actuator portions 10a functioning individually, a common holding portion 10b for holding each of the actuator portions 10a through a hinge portion 10c jointing the actuator portion 10a rotatably with the common holding portion 10c. These actuator portions 10a, common holding portion 10b are integrally formed of polypropylene material through hinge portions 10c.

Abstract: An automatic original document feeder is provided which feeds an original document placed on an original document table so as to invert the original document thus fed through an inverting transport section for its transport to an image exposing position with an image surface of the original document being inverted. A transport belt is provided for feeding the original document into the inverting transport section, and an original document stopper is provided for stopping the original document transported by the transport belt once at a position before it is fed into the inverting transport section in order to again transport, by the transport belt, the original document stopped by the original document stopper so as to be fed into the inverting transport section for transporting the inverted original document to the image exposing position.