Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller for controlling at least a photoconductor drum and a fuser to operate independently of each other. In such an apparatus, at least one of the photoconductor drum and the fuser is provided with an electrical or mechanical member, such as a clutch for selectively coupling a driving system and a rotary member, which is operative independently, and the controller provides such a control that the electrical or mechanical members of the photoconductor drum and the fuser are responsive to signals applied thereto to start or stop the operations independently in timing, respectively.

Abstract: An electrophotographic recording apparatus includes a plurality of light emitting elements each for irradiating a photoconductive surface of a photoconductor and each having one-luminescent portion per chip; and a driver for reciprocating a carriage in rightward and leftward directions along an arrangement direction of the light emitting elements and in forward and backward directions along a moving direction of the photoconductive surface of the photoconductor.

Abstract: An electrophotographic printer which includes a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoconductor by adhering a developer thereto, a cleaning device for collecting the developer which remains on the photoconductor for reuse after the transference of the developer, and a toner recycling route for flowing the collected developer from the cleaning device back to the developing device by gravity. The photoconductor is exposed to a light source prior to the developer being applied to the surface of the photoconductor.

Abstract: A color ink ribbon has a plurality of color areas and a plurality of black areas alternatively arranged on the ribbon in longitudinal direction thereof and each having a length greater than the width of the ribbon. The color areas are each subdivided in width into a plurality of strip-like areas each being impregnated with or coated with ink of particular color, i.e., yellow, magenta or cyan. The black areas are each impregnated with or coated with black ink over the entire width thereof. A color printer using the ribbon has a print head provided with heating elements which are arranged on an area corresponding to the entire width of the ribbon. The black areas of the ribbon are provided with a greater width than the color areas, so that black image data may be printed out continuously or on a plurality of lines at a time without the ribbon being fed.

Abstract: A non-magnetic one-component developer suitable for use in a contact or non-contact development system. The developer comprises 100 parts by weight of colored fine particles, which comprises a binder resin and a colorant, and 0.3-10 parts by weight of at least one fine inorganic powder selected from (i) a fine inorganic powder (I) obtained by subjecting a fine inorganic powder having an average particle size of 0.1-10 .mu.m and a heating loss (under drying conditions of 150.degree. C. and 1 hour) of at most 1 wt.% to a hydrophobicity-imparting treatment with a silicone oil and (ii) a fine inorganic powder (II) obtained by subjecting a fine inorganic powder having an average particle size of 0.1-10 .mu.m to a two-step hydrophobicity-imparting treatment with at least one compound selected from silane coupling agents and silazane compounds and then further with a silicone oil.

Abstract: A thermal printer has a body with a carrying mechanism for carrying a printing sheet, a driver for driving a narrow ink ribbon, a serial-type printing head for printing on the printing sheet and a controller for controlling the carrying mechanism, the driver and the printing head. An expendable cartridge is attached on the body for housing a narrow thermal ink ribbon and cut or rolled printing paper sheets in respective compartments thereof. The ribbon is exposed partially and is able to be wound up and let out. In this way, when the cartridge is attached on the body, the carrying mechanism confronts the printing sheet, the printing head confronts the exposed portion of the ink ribbon, and is engaged with the ink ribbon driver.

Abstract: An automatic renting apparatus is for automatically renting rental articles and restoring returned rental articles. The automatic renting apparatus stores information concerning rental articles that have been rented out, rental articles to supplement or replace the stock, and the scheduled date of replacement or supplement. When the patron subscribes in advance for a rental article, information is displayed on a display unit to enable the patron to select a desired rental article for which the patron desires to make advance subscription. Upon the selection of the desired rental article and a desired renting date by the patron, information concerning the desired rental article and the desired renting date is stored in a subscription information storage unit.

Abstract: An electrophotographic recording apparatus records an image on a recording paper, either a cut recording sheet or a continuous recording paper, through steps of feeding the recording paper along a paper feed plane exclusively for the recording paper, stopping the recording paper upon the arrival of the same at a predetermined, exclusive starting position, forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor by an exposure unit as the photoconductor is rotated at a fixed surface speed, developing the electrostatic latent image in a toner image by a developing unit by applying a toner charged in a polarity opposite that of the electrostatic latent image, restarting the feed of the recording paper at a feed seed corresponding to the surface speed of the photoconductor upon the arrival of the first line of the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor at a position which will coincide with a fixed recording position on the recording paper at a transfer position, transferring the toner image fro

Abstract: In an apparatus for processing embossed characters on an embossed card, a sensing head has sensing wires extending generally parallel with each other in a first direction, the tips of the sensing wires disposed at different positions along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The sensing wires are repeatedly actuated toward their tips. Advancement of each sensing wire exceeding a predetermined distance is detected and electrical signals indicating the results of detection are produced. The embossed card is moved relative to the sensing head in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions, with the surface of the embossed card held parallel with the second and third directions, and close to the tips of the sensing wires.

Abstract: A printer capable of simultaneously forming planographic printing surface and printing ink images. The printer comprises a control unit, a plate feeding unit for continuously feeding a printing plate formed by coating an oil-repellent sheet with a fusible lipophilic thermal film, a plate making unit having a thermal head for locally and selectively heating lipophilic thermal film according to electric signals to remove portions of the lipophilic thermal film to make a planographic printing surface having a printing area, an inking unit having an inking roller for applying a liquid ink to the planographic printing surface of the printing plate, a transfer unit comprising a platen roller for continuously feeding a recording medium, and a pressure roller for pressing the planographic printing surface of the printing plate against the recording medium to transfer the inked pattern of the printing area to the recording medium.

Abstract: An electronic print board apparatus optically reads characters and figures, etc., written on a plate surface to scale down and print them, and includes a writing unit, a frame, a scanning unit, and a printer. The writing unit is divided into two sections, each of which has a plurality of stacked writable flat plates, a writing surface being formed by a front row of the two sections. The writing surface can be changed by rotating and moving one flat plate of the two flat plates located in the front row to the position of the other flat plate. The scanning unit is supported movably on the frame and includes a drive for causing such movement, a read unit having a sensor for generating a read signal, a synchronization device for synchronizing the scanning by the read unit with the speed of movement of the scanning unit, a battery for supplying power, and a transmitter for transmitting the read signal. The scanning unit optically scans the writing surface and issues the read signal.

Abstract: An active antioxydant containing a compound shown by structural formula ##STR1## is produced by applying an acid catalyst to sesamolin substantially in the absence of active hydrogen compounds.

Abstract: A color recording medium package for use on a heat transfer color printer in producing multicolor print. The color recording medium package comprises a recording sheet supporting member, a recording sheet supported on the recording sheet supporting member, an endless color ink ribbon having a plurality of color sections respectively coated with a plurality of color inks, and put on the recording sheet supporting member so as to extend for sliding movement around the recording sheet supporting member, a ribbon feed member associated with the color ink ribbon to locate the color sections sequentially in front of the recording sheet supported on the recording sheet supporting member, and a cassette accommodating the assembly of the recording sheet supporting member, the recording sheet, the color ink ribbon and the ribbon feed member.

Abstract: A planar thermal head and a thermal display incorporating it comprising a plurality of parallel first electrode lines formed on one side of an electrically resistive layer, and a plurality of parallel second electrode lines formed on the other side of the resistive layer the second electrode lines are oriented to intersect the first parallel electrode lines. A pair of electrodes respectively constituted of part of or connected to one of the first electrode lines and one of the second electrode lines are positioned on opposite sides of the resistive layer for causing a current flow through the resistive layer, and a part of the resistive layer through which a current is made to flow by the pair of electrodes forms a thermal dot.

Abstract: A recording medium package for use on a heat transfer printer.

Abstract: A face and back mechanism for coordinating the faces and backs of sheets has a rotating and moving device capable of holding sheets, a conveying passage feeding the sheets into the rotating and moving device, a stopper for stopping the sheets held by the rotating and moving device at a prescribed position, and an extracting and conveying-out device for extracting each of the stopped sheets from the rear end thereof and conveying it out. Any sheets to be reversed are reversed in a short period of time, and conveyed in the direction of a joint point of convergenge of the conveying passage and a bypassing passage.

Abstract: A serial printer having a platen (5) and a carriage (4) having a printer head (6) with a plurality of aligned print needles close to the platen (5) for mosaic printing is disclosed. According to the present invention, an ink ribbon is in a detachable ribbon cartridge (3) under tension, and the printer head (6) has a smooth slope at the top of the head (5) that slopes towards the platen, thus, when the ribbon cartridge is put on the printer, the ink ribbon is temporarily twisted at the top of the slope on the head (6), and by swinging the printer head (5) a few times along the platen (6), the ink ribbon (1) at the top of the slope slides down along the slope into the narrow gap between the head (6) and the platen (6), and thus, the ink ribbon (1) is positioned in front of the print needles.

Abstract: A carriage moving mechanism includes a carriage movably mounted on a guide shaft, a travelling motor fixedly mounted on the carriage, the travelling motor including a pinion mounted on a rotary shaft thereof, a rack provided in substantially parallel to the guide shaft, the rack being rigid longitudinally and flexible in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal direction, the rack having longitudinally a tooth part engaged with the pinion, the surface of the rack located on the opposite side of the surface of the tooth part being substantially parallel to the guide shaft, a roller rotatably mounted on the carriage, the roller radially facing to the pinion and making contact with the opposite side surface to the tooth surface of the rack, the rack being rotatably mounted on the frame in one end thereof and restricted by the frame in the other end thereof in the extent of moving thereof or directly fixed on the frame in the other end thereof.

Abstract: A thermal printer includes a fixed planar thermal head composed of heating elements disposed in an area corresponding to one page, a detachable unitary ink donor ribbon assembly including a frame and an ink donor ribbon movably disposed in the frame and having a plurality of color zones, the ink donor ribbon being positioned in confronting relation to the planar thermal head, and a detachable unitary print paper storage assembly composed of a paper cartridge and print paper stored therein, and including a presser for holding the print paper in contact with the ink donor ribbon in a printing mode and for keeping the print paper out of contact with the ink donor ribbon in a non-printing mode. The planar thermal head and the print paper are prevented from relative movement in the printing mode until one-page printing is effected on the print paper. The print paper may comprise a stack of separate sheets or a roll of continuous print paper.

Abstract: A paper tractor feeds print paper along the outer peripheral surface of a platen with sprocket pins fitted in feed holes in the print paper. The paper tractor device which includes ring pin tractors each composed of a wheel having the sprocket pins on its outer periphery and a gear integral with the wheel. The ring pin tractors are slidable over the outer peripheral surface of the platen in intimate contact therewith. The ring pin tractors are rotated through the gears thereof in the same direction at the same speed as the platen. The paper tractor can feed print paper of various widths.