Abstract: A sheet conveyance relay unit, including: a convergence unit, including: a convergence section to converge sheet conveyance paths of plural sheet receiving sections; and a first common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets from the convergence section to a sheet feeding outlet; a divergence unit, including: a second common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets conveyed from the convergence unit; plural sheet feed-out sections, which are combined to plural post-finishing apparatuses; and a divergence section, which sorts the recording sheets conveyed by the second common sheet-conveyance section, onto the plural sheet feed-out sections; and a control section which receives job information having been set, and selects an image forming apparatus to be used for a job among the image forming apparatuses and a post-finishing apparatus to be used for the job among the plural post-finishing apparatuses, whereby the control section conducts the job having been set.

Abstract: There are provided bookbinding apparatuses that wrap a bundle of sheets with a cover and form back corners, and have a detecting unit for detecting a wave amount of a bundle of sheets. A type of such an apparatus includes a controller to control a time period to form back corners, based on a result of detection by the detecting unit. Another type of such an apparatus includes a controller to control a pressure applied to form back corners, based on a result of detection by the detecting unit. Still another type of such an apparatus includes a controller to control a time period and pressure applied to form back corners, based on a result of detection by the detecting unit.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance relay unit, including: a convergence unit, including: a convergence section to converge sheet conveyance paths of plural sheet receiving sections; and a first common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets from the convergence section to a sheet feeding outlet; a divergence unit, including: a second common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets conveyed from the convergence unit; plural sheet feed-out sections, which are combined to plural post-finishing apparatuses; and a divergence section, which sorts the recording sheets conveyed by the second common sheet-conveyance section, onto the plural sheet feed-out sections; and a control section which receives job information having been set, and selects an image forming apparatus to be used for a job among the image forming apparatuses and a post-finishing apparatus to be used for the job among the plural post-finishing apparatuses, whereby the control section conducts the job having been set.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for communicating with a management apparatus for storing a plurality of electronic prepaid information and authentication information related to the plurality of electronic prepaid information, and replaying to inquiry request for electronic prepaid information based on authentication information through a portable communication terminal storing authentication information.

Abstract: By controlling the recording position of images on the cover sheet by the image recording section based on the thickness information of the bundle of sheets, image recording at the appropriate position has been made possible irrespective at the amount of trimming of the cover sheet that is trimmed to an appropriate length in accordance with the thickness of the bundle of sheets to be wrapped and bound with the cover sheet.

Abstract: A bookbinding system wherein, when additional printing is conducted on a cover sheet which has been printed thereon outside an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is provided with an ejection-outlet through which the image forming apparatus accepts the cover sheet coming from a bookbinding apparatus and the cover sheet printed by a printing device of the image forming apparatus is fed out to the bookbinding apparatus for bookbinding.

Abstract: A bookbinding apparatus for bookbinding such that a cover sheet forms a front and a back cover by bonding the cover sheet to a spine portion of a bundle of sheets, the bookbinding apparatus including a cover-sheet outfitting device which can be raised and lowered for holding and conveying a cover sheet to the cover sheet bonding position where the cover sheet is bonded to a bundle of sheets and a cover-sheet trimming device for trimming a cover sheet conveyed from the cover-sheet outfitting device, to a predetermined length prior to bonding the cover sheet to the bundle of sheets wherein the cover-sheet outfitting device is integrally formed with the cover-sheet trimming device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus providing services for general users, capable of getting rid of trouble to collect use charges.

Abstract: In an image recording apparatus equipped with plural printing heads each for jetting ink drops having a photo-setting property towards a recording medium, a conveyance unit for conveying the recording medium to the printing heads, and each of plural light radiation devices for radiating light to the ink drops landed on the recording medium to harden, is arranged at the downstream side of each of the plural printing heads, one having largest light energy, which is located at the most downstream position among the plural light radiation devices is determined at least to satisfy the light energy necessary for hardening of the ink drops jetted by any one of the printing heads positioned upstream thereof, and the light energy becomes smaller gradually for every light radiation device in the order from the light radiation device at the most downstream position to those at more upstream positions.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus providing services for general users, capable of getting rid of trouble to collect use charges.

Abstract: An image printing apparatus including a conveyance-printing section for printing on a recording medium sheet; a first printing device including a plurality of black printing heads for jetting image-setting black ink drops onto the recording medium sheet; a second printing device including a plurality of color printing heads for jetting image-setting color ink drops onto the recording medium sheet; first light radiating devices which radiate ultraviolet rays to harden the image-setting black ink drops; and second light radiating devices which radiate the ultraviolet rays to harden the image-setting color ink drops.

Abstract: A shield for controlling film thickness is arranged between a substrate and a target. The shield includes an aperture being narrow at a target side and wide at a side opposite to the target. Since the density of sputtered particles decreases away from the target, a portion of the substrate that is far from the target is exposed to low-density sputtered particles for a long time, and a portion of the substrate that is near the target is exposed to high-density sputtered particles for a short time, whereby a film of even thickness distribution is formed on a deposition face of the substrate.

Abstract: An ink jet printer for recording an image on a recording medium by jetting ink from nozzles having: an ink jet section which is provided with the nozzles; and an ink droplet detection section for detecting an impact force generated when an ink droplet jetted from the nozzles lands with a piezoelectric element, which is provided ahead in an ink droplet jetting direction from the nozzles.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has an ink jet section for jetting ink from nozzles, a vibration detection section for detecting a jet failure of the nozzles, which is provided ahead in an ink droplet jetting direction from the nozzles, an ink droplet receiving section for receiving an ink droplet jetted from the nozzles, which is interposed between the nozzles and the vibration detection section, and a control section for controlling a maximum diameter of an ink droplet jetted from the nozzles when detecting a jet failure of the nozzles to be larger than that when recording an image.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has: a vibration detection section to receive ink jetted from the nozzles and output a detection signal having an amplitude corresponding to a vibration generated when the ink lands; a sampling section to sample an amplitude value of the detection signal by a predetermined sampling clock signal; a storing section to store an amplitude value data of the detection signal sampled by the sampling section; a judging section to judge a jet failure of the nozzles based on the amplitude value data of the detection signal in the storing section; and a control section to control to jet the ink continuously a plurality of times with a jet drive cycle which is set by multiplying a standard drive waveform time of an ink jet signal from the nozzles by an odd number not less than five when detecting a jet failure of the nozzles.

Abstract: In an image recording apparatus equipped with plural printing heads each for jetting ink drops having a photo-setting property towards a recording medium, a conveyance unit for conveying the recording medium to the printing heads, and each of plural light radiation devices for radiating light to the ink drops landed on the recording medium to harden, is arranged at the downstream side of each of the plural printing heads, one having largest light energy, which is located at the most downstream position among the plural light radiation devices is determined at least to satisfy the light energy necessary for hardening of the ink drops jetted by any one of the printing heads positioned upstream thereof, and the light energy becomes smaller gradually for every light radiation device in the order from the light radiation device at the most downstream position to those at more upstream positions.

Abstract: A bookbinding system wherein additional printing is conducted on a cover sheet which has been printed thereon outside an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is provided with an ejection-outlet through which the image forming apparatus accepts the cover sheet coming from a bookbinding apparatus and the cover sheet printed by a printing device of the image forming apparatus is fed out to the bookbinding apparatus for bookbinding.

Abstract: A booklet binding apparatus including a clamp mechanism for clamping a sheet bundle, a coating member for applying adhesive to the spine surface of the sheet bundle clamped by the clamp mechanism, and an attaching and detaching mechanism for moving the coating member to and from the spine surface of the sheet bundle, wherein the attaching and detaching mechanism includes a separation mechanism which makes the coating member to be detached from the spine surface of the sheet bundle when an abnormal incident has occurred during application of the adhesive.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a stacker to stack plural sheets thereon, and an adhesive-applying device that applies adheasive to a portion of a side of the plural sheets stacked on the stacker to bind the plural sheets in such a way that the adhesive-applied portion of the side is smaller than the adhesive-non-applied portion of the side.

Abstract: A bookbinding apparatus for providing wrapping-binding of a booklet by bonding a cover sheet on the spine portion of a sheet bundle to wrap the sheet bundle with the cover sheet, wherein the sheet conveyance path of the bookbinding apparatus includes a notch forming device to form notches on the end to be coated with adhesive when the sheet is subjected to bookbinding process.