Abstract: A tandem type image forming apparatus having plural image forming bodies and an intermediate transfer belt is provided, in which the intermediate transfer belt can be spaced from the image carrying bodies without causing any damage on the intermediate transfer belt. A retracting unit is provided which retracts a belt module along with a secondary transfer module such that a belt-shaped intermediate transfer belt is spaced from all of image carrying bodies.

Abstract: An apparatus and techniques for reducing the electrostatic sticking of a transfer member to the image carrying body of an image forming apparatus. The visible image on the image carrying body is formed by charged participles. A collective transfer unit collectively transfers the visible image from the image carrying body to a transfer member. A transfer member judging unit judges whether a transfer member exists downstream of and in the vicinity of a transfer position of the collective transfer unit. A pre-stop processing unit for preventing, if the transfer member presence judging unit judges that a transfer monitor exists when the stopping unit stops the device, the transfer member from electrostatically sticking to the image carrying body.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing contamination of the rear surface of paper while minimizing the deterioration of the surface of the transfer roll. The image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer belt for carrying a toner image visualized by a toner, a transfer roll pressed against the intermediate transfer belt, and a cleaning brush that is rotatable in contact with the transfer roll. This transfer roll acts to transfer the toner image carried on the belt to paper. The cleaning brush makes contact with the transfer roll to stir the toner adhering to the transfer roll.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus adapted to transfer a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt, and thereafter to a sheet, the position of one end portion of a backup roll around which the intermediate transfer belt is passed is set regulatable, this end portion being fixed after the position thereof has been regulated. The position of one end portion of a driving roll, cleaning blades or photosensitive drum may be set regulatable. This arrangement enables the skew of an image formed on a sheet to be reduced.

Abstract: An endless belt type delivery device includes a drive roller, a plurality of driven rollers including a tension apply roller disposed in such a manner that the respective axial directions of the rollers are set parallel to each other, an endless belt wound around the respective rollers in such a manner that the endless can be driven by rotating the drive roller, and meandering adjusting means, provided in at least two of the above-mentioned rollers, for biasing contact pressures between the two or more rollers and the endless belt toward the axial-direction end portions of the rollers. The contact pressure between the rollers and the endless belt are biased in the opposite direction to the meandering direction of the endless belt by the meandering adjusting means, thereby being able to correct the meandering of the endless belt.

Abstract: In an optical detecting device, used for an image forming apparatus, for detecting an object to be detected, such as a paper, by an optical means including a light emitting means 20c, a photo sensing means 20d, a reflecting means 20b, and the like, there is provided at least one of a paper detecting devices in which conductive attracting means connected to a predetermined potential is disposed close to the optical means, the optical means is attached to a periodical replacing component of the image forming apparatus, a reflecting means 20b and a paper transporting path are oriented in different directions with respect to a photo sensing means 20d and a distance from the light emitting means 20c and the like to the reflecting means 20b is different from a distance from the light emitting means 20c and the like to the paper transporting path.

Abstract: A belt transporter roller for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a rotating shaft of an elastic roller; and an elastic fin wound around the rotating shaft and provided along an axial direction thereof, the fin including at least two spiral groups different in winding direction.

Abstract: The method reduces vibrations generated in a contactor due to movement of the moving body by which the contactor contacts with a moving body. When a stroke of vibration of the contactor is halved at an intermediate point of an amplitude thereof, the vibrations are made different from each other in frequency between the reciprocation stroke in the forward side which corresponds to one of the halved stroke portions and the reciprocation stroke in the backward side which corresponds to the other halved stroke portion.

Abstract: A belt transporter roller for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a rotating shaft of an elastic roller; and an elastic fin wound around the rotating shaft and provided along an axial direction thereof, the fin including at least two spiral groups different in winding direction.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus for forming an image includes an endless belt member and an inner face cleaning member which is provided on an inner face of the endless belt member. The cleaning member captures deposits deposited on the inner face of the endless belt member and holds the captured deposits. The inner face cleaning member includes fibers densely arranged and projecting radially outward from the inner face cleaning member. The inner face cleaning member is fixed in a contact state so that a contact face does not move while the endless belt is moving.

Abstract: In order to set a position of a movable member in which a strip-like movable member which is disposed to be movable along a width direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the member is disposed so that one edge of the movable member along the longitudinal direction facing a defined line; and the strip-like movable member is positioned with respect to a fixing member under a condition where the one edge is parallel to the defined line to maintain a uniform protruding amount from the defined line is maintained, the one edge of the movable member is made coincident with the defined line; the movable member is temporily fixed to the fixing member by interposing a position setting jig according to the protruding amount between the movable member and the fixing member; and after cancelling the temporarily fixing step to remove the position setting jig, directly fixing the movable member to the stationary member.

Abstract: To bring a sheet 6 electrostatically into intimate contact with a conveyor belt 1 for transporting the sheet 6 by attraction means 60, a press roll 50A for pressing the sheet 6 against the conveyor belt 1 is disposed upstream from the attraction means 60. The press roll 50A is formed at the center with a large diameter part 51 for pressing the center of the sheet 6 stronger than both ends thereof. When transfer to the rear side of the sheet is executed at double-sided image formation, if both ends of the sheet 6 come in contact with the conveyor belt 1, the center of the sheet 6 is pressed strong, whereby deformation at the center is suppressed and a swell is smoothed out in the both-end direction. Relief parts at the rear end of the sheet are also prevented. Resultantly, the intimate contact property of the sheet 6 with the conveyor belt 1 is improved.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising:an endless belt that is wrapped around and so transported by a plurality of rollers;rotating members which are disposed adjacent to the endless belt such that an image is transferred onto a sheet while the sheet passes between the rotating members and the endless belt;pressing means that are disposed in a crosswise direction of the endless belt so as to be opposite to the rotating members with respect to the endless belt and press the endless belt against the rotating member in the vicinity of the position where the endless belt is in close proximity to the rotating member; andedge reinforcing means for increasing pressing forces of the pressing means that act on both edges of the endless belt in the crosswise direction thereof so as to become greater than a pressing force of the pressing means that acts on the center of the endless belt in the same direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plural number of paper transporting units including at least first and second paper transporting units, in-unit paper sensing mechanism located in the first paper transporting unit, unit-to-unit paper sensing mechanism located between the first and second paper transporting units, and drive control mechanism for controlling the operations of the plural number of the paper transporting units, wherein the drive control mechanism includes first mechanism operating such that when any of the in-unit paper sensing mechanism located in the first paper transporting unit detects a paper transport trouble, the first mechanism stops the paper transporting operation of the second paper transporting unit in response to a sensing signal indicative of the presence of a paper from the unit-to-unit paper sensing mechanism, and second mechanism stops the paper transporting operation of the first paper transporting unit upon the stop of the paper transporting operation of the second paper

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: an image recording unit including image carriers on which toner images are respectively formed, a paper carrier which conveys paper fed to a paper drawing-in position while drawing therein, and transfer units which transfer respective toner images on the image carriers onto the paper on the paper carrier at predetermined image transfer positions of the image carriers; paper jam detecting means for detecting a paper jam occurring when the paper drawn in by the paper carrier adheres to the surfaces of the image carriers; conveyor rollers disposed in a paper feeding unit which feeds the paper to a paper drawing-in position in the image recording unit at a predetermined timing; an inlet chute including an upper paper guide and a lower paper guide for guiding the paper fed from the conveyor rollers toward the paper drawing-in position; conveyor roller rotation control means which suspend the rotation of the conveyor rollers until the paper stretched between the image recordin

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: medium transporting belt that carried an image recording medium on its surface, and is driven so that the surface is circulatively turned; a plural number of toner image forming drums facing the transporting belt, each including an image bearing surface having an electrostatic latent image formed thereon, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image, and an image transferring unit for transferring the toner image on the transporting belt or an image recording medium held on the transporting belt; medium supplying trays and path for successively supplying image recording media to the transporting belt; a medium attracting electrode facing the transporting belt; a counter electrode opposing to the medium attracting electrode with respect to the medium attracting electrode; an electric field formed between the medium attracting and counter electrodes to cause the transporting belt to attract the image recording medium to the transporting

Abstract: A belt feeding device including a plurality of elastic rolls each having a plurality of disklike elastic fins arranged in an axial direction, and a belt member wrapped around a plurality of rolls inclusive of the elastic rolls and adapted to be circularly moved. Each elastic roll is formed by finishing the outer circumferential surfaces of the elastic fins to a given outer diameter with a given directionality from one axial end to the other axial end of the roll, and the given directionality of finishing of at least one of the elastic rolls is opposite to that of the other elastic rolls. Accordingly, the walk of the belt member due to the incompleteness of forming of the elastic roll around which the belt member is wrapped can be prevented to reduce an edge force acting on the side edge of the belt member.

Abstract: Residual toner is removed from a belt-type paper support by means of a brush roll and blade. The removed toner is guided to a waste toner storage vessel by means of a screw member. A sensor indicates when the toner storage vessel is full.