Abstract: An image forming system has a plurality of image forming apparatuses that are operatively connected so as to communicate image information with each other. Some of the image forming apparatuses carry out image processing in a distributed manner with respect to image information that has been inputted to one of the image forming apparatuses and corresponds to a plurality of pages. Such some image forming apparatuses carry out the image processing for every predetermined pages of the image information in parallel and within processing capacity levels of such some image forming apparatuses. The processing capacity levels fall within a permissible range. Such an arrangement causes (1) to shorten the time required for processing to be carried out within the image forming system and (2) for the image-processed image information to be substantially the same level over the entire pages.

Abstract: An image forming system is arranged such that when a designated machine is not provided with the image processing function requested by an operator, a plurality of image forming apparatuses which are capable of performing the requested image processing function are selected. Then, the image data are respectively transferred to the selected plurality of image forming apparatuses through a transmission apparatus to be processed. When the image data has been processed with a requested image processing function, the processed image data are returned to the image forming apparatus of the requesting end. Then, the image forming apparatus of the requesting end realigns a plurality of processed image data. As a result, even if a predetermined processing function is not provided in the designated image forming apparatus, a plurality of image data are transmitted to other image forming apparatus to be processed, thereby obtaining a visible image efficiently.

Abstract: A sheet is discharged from an image forming apparatus either onto a first discharge tray through a first transport path by sheet entry rollers via first transport rollers without being reversed, or onto a second discharge tray by second discharge rollers as being guided to a branched transport path by a first switching member formed in a midpoint of the transport path and further guided to a second transport path by a second switching member. The first and second transport rollers are capable of rotating in a reverse direction, and the sheet being fed to the first discharge tray is transported by the second transport rollers after being reversed to be discharged onto the first discharge tray in a reversed state. Therefore, in response to an image forming mode, a discharge end of the sheet and a discharge state of the sheet can be set as desired.

Abstract: A digital image forming apparatus includes a CCD optical unit and an information editing section. The CCD optical unit inputs image information to an image control unit (ICU) upon an instruction to start image formation input through an operation panel. The information editing section inputs the image information to the ICU upon an instruction to start image formation input by a keyboard. The ICU stores the image information input from the information editing section page by page depending on an image processing mode specified through the operation panel and the keyboard, and successively performs image processing on the stored image information page by gage. With this arrangement, various image editing functions of a digital copying machine is effectively used for image information input from the information editing section.

Abstract: A charger performs corona discharge by applying a voltage to a discharging electrode. The charger includes an electrode plate formed in the shape of a panel on the discharging electrode, a plurality of projecting portions disposed in an end portion of the electrode plate, and a plurality of projection groups formed in each of the projecting portions such that the projection groups are adjacent to each other in a thickness direction of the electrode plate.

Abstract: A charger charges a recording medium before irradiation of light to form an electrostatic latent image by irradiating light as an optical image onto a surface of the recording medium. The charger includes a discharging electrode having a plurality of projections for generating corona discharge to charge the recording medium surface, a conductive shield case having an opening face opposite to the recording medium and opposed to the discharging electrode, a holding member for holding the discharging electrode in the shield case in a state in which the discharging electrode is electrically insulated from the shield case, a conductive grid electrode electrically insulated and held between the discharging electrode and the recording medium, and a power supplying device for supplying a high voltage for discharge to the discharging electrode and setting a ratio of electric currents flowing through the grid electrode and the shield case such that these electric currents are approximately equal to each other.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus has a plurality of image processing functions which can be classified at least into a first group including first related functions and a second group including second related functions. The imaging apparatus includes a display for displaying different information. When a special key for calling one of the first and second groups is activated, all the related functions which are included in the called group are displayed in the display. Then, another key is used for selecting one function from the related functions displayed by the display.

Abstract: An electrophotographic copying apparatus including an optical unit that is installed into and removed from the body of said electrophotographic copying apparatus and an image-forming unit that is installed into and removed from the body of said electrophotographic copying apparatus, said optical unit being engaged with said image-forming unit by means of positioning pins and holes of both said optical means and said image-forming unit, so that the position of said image-forming unit with respect to said optical means can be fixed when said optical means and said image-forming unit are installed into the body of said electrophotographic copying apparatus.

Abstract: Disclosed is a display control device of a copying machine which is provided with a plurality of displays on the operational panel and warns operators of some abnormal condition present in the copying machine by lighting up a specific alarm display which corresponds to the content of the abnormal condition through activating a specific circuit for extinguishing all other displays.

Abstract: Disclosed is a variable-magnification copying machine which provides means for easily performing copying operations using variable magnifications against the desired copying paper from either a standard or an off-standard size draft paper.The preferred embodiment provides means for automatically setting the magnification by first manually inputting data denoting the length of the horizontal and vertical edges of the draft paper, followed by computing the ratio between the horizontal and vertical lengths by applying the input length data of the draft paper and the preset size of the available copying paper so that the smaller ratio produced from the computation can be eventually set as the correct magnification.