Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device: having a heating member, a rotating member, and a temperature sensor; a sheet feeding unit; and a control device configured to perform a sheet feed control: in which the feeding timing is set to a first timing if the temperature gradient of the heating member for a predetermined period is larger than a first threshold value; and in which the feeding timing is set to a second timing later than the first timing if the temperature gradient of the heating member for the predetermined period is equal to or less than the first threshold value, and wherein, in the sheet feed control, the control device changes the first threshold value to a smaller value as the temperature of the heating member at the print-instruction receiving time increase.

Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit, a sheet feeder, a discharge unit, a sheet path including a feeding path, a discharge path, and a reversing path, a manual sheet inlet, through which a recording sheet is manually inserted, a manual sheet path merging into the sheet path at a merging point and guiding the manually-inserted recording sheet to the merging point, a detecting unit to detect the manually-inserted sheet fed through the manual sheet inlet while a double-face printing operation is conducted with a preceding recording sheet, a judging unit to judge whether the detecting unit detected the manually-inserted sheet, and a conveyer controller unit to reduce a speed to convey the preceding recording sheet in the sheet path when the judging unit judges that the detecting unit detected the manually-inserted sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section; a fixation section having a heating mechanism and a roller arranged to face the heating mechanism; a temperature detector for detecting temperature of the fixation section; and a controller for performing a first heating-control in a first heating mode to raise the temperature of the fixation section at a first changing rate, and a second heating-control in a second heating mode to change the temperature of the fixation section at a second changing rate lower than the first changing rate upon rotating the roller when the temperature of the fixation section has reached an intermediate target temperature. The controller performs the first and second heating-controls, respectively, at the time of startup of the fixation section at least once until the temperature of the fixation section reaches a final target temperature.

Abstract: An apparatus may be configured to: upon feeding a sheet by a roller, wait for a sheet waiting interval before feeding a next sheet by the roller, determine, using a sensor downstream from the roller in a sheet feeding path, a sensed sheet interval between at least two of the fed sheets; determine whether the sensed sheet interval is equal to or greater than a reference value; and in response to determining that the sensed sheet interval is equal to or greater than the reference value, reduce the sheet feed waiting interval for subsequent feeding of at least one sheet.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes: a fixing device; a power supply unit; a non-contact temperature sensor; and a control device. The fixing device has a heating member. The power supply unit is configured to supply electric power to the heating member. The non-contact temperature sensor is disposed in a position separate from the heating member and configured to detect temperature of the heating member. A first function and a second function respectively produce a first corrected temperature value and a second corrected temperature value smaller than the first corrected temperature value with respect to a given detected temperature. The control device is configured to: select the first function to correct the detected temperature at a start of a print control process; switch from the first function to the second function at a prescribed timing during the print control process; and control the power supply unit based on the corrected temperature.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fusing unit configured to fuse an image formed on a recording medium to a recording medium, at a fusing position where a heater and a rotator nip the recording medium therebetween, and a current-feed controller configured to execute a first current-feed mode of changing a current-feed ratio of current-feed time from an AC power source to the heater to unit time by controlling switching of a switching circuit so that a temperature detected by a temperature detector falls within a target range. The current-feed controller executes a second current-feed mode of fixing the current-feed ratio to almost 100% or almost 0% in place of the first current-feed mode based on a timing when a position detector detects that an end of the recording medium in a conveying direction is located at the fusing position.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: a first driving section causing an image carrying body carrying a developer image to perform regular rotation or reverse rotation; a fixing section fixing the developer image and conveying a sheet; a second driving section rotating the fixing section; and a control section. The control section controls the first driving section to cause the image carrying body to perform regular rotation such as to convey the sheet and transfer onto the sheet the developer image formed on the image carrying body, and controls the second driving section to cause the fixing section to fix the developer image on the sheet. Further, in a state that the fixing section nips but does not convey the sheet, the control section controls the first driving section to cause the image carrying body to perform reverse rotation so that the image carrying body is cleaned using the sheet.

Abstract: An apparatus may be configured to: upon feeding a sheet by a roller, wait for a sheet waiting interval before feeding a next sheet by the roller, determine, using a sensor downstream from the roller in a sheet feeding path, a sensed sheet interval between at least two of the fed sheets; determine whether the sensed sheet interval is equal to or greater than a reference value; and in response to determining that the sensed sheet interval is equal to or greater than the reference value, reduce the sheet feed waiting interval for subsequent feeding of at least one sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device having a heating member, a heat source, a rotating member, and a temperature sensor; and a control device configured to control the heat source, wherein, in a case of a low temperature state where the temperature of the heating member is lower than a predetermined temperature, the control device to control the heat source such that the temperature of the heating member rises with a gradient equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and wherein, in a case of a high temperature state where the temperature of the heating member at the print-instruction receiving time is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the control device to control the heat source such that the temperature of the heating member rises with a gradient smaller than that in the normal mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device: having a heating member, a rotating member, and a temperature sensor; a sheet feeding unit; and a control device configured to perform a sheet feed control: in which the feeding timing is set to a first timing if the temperature gradient of the heating member for a predetermined period is larger than a first threshold value; and in which the feeding timing is set to a second timing later than the first timing if the temperature gradient of the heating member for the predetermined period is equal to or less than the first threshold value, and wherein, in the sheet feed control, the control device changes the first threshold value to a smaller value as the temperature of the heating member at the print-instruction receiving time increase.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device having a heat source, a heating member, and a backup member; a temperature detecting member; a driving source configured to rotate at least one of the heating member and the backup member; a transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a driving force of the driving source; and a control device configured to control the heat source and the driving source, wherein, after a power is turned on, the control device turns on the heat source before the driving source is driven for the first time, and wherein, when at least one of a condition, where the temperature detected by the temperature detecting member becomes a first temperature, and a condition where a predetermined period elapses after the power is turned on, is satisfied, the control device turns off the heat source and then drives the driving source.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fusing unit configured to fuse an image formed on a recording medium to a recording medium, at a fusing position where a heater and a rotator nip the recording medium therebetween, and a current-feed controller configured to execute a first current-feed mode of changing a current-feed ratio of current-feed time from an AC power source to the heater to unit time by controlling switching of a switching circuit so that a temperature detected by a temperature detector falls within a target range. The current-feed controller executes a second current-feed mode of fixing the current-feed ratio to almost 100% or almost 0% in place of the first current-feed mode based on a timing when a position detector detects that an end of the recording medium in a conveying direction is located at the fusing position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section; a fixation section having a heating mechanism and a roller arranged to face the heating mechanism; a temperature detector for detecting temperature of the fixation section; and a controller for performing a first heating-control in a first heating mode to raise the temperature of the fixation section at a first changing rate, and a second heating-control in a second heating mode to change the temperature of the fixation section at a second changing rate lower than the first changing rate upon rotating the roller when the temperature of the fixation section has reached an intermediate target temperature. The controller performs the first and second heating-controls, respectively, at the time of startup of the fixation section at least once until the temperature of the fixation section reaches a final target temperature.

Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit, a sheet feeder, a discharge unit, a sheet path including a feeding path, a discharge path, and a reversing path, a manual sheet inlet, through which a recording sheet is manually inserted, a manual sheet path merging into the sheet path at a merging point and guiding the manually-inserted recording sheet to the merging point, a detecting unit to detect the manually-inserted sheet fed through the manual sheet inlet whilst a double-face printing operation is conducted with a preceding recording sheet, a judging unit to judge whether the detecting unit detected the manually-inserted sheet, and a conveyer controller unit to reduce a speed to convey the preceding recording sheet in the sheet path when the judging unit judges that the detecting unit detected the manually-inserted sheet.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: a first driving section causing an image carrying body carrying a developer image to perform regular rotation or reverse rotation; a fixing section fixing the developer image and conveying a sheet; a second driving section rotating the fixing section; and a control section. The control section controls the first driving section to cause the image carrying body to perform regular rotation such as to convey the sheet and transfer onto the sheet the developer image formed on the image carrying body, and controls the second driving section to cause the fixing section to fix the developer image on the sheet. Further, in a state that the fixing section nips but does not convey the sheet, the control section controls the first driving section to cause the image carrying body to perform reverse rotation so that the image carrying body is cleaned using the sheet.

Abstract: The invention describes an image forming apparatus having a cartridge configured to be removably attached to a main body. The cartridge has a rotational body positioned within the cartridge and an extension portion protruding outward from the rotational body in an axial direction. The device body has a main body, which has a driving member that rotates the rotational body and the extension portion, a detecting unit for detecting a movement of the extension portion, and a determining unit for determining a type of the developer cartridge using either a time elapsed between a time in which the driving member begins driving the rotational body and a time in which the detecting unit detects the movement of the extension portion, or a drive amount of the drive device occurring during an elapsed time.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a device body, a cartridge detachably attached to the device body so as to accommodate material which includes one of consumable material and waste material, a sensor configured to emit and receive sensing light and give a detection value corresponding to an amount of the material in the cartridge which amount is detected based upon an intensity of the sensing light received thereby, a received light changing member configured to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor, and a judging unit configured to judge based upon a change of the detection value given by the sensor whether the cartridge is a new one.

Abstract: A printing system capable of processing a plurality of print jobs is provided. The printing system includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses, each of which generates a print job based on print data representing an image to be printed and transmits the print job to a printing apparatus, and a printing apparatus, which forms images based on the plurality of print jobs received. The information processing apparatus includes a priority information appending unit to append first priority information, representing a priority level of the print job, and second priority information, representing a priority level of a user who operates the information processing apparatus to generate the print job, to the print job. The printing apparatus includes an order establishing unit to establish an order to print the images based on the first priority information and the second priority information appended to the print jobs.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a device body, a cartridge detachably attached to the device body so as to accommodate material which includes one of consumable material and waste material, a sensor configured to emit and receive sensing light and give a detection value corresponding to an amount of the material in the cartridge which amount is detected based upon an intensity of the sensing light received thereby, a received light changing member configured to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor, and a judging unit configured to judge based upon a change of the detection value given by the sensor whether the cartridge is a new one.

Abstract: The invention describes an image forming apparatus having a cartridge configured to be removably attached to a main body. The cartridge has a rotational body positioned within the cartridge and an extension portion protruding outward from the rotational body in an axial direction. The device body has a main body, which has a driving member that rotates the rotational body and the extension portion, a detecting unit for detecting a movement of the extension portion, and a determining unit for determining a type of the developer cartridge using either a time elapsed between a time in which the driving member begins driving the rotational body and a time in which the detecting unit detects the movement of the extension portion, or a drive amount of the drive device occurring during an elapsed time.