Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image former for performing an image formation by transferring a toner image onto a sheet; a fixing unit for performing a fixing operation with respect to the sheet having the transferred toner image by heating; a discharge tray for successively stacking the sheet to be discharged after the fixing operation; and a curl correcting mechanism for correcting a curl of the sheet to be discharged onto the discharge tray after the fixing operation.

Abstract: A discharging unit for discharging a printing medium from an image forming apparatus includes an elastic roller and a curl preventing roller to oppose each other in a pressing relationship forming a nip therebetween to reduce curling of a print medium passing through the nip. At least one of the elastic roller and the curl preventing roller is allowed to move towards or away from the other roller so that the nip can be adjusted to accommodate different thicknesses of varying types of printing medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a fixing part for fixing a toner image on a transfer material to the transfer material, a conveying part provided on the downstream side of the fixing part, a correcting member provided in a conveyance path leading from the fixing part to the conveying part, for correcting a curl of the transfer material, and a control part for controlling an upstream-side conveyance speed which is a conveyance speed at which the fixing part provided on the upstream side of the correcting member conveys the transfer material and a downstream-side conveyance speed which is a conveyance speed at which the conveying part provided on the downstream side of the correcting member conveys the transfer material. In printing of a first surface in a double-sided printing mode, the control part sets the downstream-side conveyance speed to be larger than the upstream-side conveyance speed.

Abstract: A curling device includes a first curling unit configured to curl a sheet in a first direction and a second curling unit. The second curling unit is for curling a sheet which has passed the first curling unit in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction. The curling device also includes an input unit facilitating manual inputting correction values relating to the curling direction and curling amount to be corrected, and a control unit configured to changeably control the curling amount of each of the first curling unit and the second curling unit, to correspond to the correction values input in the first and second input units.

Abstract: A sheet moisturizing device, including: paired moisturizing rollers which form a nipping section to apply water onto a sheet when the sheet is conveyed through the nipping section; two water supplying rollers, each being in pressure contact to each of paired moisturizing rollers respectively; and two water supplying tanks, each arranged to face one of the water supplying rollers, wherein each of the two water supplying tanks is structured of a first tank which supplies water to the water supplying roller, and a second tank which is formed around the first tank and accommodates the water overflowed from the first tank.

Abstract: An imaging member having an enhanced anti-curl back coating is disclosed. The anti-curl back coating comprises a liquid oligomer. Additionally, a slip agent can also be included. The resulting anti-curl back coating contains little to no residual solvent, shows improved resistance to wear and ozonolysis, and increased lubricity to prevent static charge built-up.

Abstract: A print media preheating system and method of preheating print media that includes an upper heating plate that is arranged to heat a pre-printed side of the print media with a pressure of the upper heating plate on the print media being relieved by lifting the upper heating plate away from the print media so as to reduce smudging of ink printed on the pre-printed side of the print media.

Abstract: A device, method and program for automatically adjusting a paper curl of media in an imaging device are provided. The imaging device includes a decurler having two rollers defining a nip. A first roller has a substantially uncompressible surface, and a second roller has a substantially compressible surface. The first roller penetrates the second roller at the nip. The amount of curl of the media is adjusted at the nip by automatically adjusting the penetration of the second roller into the first roller. The amount of penetration of the second roller into the first roller is based on a set of factors and conditions. A penetration value based on the factors and conditions is used to adjust the position of the first roller and the second roller respective to each other, which in turn, will alter or reduce the media curl to a target curl.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a heating rotator 12 that is heated by a first heat source 18, a pressurizing rotator 24 that is heated by a second heat source 28, that is in pressure contact with the heating rotator 12, and that forms a fixing nip 26 between the pressurizing rotator 24 and the heating rotator 12, a temperature sensor St that detects a temperature in the apparatus, and a controller 124 that controls temperatures of the heating rotator 12 and of the pressurizing rotator 24 by on-off control over the first heat source 18 and the second heat source 28, respectively, and that sets the temperature of the pressurizing rotator 24 higher than a normal temperature on condition that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor St exceeds a specified value.

Abstract: A sheet de-curling device: including a first de-curling roller, structured of a round axial shaft and a long bar-shaped member, wherein the long bar-shaped member is spiraled on the round axial shaft clockwise from a predetermined portion of a center of the round axial shaft toward a left end of the round axial shaft, and counterclockwise from the predetermined portion of the center of the round axial shaft toward a right end of the round axial shaft with the same spiraling pitch; a second de-curling roller, structured of a round axial shaft and a long bar-shaped member, wherein the long bar-shaped member is spiraled on the round axial shaft in opposite spiraling directions against the first de-curling roller; and a driving mechanism which rotates the paired first and second de-curling rollers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a heating device that heats the image formed at the image forming unit, on the recording medium while recording medium is conveyed; a detecting device that is provided on a downstream side of the heating device in a recording medium conveying direction and detects image density and an image defect of the recording medium; and a stabilizing device that is provided between the detecting device and the heating device and stabilizes physical changes in the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a discharge wall including a discharge port that discharges a sheet; a first roller; a second roller, the first roller and the second roller transferring the sheet toward the discharge port; a discharge tray including a stacking plate that receives the sheet discharged from the discharge port; and an uncurling device configured to be detachably mounted on the image forming apparatus, the uncurling device including: a curl correcting unit that corrects a curl of the sheet discharged from the discharge port by curving the sheet; and a pushing member including an elastic member, the pushing member pushing the second roller toward the first roller by an elastic force of the elastic members in a state where the uncurling device is mounted on the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for conducting a fixing process by plural fixing devices for a sheet on which a toner image has been transferred from a transfer section, comprises: a first fixing device arranged on a sheet conveyance passage; a second fixing device arranged on the sheet conveyance passage at a downstream side of the first fixing device; and a curl correcting section arranged on the sheet conveyance passage between the first fixing device and the second fixing device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device configured to fix a visible image transferred on a printing medium, a decurl device configured to correct a curl produced on the printing medium, a discharging device configured to discharge the printing medium to a space outside of a main body of the image forming apparatus, and a guide device disposed between the fixing device and the discharging device. The guide device guides the printing medium around the decurl device when a transport direction of the printing medium is reversed for duplex printing.

Abstract: A curl correcting unit can be attached in a normal orientation and inverse orientation. In the normal orientation, a sponge roller being on the lower side, a sliding plate is pressed down by a curl-correction-amount adjusting mechanism. When the sliding plate is pressed down, a roller-side plate is lifted up via a link, where the link works as a shaft of a seesaw that connects the sliding plate and the roller-side plate. As a result, the sponge roller moves up and comes into press-contact with a metallic roller. In the inverse orientation, the sponge roller being on the upper side, the roller-side plate is directly pressed down by the curl-correction-amount adjusting mechanism and thereby the sponge roller comes into press-contact with the metallic roller.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes multiple sheet discharge trays arranged on a downstream of a fixing unit in a layer structure, and multiple sheet-receiving units provided corresponding to the multiple sheet discharge trays arranged in the layer structure. Each of the sheet-receiving units respectively includes a climbing slope from a sheet discharge direction start point to a sheet discharge direction end point, and an angle of the climbing slope of a sheet-receiving unit is close to plane, as the sheet-receiving unit is arranged on a further downstream. It is thus possible to provide the image-forming apparatus in which discharged sheets of paper are not piled up on the sheet-receiving unit in a curled state or the discharged sheet does not push out the sheet piled on the sheet-receiving unit.

Abstract: A paper discharge device and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. In the paper discharge device, the paper discharge roller has a non-uniform diameter extending in a longitudinal direction and the idle roller contacts with the paper discharge roller in the longitudinal direction of the paper discharge roller so that the print paper unfolds and discharges utilizing a velocity differential at a nip between the paper discharge roller and the idle roller.

Abstract: The heating apparatus has a heating member and a pressure member which are mutually pressure-welded to hold and convey and heat a heated member to be heated by a nip portion formed between the heating member and the pressure member, includes a temperature detector, power control means, and a curl reduction mode for setting a paper conveyance interval temperature which is the target temperature of the heating member set in a paper conveyance interval which is a period from end of heating the M-th member to be heated up to start of heating the M+1-th member to be heated in continuous heating of N members to be heated or in a certain period in the paper conveyance interval to a temperature higher than the heating temperature of a member to be heated which is the target temperature of the heating member when heating the M+1-th member to be heated.

Abstract: The sheet conveying apparatus includes a first curl forming part provided downstream of a fixing part for fixing a toner image to a sheet, for curling the sheet; a second curl forming part provided downstream of the first curl forming part, for curling the sheet in a direction opposite to a direction in which the sheet is curled in the first curl forming part, in which a curling amount of the sheet in the second curl forming part is set to be smaller than that in the first curl forming part, and the curling amount of the sheet in the second curl forming part is variable according to rigidity of the sheet. Thus, a shape of the curled sheet can be reliably reformed with a simple structure.

Abstract: A conveyance control mechanism for a printer including an image forming unit forming an image on a sheet being conveyed on a conveyance route, includes a curl detector configured to detect a curl of the sheet conveyed on the conveyance route, in an upstream of the image forming unit on the conveyance route. The conveyance route controller may drive and stop the conveyance route differently depending on whether the curl detector detects a curl at either a front end or at a position other than the front end. When the curl detector detects a curl of the sheet, an image forming route where the image forming unit performs an image formation may be separated and retreated from the conveyance route and the sheet being conveyed may be discharged onto the retreated image forming route.

Abstract: An image forming system includes: a decurl section which corrects a curl on a sheet on which an image has been formed; a sheet ejection section on which the sheet to be ejected is stacked; a finishing section which conducts post processing on the sheet on which the image has been formed and ejects the sheet on the sheet ejection section; and an operation and display section having a setting screen for setting a post-processing condition and a selection screen for selecting a decurl direction to be corrected by the decurl section. A selection section that selects the decurl direction given by the decurl section, and a decurl image that shows a decurl direction on the sheet ejection section for the sheet, are indicated on the selection screen, and the selection section and the decurl image are displayed on the same selection screen.

Abstract: A post-fixing support unit which is disposed between a fixing roller including a heating roller having a heat generator and a pressure roller so disposed opposite to the heating roller as to form a nip portion and a plurality of sheet discharge rollers which are disposed on the downstream side relative to the fixing roller and corrugation rollers disposed respectively between the adjacent two sheet discharge rollers, such that the post-fixing support unit is located on the upstream side relative to the corrugation rollers at the same position as at least the corrugation rollers in the width direction.

Abstract: An image forming device includes one or more flexible fingers to simulate a narrow gap baffle and provide a baffle-like support for different document media. These flexible fingers help guide the documents from one subsystem to another, for instance, entering into the decurler nip on the host image forming device decurler assembly. These flexible fingers act as two baffles. For heavy weight documents, the flexible fingers deflect and move out of the way. For medium to light weight documents, the flexible fingers control the document position during its trajectory.

Abstract: An image forming system, comprises an image forming section to form an image on a sheet; a fixing section to fix the image formed on the sheet; a sheet conveying passage to convey the fixed sheet; a humidifying roller arranged on the sheet passage and to humidify the sheet; a water supplying tank to feed water to the humidifying roller; an electric component; and a waterproofing member to protect the electric component from water.

Abstract: A decurl device includes: a curl detecting section having a plurality of toothed wheels each which detects a curling amount and a curling direction of a sheet having a curl; and a plurality of uncurling sections each arranged downstream of the curl detecting section in a conveyance direction of the sheet having the curl, which uncurls the sheet by bending and transforming the sheet in a direction reverse to a curling direction thereof. One of the uncurling sections, which reduces the curl, is selected on the basis of the curling amount and the curling direction that have been detected by the curl detecting section, thereby uncurling the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including: a humidifier that humidifies a sheet; a curl correcting section that corrects a curl by applying mechanical bending force on a sheet; and a control section that causes humidification by the humidifier and curl correction by the curl correcting section to be possible for a prescribed sheet, and causes either one of humidification by the humidifier and curl correction by the curl correcting section to be possible for sheets other than the prescribed sheet.

Abstract: Provided is a device (1) for the alignment of sheets in a printing machine, said device comprising two pairs of rollers for the alignment of the sheets in their advance direction, for the alignment transverse to their advance direction and with respect to skewing, whereby each pair of rollers consists of a driving roller (20a, 20b) and of a counter-pressure roller (22a, 22b). One drive unit (29, 32, 36, 38) is provided for each of the two driving rollers, whereby each of the drive units consists of a motor (38a, 38b) and a drive shaft (29a, 29b) linked therewith, whereby the driving rollers are non-torsionally accommodated on respective drive shafts. The driving rollers can be slid in linear direction on their drive shaft, or the respective drive shafts, and thus the driving rollers accommodated thereon, can be linearly shifted with respect to their drive motors.

Abstract: There is a provided a curl corrector which corrects a curl formed by a fixer when a duplex image formation mode is selected. The curl corrector is provided in a conveying path other than conveying paths commonly used in a conveying path for multiple image formation and a conveying path for duplex image formation.

Abstract: By providing a rib formed to be inclined with respect to the conveyance direction on a guide member provided at the upstream side of the conveyance section where a contact member that cools rapidly the sheet subjected to fixing processing is provided, a problem of the occurrence of uneven gloss on the surface of a toner image by contact between a sheet and a guide member or a conveyance roller in a conveyance section that conveys the sheet subjected to fixing processing is solved.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance section that conveys a sheet; an image forming section that forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section according to an image signal; a sheet heating section that heats the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming section; and a curl straightening section that straightens curl of the sheet after the sheet is heated by the sheet heating section. The sheet heating section curls the sheet in a different direction according to a sheet thickness. The curl straightening section includes: a first curl straightening section that straightens the curl of the sheet curled in a first direction for curling thick sheet; and a second curl straightening section disposed on a downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction to straighten the curl of the sheet curled in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Abstract: A curl correction device that corrects curl, including: a curl correction shaft that drives to carry a sheet; a first supporting member that supports the curl correction shaft; a curl correction roll that holds the sheet between the curl correction shaft and the curl correction roll and presses the sheet against the curl correction shaft; a second supporting member that supports the curl correction roll and rotates the curl correction roll around a first end in the longitudinal direction of the curl correction roll between closed state and open state; and a cam mechanism that provides, via a cam, the curl correction shaft with driving force for pressing the curl correction roll according to a position of the cam, the cam mechanism being provided with a cam shaft, a connecting member, a first cam receiving member, and a second cam receiving member.

Abstract: A decurling mechanism moves a decurling roller around a conveyance roller by means of a position changing roller to change the relative position of the decurling roller to the conveyance roller to a decurling position in which a piece of paper web is conveyed while being decurled and a conveyance position in which a paper sheet is conveyed without being decurled. In this case, the clearance between the decurling roller and the conveyance roller when the decurling roller is in the decurling position is set to be larger than that when the decurling roller is in the conveyance position.

Abstract: A decurling mechanism is configured so that a position changing roller moves a decurling roller among a plurality of decurling positions from the weakest decurling position to the strong decurling position. In this manner, the decurling force applied to each piece of paper web is set large when the piece of paper web has a length not smaller than a predetermined value, but set small when the piece of paper web has a length smaller than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A decurling mechanism for performing a decurling process of correcting the curl of paper includes: a first roller; a second roller disposed travelably around the first roller; and a roller position changing mechanism for changing the second roller to a plurality of positions set on a traveling path of the second roller. The plurality of positions include a decurling position in which the decurling process to the paper is enabled and the paper is conveyed while being pinched between the first and second rollers, a conveyance position in which the decurling process to the paper is disabled and the paper is conveyed while being pinched between the first and second rollers and a pinch release position in which the paper is released from the pinch between the first and second rollers.

Abstract: In a printing system, a position changing element moves a decurling roller around a conveyance roller to switch the position of the decurling roller relative to the conveyance roller at least between a decurling position in which a paper web is conveyed while being decurled and a conveyance position in which paper is conveyed without being decurled, and positions the decurling roller in the conveyance position when the conveyance of the paper is stopped.

Abstract: A method of enhancing cut sheet edge hold-down on an imaging transport surface, the method including: (a) moving a cut sheet towards the sheet the imaging transport surface; (b) inducing a desired curl on one of the lead edge and trail edge of the cut sheet before the cut sheet enters the imaging transport surface, inducing a desired curl comprises inducing into the cut sheet a curl tending into the surface of the imaging transport surface.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus is provided with: a carrier that carries a toner image; a transporting unit that transports a sheet with using a transporting route; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image carried by the carrier to the sheet transported by the transporting unit; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred by the transfer unit on the sheet; and an exit opening that is disposed so that a transfer position of the transfer unit is located between the exit opening and a fixation position of the fixing unit in a section including a transporting route over the entire length and that discharges the sheet on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit to an outside of the apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an apparatus main body; a discharge roller portion that discharges sheet members; a tray being capable of stacking the sheet members discharged from the discharge roller portion; and a curl correcting member being capable of arranging on a downstream side in a sheet member carrying direction of the discharge roller portion, brought into contact with the sheet member having a curl convex upwardly and discharged from the discharge roller portion, and having a correcting face for exerting a correcting force to a side of correcting the curl. The curl of the sheet member is corrected by the curl correcting member when the curl correcting member is arranged on the downstream side of the discharge roller portion, and is not corrected by the curl correcting member when the curl correcting member is not arranged on the downstream side of the discharge roller portion.

Abstract: A decurl device which corrects a curl of a sheet includes: a soft roller having a surface layer which is deformed by receiving a contact force; a hard roller which contacts the soft roller and deforms the surface layer of the soft roller; a driving section which drives independently each of the soft roller and the hard roller; and a control section which controls the driving section independently to drive the soft roller with a first line speed of a peripheral surface of the soft roller and drive the hard roller with a second line speed of a peripheral surface of the hard roller.

Abstract: A sheet moisturizing device having a moisturizing section that moisturizes a sheet and a guide which guides the sheet that has been moisturized by the moisturizing section, the guide includes a first guide member made of resin having a plurality of ribs, arranged immediately downstream of the moisturizing section in a sheet conveyance direction, which guides the sheet in a vertical direction.

Abstract: A sheet moisturizing apparatus, including a vertical conveyance route in which a sheet is guided upward or downward and paired moisturizing units which are mounted symmetrically to sandwich the vertical conveyance route.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which inhibits sheet curl without requesting a user to do tiresome work, such as resetting of sheets. On a touch panel, a user makes a setting whether to inhibit sheets of a printing medium from curling. When the setting indicates necessity of inhibiting sheet curl, a controller controls a reversing section and feed rollers to turn over and feed a sheet, and when the setting indicates unnecessity of inhibiting sheet curl, the controller controls the reversing section and the feed rollers to feed a sheet without turning over the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a curling unit which curls an end portion of a sheet, and a folding device which is disposed downstream of the curling unit and folds a sheet or a sheet bundle curled by the curling unit. The folding device folds the sheet bundle so that the end portion of the sheets curled by the curling unit may face inwardly.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an image-recording process and an image-recording apparatus, even at high density image and high speed image output, capable of suppressing the occurrence of curl in the final image sheet, and controlling and giving the desired direction and size of the curl. For this purpose, an image-recording process includes recording an image on an image-recording material which includes a thermoplastic resin contained layer on a support, heating the image-recording material to a temperature higher than a glass transition temperature of thermoplastic resin in the thermoplastic resin contained layer, controlling the curl by contacting a curl controlling member with at least a part of the image-recording material, and cooling the image-recording material to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin.

Abstract: A transfer apparatus for transferring a toner image onto a sheet having: an endless belt; a plurality of rollers for supporting the endless belt around the plurality of rollers; and a discharge section for corona discharging the sheet, wherein the plurality of rollers includes a transfer roller for forming a transfer nip used to transfer the toner image onto the sheet and a separation roller for separating the sheet from the endless belt, and the transfer roller and the separation roller are straight shaped rollers each having a substantially uniform diameter along the longitudinal direction; and wherein at least one of the plurality of rollers other than the transfer roller and the separation roller is formed into a crown shape in which an axially central portion thereof is larger in outer diameter than both end portions thereof.

Abstract: A curl correcting device for correcting a curl of a sheet at a curved belt-nip portion includes an endless belt extending between a driving roller and a driven roller, and a pressing roller configured to press a belt surface of the endless belt. A stepping motor is controlled in accordance with a pressing amount of the pressing roller to the belt surface of the endless belt to adjust a speed of the endless belt, thereby preventing the speed from being decreased.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus which flattens a curled sheet includes: a water content control unit which controls a water content of a sheet to flatten the curled sheet; a decurling section which is provided downstream the water content control unit with respect to a conveyance direction of the sheet, and the decurling section bends the curled sheet to be flat by a bending force; and a conveyance route changing section which changes a conveyance route of the sheet to direct to the water content control unit or not.

Abstract: A discharging unit for discharging a printing medium from an image forming apparatus includes an elastic roller and a curl preventing roller to oppose each other in a pressing relationship forming a nip therebetween to reduce curling of a print medium passing through the nip. At least one of the elastic roller and the curl preventing roller is allowed to move towards or away from the other roller so that the nip can be adjusted to accommodate different thicknesses of varying types of printing medium.

Abstract: Disclosed is a curl correcting device comprising: a first nip forming member conveying a sheet by rotation; and a second nip forming member having pressing members, wherein at least one of the pressing members is opposed to the first nip forming member in a standstill state at a time of curl correcting, presses the first nip forming member to press the sheet, and is capable of being switched between the pressing members.

Abstract: A sheet moisturizing device, including a moisturizing section which applies water on a sheet carrying a formed image and moisturizes the sheet, a switching section which switches whether a moisturizing process is to be conducted onto the sheet by the moisturizing section or not, and a control section which controls the switching section based on image information carried on the sheet.