Conveyance Of Copy Patents (Class 399/68)
  • Publication number: 20090257768
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; a fixing portion having a fixing nip portion which heats and fixes the unfixed image and an discharge roller which discharges the recording material, wherein in the case where the recording material is the plain paper which is equal to or larger than the predetermined size, the discharge roller conveys the plain paper in a range from a front edge to a rear edge at a predetermined speed, in the case where the recording material is the plain paper smaller than the predetermined size, the discharge roller conveys the plain paper at a first speed until the rear edge passes through the fixing nip portion, and the discharge roller conveys the plain paper at a second speed higher than the first speed after the rear edge passed through the fixing nip portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsutoshi Ando, Yuuichi Obara, Hiroshi Sahara
  • Patent number: 7603048
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to the invention includes an auxiliary power supply configured to detachably mountable on the image forming apparatus, a fixing device including a main heater heated by a commercial power supply and an auxiliary heater heated by the auxiliary power supply, a detector that detects mounting and detachment of the auxiliary power supply, and a control unit that performs control to carry out, when the mounting of the auxiliary power supply is detected by the detector, continuous printing of sheets at printing speed higher than printing speed at the time when the auxiliary power supply is not mounted. According to the image forming apparatus according to the invention, the image forming apparatus is capable of operating without deteriorating power use efficiency during continuous printing at normal speed and, on the other hand, can secure stable fixing performance even when the speed of the continuous printing is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20090252518
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described that facilitate reducing temperature droop during an initial portion of a print job by reducing fuser speed to increase fuser-to-paper interaction while fuser heat is absorbed by the paper during a temperature transient. For instance, during a first N pages of a print job, where N is an integer, the paper acts as a heat sink and exerts a thermal load on the fuser roll. To compensate, fuser speed is reduced initially to ensure that a given amount of heat is applied to toner on the pages. Fuser speed is increased until fuser temperature reaches steady state. Acceleration of the fuser is also adjustable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Yongsoon Eun, Eric Scott Hamby
  • Publication number: 20090252519
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image includes a first control table and a second control table. The first control table includes information on widths of a recording sheet, categorized into a plurality of groups of different widths thereof in a direction perpendicular to a sheet transport direction. The second control table includes information on timing of the recording sheet transported to the fixing device based on the group to which a preceding recording sheet, belongs and the group to which a subsequent recording sheet belongs. When a certain width of the recording sheet belongs to the plurality of the groups in the first control table, the group to which the preceding recording sheet belongs is the group to which the subsequent recording sheet belongs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2009
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Inventor: Masanobu Yamagata
  • Publication number: 20090245835
    Abstract: A printer is provided comprising substrate transport apparatus for moving substrates along a substrate path through the printer; a fuser assembly comprising a heat transfer member including a belt and a heater to heat the belt, a backup member adapted to engage the belt so as to define a fusing nip with the belt, and a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of a portion of the backup member; and a controller coupled to the temperature sensor. Based on signals generated by the temperature sensor, the controller determines whether a substrate moving along the substrate path has been contacted by the backup member portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Thomas Judson Campbell, Jichang Cao, William Paul Cook, James Douglas Gilmore, Hrishikesh Pramod Gogate, James Allen Lokovich, Wesley David McIntire
  • Publication number: 20090245836
    Abstract: A belt fixing device includes a fixing roller, a heating roller, a fixing belt stretched between the fixing roller and the heating roller, a pressing roller pressing the fixing roller through the fixing belt, and a temperature detection unit detecting the surface temperature of the fixing belt. In at least one end portion of the heating roller in an axial direction, a ring regulating skewed movement of the fixing belt toward an axial end, and a belt tension adjusting unit adjusting tension of the fixing belt are provided. The temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is stored in a storage unit. When the belt tension adjusting unit releases belt tension, a control unit controls a rotation stop position of the fixing belt on the basis of the belt temperature stored in the storage unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto SATO
  • Patent number: 7596334
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a first fusing member provided rotatably; a second fusing member disposed rotatably in press contact with the first fusing member, so as to define, together with the first fusing member therebetween, a nip section through which a recording material which holds an image thereon is to be passed; and a changing unit that changes an angle formed by the nip section and a transport direction of the recording material which is passed through the nip section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Yoshino, Toshiyuki Miyata
  • Patent number: 7590366
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a first image heating device for heating a toner image on a recording material. A first temperature detector is provided for detecting a temperature of the first image heating device. A second image heating device is also provided for heating the toner image on the recording material heated by the first image heating device, and a second temperature detecting device is provided for detecting a temperature of the second image heating device. Still further, a controller is provided for changing a number of recording materials passing through the first image heating device and the second image heating device per unit time on the basis of the detected temperature by the first image heating device and a detected temperature by the second image heating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshinori Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20090226199
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit having a rotary heating member and a rotary pressure member forming a nip therebetween, a guide wall positioned immediately downstream of the fixing unit and on the side of the rotary heating member with respect to a boundary defined by the transfer medium passing the nip, a guide member positioned on the side of the rotary pressure member with respect to the boundary and face to face with the guide wall, the guide member and the guide wall cooperatively guiding the transfer medium discharged from the fixing unit, and a guide member positioning mechanism for shifting the guide member between a first position where the guide member is moved away from the guide wall and a second position where the guide member is moved closer to the guide wall than at the first position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicant: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Miyake
  • Publication number: 20090220873
    Abstract: A belt skew correction controlling method includes detecting a skew speed of a wound endless belt, calculating a difference between the skew speed that is acquired in the detecting of the skew speed and the initial target value, determining whether a value acquired in the calculating of the difference is within a predetermined range, maintaining an angle of a skew correcting roller that is wound around the endless belt and can be inclined in a case where the value is determined to be within the predetermined range in the determining of whether the value is within the predetermined range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Katsumi ENOMOTO
  • Publication number: 20090208236
    Abstract: In a fixing unit, a fixing roller is rotated under driving force transmitted from a paper discharge unit-side gear of a driving section via a fixing roller driving gear, and holds and conveys a recording medium in cooperation with a pressure roller in a nip region. When a control section determines that acceleration conditions are fulfilled, the driving section increases the rotating speed of the paper discharge unit-side gear so that it is rotated at higher speed than before-acceleration speed over predetermined high-speed rotating period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norichika KATSURA, Tadasu TANIGUCHI, Masahiko FUJITA, Masaharu KIMURA
  • Patent number: 7577373
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a conveyance motor for conveying paper; an image forming unit forms a toner image on the conveyed paper; and a fixing device having a heat roller including plural heat sources to cause the toner image to be fixed to the paper. The image forming apparatus also includes a control unit. The control unit generates a control signal that switches ON or OFF the heat sources and a signal controls the driving of the conveyance motor, and generates a mode signal that differs between a warm-up mode and a normal mode. The control unit switches ON the plural heat sources at the same time and prohibits the driving of the conveyance motor during the warm-up mode, and allows the driving of the conveyance motor and prohibits all of the plural heat sources from being switched ON at the same time during the normal mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsunori Ishii
  • Patent number: 7574153
    Abstract: An image forming method includes forming a toner image on an image carrier of an image forming apparatus, transferring the toner image on the image carrier onto an intermediate transfer member, and second-transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member rotating at a linear speed Vc onto a recording medium, which is fed along a first conveyance path from a registration roller pair rotating at a linear speed Vr, by a transfer member. The toner image is fixed onto the recording medium, which is fed along a second conveyance path from the transfer member, by a fixing member rotating at a linear speed Vt. A length of the first and second conveyance paths is shorter than a length of a maximum recording medium of the image forming apparatus. Linear speed ratios Vc/Vt and Vr/Vc are changed depending on a property of the recording medium to prevent shock jitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakayama, Masahiko Satoh, Akira Shinshi
  • Publication number: 20090196642
    Abstract: Disclosed are an electrophotographic apparatus for forming images on sheets, and corresponding methods. The electrophotographic apparatus includes a fuser web for fusing toner particles to the sheets to form the images, a sensor for detecting a defect position of at least one defect in the fuser web, and a controller that receives the defect position of the at least one defect on the fuser web from the sensor, wherein the controller positions the fuser web relative to the sheets to avoid the at least one defect from coming into contact with the toner on the sheets during fusing of the toner particles to the sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Anthony S. Condello
  • Publication number: 20090196641
    Abstract: An image printing system for adjusting gloss on printed documents includes a marking engine constructed to print images, which have gloss, on a document; a gloss measurement device, includes a linear array sensor to detect a generally specular and diffuse reflectance in the first direction produced by one or more illuminators; a processor configured to receive image data relating to a content of the image to be printed on the document; to process the detected generally specular and diffuse reflectances to determine a characteristic of the gloss of the document, and to compare the gloss characteristic with the image data relating to content of the image printed on the document; and a controller configured to control at least one process controls parameter of the marking engine based on the comparison of the gloss characteristic with the image content by the processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Martin Edward BANTON, Dale R. MASHTARE, Paul A. HOSIER
  • Patent number: 7570895
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; a fixing portion having a fixing nip portion which heats and fixes the unfixed image and an discharge roller which discharges the recording material, wherein in the case where the recording material is the plain paper which is equal to or larger than the predetermined size, the discharge roller conveys the plain paper in a range from a front edge to a rear edge at a predetermined speed, in the case where the recording material is the plain paper smaller than the predetermined size, the discharge roller conveys the plain paper at a first speed until the rear edge passes through the fixing nip portion, and the discharge roller conveys the plain paper at a second speed higher than the first speed after the rear edge passed through the fixing nip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsutoshi Ando, Yuuichi Obara, Hiroshi Sahara
  • Publication number: 20090190941
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed in which a guide member configured to guide a sheet to a nip section between a heating roller and a pressing roller is disposed close to the upstream side of the rollers and on the pressing roller side. A downstream end of the guide member is disposed on the heating roller side with respect to the nip surface between the rollers so that a header of the sheet to be printed is in contact with the heating roller first, and a downstream end of the fixing device introduction guide member is concavely curved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Yasushi Hashimoto, Motoji Kurobane, Masami Takeshita, Kazuhiko Kawasaki
  • Publication number: 20090180793
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a heating rotatable member and a belt cooperative with the heating rotatable member to form a nip in which an image on a recording material is heated. The apparatus further comprises control means that rotates the heating rotatable member and the belt when changing means changes the relative position of the heating rotatable member and the belt from a spacing position to a contact position at a lower speed than in a period after the relative position changes from the spacing position to the contacting position and which is before the recording material enters the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Inventor: Takeshi Fujino
  • Publication number: 20090162088
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fuser unit that includes a first roller and a second roller opposite to each other, a first conveyance unit, a second conveyance unit, a drive unit, and a control unit to control the drive unit to rotate one or both of the first roller and the second roller in a state where a sheet contacts with the first roller and the second roller and the sheet is held by the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit, or in a state where after the sheet is held by the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit, one or both of the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit move in a direction of approaching at least one of the first roller and the second roller and the sheet contacts with the first roller or the second roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji SHIDA
  • Patent number: 7551883
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention provides a paper separation claw disposed near the surface of at least one of fixing rollers that fix toner on recording paper transported in a sandwiched manner, the paper separation claw being disposed in order to separate the recording paper, and a cavity portion that is open facing the surface of the fixing roller is formed in the paper separation claw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Ide, Yasunori Minakuchi, Noriko Inoue
  • Publication number: 20090148174
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, an image forming apparatus comprises a fixing unit including: a pair of rollers rotating with a recording sheet holding a toner image interposed therebetween; a driving motor rotating at least one of the pair of rollers; a heater being built in at least one of the pair of rollers to heat the roller; a timer measuring a period of time after starting operation; and a rotation speed control unit controlling the driving motor so that one of the rollers rotates in a speed higher than a rotation speed under normal conditions until a predetermined time measured by the timer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiya Inomata
  • Patent number: 7539430
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing section that fixes an image formed on a recording medium and a drive section that drives the fixing section in rotation. The drive section is stopped or rotated at a lower speed for reducing noise after fixing an image on the recording medium while preventing the temperature of a fixing roller from increasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Takemasa Ishikuro, Yujiro Iida
  • Publication number: 20090123169
    Abstract: In a fusing apparatus including a fuser member and pressure member fusing nip, a controller and sensors, there is provided a method of controlling fused image gloss. The method includes (a) sensing a copy sheet moving into the fusing nip; (b) sensing a temperature of a pre-fusing nip portion of a surface of the fuser member; (c) sensing a temperature of a post-fusing nip portion of the surface of the fuser member; (d) sensing an exit of each copy sheet from the fusing nip; (e) determining a start and an end of each inter-sheet gap portion on the surface of the fuser member; (f) making control calculations using sensed data; and (g) based on the control calculations, applying temperature conditioning only onto an inter-sheet gap portion on the surface of the fuser member for maintaining a near-constant uniform temperature on the surface of the fuser member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2007
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yongsoon Eun, Eric S. Hamby
  • Publication number: 20090123170
    Abstract: When the rotational speed of rotatable heating means for thermally fixing an image on a recording paper is changed from a first rotational speed of the highest level to a second rotational speed of the lowest level by changing the operation mode of a fixing device, the direct change from the first rotational speed to the second one may increase the overshoot of the temperature of the heating means. This shortens the life of the belt and causes an error of abnormally high temperature. To avoid an excessive overshoot of the temperature of the heating means, after the heating means is rotated for a predetermined time at a third rotational speed between the first and second rotational speeds, the rotational speed is changed to the second one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki TATEMATSU, Koichi BABA, Yukio ARAI
  • Patent number: 7529494
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus discharging a printed medium at a stable speed. A image developer affixes an image to a printing medium to form a printed medium and a transporting roller moves the printed medium toward a discharge roller. A one-way clutch driving the transport roller permits the discharge roller to assert control over the printed medium while the printed medium is in contact with the transport roller. The discharge roller is controllable to accelerate and decelerate the printed medium so that printed media are orderly stacked. The one way clutch permits the discharge roller and the transport roller to be spaced apart less than a length of the printed medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jung-yun Won
  • Publication number: 20090110426
    Abstract: A method for reducing gloss variation in prints, in an electrostatic printing system having a fuser for fusing sheets having marking particles thereon, the method including transporting a first sheet to the fuser; transporting a second sheet to the fuser; and abutting a trailing edge of the first sheet to a leading edge of the second sheet prior to the trailing edge of the first sheet entering the fuser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gerald A. Domoto, Nicholas Kladias, Barry P. Mandel, Augusto Barton, Yongsoon Eun
  • Patent number: 7515841
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus prevents defective fixing of a toner image from occurring and shortens a printout time for a first sheet by determining a start timing for conveying the recording medium to a transferring position of the toner image in accordance with a warm-up state of a fixing unit, a voltage state of a power supply, and an environmental temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kato, Akira Hayakawa, Kenichi Ogawa, Hisashi Nakahara, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Yoshihiko Tanaka, Hironori Kato
  • Patent number: 7509066
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has transfer rollers for transferring an unfixed image, fixing rollers with a changeable conveying speed, discharging rollers with a changeable conveying speed thereof and for discharging the recording material on which the image has been fixed by the pair of fixing rollers, a loop detecting sensor for detecting the loop of the recording material between the transfer rollers and the fixing rollers, and a control for changing the conveying speed of the fixing rollers on the basis of the detection of the loop detecting sensor so that the loop of the recording material is maintained with a predetermined range, wherein the control board controls the conveying speed of the discharging rollers so as to become equal to the conveying speed of the fixing rollers after the recording material has passed the transfer rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohei Koshida
  • Patent number: 7504605
    Abstract: The heating apparatus of a surface-heating type, includes a rotary member, an opposing member that forms a nip with respect to the rotary member, and a heating member for heating a portion of a rotary member surface other than the nip, in which temperature used for heating the rotary member by the heating member is controlled, and a heating material inserted in the nip to be nipped and conveyed therein is heated using heat of the rotary member. Accordingly, after insertion of the heating material in the nip starts, control temperature of the heating member is increased before the rotary member rotates by one revolution, thereby preventing an uneven heating phenomenon of the heating material in the first revolution and the second revolution or later, and preventing uneven gloss due to the uneven heating phenomenon in the fixing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Nanataki, Taku Fukita, Yozo Hotta
  • Publication number: 20090060548
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is configured to form a developer image on a recording sheet. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a pressure roller and a heat roller, an ejection roller configured to cause the recording sheet from the fixing unit to be ejected from the image forming apparatus, and a power transmission member configured to transmit power from the heat roller to cause the ejection roller to rotate. The pressure roller is configured to rotate in response to power and configured to cause the heat roller to be rotated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Souda
  • Publication number: 20090052926
    Abstract: To obtain an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image without transfer deviation or rumples, a function to detect the loop amount of the sheet material with a plurality of thresholds at multiple stages is given to a loop amount detecting portion detecting the loop amount of a sheet passing between conveyance guide members. The loop amount finely detected at the multiple stages through the loop amount detecting portion is reflected in a control and drive system, and, as a result, the sheet material can be conveyed while keeping the loop of the sheet material passing between the conveyance guide members at an appropriate amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: KYOCERA MITA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fujio Tabata
  • Patent number: 7496308
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transferring section for transferring an image to an image receiving medium, a primary fixing section for fixing the image by pressurizing the medium and a secondary fixing section for fixing the image. Conveying lengths of the medium from a transfer position to image fixing positions in the secondary fixing section and the primary fixing section are shorter than a maximum length and a minimum length of the medium in the conveying direction, respectively. In case of the medium of the maximum length, the primary fixing section is brought into a non-fixing state and the transfer is completed when the forward end of the medium reaches the secondary fixing section. In case of the medium of the minimum length, the primary fixing section is brought into a fixing state and the transfer is completed when the forward end of the medium reaches the primary fixing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Tanabe
  • Patent number: 7486902
    Abstract: An image fixing apparatus includes a first conveying path on which a sheet is conveyed, a first fixing unit that fixes a toner image on a sheet conveyed on the first conveying path, a second conveying path on which a sheet is conveyed, wherein the second conveying path branches from the first conveying path in a bifurcation provided on a upstream of the first fixing unit and joins into the first conveying path in a confluence provided on a downstream of the first fixing unit, and a second fixing unit provided on a upstream of the bifurcation or on a downstream of the confluence or on the second conveying path. Time to convey a sheet from the bifurcation to the confluence through the first conveying path and time to convey a sheet from the bifurcation to the confluence through the bypass conveying path are nearly equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuaki Hashimoto, Takashi Yano
  • Patent number: 7477855
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method of preventing overheating of a fuser assembly and an apparatus using the same. The method of preventing overheating of a fuser assembly includes inspecting whether a temperature of a fuser assembly is higher than a predetermined temperature. If the temperature of the fuser assembly is higher than the predetermined temperature it is determined whether there is a print command. A print sheet is passed through the fuser assembly, and conveyed to a predetermined location when there is no print command. The temperature is again inspected if there is no print command. If the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature it is determined whether a predetermined time has lapsed. The temperature is again inspected if the predetermined time did not lapse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Su-kyoung Chae, Cheol-ju Yang, Jun-bae Jeon
  • Publication number: 20090003866
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus including an endless belt for heating an image on a recording material; a supporting member for supporting the belt; a coil for induction heat generation in the belt; control means for controlling a position of the belt in a widthwise direction by inclining the supporting member so as to maintain the position of the belt in the widthwise direction within a predetermined target range; and suppressing means for suppressing a variation of a distance between the belt and the coil with a variation of inclination of the supporting member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu UCHIDA, Masahiko YOKOTA, Kazuhisa OKUDA, Michiaki ENDO, Takatoshi CHIBA, Shinsuke UBAYASHI, Hiromasa KATAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20080310872
    Abstract: A drive unit for changing the driving rate of paper ejection rollers for ejecting sheets of paper after fixing is installed, and an image forming apparatus has an option, and when ejecting the sheets of paper to an intra-body paper ejection unit, after the sheets of paper pass a fixing device, the paper ejection rate of paper ejection rollers 24 is increased, and the ejection force of the sheets of paper P is increased, and paper jamming at the time of paper ejection to the intra-body paper ejection unit is prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2008
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Inventor: Kenichiro Shishikura
  • Publication number: 20080304836
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which can restrain a flaw from occurring on surfaces of driven members at a time of restarting the apparatus after jam treatment or the like is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a drive load detection section which detects drive load of the respective driven members such as a photoreceptor, a fixing section, a conveyance section and a transfer section driven by a drive section and stops the drives of the respective driven members by the drive section when the drive load detecting section detects the drive load of which value is larger than or equal to a predetermined value at the time of restarting the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Inventor: Akira TAMAGAKI
  • Patent number: 7454150
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a belt stretched across rollers and a resist rotary member that feeds out a recording medium on the belt. A correlation between a velocity of the belt and the resist rotary member is obtained. A target velocity of the belt or the resist rotary member, at which a difference between the velocity when the recording medium is in contact with both the belt and the resist rotary member and the velocity when the recording medium is not in contact with at least either the belt or the resist rotary member is minimum, is determined based on the correlation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromichi Matsuda, Toshiyuki Andoh, Masato Yokoyama, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Yuji Matsuda, Yohei Miura, Hiroshi Okamura, Nobuto Yokokawa, Ryoji Imai
  • Patent number: 7447451
    Abstract: An image printing apparatus may include a fixing device, a first image printing mode where the recording medium comes into contact with the fixing member at substantially the same position during continuous fixing operation, and a second image printing mode where the recording medium comes into contact with the fixing member with a shorter time interval than in the first image printing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Funabiki
  • Publication number: 20080267650
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heat roller having a heat source thereinside, at least two press rollers disposed opposite to the heat roller, at least one cam member to move at least one of the press rollers close to the heat roller or away from the heat roller, a driving unit to rotate the cam member, and a control unit to control the driving unit to determine a position of the cam member. A sensor is mounted in an upstream side of the press rollers with respect to a feeding direction of a printing medium to detect a position of the printing medium. When a front end of the printing medium is sensed by the sensor, the control unit controls the driving unit to rotate the cam member. If the cam member rotates, the press rollers interlock with the cam member to move close to the heat roller or away from the heat roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jong Min KIM
  • Patent number: 7440707
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus is provided which can maximize the throughput without causing thermal damage of the fusing components. It determines a sub-thermistor temperature threshold value for switching small size paper feed intervals in response to a sub-thermistor initial temperature. It supplies a heating body with current for heating, and starts feeding recording mediums at the feed interval determined by a feed interval initial value. It makes a successively conveyed paper count. Every time the successively conveyed paper count reaches a paper count threshold value, it performs the switching control of the sub-thermistor temperature threshold value. If the sub-thermistor temperature exceeds the threshold value while the recording medium is passing through the fusing apparatus, it carries out the switching control of the feed intervals. In another mode, it prevents the extension of the paper feed interval of the paper conveyance during a specified paper count ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Iwasaki
  • Publication number: 20080253785
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of reducing damage in a fixing section and printing a high-quality image on a sheet at low cost without reducing productivity. A sheet shifting mechanism is arranged upstream of a transfer roller and moves the sheet in a sheet lateral direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. In order to change a position at which a sheet passes through a fixing roller, the sheet shifting mechanism is controlled for every conveyance of a predetermined number of sheets, whereby sheet movement in the sheet lateral direction is controlled. A correction amount for an error due to sheet shifting by the sheet shifting mechanism is stored for each of sheet shift positions. An image forming position in the sheet lateral direction of a photosensitive drum is shifted on the basis of the sheet shift position and the stored correction amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Yamamoto, Ichiro Sasaki, Naohisa Nagata, Akinobu Nishikata, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 7437085
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing rotary body; a rotary body provided with an interval from the fixing rotary body; an endless belt rotating in a condition in which it is wound around the fixing rotary body and the rotary body; a pressure rotary body which makes a pressure contact with the fixing roller across the endless belt; a heater for heating a recording material conveyed by the endless belt; a cooling unit for cooling a recording material conveyed by the endless belt and heated by the heater; and an error detecting member for detecting an error in conveyance of the recording material. When an error is detected in the downstream of the cooling unit by the error detecting member, the recording material is stopped after the recording material on the endless belt is conveyed to a position in which the cooling unit cools the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakagawa, Hidehiko Kinoshita, Jun Yamaguchi, Masaaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20080232834
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a short warm-up time desired by a user, wherein a quick output section is provided, and when a quick output mode is set by the quick output section, warm-up completion temperature is set to be low, and thereby, warm-up time is made to be short.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Shinichi TSUKAMURA, Hiroshi MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20080226323
    Abstract: A printing speed is adaptively set using Fuzzy inference, based on various printing environments including a printing medium width and the average amount of printing, so that the internal temperature of an apparatus can be stably maintained, and the use convenience can be enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kwang Sung PARK
  • Patent number: 7426353
    Abstract: In a construction for forming images on the both surfaces of a sheet, a speed controlling device for effecting the conveyance control of the sheet between a transfer device and a fixing device controls, when the image is to be formed on a first surface, the sheet conveying speed between the transfer device and the fixing device on the basis of loop detection by a loop detecting sensor provided between the transfer device and the fixing device so that a loop formed in the sheet may be maintained within a predetermined range. Also, when the image is to be formed on a second surface, the speed controlling device controls the sheet conveying speed between the transfer device and the fixing device on the basis of the average sheet conveying speed between the transfer device and the fixing device when the image has been formed on the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 7421219
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, wherein a heating member heats a toner image formed on a sheet by an image forming portion, including: a first detector detecting a temperature of a first area of a contact area, which is contactable with the sheet, of the heating member, when a set width of the sheet is a predetermined width; a controller for controlling the heating member based on the output of the first detector; a second detector detecting a temperature of a second area outside of the first area; a cooler cooling the second area based on the output of the second detector; a third detector detecting a temperature of a third area on an end side in the width direction within the contact area; and a stopper stopping the image heating operation based on the output of the third detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taisuke Matsuura, Kota Arimoto
  • Publication number: 20080187340
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Yutaka OTSUKA
  • Patent number: 7409172
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of loop detecting sensors which detect various levels of loops formed on a recording material; and a controlling device which selects a specific one out of the loop sensors in accordance with information on the recording material, and then, switches a conveyance speed of a fixing roller pair in response to a detection signal output from the specific sensor, so as to control in such a manner as to keep the loop of the recording material within a constant range, the controlling device selecting the loop detecting sensor for detecting a loop of a level in accordance with the information on the recording material, so as to perform a loop keeping control for the recording material in response to the detection signal output from the selected loop detecting sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohei Koshida
  • Publication number: 20080181639
    Abstract: An image formation device, which can properly execute an image formation process even if at least any one of plural fixing units included in the image formation device cannot be used due to a breakdown or the like, is provided. In the image formation device, if a first fixing unit cannot be used, a CPU controls not to execute a first transportation process of using the first fixing unit and a second fixing unit and a second transportation process of using the first fixing unit. Further, if the second fixing unit cannot be used, the CPU controls not to execute the first transportation process but to execute the second transportation process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Yokomizo