Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Hirokazu Izumi

Masanobu Deguchi

Hideyuki Nishimura

Hirofumi Sakita

Koji Oku

Hisaaki Kobayashi

Harumi Katayama

Atsuo Tanaka

Takao Fukuda

Shuuhei Yamamoto

Katsumi Nakanishi

Masashi Tanimoto

Keiji Nobuhara

Toshihiko Sugimura

Harumi Tomota

An image forming apparatus capable of selecting a toner cartridge from a plurality of toner cartridges containing toner of an identical color preferentially without interrupting an image forming action of the apparatus. When a toner density of the toner in a developer container becomes low, a control section drives a toner supply section in response to information on the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner cartridges, so that the toner may be supplied from the toner cartridge having the least remaining amount.

Image forming apparatus for supplying toner from one of a plurality of toner cartridges

An image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: an appearance data generating sectionfor generating appearance data according to a drawing appearance of a processed document; a classification information producing sectionfor producing, from the appearance data, classification information for classifying the processed document; a data file save processing section(saving section) for saving in a storage section a data file of the processed document together with the classification information of the data file; an appearance information inputting section(inputting section) for inputting the appearance information of the processed document desired by a user; an appearance information converting sectionfor converting the appearance information into classification information to output the classification information; and a searching sectionfor searching the storage sectionto find the data file of the processed document consistent with the outputted classification information. This enables the user to search the processed document easily and quickly to reuse it.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, method for searching processed document, program for searching processed document, and recording medium

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention detects the amount of remaining toner by using (i) the result of calculation carried out by a toner supply amount calculation section based on an accumulated rotational time measurement section in a region where the amount of remaining toner is not less than a predetermined amount and toner supply is stabilized, (ii) the result of calculation carried out by a pixel count section in a region where the amount of remaining toner gets small and the amount of toner supply gets uneven, and (iii) the result of ATC carried out by a toner density control section. As a result, it is possible to exactly detect the amount of remaining toner without providing a special remaining toner detection device.

Image forming apparatus and method for detecting amount of remaining toner

A network system includes a plurality of printers and a digital copying machine interconnected through a data transmission line, detects a free space in an image memory of each printer, adds a user identification code to image data of a document read in an image reading section of the digital copying machine, and then sends the image data to a printer with the image memory having a sufficient free space so as to store the image data. With this structure, even if the digital copying machine does not have an image memory, it is possible to store the image data subjected to an image formation within the network and omit an image reading process when performing an image formation according to the same image data later. Moreover, with this structure, various processing can be executed on the image data by effectively using the functions of the respective apparatuses.

Network, system, and digital apparatuses interconnected by a network

An image-reading device is provided with a case having an empty section, a scanner for scanning an original so as to output image data derived from the original by reciprocally moving inside the empty section, a transparent reading-use window that faces the reading region of the original with respect to the scanner, and a transparent confirming-use window that is formed in the case so as to face the reading-use window, with the empty section located in between. This device enables visual confirmation of the original through the reading-use window, the empty section and the confirming-use window. Therefore, the device allows the operator to confirm a positional relationship between the reading-use window that forms the image-reading surface for the scanner and the original to be read through visual observation, readily as well as accurately. Thus, the device makes it possible to readily output the image data accurately.

Image-reading device

A portable image processing apparatus includes a sheet holding section formed so as to have a substantially cylindrical shape, a holding roller for cylindrically holding a sheet along a side of the sheet holding section, a sheet carrying section with a doughnut-like shape, a printing section fixed in an opposite position to the side of the sheet holding section, a stepping motor for scanning for rotating the sheet holding section which holds a sheet on an axis of a cylinder, and a stepping motor for carrying for rotating the sheet carrying section from its inner circumference towards its outer circumference in order to transfer the sheet parallel to the axis of the sheet holding section. As a result, the apparatus is miniaturized, thereby making it possible to improve its portability.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Hirokazu Izumi