Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroshi Chihara

Kazuhisa Sato

Genki Takahashi

Atsuya Takahashi

Masataka Mochizuki

Junichi Kimizuka

Tomohiro Nakamori

Hiroshi Takami

Soya Endo

Takao Kawazu

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a second tray arranged below a first tray detachable from a main body having a first discharge port corresponding to the first tray and a second discharge port corresponding to the second tray, a discharge unit, a tray detecting unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a sheet toward the first or second discharge port. In a state that the first tray is detached from the main body and the discharge unit discharges sheets from the first discharge port to the second tray and then the first tray is detected as attached to the main body, the control unit selects a discharge destination of a second sheet, subsequent to a first sheet discharged and stacked first after the first tray is attached to the main body, such that the second sheet is stacked on a tray having the first sheet thereon.

Sheet sorting apparatus and image forming apparatus

A recording material processing apparatus includes a processing tray, a detecting unit, a stapling unit, an instructing unit, a control unit, a switching unit, and a notifying unit. The detecting unit detects recording material placed in the processing tray. The stapling unit executes a stapling process for the recording material placed in the processing tray. The instructing unit outputs a stapling process execution instruction. Upon receipt of the execution instruction in a state in which the detecting unit has detected a recording material inserted in the processing tray from an outside of a main body of a main body apparatus, the control unit cause the stapling process to be executed. The switching unit switches a position of the stapling unit among a plurality of positions. The notifying unit provides notification of a placement position of the recording material in the processing tray corresponding to each of the plurality of positions.

Recording material processing apparatus or image forming system each of which executes stapling process

An image forming apparatus includes a detachable unit having a memory configured to store information. The image forming apparatus further includes a first acquiring unit, a second acquiring unit, and a control unit. The first acquiring unit acquires first information on a used amount of the memory. The second acquiring unit acquires second information on a used amount of the detachable unit. The control unit controls an interval between accesses to the memory based on the first information on the used amount of the memory and the second information on the used amount of the detachable unit.

Image forming apparatus for controlling interval between accesses to memory in detachable unit

Occurrence of improper sheet-feeding of sheets is reduced. A sheet stacking section is lifted by an amount that is larger when a sheet-feed retry is performed than when an ordinary lifting operation is performed.

Sheet feeding device

An image forming apparatus includes a detachable consumable part having a storage unit configured to store information. The image forming apparatus includes a counting unit configured to count the number of times of access to the storage unit, a measurement unit configured to measure a used amount of the consumable part, and an access control unit configured to control an access frequency to the storage unit based on the counted number of times of access and the used amount of the consumable part.

Consumable part for an image forming apparatus and a control method thereof

A period of a first edge, a voltage change in a first direction of a first pulse signal fed from a zero-crossing detecting circuit, is detected. A second edge, a voltage change in a second direction opposite to the first direction, is generated when a time period equal to half the period of the first edge has elapsed from the next first edge. In response to a second pulse signal generated from the first and second edges, phase control of power to be supplied to heating elements is performed by using triacs. In this manner, during power control using a signal from the zero-crossing detecting circuit as a trigger signal, is achieved stable power control which enables tracking even though the power supply frequency fluctuates, and which is impervious to the effect of the positive or negative polarity of an input power supply.

Power supply apparatus and heating apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus in which a memory has a first storage area for storing information related to image formation as predetermined unit data and a second storage area (back-up memory) for storing the information as bit-unit data. A printer control unit, which controls writing/reading of the information related to image formation to/from the memory, stores the information related to image formation, stored in the first storage area as the predetermined unit data as the bit-unit data, into said second storage area.

Storage control method for a memory provided in a removable cartridge in an image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus in which a memory has a first storage area for storing information related to image formation as predetermined unit data and a second storage area for storing the information as bit-unit data. A printer control unit, which controls writing/reading of the information related to image formation to/from the memory, stores the information related to image formation, stored in the first storage area as the predetermined unit data as the bit-unit data, into said second storage area.

Memory storing information relating to the condition of a cartridge, and image forming apparatus and cartridge having such memory

An image forming apparatus includes a guide unit for guiding sheets fed by a sheet feed unit to an image forming unit, a discharge guide unit for discharging the sheets onto which images are formed, by the image forming unit, a re-transportation guide unit for branching the sheets from the discharge guide unit and guiding them through the image forming apparatus again, and a plurality of sheet sensors disposed in the re-transportation guide unit at intervals in a sheet transportation direction for determining positions at which the sheets are placed in a standby state, wherein the number of sheets, which are placed in the standby state is selected based on sheet size information so that more sheets are placed in the standby state when a sheet size is short than when it is long. Accordingly, the throughput of short sheets can be increased when images are recorded on both sides thereof.

Sheet re-feed device and image forming apparatus

Information including a NewCartridgeBit indicating that a cartridge having an internal non-volatile memory is a new (unused) cartridge and information including a FirstInstallDate related to the NewCartridgeBit and the date of indicating first use of the cartridge have been recorded in the non-volatile memory of the cartridge. If an update command for updating the NewCartridgeBit has been issued, the NewCartridgeBit is updated and then the FirstInstallDate is updated if the FirstInstallDate is an initial value. If an update command for updating the FirstInstallDate has been issued, then, when the NewCartridgeBit is not an initial value, the FirstInstallDate is updated if it is the initial value. As a result, the conformity between the interrelated information the NewCartridgeBit and the FirstInstallDate can be maintained.

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Suntou-gun, Japan

Hiroshi Chihara