Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Hiroyuki Kashima

Naohisa Kinoshita

Makoto Hasegawa

Kiyoshi Muto

Toshihiro Tsuzuki

Kazuhiko Takagi

Kazumasa Makino

Atsuo Hirose

Tsuyoshi Ohashi

Yumio Matsumoto

Yutaka Hattori

Mitsumasa Kako

Eiji Yokota

Takanobu Hirayama

Mitsuaki Inoue

Hiroaki Nishimura

A multi-beam scanner has two light emitting points ch ch and an optical system. The light emitting points ch ch are separated by a distance &Dgr;along a depth-of-focus direction. The longitudinal magnification &agr;, or the image-side numerical aperture NA, of the optical system is set so that the surface to be scanned of a photosensitive drum is positioned within a range where the depths of focus d of the light beams from the two light emitting points ch ch overlap. The multi-beam scanner can focus the light beams onto the surface of the photosensitive drum at all the scanning positions even when the optical system has curvature of field.

Multi-beam scanner and image forming apparatus including the same

A paper sheet discharge apparatus comprises a transport roller for transporting paper sheets discharged from an image-forming apparatus, a plurality of switching flappers for guiding the paper sheets to desired bins, and a plurality of delivery rollers for discharging the paper sheets via the switching flappers to the bins. The paper sheets are reliably stored in the desired bins without decreasing their transport speed by the aid of the transport roller, the switching flappers, and the delivery rollers. The power from a motor is transmitted only to the delivery rollers which are used to discharge the paper sheets while being interlocked with the specified switching flapper. Therefore, it is possible to diminish the load on the motor.

Paper sheet discharge apparatus and printing apparatus

A recording medium discharging apparatus which can be mounted on top of the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of recording medium storers and a locking mechanism for locking the discharging apparatus to the image forming apparatus when the discharging apparatus is mounted on the image forming apparatus. The locking mechanism includes a release lever for unlocking the discharging apparatus by being manipulated to shift in the same direction as the discharging apparatus moves away from the image forming apparatus to be dismounted from it. The locking mechanism prevents the discharging apparatus from falling off the image forming apparatus even if external force is applied to the discharging apparatus mounted on the image forming apparatus. The release lever for unlocking the discharging apparatus makes it easy to dismount the discharging apparatus from the image forming apparatus.

Recording medium discharging apparatus and image forming apparatus provided therewith

A paper sheet discharge apparatus comprises a transport roller that transports paper sheets discharged from an image-forming apparatus, a plurality of switching flappers that guide the paper sheets to desired bins, and a plurality of delivery rollers that discharge the paper sheets via the switching flappers to the bins. The paper sheets are reliably stored in the desired bins without decreasing their transport speed by the aid of the transport roller, the switching flappers, and the delivery rollers. The power from a motor is transmitted only to the delivery rollers which are used to discharge the paper sheets while being interlocked with the specified switching flapper.

Paper sheet discharge apparatus

A recording medium discharge apparatus includes bins for storing sheets of paper therein. The apparatus also includes level sensors for each detecting one of the bins having been filled with paper sheets. Each sensor consists of a light emitter and a light receiver, which are positioned on both sides of the associated bin. The emitter and the receiver are aligned on a line extending across the direction in which paper sheets can be discharged. This prevents paper sheets from coming into direct contact with the sensors. Even if paper sheets discharged into each bin are once taken out and then returned to it, the returned sheets do not come in contact with the associated sensor. It is therefore possible to keep the discharge of paper sheets in good condition.

Recording medium discharge apparatus and image forming apparatus equipped with recording medium discharge apparatus

In a laser scanner device in which a laser beam emitted from a laser diode is reflected in a main scan direction over a predetermined angle by a polygon mirror which rotates at a high speed, the laser beam is reflected from a flat mirror and received by a horizontal synchronizing detection sensor before the laser beam enters a scanning region in which a main scanning operation of the laser beam is performed to form an electrostatic image on a photosensitive drum. In response to the detection of the laser beam, the detection sensor produces a horizontal synchronizing signal which is used as a reference phase to determine a start phase of the main scanning operation. The laser diode and the horizontal synchronizing detection sensor are disposed proximate to each other so that the first optical axis of the laser beam emitted from the laser diode is located at an angle-retarded side in the rotational direction of the polygon mirror with respect to the second optical axis of the laser beam which is reflected from the polygon mirror and then enters the horizontal synchronizing detection sensor. In addition, the laser diode and the horizontal synchronizing detection sensor are mounted on the same board.

Structure of a laser beam scanner for a photosensitive printing device

A supporting member made of elastomer materials is inserted with pressure into a chassis, and a support portion projects inside the chassis. The supporting member supports the ends of the convex lens and concave lens.

Elastic member support structure

A paper cassette adapted to be removably mounted in a paper feed section of an image forming device. The paper cassette is generally constructed of a main frame and an auxiliary frame slidably engaged with the main frame. The auxiliary frame is moved forwardly or rearwardly relative to the main frame in accordance with a longitudinal size of the desired sheets of paper to be stored in the paper cassette. Thereafter, the auxiliary frame is fixedly positioned by a position adjusting member provided on the main frame. Thus, a longitudinal size or length of the paper cassette to be mounted into the paper feed section of the image forming device can be varied in accordance with a longitudinal size of the desired sheets of paper to be used, thereby reducing the types of paper cassettes required.

Paper cassette for use in an image forming device

A recording apparatus including a recording device for recording line of images on a recording medium, and a feeding device having a stepping motor for feeding the recording medium in a feeding direction perpendicular to the recording lines. The apparatus has a signal generator for generating a timing pulse in timed relation with the start of recording of each recording line so that the recording of each line is started in response to the timing pulse. Further, the stepping motor is stepped to feed the recording medium from one line to another, in response to the timing pulse, such that the stepping of the motor from one excitation phase to the next produces an incremental feeding distance of the medium which is equal to 1/n of a line spacing of the recording lines, where n represents a positive natural number.

Recording apparatus having stepping motor stepped to feed recording

A laser scanner protecting mechanism is provided for the laser scanning unit of a laser printer having an upper body and a lower body which divide, the sheet transport path defining a boundary therebetween. The printer permits the upper body to be pivoted away from the lower body to expose inner workings of the printer and to provide access to a process cartridge that is removably mounted into the upper body. The laser scanner unit, mounted in the upper body above the process cartridge, is protected from exposure to dust and solid materials in the air or the inadvertent contact of an operator's hand through an exposure opening by a cover adapted to be moved between a first position for covering the exposure opening of the laser scanner unit when the process cartridge is removed and a second position retracted from the first position when the process cartridge is mounted.

Laser scanner protecting mechanism

Laser light emitted from a light source is deflected in a predetermined direction by a rotary polygonal mirror to scan the surface of a photosensitive medium. A correction lens corrects the focal point of the laser light deflected by the rotary polygonal mirror. The correction lens is formed by cutting a circular lens along a plane off the optical axis thereof and removing a segment of shorter arc therefrom. The correction lens is held by a lens holder by way of being pressed by a pressing member both in the radial direction and in the direction of the optical axis thereof to the lens holder.

Lens device

A paper ejecting device for ejecting a recording cut sheet cut of a recording apparatus is disclosed. The paper ejecting device includes an ejector for ejecting the recording cut sheet through an outlet which is provided at a portion of the recording apparatus, a tray disposed adjacent to the ejector for receiving and recording cut sheet which has been ejected through the outlet by the ejector, and a sheet reversing member operable between a first position for guiding and reversing the recording cut sheet ejected through the outlet before the sheet falls onto the tray, and a second position for permitting the recording cut sheet ejected through the outlet to be received on the tray, without a reversal of the cut sheet.

Paper ejecting device having sheet reversing and non-reversing positions

A photoconductive cartridge removably mounted on a photographic recording apparatus and including a photoconductive body, a casing having an opening for exposure of the photoconductive body to an outside of the casing, and a shutter having a closed position in which the opening is closed by the shutter and an open position in which the opening is open. The photoconductive cartridge further includes a locking device having a first engaging member movable with the shutter, a second engaging member having a first position in which the second engaging member engages the first engaging member to thereby prevent a movement of the first engaging member and a movement of the shutter from the closed position to the open position, and a second position in which the second engaging member is released from the first engaging member, and a biasing device for biasing the second engaging member toward the first position.

Photoconductive cartridge having shutter locking device for holding

A photographic recording apparatus is provided having a housing body, and a process cartridge unit including a photoconductive drum and a developing device and which is removably mounted on the housing body. The cartridge unit includes a first and a second frame which are pivotable about a rotation axis of the drum relative to each other, and a biasing member for biasing the two frames to thereby hold the frames in a first relative angular position. The housing body includes a portion for holding the cartridge unit such that the two frames are held in a second relative angular position, which is established by pivoting the two frames from the first relative angular position against a biasing action of the biasing member. The first and second frames each having holes or openings that are initially misaligned, cooperate in an overlapping fashion to provide at least one opening through which a portion of the drum is exposed outside the frames, when the frames are placed in the second relative angular position. Each opening is closed when the frames are placed in the first relative angular position.

Photographic recording apparatus having photoconductive drum cartridge

Disclosed is a fixing apparatus wherein a print medium having an image transferred thereto is conveyed by rollers provided with a heat source, whereby the transferred image is fixed to the print medium. At least one of the fixing rollers has a hollow section in which the heat source is disposed toward the side at which the print medium is held and upstream with regard to the direction of rotation of the roller. The fixing apparatus comprises a detector for detecting the temperature at or in the vicinity of the heat source; an operating circuit for operating the heat source when the detected temperature is lower than a required temperature; a device for notifying an operator that the temperature of the fixing apparatus has reached a temperature required for the fixing operation; and a timer which starts to count from the start of operation of the heat source. When the required temperature is reached, the timer is reset, and when operation of the heat source is restarted, the timer starts to count again. The notification by the notifying device is continued regardless of the temperature, and is stopped when the count of the timer reaches a predetermined value.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Hiroyuki Kashima