Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Hitoshi Nakai

Makoto Suzuki

Takemi Yamamoto

Yasushi Okabe

Jun Sakai

Kenji Sakakibara

Soichiro Nishimura

Yumio Matsumoto

Tsugio Okamoto

Michitoshi Akao

Toshio Sakai

Yuji Asano

Shusaku Tsusaka

Kazuo Sangyoji

Naoyuki Hatta

Yoichi Horaguchi

Kiyoharu Hayakawa

Takeshi Miyabayashi

Mitsuo Yamane

Kazunori Tanabe

Eiji Fujii

A thermal toner image fixing device thermally fuses and fixes a toner image to a sheet of paper. The thermal toner image fixing device has a sensor for detecting the surface reflectance of the sheet, a sensor for detecting the electric resistance of the sheet, and a sensor for detecting the ambient temperature. A temperature threshold level for a thermal fixing roller of the thermal toner image fixing device is determined according to fuzzy logic operations based on the detected surface temperature, the detected resistance, and the detected ambient temperature, and also control rules stored in a memory.

Thermal toner image fixing device which uses fuzzy logic

One unit type processing unit to be assembled in a laser printer for facilitating replacement work. The processing unit houses therein a photosensitive drum with a part being exposed, a charging unit, a developing unit and cleaning unit. The processing unit is also provided with a flexible protective cover for covering the exposed area of the photosensitive drum when an upper frame of the laser printer is opened. The protective cover can be rolled into a compact configuration and is positioned in a dead space at a position beside the exposed area when the cover is moved away from the exposed area and when the upper frame is closed for printing operation. The rolled cover is stretchable to cover the exposed area when the upper frame is opened.

Image recording apparatus with rolled protective cover for process unit

An integral type processing unit has a photosensitive drum, a developing unit for forming a developer toner image on the photosensitive drum, and a cleaning unit for scraping off residual toners from the drum. The developing unit does not have sufficient internal volume for accumulating therein the developer toners whose amount meet with the service life of the other components. Therefore, toner containers are replaceably attached to the developing unit for supplementing the developer toners therein. In order to limit the replacement times of the toner containers, each of the toner containers are provided with a segment separable therefrom. Further, a receiving segment is provided at the developing unit engageable with the separable segment. The receiving segment has a predetermined number of receiving portions. If all receiving portions are filled with the separable segments, it becomes no longer possible to further replace the toner container with a new container.

Developer material supplying device for integral type processing unit

An optical scanning device includes an optical waveguide array through which image information light, scanned by an optical scanning means, is successively introduced and carried. A means for correcting the intensity of light is provided to correct the intensity of the image information light. This correction is performed in correspondence with variations in light transmission efficiency in the optical waveguide. The intensity of light beams on a photosensitive material is, as a result, rendered uniform, these light beams being emitted from the optical waveguide array.

Optical scanning device

An image recording apparatus has a photochromic photosensitive member with a light transmittance that is variable dependent on the light applied to it from an original that has been illuminated by a first light source. A second light source, which emits a light that the photochromic photosensitive member is insensitive to, is then used to form an electrostatic latent image on an uniformly charged photosensitive sheet with the photosensitive sheet being carried on the surface of a transfer drum past one or more developing devices in order to make the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive sheet a visible image. A mask member film may alternatively be used between an exposure light source and the photosensitive sheet.

Image recording apparatus with an intermediate photosensitive member

An image recording apparatus including a pattern forming device for forming a light-shielding pattern on one of opposite surfaces of a photosensitive recording medium. The light-shielding pattern is formed of a light-shielding material which is capable of shielding a radiation. The apparatus further includes an exposing device for irradiating the above-indicated one surface of the recording medium, and thereby forming an optical latent image which corresponds to the light-shielding pattern. The light-shielding pattern is removed by a cleaner from the recording medium after the optical latent image is formed. The optical latent image formed on the medium is developed into a visible image.

Image recording apparatus forming photomasking pattern on photosensitive

A color image recording apparatus exposes a photosensitive recording medium to light through a succession of mask members produced by a monochoromatic laser printer based on colored image information. A latent image thus formed on the recording medium is then developed into a colored image on a color developer sheet. The mask members have identifying marks indicating the colors of the mask members. The color image recording apparatus includes mask member identifying sensors for identifying the identifying marks, a plurality of storage trays each for storing one of the mask members, and feed rollers for individually feeding the mask members from the storage trays. The mask member having one specific color is positioned at an exposure zone where a filter having a corresponding color is provided.

Color image recorder using color masks with identifying marks

In an image recording apparatus for forming an image on a photosensitive recording medium by exposing the matter to light through a light-transmissive original or a mask member, a light-transmissive and dielectric conveying means is disposed between a light source and the photosensitive recording medium and has an outer surface for carrying thereon the original or a mask member with a space between the latter and the photosensitive recording medium. The conveying means is electrified by electrifying means such as a corotron, a brush to electrostatically attract the original or a mask member thereto.

Image recording apparatus

Disclosed is a method of recording a picture onto a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive paper, which comprises the steps of: forming in advance a mask original form of a film having a light-transmitting portion and a non-light-transmitting portion corresponding to information of the picture; exposing the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive paper through the mask original form to thereby form a latent image on the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive paper; and pressure-fixing the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive paper carrying the latent image formed thereon. Further disclosed is an apparatus for carrying out the above method, which comprises: a mask forming means for forming a mask original form of a film having a light-transmitting portion and a non-light-transmitting portion corresponding to picture information of an original picture; an exposure means for exposing the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive paper through the mask original form formed by the mask forming means; and a pressure-fixing means for pressing the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive paper having a latent image formed by the exposure means to thereby perform pressure-development.

Picture recording apparatus

A method for recording a color image having two or more hues is disclosed which comprises exposing to light from one light source a light-sensitive sheet having carried on the surface thereof a mixture containing, as a light-sensitive agent, two or more kinds of photocurable microcapsules which encapsulate different color formers therein and are sensitive to lights of different wave length regions from each other, with changing the exposure amount in conformity with image information to thereby selectively cure the microcapsules, wherein (i) said light-sensitive agent contains at least one kinds of photcurable microcapsules which become soft when light-exposed in an exposure amount more than the exposure amount necessary for photocuring of said one kind of photocurable microcapsules, or (ii) said exposing is carried out using one light source capable of emitting lights of said different wave length regions simultaneously with controlling the exposure amount within plural levels bonded by maximum sensitivity in each of said different wave length regions in a composite spectral sensitivity characteristic synergistically synthesized from spectral sensitivities of said two or more kinds of photocurable microcapsules and coefficient of spectral radiation of said one light source.

Method for recording color image by varying single source exposure

An image recording device wherein a photo-sensitive paper or a plain paper is selected as a recording medium. If a monochrom image is to be recorded, a provisional image formed with light-shield materials which corresponds to an original image to be recorded is directly transferred onto the plain paper to form a monochrom image thereon. If a color image is to be recorded, the light-shield image is once transferred onto an image carrier, and the light-shield image carried on the image carrier is exposed on the photo-sensitive paper to form a latent image thereon. The latent image formed on the photo-sensitive paper by the above exposure is then developed to a visible color image.

Image recording device

Method of recording information on photosensitive and pressure-sensitive

An image recording device wherein an image is recorded on a photo-sensitive recording medium and said image is once formed as a light-shield image before recorded on the photo-sensitive recording medium. The device comprises light-shield image forming means for forming the light-shield image in a reduced size with respect to the image to be recorded, and enlarged image recording means for recording an image corresponding to the light-shield image in an enlarged size on the photo-sensitive recording medium.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Hitoshi Nakai