Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Jun Horikoshi

Kenji Suzuki

Masashige Tamura

Atsushi Munakata

By a conventional mechanism for detecting a position of a knob of a toner bottle, the detection of the presence or absence of the toner bottle could not be effected. So, by providing an optical sensor on the inner surface of an interchange door opposed to the knob of the toner bottle, it is possible to effect the detection of the presence or absence of the toner bottle, and the detection of the position of the knob, i.e., the opening and closing of a shutter of the toner bottle.

Toner supplying container with shutter position/detection portion sensor feature and image forming apparatus including the same

A sheet conveying device includes an endless belt for conveying a sheet, at least two stretching shafts arranged to revolvably stretch the endless belt, a rotatable pressing roller arranged to push the stretched endless belt from outside, the sheet being arranged to be conveyed in a state of being pinched between the endless belt and the pressing roller, and springs for pressing the pressing roller so as to make the pressing roller movable in a direction of being pushed to the endless belt and in a direction of being released from being pushed to the endless belt. Further, a curled-sheet correction device includes an endless belt arranged to circulate in a state of being wrapped around a plurality of guide rollers, and at least one curl correction roller arranged to press the endless belt in such a direction as to narrow a circulating area of the endless belt, wherein, among the plurality of guide rollers, a driving guide roller to which a rotative driving force is imparted is formed to have a straight generatrix, and curl of a curled sheet is corrected while the curled sheet is conveyed jointly by the endless belt and the curl correction roller.

Curl correction device, and image forming apparatus having the curl correction device

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device for forming images on sheet materials, a delivering device for delivering the sheet materials on which images are formed, a delivery tray for receiving the delivered sheet materials and a fanning device for fanning the sheet materials delivered from the delivering means to the delivery tray. The fanning device can change a blowing amount depending on a sheet material type.

Image forming apparatus having fanning device for delivered sheet materials

A blade device includes an elongated elastic blade, and a support member, disposed along a longitudinal direction of the elastic blade, for supporting one end of the elastic blade in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Lateral end sections of the elastic blade in the longitudinal direction are more protruded than a central section thereof in a direction opposite to the support member. Portions of the support member corresponding to protruded portions of the elastic blade and supporting the elastic blade are retracted toward a direction opposite to a protruding direction of the elastic blade. The support member may be made of different shapes to achieve the retracted configuration. In addition, the support member may be made of two different materials so that portions of the support member have different elasticities.

Blade device and fixing apparatus having the same

To assure that a plain paper or an exclusively usable paper is selected as a recording medium depending on requested image such as a full color image or a monochromatic image, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium, a plain paper feeding unit, an exclusively usable paper feeding unit, a selecting unit for selecting a recording medium corresponding to a quality of image to be recorded, and a selected paper feeding unit as essential components. An image forming method to be practiced by operating the image forming apparatus includes the steps of selecting a recording medium to be used corresponding to a quality of an image to be printed, feeding the selected paper, and forming the image on the recording medium.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method, which select the

In a serial page printer for printing an image line by line by scanning a printing head, even if a motor for driving a roller for conveying a printing medium is rotated by a predetermined amount, the printing medium is not conveyed by a predetermined amount depending on decentering of the roller, the position of the printing medium, and the like, resulting in a printing error. In order to prevent this, a predetermined position of the roller is brought into contact with each line of a printing medium. For this purpose, an apparatus of the present invention detects that the position of the printing medium and the state of the roller are in a predetermined state. Therefore, a line subjected to printing and the state of the roller have a predetermined relationship on any page, and the printing medium can be conveyed by a predetermined amount for each line by adjusting the rotational amount of the roller for each line in advance.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Jun Horikoshi