Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Zeon Company, Ltd.

Fujitsu Corporation

Harima Chemicals, Incorporated

Casco Nobel Ab

Dai-Ichi Seiki Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Jun Saito

Yuzo Isoda

Hironori Shido

Kenji Kobayashi

Masakazu Hiroi

Masataka Naito

Takeshi Honjo

Koichi Murakami

Yuji Takahashi

Yoshiaki Watanabe

Hiroyuki Ishii

Masao Ando

Ryukichi Inoue

Shinji Goto

Masahide Tanoue

Takashi Kuwata

Yasuhiro Uchida

Makoto Izumi

Harukazu Sekiya

Kaoru Sato

Kazuo Minoura

Junichi Kimizuka

Takehiko Kiyohara

Koichi Tanigawa

Akira Higeta

Yoshimichi Katagiri

Masanobu Kanoto

Tomoyuki Araki

Katsuhiko Nishimura

Shizuo Kitahara

Toshihiko Inuyama

Nobutaka Uto

Toshio Yoshimoto

Yuzo Horikoshi

Toshiyuki Itoh

Toru Kameyama

Akio Nemoto

Kazunori Shigemori

Tadashi Yagi

Junji Ichikawa

Tokudai Ogawa

Makoto Koshi

Yoshihiro Makuta

Nobuyasu Ota

Toshiyuki Asakawa

Hiroaki Naito

Hiromitsu Kikuchi

Yasuharu Takeuchi

Hitoshi Kusaba

Fumio Yamada

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto

Tooru Saitou

Katsuhiro Hasegawa

Toyoko Imai

Yoshiaki Ishibashi

Hiroichi Ishihara

An image forming apparatus usable with a process cartridge comprising an image bearing member and a process device actable on the image bearing member includes guide device, contactable with the process cartridge, for guiding in the loading direction the process cartridge to be loaded into a main assembly of the apparatus; a positioning device for positioning the process cartridge, which is in the disengaged state from the guide device, into the loading location; and a pressing device for pressing the process device onto the positioning device.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus usable with this process

A toner binder comprising a crosslinked polyester resin obtained by using 0.1 to 3 mol % of trimellitic acid and 0.1 to 5 mol % of an epi-bis type epoxy in combination as crosslinking components, said binder having a number average molecular weight (Mn) in the chromatogram determined by a gel permeation chromatography on the non-gel portion of the polyester resin, of 2,000 to 4,000, a ratio (Mw/Mn) of the weight average molecular weight to the number average molecular weight of 10 to 25 and a (percent gel) of the residue unsoluble in tetrahydrofuran solvent of 1 wt % or less. A toner composition for flash fixing comprising the above-described binder as an essential constituent component. The toner and the toner binder exhibit good fixability and void resistance upon flash fixing and produce little fixing odor.

Toner binder for flash fixing, toner, electrostatic photographic

The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus removably connected to an under side of an image forming apparatus to supply a sheet to the image forming apparatus. The apparatus has a main body connected to the under side of the image forming apparatus, a sheet supporting plate provided within the main body of sheet supplying apparatus to support a sheet, sheet supply rotary member for feeding out the sheet from the sheet supporting plate, a convey unit rotatably supported within the main body of sheet supplying apparatus to supply the sheet fed out by the sheet supply rotary member to a sheet receiving opening provided at a side surface of the image forming apparatus, and a positioning unit for positioning the convey unit in the vicinity of the sheet receiving opening.

Sheet supplying apparatus with pivotal convey unit

An image forming apparatus, to which a process cartridge is detachably mountable, for forming an image on a recording material. The image forming apparatus includes a first guiding device for guiding the process cartridge toward a predetermined mounting position when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus. The first guiding device is disposed upstream of the predetermined mounting position with respect to a mounting movement direction of the process cartridge. A second guiding device is provided for guiding the process cartridge toward the predetermined mounting position when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus The second guiding device is disposed (i) closer to the predetermined position than the first guiding device, and (ii) downstream of the first guiding device with respect to the mounting movement direction. Also provided is a feeding device for feeding the recording material.

A process cartridge is detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material. The process cartridge includes an image bearing member, a process device for acting on the image bearing member, which includes a developing device for developing an image on the image bearing member, a frame, and a projection disposed on the upper surface of the frame and extending toward the developing device, the projection having (i) an upward inclined surface, (ii) a flat surface continuing from the upper inclined surface, and (iii) a downward inclined surface that is inclined toward the developing device.

This invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus having sheet carrying device unit for carrying sheets suspended by suspending unit, which is taken up by winding unit and thereby moves the sheet carrying device up and down to render the sheets fed from the topmost side of the sheets. Connection positions between the suspending unit and the sheet carrying device are located, in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the sheets, at positions on a side of the sheet reference which is one end in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the sheets, closer to the center of the sheets with respect to a position of a suspending original point of the suspending unit located over the sheet carrying device. The other connection positions between the suspending unit and the sheet carrying device are located, in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the sheets, at a position on a side opposite to the side of the sheet reference, remote from the center of the sheets with respect to a position of a suspending original point of the suspending unit located over the sheet carrying device.

Sheet feeding apparatus with suspended sheet carrying device and image

In a fixing device, a limitation member for preventing the center distance between a heating member and a shaft of a pressing roller from being reduced does not limit the center distance in an initial state of the device, and prevents a further decrease in the distance when the distance is reduced. It is thereby possible to suppress an increase in the width of a nip portion provided between the heating member and the pressing roller, and to prevent a failure in fixing.

Fixing device with means for limiting a distance between heating and

A process for producing a toner for developing an electrostatic image, including the steps of: adding to an aqueous dispersion medium a polymerizable monomer composition comprising at least a polymerizable monomer and a colorant uniformly dissolved or dispersed in the polymerizable monomer, wherein the aqueous dispersion medium containing as a dispersion stabilizer a hardly water-soluble metal hydroxide colloid formed by a reaction of a water-soluble polyvalent metal salt with an alkali metal hydroxide in an aqueous phase; and subjecting the polymerizable monomer composition to suspension polymerization, thereby to produce particles having a volume-average particle size in the range of from 2 to 20 .mu.m and a particle size distribution (a ratio of volume-average particle size/number-average particle size) of not more than 1.6.

Process for producing toner through suspension polymerization

A non-magnetic one-component developer comprises a binder resin and a colorant, and has a volume-average particle diameter (dv) in a range of 5-15 .mu.m, a ratio (dv/dn) of the volume-average particle diameter (dv) to the number-average particle diameter (dn) in a range of 1.00-1.40, a quotient (Sc/Sr) obtained by dividing the area (Sc) of a circle supposing the absolute maximum length of a particle is a diameter by the real projected area (Sr) of the particle in a range of 1.00-1.30, a product (AxdnxD) of the specific surface area (A) (m.sup.2 /g) as measured in accordance with the BET method, the number-average particle diameter (dn) (.mu.m) and the true specific gravity (D) in a range of 5-10, and a ratio (Q/A) of the charge level (Q) (.mu.c/g) to the specific surface area (A) in a range of 80-150. The developer is substantially spherical from both conditions of Sc/Sr and AxdnxD, and is suitable for use in a development process in which cleaning is conducted at the same time as development. A development process making use of the non-magnetic one-component developer is also disclosed.

Non-magnetic one-component developer and development process

This invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus with a support for stacking sheets; feeding roller for feeding out sheets stacked on the support; a plurality of urging members for urging the stacked sheets against the feeding roller; and a stopper for releasing at least one of the plurality of urging members from urging against the stack of sheets whenever the amount of sheets is less than a predetermined level.

Sheet feeding apparatus with adjustable urging members

Disclosed herein is a process for the preparation of a toner, which comprises dissolving or dispersing a compound having at least one &gt;C.dbd.N.sup..sym. &lt; bond in its molecule and a colorant in a vinyl monomer and then suspension-polymerizing the vinyl monomer in an aqueous dispersion medium.

Preparation process of toner

An image forming apparatus having a sorter, includes a plurality of bins for accommodating sheet materials, the bin each having sheet material sheet inlet portion, a discharging device movable along the inlet portions of the bins to discharge the sheet material to selected one of the bins, a sheet material accommodating tray other than the bins to accommodate the sheet materials, a guiding device switchable to direct the sheet material selectively to the bin or to the sheet material accommodating tray, and a device for switching the guiding device to direct the sheet material to the discharging device when the discharging device is at a position for discharging the sheet material to the bin, and the sheet material to the accommodating device when the discharging device is not at the position.

Image forming apparatus

A sheet sorting apparatus with a stapler includes a plurality of bin trays which are arranged substantially vertically with predetermined clearances between adjacent bin trays, which are inclined to provide an inclined sheet receiving surfaces and which are independently movable substantially in the vertical direction, wherein the bin trays are so disposed that those ends of adjacent ones of the bin trays which are closer to the sheet inlet are deviated when seen in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet receiving surface; bin tray shifting device for moving the plurality of the bin trays stepwisely substantially in the vertical direction to oppose the respective bin trays to a sheet inlet of the sorting apparatus; stapling device, disposed substantially on an extension of the inclined sheet receiving surface and having a stapling head movable to above the sheet receiving surface and an anvil movable to below the sheet receiving surface, for stapling the sheets interposed between the stapling head and the anvil; and a second shifting device for shifting the bin tray immediately above the bin tray opposed to the stapling device in a direction increasing the deviation, wherein the stapling head is moved using a space provided by the deviation, and wherein the expanded clearance is smaller than a height of the stapling head.

Sheet sorter with stapler

A sheet sorting apparatus with a stapler includes a plurality of bin trays; bin tray shifting device for moving the plurality of the bin trays stepwisely substantially in the vertical direction to oppose the respective bin trays to a sheet inlet of the sorting apparatus, while expanding the clearances between the bin tray opposed to the sheet inlet and an upper adjacent bin tray and between the bin tray opposed to the sheet inlet and a lower adjacent bin tray to provide a larger clearance than the predetermined clearances; and stapler, disposed substantially on an extension of the inclined sheet receiving surface and having a stapling head movable to above the sheet receiving surface and an anvil movable to below the sheet receiving surface, for stapling the sheets interposed between the stapling head and the anvil, wherein the bin trays are so disposed that between those ends of adjacent ones of the bin trays which are closer to the sheet inlet are deviated when seen in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet receiving surface, and wherein the stapling head is moved using a space provided by the deviation, and wherein the expanded clearance is smaller than a height of the stapling head.

A method of controlling a sheet sorter wherein the sheet sorter includes a plurality of bins for accommodating sheets, the bins being arranged in a vertical direction, a first sheet discharging device for discharging sheets not to be sorted, second sheet discharging device, disposed with a vertical interval from the first sheet discharging device, for discharging sheets to be sorted, bin moving device for moving substantially vertically the bins and stapler device for stapling the sheets, the method includes providing the stapler device adjacent to the second sheet discharging device; accommodating the sheets on the plurality of bins by sequentially opposing the bins to the second sheet discharging device, and stapling the sheets on the bins by the stapler, when a sorting mode is selected; discharging the sheets by the first discharging device and accommodating them on a non-sort bin opposed to the first discharging device when a non-sorting mode is selected, and moving the non-sort bin to a neightborhood of the second discharging device where the sheets thereon are stapled by the stapler device.

Control method for sorter with stapler

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Jun Saito