Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Keizo Nishiguchi

Hitoshi Sekino

Narutaka Yoshida

Kazuo Matsuura

Masaki Takahashi

Hiroaki Kojima

Masashi Sakamoto

Yasuhiro Matsuura

Haruhiko Atarashi

Takuji Yamamoto

Masahiro Yoshida

Kouji Yamomoto

Kazuo Matuura

A processing device for processing sheet-like media via immersion in a special fluid, for example, for renewing a copy sheet by removing printed material such as toner therefrom. The processing device has a tank accommodating a fluid therein; a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet into the fluid in the tank, a sheet accommodating device for accommodating a sheet, a sensing device for outputting a signal responsive to a state of the sheet in the sheet accommodating device, and a changing device for changing a relative position between the tank and the sheet accommodating device, the relative position including a retracted position where the sheet accommodating device is positioned outside the tank and an operating position where the sheet accommodating device is positioned within the fluid in the tank, the changing device changing the relative position in response to the signal outputted by the sensing device. The processing device permits a jammed sheet to be easily removed from the device, usually without it being necessary for an operator to touch the fluid in the tank.

Processing device for sheet-like media

An image forming apparatus wherein a latent image is electrostatically formed on a surface of a photosensitive member and developed by a developing device. In the above image forming apparatus, the reference line image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member outside the effective image forming area. The width of the reference line image is detected by a sensor. A developing bias voltage applied to the developing device is controllably changed based on the result of detection by a sensor.

Laser beam printer capable of forming line images having stable image

An image forming apparatus having a device for supplying toner to a developing unit and for collecting the unused portion of the toner for treatment. The apparatus has a photosensitive member, an image forming member for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member, a developing member for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner, a toner accommodating member containing unused toner and connected with the developing member through a first toner transport channel, a first transport member for transporting the unused toner to the developing member through the first toner transport channel, a cleaning member for removing residual toner remaining on the photosensitive member, a toner collecting member for collecting the removed residual toner, a second toner transport channel leading from the cleaning member to the toner collecting member for collecting removed toner therein and further downstream to the first toner transport channel, and a second transport member for transporting the removed toner to the toner collecting member and to the first toner transport channel when the toner collecting member is substantially filled with removed toner.

Method and apparatus for supplying and collecting toner in an image

An image forming device has a rotating image carrier for carrying an image and a transfer unit including a plurality of rotating rollers, an endless belt travelling around the rollers, and a supporting member for supporting the rollers in such a manner that distances between the rollers be kept constant. At least one of the rollers is a pressure-contacting roller opposed to the image carrier with the endless belt therebetween. The device further has a pressure-contacting unit for energizing the transfer unit in a direction that the pressure-contacting roller be pressure-contacted on the image carrier with the endless belt therebetween.

Image forming device for pressure-contacting an endless belt on an image

A laser beam scanning apparatus includes plural laser beam sources for emitting laser beams modulated by a picture signal and having different characteristics from each other, a beam composition device for composing the beams emitted from the sources to form one laser beam, a deflecting device for deflecting the composite beam in a main scanning direction, and a beam splitter for splitting the deflected beam on the basis of the characteristic thereof. The apparatus further includes a beam-selecting device for selecting the beam in correspondence with the characteristic of the beam split by the splitter so as to transmit the beam with a specified characteristic and reflect the beam with a characteristic different from that of the transmitted beam.

Laser scanner with selected plural beam sources

A laser beam scanning device including a plurality of laser beam sources for emitting laser beams having properties different from each other, respectively such that each of the laser beams is modulated by an image signal, a deflection member for simultaneously deflecting the laser beams emitted by the laser beam sources, a light detecting member for detecting one of the laser beams such that modulation of the laser beams emitted by the laser beam sources is started in response to a signal outputted from the light detecting member and an optical member which is disposed on an optical path from the deflection member to the light detecting member and optically selects only the one of the laser beams so as to irradiate the one of the laser beams onto the light detecting member.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Keizo Nishiguchi