Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Camera Co., Ltd.

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Kenzo Nagata

Keiji Kusumoto

Kenji Shibazaki

Tomoji Murata

Tsuneo Kitagawa

Kenichi Arai

Masazumi Ito

Kazunobu Maekawa

Sumiaki Hirata

Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Yoichi Kawabuchi

Yutaka Irie

Kaoru Hashimoto

Hideo Ito

Hirohisa Miyamoto

Syuzi Maruta

Hiroyuki Ideyama

Kazuhiro Araki

Minoru Nakamura

Yoshihiro Horie

Toru Kirimura

Yasuyuki Matsuuchi

Seiji Watanabe

Yoji Sawada

Toru Kasamatsu

Manabu Hatano

A copying machine control system in accordance with the present invention includes a control terminal collecting data about a copying machine and a centralized control unit collecting data from the control terminal. The centralized control unit includes a first timer device for counting the present time, and a transmitting device for transmitting the present time counted by the first timer device as the present time data. The control terminal includes a first receiving device for receiving the data from the copying machine, a second timer device for counting the present time, a communication device for communicating with the centralized control unit on the basis of the data received by the first receiving device when the present time counted by the second timer device comes to a predetermined time, a second receiving device for receiving the present time data from the transmitting device of the centralized control unit, and a correcting device for correcting the present time counted by the second timer device on the basis of the present time data received by the second receiving device.

Control appartus of copying machine with improved communication function

A control apparatus according to the present invention is a control apparatus collecting data related to copying machines and communicating with a centralized control unit on the basis of the data collected, including a communication device for calling the centralized control unit, a determination device for determining that connection with the centralized control device can not be made in spite of the fact that the communication device is activated, a setting device for setting a retransmission time on the basis of a random number in a predetermined time period in response to a determination output of the determination device, a timer device for counting the present time, and a control device for having the communication device call the centralized control unit again when the present time becomes the retransmission time.

Control apparatus of copying machine with improved communication

A method of controlling a plurality of copying machines through a communication network in accordance with the present invention receives data from a copying machine, detects the state of trouble occurrence as to a particular portion of the copying machine based on the data from the copying machine, determines whether or not the use of the particular portion should be prohibited based on the detected state of trouble occurrence, and transmits a prohibition signal instructing prohibition of the use of the particular portion to the copying machine, when it is determined that the use of the particular portion should be prohibited.

Copying machine control system controlling a plurality of copying

A multiple color image forming apparatus, wherein colors or kinds of copying paper contained in paper feed cassettes as well as colors of developers contained in a plurality of developing devices are detected to prevent image forming, which is indistinguishable due to mismatching between the color or kind of copying paper and the color of developer, and the developing device containing the developer of suitable color for the color or kind of copying paper is automatically selected in response to the detected result of the color or kind of copying paper and the color of developer to prevent misforming of the image and to improve the operation easiness.

Multiple color copying apparatus having a copy paper color detecting

A copying machine with plural developing units being capable of performing at least one edition mode and a simultaneous multi-mode in which the developing unit is switched from one to another on the way through one copying action is disclosed. In the simultaneous multi-mode, the position at which the developing unit is to be switched is designated by a position designation device such as keys provided on an operation panel and/or an editor, if connected to the copying machine. In this case, only one coordinate of the designated position in the sub-scan direction is employed to designate the switching position for the developing unit.

Copying machine operable in simultaneous multi-color mode

A color image forming apparatus providing an image reader comprised of an array of image reading devices aligned in a main scan direction and an editing eraser comprised of an array of light emitting devices each of which has a size different from that of each image reading device is disclosed. In the color image forming apparatus, a lump of image data obtained by the image reader are converted to a data suitable for erasing in a predetermined manner in which numbers of individual color data and ranks of priority of them are taking into consideration.

Multicolor image forming apparatus which converts color data into

A scanner starts to move for preliminary scanning and an exposure lamp of the scanner turns on after a prescribed period after the start of the movement of the scanner. When a rear edge of an original of the minimum size placed on a platen is irradiated by the scanning, an amount of irradiation of the exposure lamp attains a prescribed amount since the prescribed period has passed from the turn-on thereof. Accordingly, insufficiency of an irradiation amount of the exposure lamp does not occur at the time of original size detecting operation. Thus, detection operation is speeded up and the first copy speed of the image forming apparatus is improved.

Original size detecting apparatus of an image forming apparatus

A copying apparatus reproducing images of originals in either of a single color and a plurality of colors, and being capable of adjusting the reproduction density of originals manually or automatically. This copying apparatus comprises a selector which selects one mode from a first reproduction mode wherein images of originals are reproduced in a single color and a second reproduction mode wherein images of originals are reproduction in a plurality of colors. Further, the copying apparatus according to the present invention can select an automatic adjusting mode wherein the reproduction density is automatically adjusted in response to the selection of said first reproduction mode, and a manual adjusting mode wherein the reproduction density is manually adjusted in response to the selection of said second reproduction mode.

Image formation with manual and automatic exposure adjustment

An image forming apparatus for electrophotographically producing a toner image on a recording sheet medium, a toner image fixing assembly which includes a heater unit having an operative condition to thermally fix the toner image on the recording sheet medium, a power supply circuit for electrically energizing the heater unit through a switch, a microprocessor unit for controlling the power supply circuit, the microprocessor unit being operative to supply to the power supply circuit a control signal effective to actuate the switch to cyclically close and open for a predetermined period of time for the purpose of inspecting the heater unit for any malfunction, a detecting element directly responsive to the condition of the heater unit and operative to produce a signal indicative of the detected condition of the heater unit, a malfunction detector network responsive to the signal from the detecting element, the malfunction detector network being operative to produce a malfunction signal indicating a malfunction of the heater unit when, in the presence of the control signal from the digital control network, the signal from the detecting element indicates that the heater unit is continuously in operation, and a disabling device for forcibly disabling the power supply circuit in response to the malfunction signal from the malfunction detector network.

Image forming apparatus having a malfunction detection device and power

When preliminary scanning is started, a reference signal is generated from a reference position sensor and a moving amount of the scanner is measured by counting. Change in intensity of the reflected light from a platen is detected by a first sensor according to movement of the scanner. When the detected intensity attains reference intensity, the moving amount of the scanner is stored. When the detected intensity attains again the reference intensity after it has been lower than the reference intensity, the stored moving amount of the scanner is updated. The time in which the detected intensity attains the reference intensity is measured and when it attains a predetermined time, absence of the original is determined and the scanner stops and returns. The size of the original is determined based on the moving amount of the scanner stored at that time.

An electrophotographic copying apparatus in which a speed of scanning system is detected and when the detected speed exceeds a predetermined range till paper feed means feeds a paper to a photosensitive drum after the scanning system starts its operation, the paper is stopped just before the photosensitive drum to repeat scanning again, thereby transient speed fluctuation causes are eliminated and the copying operation is recovered automatically to prevent a poor image forming, and further, the number of the try to scan is counted and, when it exceeds a predetermined number, the paper is discharged as it is in blank to save trouble of removing the paper, and also driving torque of the scanning system is detected to warn when it exceeds a predetermined range and thereby warn the user's overload on an original table to prevent a poor image forming.

Electrophotographic copying apparatus with monitoring of scanning speed

A copying machine which includes several developing units adapted to accommodate respective masses of powdery developers of different colors; a specifying unit for specifying a position, which will constitute the boundary of a copying area, in a direction conforming to the direction of scan of a scanning system; a copying contorl unit for selectively switching and driving the developing units in correspondence with the position of the boundary of the copying area specified by the specifying unit, so as to accomplish a multi-color copying during one cycle of copying operation, and an eraser for erasing a predetermined range in the scanning direction in reference to the position of the boundary of the copying area specified by the specifying unit.

Multi-color copying machine

When paper jam occurs during copy operation, the paper feed opening (which is one of the paper feed openings 1a to 1d) in which the paper jam occurs is determined, and thus, the number of occurrences of paper jam is counted for each of the paper feed openings. When the number of occurred times of paper jam exceeds a predetermined number, the paper feed opening concerned is forbidden to be used until maintenance or other repair work is completed. If the preferred feed opening (1a) assigned the first priority is forbidden to be used, another preferential feed opening is selected based on the numbers of occurred times of paper jam in the other paper feed openings (1b to 1d). On the other hand, when paper jam occurs, a paper jam occurrence ratio is calculated for each paper feed opening based on the number of sheets and the number of occurred times of paper jam counted. Based on the result of the calculation, control operation for selecting the paper feed openings (1a to 1d) including the preferential one is performed.

Image forming apparatus having a plurality of feed openings

A present sheet transporting apparatus for use in a copier measures the time for the sheets to travel a specific distance and corrects a period of time counted by a paper jam detecting timer. Therefore, if slight wear of rollers delays an arrival time of sheet, the apparatus does not detect a jam because such a delay causes no particular trouble to copying operation.

Apparatus for transporting sheets of paper

An electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of a photoconductor drum 61 of a copying apparatus is caused to be visible by a developing device 4. The developing device 4 comprises a toner tank 43 and a toner supply roller 44 for supplying toner to a developer container 45. A toner density in the developer container 45 is detected by a sensor 11 and a detecting circuit 1. When irregular supply of toner is requested through a switch 91, a control circuit 2 compares the detected toner density with a prescribed density and drives the roller 44 to supply toner till the detected density attains the prescribed density. If copy operation is instructed through a switch 92 during the supply of toner, the control circuit 2 permits the copy operation and the supply of toner is continued during the copy operation.

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Osaka, Japan

Kenzo Nagata