Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Kiyoshi Miyashita

Hiroshi Tsuda

Muneo Kasuga

Masaji Nishikawa

Akira Shimizu

Katsuhiko Kimura

Masaru Yamazaki

Fumitaka Ozeki

Osamu Ishimoto

Norio Amemiya

Nobuoto Hattori

Heihachi Arima

Takashi Matsuyama

Hideyuki Kawazu

Yutaka Yoshida

Kazuo Sugawa

Tatuo Takizawa

An original conveying apparatus includes a follower roller unit which is moved to its deployed position to define an extension of an original conveying path over the upper surface of the copying machine when a book carrier is used in order to convey an original having substantial thickness. A follower roller holding member is disposed within the unit and moves in interlocked relationship with the movement of the unit to its deployed position so as to maintain the follower roller in its position projecting above an original guide surface when the unit is moved to its deployed position.

Original conveying apparatus for electrophotographic copying machines

In a collator for use in combination with an electrophotographic copying machine which discharges copies of originals in succession at the same time interval, deflection claws for delivering successive copies of a manuscript into successive bins are provided at inlets of respective bins and two endless belts each having an actuator for driving the deflection claws are provided movably along the successive bins. The two endless belts are driven by two different controlling circuits, respectively in an independent manner. During the copy delivering operation by the first endless belt for a plurality of copies of a certain document, it is possible to initiate the copy delivering operation by the second endless belt for a plurality of copies of the next document.

Collator

A collator includes a series of twenty bins arranged in parallel with each other. A copy feeding member feeds copies supplied from a copying machine along inlets of the successive bins. First and second deflecting devices are arranged at uppermost two bins for delivering the copies into the uppermost two bins. A distributor is movable between the third bin and the twentieth bin for delivering the copies into the bins. An extra tray is provided separately from the bins. The collator further comprises a collate mode selecting member, a job separation mode selecting member and a non-collate mode selecting member. While the collator processes the copies of a certain document under any one of the collate, job separation and non-collate modes, for instance the collate mode, any one of the job separation and non-collate modes, for instance the job separation mode, to be effected for copies of the next document can be reserved, and the collator is automatically switched from the collate mode into the reserved job separation mode upon completion of the previous collate mode.

Collator with collate mode, non-collate mode and job separation mode

In an automatic document feeder for use in combination with an electrophotographic copying machine for feeding documents successively into the copying machine by separating and feeding the documents one by one from a stack of documents, the stacked documents are placed on a document table and are fed by a pair of rollers into a nip portion between a rotating separation roller and a separation plate having a rubber sheet applied thereto to separate and feed documents one by one from the lowermost one, and an edge detecting sensor for detecting a front edge of a document is arranged downstream with respect to the separation roller to produce an edge detection signal. When the edge detection signal is produced, the relevant document is once stopped at the front edge detecting sensor and after a start signal for denoting the completion of a copying operation for the preceding document is supplied from the copying machine, the relevant document standing by the front edge detecting sensor is advanced. An opening for manually inserting a document is provided at a downstream position with respect to the front edge detecting sensor and a rotatable lid is provided above the opening.

Automatic document feeder for use in combination with an

An apparatus for peeling or separating a record paper from a photosensitive drum of an electrophotographic copying machine immediately after a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum has been transferred onto the record paper comprising a pair of pawls each for peeling a respective side edge of the record paper off the drum, a duct for blowing an air stream in a space between the paper and the drum, and first and second guide plates arranged subtantially in parallel with each other to define a paper passage along which the peeled paper is fed, a plurality of elongated holes being formed in the first and second guide plates so as to introduce an air stream into the passage, which air stream serves to press the paper against the second guide plate, a front edge of the first guide plate being recessed in V-shape or convex manner in a direction of a paper feeding and/or being made apart from the second guide plate in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, so that a curved front edge of record paper does not strike against the front edge of first guide plate.

Apparatus for peeling or separating a record paper from a photosensitive

A duplicating system comprises an electrophotographic copier which includes a first document detecting switch, a first optical scanning system for making a slit exposure, a first document feeder for feeding a first document to be copied at a first speed with respect to the first optical scanning system, a rotating photosensitive drum for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of document, and apparatus for forming a duplicated copy with the aid of the latent image. An option device is detachably mounted onto the copying apparatus and comprises a second document detecting switch, a second optical scanning system for making a slit exposure, a second document feeder for feeding a second document to be copied at a second speed with respect to the second optical scanning system and an optional optical system for projecting the image of the second document onto the photosensitive drum. The first document feeder in the copier and the second document feeder in the option device are so constructed that one of them is inhibited to operate for a given time period after the other has been operated.

Duplicating system comprising electrophotographic copier and option

A collator includes a series of twenty bins arranged in parallel with each other, a copy feeding member for feeding copies supplied from a copying machine along inlets of the successive bins, first and second deflecting devices arranged at the uppermost two bins for delivering the copies into the uppermost two bins and a distributor movable between the third bin and the twentieth bin for delivering the copies into the bins. The collator can treat the copies in a job separation mode in which all copies of each documents are delivered into respective bins in succession, while the distributor is advanced bin by bin in response to a distributor advance signal produced by a variable timer which is actuated upon detection of the rear edge of the last copy of an Nth original by an entrance switch to set a time period represented by b+(N-1).times.a/V.sub.1, wherein a is a pitch between successive bins, b is a distance from the entrance switch to the first bin and V.sub.1 is a copy feed speed in the collator.

Collator with collate mode and job separation mode

A duplicating system comprises an electrophotographic copying apparatus which includes a first optical scanning system for making a slit exposure, a first document feeder for feeding a first document to be copied at a first speed with respect to the first optical scanning system, a rotating photosensitive drum for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of document, and means for forming a duplicated copy with the aid of the latent image; and an option device detachably mounted onto the copying apparatus and comprising a second optical scanning system for making a slit exposure, a second document feeder for feeding a second document to be copied at a second speed with respect to the second optical scanning system and an optional optical system for projecting the image of second document onto the photosensitive drum. The first document feeder in the copying apparatus and the second document feeder in the option device are so constructed that the first and second documents are fed in the same direction.

Duplicating system comprising electrophotographic copying apparatus and

A conveyor unit for a book carrier includes a book carrier on which an original having substantial thickness such as a book is placed, and conveys it to an exposure station in order to form an electrostatic latent image of the original in a copying machine. A driven member in the form of a rack is formed on the book carrier, and is driven by a drive member in the form of a pinion which is provided on the part of the copying machine. Elements are provided to maintain such drive relationship. In this manner, a book carrier is positively and reliably conveyed.

Conveyor unit for book carrier in electro-photographic copying machines

An electrophotographic apparatus for printing or forming at least one copy of a manuscript comprising a manuscript feed mechanism including upper and lower side feed mechanisms arranged above and below a rectilinear manuscript feed path including a slit light exposure portion at which a manuscript image is projected onto a photosensitive drum, said upper side feed mechanism being movable with respect to said slit light exposure portion to define thin and thick manuscript feed paths, respectively. A thick manuscript feed mechanism is provided in the lower side feed mechanism for feeding a thick manuscript carriage made of transparent plate. The apparatus further comprises a first movable edge guide for positioning an edge of a sheet manuscript and a second fixedly arranged guide for positioning the edge of the thick manuscript carriage. The first guide is preferably positioned inwardly with respect to the second guide viewed in a widthwise direction of the manuscript.

Manuscript feed device for an electrophotographic apparatus

A conveying apparatus includes a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers which are disposed for abutment against each other for transporting a copy sheet carrying an unfixed toner image thereon toward a fixing unit. A cleaning member is disposed for abutment against those rollers which are adapted to contact the toner image to clean them and to charge them triboelectrically to the same polarity as the toner.

Apparatus for conveying copy sheet for electrophotographic copying

A duplicating system comprises an electrophotographic copier which includes a first optical scanning system for making a slit exposure, a first document feeder for feeding a first document to be copied at a first speed with respect to the first optical scanning system, a rotating photosensitive drum for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of document, apparatus for forming a duplicated copy with the aid of the latent image and a sequence control circuit for controlling a duplicating operation in such a manner that the image of first document is projected onto the photosensitive drum from an imaginary control start position. An option device is detachably mounted on the copier and comprising a second optical scanning system for making a slit exposure, a second document feeder for feeding a second document to be copied at a second speed with respect to the second optical scanning system and an optional optical system for projecting the image of second document onto the photosensitive drum. The second document feeder and second optical scanning system in the option device have a geometrical configuration similar to that of the first document feeder and first optical scanning system in the copier so that the image of second document is projected on the photosensitive drum from the same position as the imaginary control start position, so that the duplicating operation for the second document with the option device is commonly controlled by the sequence control circuit provided in the copier.

An extra sheet feeder in a copying machine includes a positioning member associated with an extra sheet which is to be located in substantial alignment with the leading edge of normal copy sheets disposed in a stack within an associated container of the machine, in a path formed above the stack and along which an extra sheet is inserted. A simple operation of causing one side or the leading edge of the extra sheet to abut against the positioning member permits an extra sheet to be loaded in place and fed using the usual feed mechanism.

Extra sheet feeder for copying machine

An electrophotographic apparatus which makes use of a circuit arrangement connected and arranged such that unless a manuscript to be copied passes through a manuscript detector, a gate circuit functions to prevent a copy starting pulse from passing therethrough, thereby preventing initiation of a new copying operation.

Document feed control in an electrophotographic system

A cassette roll sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a roll sheet from a cassette after the roll sheet cassette is loaded in a copying machine employs a sheet guide. The sheet guide is near a sheet outlet having at least one opening. An assembly such as a roller rotatably journaled by a shaft, serves to assist the feeding of the roll sheet through the outlet and is urged against the sheet guide through the leading end of the roll sheet. A sheet feed roller is in the copying machine body and projects through the opening in the sheet guide to hold the sheet in cooperation with the roller, when the cassette is mounted in the copying machine body. The sheet is held at the leading end portion when the cassette is removed from the copying machine body.

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Hachioji, Japan

Kiyoshi Miyashita