Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kohtaroh Yonenaga

Haruhiko Fukuda

Hiroshi Aizawa

Takashi Enami

Hiroyasu Shijo

Masaru Kaneko

Kiichirou Shimizu

Yoshiaki Kanmoto

Natsuko Kawase

Masami Miyajima

Hiroaki Umezawa

Ryu Hasegawa

An image forming apparatus connectable to a first feed tray and a second feed tray includes an image forming unit, a feed path, and a detecting unit provided on the feed path to sense recording medium jam. An identifying unit identifies a feed path and a feed tray where recording medium jam has occurred as a jammed path and a jamming feed tray. A first determining unit determines whether the image forming apparatus is connected to the second feed tray. A second determining unit determines whether the second feed tray can feed a recording medium to the image forming unit. A feeding unit feeds a recording medium from the second feed tray to the image forming unit.

Method, apparatus, and system for forming image

An image forming apparatus network system having a first image forming apparatus connected with a plurality of second image forming apparatuses over a network, wherein the first image forming apparatus includes an image creating unit that creates an image with at least one toner based on an image data to be printed, and an image data volume computing unit that computes a volume of the image data, and a remaining toner information acquiring unit that acquires information on remaining toner from at least one of second image forming apparatuses, and a controlling unit that computes toner consumption from the volume of image data computed by the image data volume computing unit, selects a second image forming apparatus that has an amount of remaining toner larger than the toner consumption computed, and sends a command to form an image at the second image forming apparatus selected, and each of the second image forming apparatuses include a toner detecting unit that detects an amount of remaining toner in a corresponding second image forming apparatus, and a notifying unit that notifies the first image forming apparatus of information about the remaining toner detected by the toner detecting unit.

Method and apparatus for selecting image forming apparatus having enough toner

An image forming apparatus network system, which connects two or more image forming apparatuses on a network, that includes image forming apparatuses which receive image data of the object to be printed, have image creating engines for two or more colors, and have a linked interface that enables intercommunication with other machines. The image forming apparatus includes a remaining toner information acquiring unit that acquires information about amounts of remaining toner of the image creating engines, an image data volume computing unit that computes the amount of image data of objects to be created, and a main controller that selects a linked image forming apparatus in accordance with the amounts of remaining toner and image data and executes image forming operations.

An image forming apparatus of the present invention continuously conveys a first and a second document set on an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) and having a reference image size to a document reading unit. When the document reading unit reads the first and second documents, image data read out of the second document are written to a delay memory. After the first document has been read, the image data of the second document are read out of the delay memory on the elapse of a period of time corresponding to a difference between an interval between consecutive papers and an interval between the above documents fed by the ADF. The apparatus can therefore efficiently form the images of two documents at the same time without resorting to a large capacity memory. Alternatively, when the document reading unit starts reading the first document after the second document, the image data of the first document may be delayed by the difference between the two intervals. This allows the two documents to be stored at the interval between the consecutive papers and thereby insures high quality images free from defective registration.

Image forming apparatus

Depending on an arbitrarily set magnification of an image forming apparatus, either pulses of a line synchronization signal or pulses of a motor driving signal are selected. Each of the pulses of the line synchronization signal being generated when the laser beam scans the photosensitive drum in a main scan direction and the pulses of the motor driving signal are used for driving a scanner motor provided in an original reading unit at different speeds so as to enable the original to be read at different speeds so as to enable the magnification to be set to different values. The pulses of the signal thus selected are counted and a thus-obtained count value is output. Based on the count value, a time period between a time a reference mark provided on an intermediate transfer belt is detected and a time an electrostatic latent image is written on a photosensitive drum, when the electrostatic latent image is formed using image data output by the original reading unit directly and the electrostatic latent image is formed using image data stored and read out from a memory.

Image forming apparatus with intermediate belt mark detection for image registration

An image reading apparatus includes a projector for projecting light through a translucent film so as to produce a projected image from an original image on the film, a correction part for adjusting a quantity of the light, an image sensor for reading out an image from the projected image and outputting an analog signal indicating the read-out image, a signal conversion part for converting the analog signal into a digital signal indicating the read-out image, and a control part for measuring a peak value of digital signals supplied by the signal conversion part with respect to an effective range of the original image, and for allowing the correction part to adjust appropriately the quantity of the projected light in response to the measured peak value of the digital signals.

Apparatus for reading image from original image on translucent film with

An image reading apparatus applicable to, for example, an electronic copier or a facsimile transceiver for reading an image by use of CCDs or similar reading elements. A circuit included in the apparatus and not having a time constant is driven at the same time as the start of an image reading operation, while a circuit having a time constant is driven earlier by taking account of the time constant. The apparatus, therefore, reduces electromagnetic interference and saves power while eliminating defective image signals.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Kohtaroh Yonenaga