Tokyo Electric Co.

Other

Koichiro Sato

Yukihiro Hirosaki

Keiichi Horiya

Kunihiko Fujii

Tsugio Shiozaki

Yoshihisa Nishiyama

Kazuhide Takahama

Yasuichi Kishino

Koichi Haraga

Hirotaka Fukuyama

A high image quality electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided without increasing the size and cost, and reducing the life thereof. The potential difference (contrast potential) between a photoreceptor and a development roller for supplying toner to the photoreceptor by the use of a carrier is set to be smaller in the non-image area irrelevant to the printing operation, and set to be larger in the image area relevant to the printing operation. In this manner, the damage to the photoreceptor caused by the adhesion of the carrier is reduced in the non-image area irrelevant to the printing operation, and the fog is reduced in the image area relevant to the printing operation.

Electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A thermal printer includes a thermal head pressed against a paper sheet on a platen directly or through an ink ribbon, a carrier which holds the thermal head and on which a black or color ink ribbon is detachably mounted, a first detector for generating a color output signal upon detecting that a color ink ribbon cassette is mounted on the carrier, a second detector for generating a 'black' signal while detecting a black area of the ink ribbon, and a control circuit for setting a thermal printing mode, a black or a color ink printing mode in accordance with the output signals from the first and second detectors. When the thermal printer is powered, the control circuit sets the color ink printing mode upon detecting that the color output signal is continuously generated from the first detector. When the color output signal is not generated from the first detector, the control circuit moves the thermal head by a given distance upon pressing it against the paper sheet on the platen. In this case, the control circuit sets the black ink or the thermal printing mode in accordance with the output signal from the second detector.

Thermal printer operative in three modes including direct printing,

A thermal printer is provided, wherein a carrier having a thermal head mounted thereon is driven in both directions and a printing ribbon is fed in an amount necessary to print data in each printing operation. In this thermal printer, a ribbon drive means for driving the ribbon is provided separately from the carrier 20, thereby feeding the ribbon by the distance to be determined in accordance with the front end position of the unused portion of the ribbon and the length of the ribbon necessary to print the print data.

Thermal printer

In an automatic weighing apparatus wherein a weight measurement is performed by passing a commodity on a weighing conveyor which is coupled so as to become a load of a load cell, and a label on which data based on the measured value are printed is automatically stuck to the commodity, while a print fixing label in which a print content is fixed can also be issued; the zero-point setting is automatically performed at times when the commodity does not exist on the weighing conveyor, so as to execute in a stable state a measurement having an accurate reference point.

Zero-point adjusting method for automatic weighing apparatus

A fully automatic labeling system having a sending-in conveyor, a weighing conveyor and a sticking conveyor which have their operations controlled independently of one another. This invention controls the operations of the conyeyors so that the conveyors may be driven in only necessary states and that weighing and label sticking may be reliably and most efficiently performed even during transfer of a commodity between the conveyors. In both a print fixing operation and a two-stage print mode for a label, transportation intervals of the commodities can automatically have necessary time differences.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Koichiro Sato