Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kunihiko Ikeda

Fuyuhiko Matsumoto

Shuichi Tsushima

Shigeru Suzuki

Satoru Tomita

Masaichi Niro

Yutaka Kodama

Shigeru Yamazaki

Takashi Yokota

Akira Shimura

Shuichi Karasawa

Tsutomu Sato

Hiroyuki Saito

Shigeru Yoshimura

Masahiro Taniguro

Kenichiro Hashimoto

Masao Yoshikawa

Masaaki Sakai

Tsutomu Ishida

Kaneji Yamada

Tadashi Shiina

Masatoshi Saitou

Tetsuya Ishii

A compact printer has a sheet feeder positioned at its front wall and electrophotographic components arranged along a sheet moving path for receiving a sheet from the sheet feeder and for exposing, developing, then transferring a toner image onto the sheet. At its rear side, the printer has an image fixing unit and a discharge portion for discharging the sheet to a side output tray or onto the top wall of the printer. The discharge portion is provided with a detachably hinged, sheet turning apparatus when it is desired to discharge sheets onto the top wall, or with a detachably hinged cover with a rear opening to discharge sheets onto a rear side output tray.

Printer with face-down delivery of collated printed sheets at the top, and a manually removable PC/developer cartridge

When discharging a sheet material from an image forming apparatus after completion of image formation, at least one spur roller for discharging the trailing edge of the sheet material downward is provided. Hence, it is possible to more stably discharge the sheet material than ever, and to arrange and mount sheets of the sheet material on a discharged-sheet tray in a manner better than ever.

Image forming apparatus controlling discharge direction of recording

An ink jet printing apparatus enables a printing operation to be performed for both surfaces of a printing medium with the use of an ink jet head for ejecting ink. The apparatus comprises components for designating either a both surface printing mode or a one surface printing mode, for applying processing liquid to the printing medium, for reducing a quantity of ejection of ink to the printing medium, and for designating either the component for applying processing liquid or that for reducing ejection quantity in the case that the both surface printing mode is designated. Even in the case that the both surface printing mode is selected, the ink jet printing apparatus assures that excellent printing quality can always be maintained by selecting either of a processing liquid usage printing mode for applying processing liquid to the printing medium or a low density printing mode for reducing a quantity of ejection of ink to the printing medium in excess of the original ink ejecting quantity corresponding to image information.

Ink jet printing method and apparatus for practicing said method using a

An ink jet apparatus is provided for printing on both surfaces or one surface of a sheet-shaped printing medium by using an ink jet head including a plurality of ink ejecting ports facing the printing medium and energy generating elements. The apparatus comprises a printing density changing section for changing a printing density on the printing medium, a both surface/one surface printing mode designating section for designating either of a both surface printing mode for printing on both surfaces of the printing medium and a one surface printing mode for printing on one surface of the printing medium, a printing density selecting device for selecting a low printing density when the both surface printing mode is designated by the both surface/one surface printing mode designating section, the printing density being selectable between a normal printing density and a low printing density lower than the normal printing density, and a controlling section for actuating the printing density changing section such that the printing density becomes the printing density selected by the printing density selecting section. With this construction, an occurrence of striking through cannot be markedly recognized as desired.

Ink jet printing method and apparatus

An image recording apparatus has a first recording-sheet storing section for storing a first recording sheet, a second recording-sheet storing section for storing a second recording sheet, a serial recording head for effecting image recording on the first recording sheet while travelling with respect to the first recording sheet, a line recording head for effecting image recording on the second recording sheet when the second recording sheet is in a stationary state, a first conveying device for conveying the first recording sheet to the position of the serial recording head; and the second conveying device for conveying the second recording sheet to the position of the line recording head. With this arrangement, it is possible to selectively effect serial recording and line recording and, in addition, to effect recording from an original document as well as recording and reproduction of the thus-read original document. Accordingly, a single recording apparatus can be used to achieve both serial recording and line recording.

Image recording apparatus

Printer

An ink jet recorder includes an ink acceptor having an ink absorber arranged to face an ink jet head, and a detector for detecting the degree of absorption ability of the ink absorber. When the detector detects the loss of absorption ability of the ink absorber, it issues an alarm signal.

Ink jet recorder having an ink acceptor with an ink absorber provided

A copying method for producing duplicates of an original of at least two colors by using a composite photosensitive member including more than two photosensitive layers, wherein the photosensitive member is subjected to charging more than twice and exposed to an optical image of the original more than once by changing charging and exposing conditions, to vary charge carried on the surface and in the interior of the photosensitive member. This causes two types of electrostatic image to be formed on the surface of the photosensitive member; one type includes image regions having a positive surface potential, a negative surface potential and a substantially zero surface potential respectively and the other type includes two image regions having different surface potentials of same polarity respectively, and one image regions of substantially zero surface potential, depending on differences in color between image regions of the original corresponding to the image regions on the photosensitive member. By suitably selecting charging and exposing conditions, it is possible to selectively carry out, by using a single copying apparatus, a copying mode in which duplicates are produced in several colors, a copying mode in which duplicates are produced in one color and a copying mode in which image regions of one color are erased.

Copying method and apparatus

An improved two-color electrophotographic copying apparatus comprising a non-magnetic sleeve for supplying magnetic toner to latent electrostatic images formed on a photoconductor, for the development of said images, for use in one or both of the development section for the two colors, whereby, by means of the so-called counter electrode effect, two-color copies can be obtained in which the so-called edge effect has been completely or substantially eliminated. In one category of embodiments, a series of ridges and grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the non-magnetic sleeve. The peaks of those ridges serve to decrease the effective distance between the non-magnetic sleeve and the surface of the photoconductor, which decrease in distance is advantageous in enhancing the counter electrode effect. At the same time, the grooves provide means for the carrying of sufficient toner past a doctor in the apparatus, whereas, heretofore, getting sufficient toner past said doctor was the difficulty in decreasing the aforesaid distance from the non-magnetic sleeve to the photoconductor. In another category of embodiments, the ridges and grooves are formed spirally or in some similar orientation around the surface of the magnetic sleeve, with the effect that toner carried by the sleeve and deposited on the photoconductor is also moved in a lateral direction (axially along the surface of the sleeve), which movement serves to dislodge toner lightly held in unwanted fringe portions of the image due to incomplete, though enhanced, operation of the counter electrode effect, whereby the final traces of the edge effect are eliminated.

Improved developing device for two-color electrophotographic copying

First and second developing units (66), (67) apply toners of first and second colors respectively to a photoconductive drum (61) carrying a bipolar electrostatic image to form a bicolor toner image. A small amount of the first toner is scraped off the drum (61) in the second developing step and becomes mixed with the second toner in the second developing unit (67). The admixed first toner is separated and removed from the second toner by a separation member in the form of a roller, belt or mesh covered electrode (81) which is charged to a polarity opposite to the first toner and electrostatically attracts the same while repelling the second toner.

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Kunihiko Ikeda