Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Masashi Ohashi

Tatsuya Shiratori

Nobukazu Sasaki

Toshirou Kasamura

Toshihiko Kusumoto

Akiyoshi Kimura

Takashi Ozawa

Atsushi Kubota

Yasuyoshi Yamamoto

Michiro Koike

Masanari Shirai

Kazuo Kagiura

Yoshikuni Toyama

Naoki Okuda

Hiroyoshi Maruyama

Eiichi Ando

Yasunori Maeda

Naomasa Kimura

Minoru Nada

Ken Tanabe

Masamichi Ikeda

Shinnosuke Taniishi

Takahiro Ushiro

Hidetoshi Tanaka

Saijiro Endo

Toshiyuki Nagano

Katsumi Munenaka

Masafumi Takagi

Yasuhide Hishikawa

Toshiro Kasamura

Toshihiko Kusomoto

Makoto Masuda

A coordinates input device connected to an image processing system such as a copying machine for reading an image recorded on a recording medium and for editing this image. This device includes: a transparent vibration propagating plate to designate an editing area for trimming or masking in contact relation with the recording medium from which the image was read by the image processing system; a vibration pen to input a supersonic vibration by coming into contact with the vibration propagating plate; vibration sensors which are attached to the plate and detect the vibration generated from the vibration pen; and a controller for supplying to the image processing system the editing area information for the recording medium designated by the coordinates of the vibration pen on the plate which were detected by the vibration sensors. The propagation times of the supersonic vibration which is propagated by the vibration propagating plate to the vibration sensors are measured and the coordinates of the position of the vibration pen are calculated on the basis of the measured vibration propagation times. With this apparatus, a desired editing area on an original image can be easily designated through the transparent input tablet and the editing information can be easily controlled.

Coordinates input apparatus connected to image processing system

An image fixing apparatus includes a rotatable member for being heated by a heating source to fix an image on an image supporting member, first and second detecting elements responsive to temperature of the rotatable member, and wherein the first and second detecting elements are disposed on substantially the same circumferential line of the rotatable member.

Image fixing apparatus

A driving mechanism for driving an electrophotographic photosensitive body operates through a torque limiter. The torque limiter is arranged on a support shaft for supporting the photosensitive body. A driving gear for driving a developing member is arranged coaxially with the torque limiter independently of the latter. This arrangement reduces the load applied to the torque limiter. In addition, the mechanism remains compact.

Apparatus for driving image bearing member via torque limiter

An apparatus for transporting a sheet includes a first transporting path provided with rollers for transporting the sheet to an image forming section, a second transporting path for conducting the sheet in a direction transverse to the first transporting path, and a control section for controlling the first and second transporting paths so that they can be connected and disconnected to each other.

Apparatus for transporting sheet

An original scanning apparatus comrpises a scanning unit for scanning an original. The scanning unit has a mirror and a light source for illuminating the original. A connecting member is electrically connected to the scanning unit. A guide member supports and guides one end of the scanning unit. The guide member fixes a position of the one end of the scanning unit in a vertical direction. At least a part of a driving element is disposed at the position overlapping with the guide member in the vertical direction, but not overlapping with the mirror of the scanning unit. The connecting member is provided at the side of the guide member.

Original scanning apparatus with electrical connecting member

The present invention provides a cassette loading device for an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding portion within which a cassette for accommodating sheets is loaded, and a sheet feeding device arranged in the sheet feeding portion and adapted to feed the sheet from the cassette loaded within the sheet feeding portion. The cassette loading device has a guide for guiding the cassette to be loaded; a cassette shifting device rotatable along the guide means and having pins engageable with the cassette inserted into the sheet feeding portion; a driver for driving the cassette shifting device; vertical surfaces formed in the cassette and against which the pins are abutted to shift the cassette; and horizontal recesses formed in the cassette and adapted to direct the pins toward the vertical surfaces. The present invention further provides an image forming apparatus which includes an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the sheet being fed, and the above-mentioned cassette loading device.

Cassette loading device for image forming apparatus

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a sheet cassette for containing sheets is removably mounted to a body of the apparatus. The image forming apparatus comprises a frame structure having a pair of legs spaced apart from each other, a bottom plate arranged on the legs, a first side plate arranged at one ends of the legs and uprightly mounted on the bottom plate, a second side plate arranged in confronting relation to the first side plate at the other ends of the legs and having a lower end portion extending below the legs and covering the other ends of the legs, and stay members for interconnecting the first and second side plates at their upper portions.

Image forming apparatus

A sheet feeding device for use in an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet support plate and one or more rotary members for separating and feeding sheets. A recessed portion is formed on the sheet support plate in a position opposing to each rotary member. A detachable auxiliary member is provided to be fitted in the recess to form a plane coplanar with that of the sheet support plate. An engaging device can be provided, to engage with a step portion formed in a cassette housing portion of the apparatus to keep the cassette from being entirely removed from the housing. The engaging device may, for example, include an elastic part and an engaging part integrally molded with each other.

Anti-skew sheet feeding device for image forming apparatus and sheet

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, image forming station for forming a latent image on the image bearing member, a conveying passage extending toward the image bearing member to guide a developing device, a first moving mechanism for engaging with the developing device in the conveying passage and moving it in a substantially horizontal plane, wherein the image bearing member, the latent image forming station, the conveying passage and the first moving mechanism are provided in a main body of the image forming apparatus, a device for accommodating a plurality of developing devices. The accommodating device is mounted to the main body, the accommodating device includes, a second moving mechanism for moving the developing device opposed to the conveying passage into the conveying passage in a substantially horizontal plane and an accommodating case having partition stages arranged substantially vertically for accommodating plural developing devices and movable together with the developing devices accommodated therein, and a driver for transmitting a driving force selectively to the first driving mechanism, the second driving mechanism and the accommodating case.

Developing device accommodating apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus for forming a developed image includes a developing device for developing an image on an image bearing member, a passage along which the developing device is movable continuously between an inside position where the developing device is inside the apparatus and an outside position where the developing device is at least partly outside the apparatus, a driver for automatically moving the developing device along the passage and one or more pressing members for pressing the developing device toward the image bearing member. The driver includes a driving source and transmission which are operative to move the developing device in response to the opening of a cover which covers an inlet to the passage.

Image forming apparatus and developing device therefor

An automatic original feeding apparatus has a coordinates position detecting device provided with a supporting table for supporting thereon a sheet original of which the area during image formation is to be designated, a conveying device for directing the inserted sheet original to a predetermined position, and a feed device provided upstream of the conveying device and responsive to the termination of the area designation to change over to a feeding position and feed the sheet original on the supporting table to the conveying device.

Automatic original feeding apparatus having an image area designating

An image forming apparatus includes sheet accommodating cassette for accommodating sheets, a device for forming images on the sheets, a first sheet conveying passage for conveying the sheet to the image forming device from the sheet accommodating cassette, a conveyor for accommodating a bundle of sheets having been subjected to an image forming operation by the image forming means at first sides thereof in a form in which leading edges of the sheets are gradually deviated in a sheet advancement direction, and for conveying the bundle as a whole, a feeder, disposed downstream of the conveyor with respect to the sheet advancement direction, for feeding one by one the sheets of the bundle from the sheet closest to the feeder, a second sheet conveying passage merging into the first passage for refeeding to the image forming device the sheets fed by the feeder, and a confining device for confining the sheets of the bundle other than the sheet being fed by the feeder.

Sheet conveying apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes accommodating assembly for accommodating a plurality of developing devices on stages arranged substantially vertically and having first driving mechanism for moving the developing devices in a substantially horizontal plane, an image formation assembly for receiving selected one of the developing devices moved out of the accommodating assembly and for further moving it in a substantially horizontal plane, the image formation assembly including systems for forming images using the developing device, the accommodating assembly further including an opening for allowing a the developing device to be loaded into the accommodating assembly.

A multi-color image forming apparatus, for forming a superimposed multi-color image on a transfer material, includes: a latent image bearing member; device for forming a latent image on the image bearing member; plural developing devices containing different color developers for developing the latent image in different colors; device for accommodating the plural developing devices; guiding device for guiding the developing device between a first position within the accommodating device and a second position adjacent the image bearing member; driving device for moving the developing device between the first position and the second position for exchanging the developing device at the second position; device for discriminating the plural developing devices; and a second developing device disposed adjacent the image bearing member at a different position; wherein when plural colors are selected for development; a discrimination is made as to whether the developing device containing the developer of the selected color is at the first position or not, and if so, the developing device located at the first position is operated before the other of the plural developing devices, irrespective of the order of the selection.

Image forming apparatus with developing device accommodating means

A document feeding apparatus comprising a first original supporting device on which an original is placed, an original inlet port for receiving the original placed on the first original supporting device, a conveying device for guiding the original fed from the inlet port to a predetermined position and exhausting the original from the predetermined position, and a second original supporting device mounted on a housing of the document feeding apparatus and having an image area designation device for designating an image area of the original. In an image area designation mode of the apparatus, the original is placed on the image area designation device, a desired image area is designated, and the original is placed on the first original supporting device and is guided to the predetermined position through the inlet port.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masashi Ohashi