Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mitsuo Hasebe

Tomoko Takahashi

Kiyoshi Tanikawa

Toshio Kawakubo

Aino Noguchi

Yasuo Katano

Nobuyuki Yanagawa

Kakuji Murakami

Satoru Tomita

Tadashi Saito

Kyoji Omi

Takayuki Maruta

Akio Katsumata

Shunichi Abe

Noboru Sawayama

Kunio Hasegawa

Setsuo Soga

Itaru Matsuda

Kunio Hibi

Hiroshi Hosaka

Itsuo Ikeda

Hideo Yamazaki

Junji Kurokawa

Kazunori Karasawa

Yoshihiro Mitekura

Kenichirou Asada

Makoto Hino

Yasumori Nagahara

Yoshiaki Kanmoto

Tsukasa Adachi

Kiyoto Nagasawa

Takanobu Fujioka

Yasuhiko Saka

Mutsuo Watanabe

Masaaki Kogure

Masayosi Watanuki

Tadashi Yamashita

Seiichi Miyagawa

Shigeru Mita

Kotaro Yonenaga

Minoru Umahashi

Hajime Hariu

Kohsuke Tsunashima

Abnormality diagnosing method in which a highly reliable abnormality diagnosis of an image forming apparatus can be initiated immediately following the delivery of the image forming apparatus to a user.

Abnormality diagnosing method, condition appraisal apparatus, image forming apparatus, management apparatus and management system

An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Recording method and apparatus with an intermediate transfer medium based on transfer-type recording mechanism

A method of forming an image includes causing a material, that increases a viscosity of liquid drops by contact with the liquid drops, to adhere to a transfer medium, causing a liquid drop to contact the material according to an image signal such that an image is formed with the liquid drop having been increased in viscosity by contact with the material, and transferring the image to a recording medium. The viscosity of the liquid drop when increased on the transfer medium by contact with the material is set such that the liquid drop adheres to the recording medium without being divided into a part remaining on the transfer medium and another part being transferred to the recording medium. By the above-described image forming method, good image transfer is realized and thereby an image having no blotting is obtained.

Image forming method and apparatus that form and transfer image of liquid drops of increased viscosity

A recording method and apparatus for controlling the condition of a material uniformly and steadily attached to a transfer medium. The recording method comprises the steps of: producing a material that is dissolved or swelled by liquid in advance and increases the viscosity of the liquid on the transfer medium; forming an image on the transfer medium by bringing the liquid into contact with the material; and transferring the image from the transfer medium to a recording medium. The recording method is characterized by the step of producing the material, in which the material is uniformly applied to a surface of the transfer medium.

Recording method and apparatus

A recording apparatus can apply an appropriate amount of setting agent, which is in the form of powder, to an intermediate transfer member. The setting agent is provided to a plurality of depressions formed on an application roller and transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, or formed on the intermediate transfer member, which moves the setting agent to a position where a visible image is formed by applying the droplets of a liquid onto the setting agent. The setting agent increases the viscosity of droplets of the liquid for forming the visible image to be transferred to a recording medium. The visible image formed on the setting agent is transferred onto the recording medium.

Recording method and apparatus for forming an image on a powder layer uniformly distributed on an intermediate transfer member

A color image forming apparatus separately corrects an intensity of each of color component images used for forming a multicolor image. The multicolor image is formed by superimposing a plurality of color component images on a printing paper. Each of the color component images is formed by one of color toners. Color patterns having a gradation are printed by using each of the color toners. A color sensor is provided at a position in which each of the color patterns is read, the color sensor being sensitive to a color of each of the color toners. The color sensor outputs output signals corresponding to each of the color patterns. The intensity of each of the color component images is corrected in accordance with the corresponding output signals of the color sensor. A mixture of colors in each of the color component images is detected, and the intensity of the corresponding color component image is corrected so as to maintain a desired color balance.

Color image forming apparatus separately correcting each color component

A developing system of the type using a two-component developer and capable of reproducing image densities and halftone images stably with no regard to changes in ambient conditions and aging. At least two toner image patterns each having a different toner density are formed on a photoconductive element. The amounts of toner deposited on the individual patterns are sensed by a photosensor, while the supply of toner to a developer and the dynamic range of a latent image are controlled in combination in response to the output of the photosensor.

Testing image density to control toner concentration and dynamic range

A digital color copying machine preparing an image reproducing copy by applying color separation to an original image of an original and processing color component signals for each of the separated colors into recording information. With such a digital signal processing, the color copying machine of the present invention can increase the speed and efficiency of multiple copies and can provide a symmetric copy mode, a swap or inverting copy mode and a multiple image copy mode.

Digital color copying machine with color separation

Digital color copier with color separation processing

Digital color copying machine

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing speed setting unit for selectively setting the fixing speed in accordance with a desired mode of operation, a fixing unit for fixing a reproduced image of an original formed on a image forming medium at a variable fixing speed in accordance with the fixing speed setting unit, and a scanning unit provided with opto-electrical elements arranged in one line extended laterally to a predetermined scanning direction for optically receving an image of the original through the opto-electrical elements. The opto-electrical elements are carrying out a scanning operation in the predetermined scanning direction with varied scanning speed by changing a sweep spacing of an image data with averaging every N line of the image data in accordance with the operation mode with using every N-1 lines of the image data to reproduce the image of the original on the image forming medium.

Image reproducing apparatus

An image forming apparatus of the type producing a single composite color image on a paper which is transported by a belt by transferring image components of different colors to the paper in register with each other. The apparatus reduces with a simple construction the positional deviation of the image components which occurs in an intended direction of paper transport. Recording devices individually adapted for black, cyan, magenta and yellow are arranged side by side. Pattern images for measurement each being associated with a respective one of those colors are formed on the belt. A timing at which each of the pattern images arrives is sensed and counted. The count is compared with a reference value to calculate an amount of deviation. Write start timing signals each being associated with a particular color are generated which are individually variable on the basis of the deviation calculated. The pattern images of the respective colors are each generated by using a write start timing associated with the color as a reference, and the pattern to be provided by any of the recording devices is outputted on a downstream side of the belt relative to the pattern to be provided by another recording device which is located downstream of the first-mentioned recording device.

Color image forming apparatus

A method of processing information on color images wherein light rays produced by irradiating a color document are split into light rays of two different wavelengths. The two types of light rays obtained in this way are converted into more than four types of output signals which are developed in different colors in accordance with the volumes of light and/or the wavelengths.

Method for reproducing color images which are distinguishable in a

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Mitsuo Hasebe