Oki Data Corporation

Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Motonobu Hatakeyama

Koji Umetsu

Takahiro Kato

Nobuo Wakasugi

Kazuaki Arai

Kohtaroh Yoshimura

Hidenori Naoi

A power supply apparatus supplies regulated power to an external apparatus. A power switch is turned on to receive AC power and turned off not to receive the AC power. The AC power is rectified by a rectifying section and is switched by a switching section into switched DC power which is smoothed by a rectifying/smoothing section. Upon reception of an alarm signal, the power disconnecting section stops sending the switched DC power to the rectifying/smoothing section. If the AC switch is turned off and then back on again after stopping sending the switched DC power to the smoothing section, the power disconnecting section allows receiving of the AC power only a time after turn-off of the power switch. Upon reception of an auto-off signal indicative of an idle state of the external apparatus, an auto-off section does not send the switched DC power to the rectifying/smoothing section.

Power supply apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus containing a fusing device, a commercial power source providing power to the fusing device, a triac, a thermistor detecting a temperature of the fusing device, a fusion control unit controlling the fusing device based on a detection result of the thermistor, and a cathode terminal outputting a control current and an anode terminal receiving the control current to control the power supplied to the heating body from the commercial power source and the triac. The fusion control unit of the image forming apparatus contains a control current output terminal outputting the control current to the anode terminal, a control current input terminal receiving the control current from the cathode terminal, and a fusion temperature control unit controlling the control current received by the control current input terminal and the control current output by the control current output terminal.

Image forming apparatus having fusion control circuit that operates even in the presence of a short circuit

An image forming apparatus includes a developer reservoir, a detector, a computing section, a display unit, and a controller. The developer reservoir holds developer therein. The detector detects when the developer decreases to a first amount (i.e. toner-low level) The computing section computes current accumulated developer usage. The current accumulated developer usage is displayed on the display unit. The controller controls the display unit to display the current accumulated developer usage. When the detector detects the first amount, the controller controls the display unit to display a first value of the current accumulated developer usage that has been consumed until the first amount is detected.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image, and a toner cartridge detachably attached to the image forming unit for supplying toner to the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus further includes a toner supply control unit for controlling an amount of toner supplied from the toner cartridge to the image forming unit; a remaining toner amount detection unit for detecting a remaining amount of toner in the image forming unit; an image forming unit used amount detection unit for detecting a used amount of the image forming unit; and a control unit for controlling the toner supply control unit to control the amount of toner in the image forming unit according to a detection result of the remaining toner amount detection unit and a calculation result of the image forming unit used amount detection unit.

Image forming apparatus with toner cartridge and the toner cartridge

An option-identifying system identifies the locations of a plurality of options that are electrically connected in cascade and mounted to a main body such that the options are attachable to and detachable from the main body. The main body outputs a location-assigning signal having a plurality of bits to a first one of the plurality of options. Each option tray has a data-storing section and a location-identifying section. The data-storing section stores the locations of the plurality of options and corresponding location data that describes the locations. The location-identifying section receives the location-assigning signal and compares the received location-assigning signal with the location data to identify a location of a corresponding option. The location-identifying section changes the logic level of at least one bit of the received location-assigning signal or changes the number of bits of the received location-assigning signal, then outputs to a immediately lower option tray.

Option-identifying system

In a method for inputting, into a printer memory, printing initiation positions for a standard preformed paper, a touch panel is superimposed upon a sheet of the standard preformed paper which has a printing format already printed on the paper. Coordinate data of printing initiation positions of the desired printing format are entered through contact with the touch panel by a touch pen. The touch panel produces input coordinate data which are input into the printer as printing format data.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Motonobu Hatakeyama