Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Naoyuki Okamoto

Hiroshi Kajiyama

Kenji Ueda

Masayuki Ueda

Yoshikuni Ishikawa

Yasuhiro Sagawa

Hiroyuki Watase

Tamiya Akimoto

Yoshiyuki Araki

Jun Yasuda

An image forming apparatus includes an operator, a receiver, and a controller. The operator accepts print instruction is input. The receiver receives a print instruction from an external terminal. The controller switches one of a standard mode and a quiet mode in which operating noise is lower than that in the standard mode. The controller also executes a print operation based on the print instruction from the operator in the standard mode.

Image forming apparatus, switchable to a quiet mode

A disclosed apparatus includes a first unit upstream of a first path to transfer a sheet; a second unit upstream of a second path to transfer another sheet from opposite side of the first path; a third unit on a combined path of the first and second paths to transfer the sheets downstream; and a first member provided where the first and second paths meet to guide the sheets to the combined path. The third unit is a nip unit including elements forming a nip. One of the elements on the second path side is a belt unit. The first member has a downstream edge extending in a sheet width direction. The downstream edge has a first part facing the nip part and a second part not facing the nip part. The second part is located downstream of the first part in the sheet transfer direction.

Sheet transfer apparatus and image forming apparatus

A sheet conveying device, that can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes a first conveying unit to convey a sheet in a first direction, a second conveying unit disposed on a downstream side of the first conveying unit to convey the sheet in a second direction, and a first path formed between the first and second conveying units. At least the second conveying unit has a holding section to hold and convey the sheet. The sheet conveying device further includes a belt conveying unit disposed along an outer side of the first path and includes a belt to convey the sheet toward the holding section. The belt is stretched around a first belt holding and rotating member and a second belt holding and rotating member disposed on an upstream side of the second conveying unit in the second direction.

Sheet conveying device, and image forming apparatus including same

A consumables storage container has an opening through which consumables are supplied. The consumables storage container includes a seal detachably attached to the opening to seal the opening, a part ID storage disposed on the seal, and a positioning holder to position and hold the seal at a prescribed position where the part ID storage is readable after the opening is unsealed.

Consumables storage container, image forming apparatus, process cartridge, and service control system

A disclosed sheet conveying apparatus includes a first conveying unit configured to convey a sheet in a first sheet conveying direction; and a second conveying unit arranged on a downstream side of the first conveying unit in the first sheet conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet conveyed by the first conveying unit in a second sheet conveying direction different from the first sheet conveying direction. At least the second conveying unit acts as a holding/conveying unit with a holding section to hold and convey the sheet and includes a moving/guiding unit arranged along an outer side of a sheet conveying path extending between the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit. The moving/guiding unit moves/guides the sheet toward the holding section of the second conveying unit, and is arranged in a discontinuous manner along a sheet width direction orthogonal to the first sheet conveying direction so as to contact at least one part of the sheet in the sheet width direction.

Sheet conveying apparatus, image scanning apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An easy-to-use, inexpensive, and small sheet conveying device, which can stably and separately convey not only sheets of a fixed size that are normally used, but also highly rigid sheets and special sheets, and can further separately convey a bent sheet reliably. In a sheet conveying path switching device having a sheet carrying-in path and a switching separating nail, outlines of two separating/conveying paths out of a plurality of separating/conveying paths positioned on a downstream side of the switching separating nail are configured by a movable belt surface, the two separating/conveying paths being located closer to the separating nail than the other separating/conveying paths.

Sheet conveying path switching device used in image forming apparatus, and sheet conveying device

A first conveying unit conveys a sheet. A second conveying unit conveys the sheet conveyed by the first conveying unit in a direction different from a sheet conveying direction of the first conveying unit, and is disposed on a downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the first conveying unit. A guiding unit reduces a sheet conveying load. The guiding unit is disposed in an outer area of a sheet conveying path formed between the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit.

Sheet conveying apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An optical beam scanner is provided in which light emitted from a light source and transmitted through a slit formed in a diaphragm plate is made incident upon a polygonal mirror through a cylindrical lens having positive power in the sub-scanning direction. The light reflected by the polygonal mirror is converged onto an object surface to be scanned through an optical image forming system. A plane mirror is provided between the diaphragm plate and the polygonal mirror to reflect the light emitted from the light source toward the polygonal mirror. The optical elements provided between the light source and the optical image forming system are housed in a casing having a bottom surface perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the polygonal mirror. The light emitted from the light source toward the plane mirror is parallel with the bottom surface. The light incident upon the polygonal mirror and the light reflected by the polygonal mirror are separated in the sub-scanning direction. The slit has different diameters in two orthogonal directions. The longitudinal direction of the slit is inclined with respect to the bottom surface, so that the longitudinal direction of a slit image projected on a reflection surface of the polygonal mirror through the plane mirror is substantially parallel with the bottom surface. The direction of the generatrix of the cylindrical lens is inclined with respect to the bottom surface in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the slit.

Beam scanning system

A laser scanning device emits a scanning laser beam which scans a predetermined surface to be scanned to form an image consisting of a plurality of pixels on the surface. The laser scanning device determines the intensity of the laser beam for each pixel of an image to be formed, and executes a feed-back control of the laser diode so that the intensity of the laser beam for each pixel accurately corresponds to the gradation level thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Naoyuki Okamoto