Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Osamu Nagata

Keiji Seo

Makoto Yamada

Toshio Sugiura

Tsuyoshi Suzuki

Kenji Sakakibara

Shigeyuki Hayashi

Kazumasa Makino

Jun Sakai

Kazuhito Ishida

Shigeru Kagayama

Michitoshi Akao

Yoichi Horaguchi

Yoshinori Endo

Eiji Shibata

Toshio Takahashi

Toshio Nakai

Takemi Yamamoto

Ryohei Komiya

Takashi Nakata

Takashi Tomizawa

Motoshi Ohno

Yoshiyuki Ban

Hidetoshi Asada

A motor drives four final gears provided to four image recording units via a driving belt. Each of the image recording units corresponds to one of yellow, magenta, cyan and black. Each final gear is connected to a rotation axis of a toner feed roller via an electromagnetic clutch. If a black-and-white image is to be formed, only the electromagnetic clutch associated with the black image recording unit is connected, while the rest of the electromagnetic clutches are kept disconnected so that unnecessary image recording units are not driven. This arrangement improves the image quality and durability of the apparatus, and achieves a reliable color printing operation.

Image forming apparatus

In order to make a color image forming device compact in size, two color recording units are disposed in one side of an intermediate transfer body and another two color recording units are disposed in opposite side thereof. The two recording unit in each side are aligned vertically in close proximity to the intermediate transfer body which has a surface on which color toner image is deposited by the respective recording units. The toner image is then transferred onto and thermally fixed on an image recording medium.

Color image forming device having intermediate transfer body sandwiched

A chromatic image recording apparatus comprises a gradation control member, an image reading member, a hue characteristics calculating member and a hue characteristics control member. In the chromatic image recording apparatus, the optimum exposing conditions of an original having a deviated color balance can be easily established. The output chromatic image of desired quality can be obtained, irrespective of any hue characteristics of the chromatic image on the original. When a brightness characteristics calculating member and a brightness characteristics control member replace the hue characteristics calculating member and the hue characteristics control member, the output chromatic image of desired quality can be obtained, irrespective of any brightness characteristics of the chromatic image on the original. When the chromatic image recording apparatus additionally comprises an auxiliary exposure member and an auxiliary exposure control member, the output chromatic image can be reproduced with an improved color gradation.

Chromatic image recording apparatus

In an image recording apparatus of the type using a photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium having a surface coated with an immense number of microcapsules encapsulating therein a dye precursor, requisite components of the apparatus excluding an exposure unit are arranged as a single unit to provide a versatile unit. A desired type of the exposure unit is used in conjunction with the versatile unit, whereby different types of image recording apparatuses can be built up, which may be a full-color copying machine, a CRT printer, or a film printer.

Image recording apparatus built up with versatile unit and optional

An image recording apparatus having an exposure unit, a pressure developing unit and a thermal fixing unit for forming an output color image on a developer medium which image corresponds to a latent image formed on a photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium or microcapsule sheet. The apparatus is further provided with a sensor means for detecting one of humidity at or around the exposure unit, temperature at or around the exposure unit, temperature at or around a pressure developing unit, temperature at the thermal fixing unit, a pressure developing speed of the pressure developing unit, and pressure level of the pressure developing unit. In response to the detection, exposure condition or pressure developing condition is controllable.

Image recording apparatus controllable to one of exposure condition and

In an image formation system such as color copying machine, a micro-capsule paper as a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive medium and a developer paper as an image recording medium are fed in an overlapped state in a gap defined between two rollers having different diameters disposed in a pressure developing unit of the image formation system. In the pressure developing unit, the gap between two rollers is pressure adjusted by the cam assembly which comprises a cam support member disposed to be movable in directions contacting to and being separated from one roller, a plurality of cams mounted to the cam support member, an elastically deformable member supported by the frame member for applying pressure to the cam by the elastic deformation caused by the contact to the cams and a pressure transferring member mounted to the cam support member for transferring the pressure caused by the pressure applying member to the one roller, thus uniformly adjusting the pressure distribution to the papers between two rollers. The distance between the cam support member and the pressure applying member be adjusted by disposing and adjusting the wedge member. The cams selectively operated in accordance with the sizes of the papers to be utilized.

Pressure developing apparatus

A slide printer exposes an elongated microcapsule sheet to a light image in an exposure position, and, thereafter, a pressure development unit forms a visible output image on a developer sheet superposed with the exposed portion of the microcapsule sheet. The slide printer includes two light paths which are provided between a slide projector and an exposure stand in the exposure position and switched by a movable reflector according to a selected one of A4 size and A3 size of the developer sheet. A first and second exposure area to be exposed to the light image are selectively set on the microcapsule sheet in the exposure stand. The second exposure area corresponding to A4 size is arranged within the first exposure area corresponding to A3 size and in the nearest position to the development unit in a feed path of the microcapsule sheet, thereby preventing an unexposed portion of the microcapsule sheet from being left on the side close to the development unit of the second exposure area.

Image forming apparatus with positional adjustment of exposure area

An image recording apparatus incorporating two sheet cartridges each storing a photosensitive recording sheet. In one example of the invention, one of the sheet cartridge stores a microcapsule sheet adapted to record a full-color iamge and the other sheet cartridge stores another kind of microcapsule sheet adapted to record a monochromatic image. When a monochromatic image recording is to be performed, the relevant microcapsule sheet is selected and conveyed past an exposure station, a developing station, and a fixing station at a speed higher than a conveying speed of the full-color image recording microcapsule sheet. In another example of the invention, one of the sheet cartridge stores a microcapsule sheet adapted to record an image of a positive film and the other sheet cartridge stores a thermally developable silver halide photosensitive sheet adapted to record an image of a negative film. The microcapsule sheet and the silver halide sheet are selectively used depending upon the nature of the original film. The film image is projected by a slide projector onto selective one of the microcapsule sheet and the silver halide sheet. An automatic image focusing adjusting mechanism automatically adjusts a focal point of the image projected by the slide projector.

Image recording apparatus selectively using two kinds of photosensitive

An image forming apparatus has a cathode ray tube as a light source which is controlled by a control circuit including an image signal inverting circuit for inverting a polarity of an image signal and a vertical deflecting circuit for inverting an image formed on the cathode ray tube in a mirror image relationship on the basis of the vertical synchronizing signal. Thus, the image forming apparatus can provide two kinds of color images obtained by using a microcapsule sheet or a silver chloride sheet.

An image recording apparatus using a microcapsule sheet on which a latent image is formed. The microcapsule sheet is accommodated within a sheet roll cartridge detachably provided to a main frame, and a take up means for winding light-exposed microcapsule sheet thereover. The cartridge and the take-up means are geometrically positioned at an upper portion of the main frame, so that these are easily assembleable and disassembleable. Preferrably, a link mechanism is provided which connects a cover member to the cartridge. The link mechanism provides disengagement of the cartridge from the main frame upon opening of the cover member, and provides an engagement therebetween upon closing thereof. Further, additional link mechanism is provided between the cover member and a separation roller unit. The separation roller unit is moved to a first direction where the roller is separated from the microcapsule sheet when the cover member is opened. The unit is moved to a second direction where the roller is in contact with the microcapsule sheet when the cover member is closed.

Image recording apparatus feasible for replacement of image recording

An image recording apparatus for forming a latent image on a photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet and for developing the latent image on a developer sheet. The apparatus includes an exposure unit and a developing unit positioned close to each other. The apparatus also includes an optical system for irradiating light onto an original and directing the light reflected at the original toward the exposure zone. The original has an original image facing downwardly, and the photosensitive sheet has an imaging surface facing downwardly at the exposure zone. The optical system provides a U or J-shaped optical path extending from the original to the exposure zone. The optical system has reflection mirror unit vertically movably secured to a pair of frames of the apparatus. The frames are reinforced with a partition member which also functions as a light shielding member. The partition member divide an internal space defined by the frames into two chambers so as to accommodate therein the developing unit and the optical system, respectively.

Image recording apparatus having separated optical and developing units

In order to adjust light components, there is provided a filter unit which includes a light source for emitting a light, a filter housing to which an opening is formed; and three filters arranged in vertical direction within the filter housing and adapted to be drawn from the opening. Each of the three filters adjusts one of red, blue and green components contained in the light. A drive unit is further included in the filter housing which selectively draws the three filters from the opening to an optical path. Accordingly, the light components can be adequately adjusted by drawing the filters in the optical path. By the employment of such a filter unit in a color image recording apparatus, the color tone of the image reproduced in a copy sheet can be adjusted.

Exposure unit in an image recording apparatus

In an image recording apparatus, a pair of support plates are provided in spaced-apart relation and in parallel to each other for rotatably supporting guide rollers for conveying a recording sheet, and a cartridge shaft around which the recording sheet in elongated, web-like form is wound. An outer casing is further provided which accommodates the support plates together with all components necessary for image recording. The casing has one wall arranged in the direction orthogonal to the surfaces of the support plate. A window is provided in that wall to facilitate maintenance of the apparatus.

Image recording apparatus having window for maintenance purpose

A printer, including a first and a second feed mechanism supported by a carriage for feeding a print ribbon and an erase ribbon, respectively, at least one rotatable shaft supported by the reciprocating carriage rotatably in opposite directions, a one-way clutch for transmitting the shaft rotation in one of the opposite directions to the first feed mechanism, and inhibiting transmission of the rotation in the other direction, and a control mechanism for inhibiting transmission of the shaft rotation to the second feed mechanism when the printer is in a printing mode, and transmitting the shaft rotation to the second ribbon mechanism when the printer is in a correction mode, whereby the carriage reciprocation activates the first and second feed mechanisms. A converter may be provided for converting the shaft rotation into movements of a ribbon lift to shift the erase ribbon between an erasing and an inoperative position. The rotation control mechanism inhibits transmission of the shaft rotation to the converter while in the printing mode, but transmits the rotation to the converter while in the correction mode. Thus, the carriage reciprocation also cause the shifting movements of the erase ribbon.

Printing apparatus with carriage drive utilized to feed print and erase

In a printing device according to the present invention, a housing assembly comprises a pair of housings which are rockably supported, with their respective open end portions abutting against each other. A platen is disposed in an abutment region where the open end portions abut. A keyboard is provided on the one housing, while a printing element is disposed inside the other housing. When the printing device is in a nonusable position, the two housings extend along one plane, thus defining a flat, rectangular outline of the housing assembly. When the device is in a usable position, the housings are rocked relatively, thus defining a substantially L-shaped outline of the housing assembly. As the housings rock in this manner, the printing element is brought to a printing position, where the element faces the platen.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Osamu Nagata