Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Satoshi Hokamura

Masatoshi Takano

Kazuhiro Ichinokawa

Masakazu Hirano

Kenichiro Otsuka

Masami Shirai

Takaaki Yano

Mikio Horie

Tatsuya Yoshida

Eiichi Ito

Motohiro Maseki

Seiichi Mori

Tomoyuki Nishikawa

A write start position detecting device has a curved mirror positioned in a plane in which a light beam is scanned to form a latent image on a photosensitive drum. The curved mirror is located at a position where a light beam reflected from it illuminates a photoreceptor element prior to the light source starting the writing operation. The photoreceptor element is located at a position, with respect to the curved mirror, ahead of the scanning direction in which the light beam strikes the photosensitive member to form the latent image thereon.

Write start position detecting device for light beam scanning device

A sheet guide mechanism is provided with a guide path along which a sheet-like member is guided and which is defined between one and the other guide surfaces. A stationary guide member has a first surface defining the one guide surface, and a movable guide member having a second surface defines the other guide surface, which is shiftable relative to the stationary guide member. Protrusions are formed on one of the first and second surfaces, protruding toward the other of the first and second surfaces by a predetermined distance. A shiftable member is shiftable relative to the stationary guide member between a guide position and a remote position. A spring is provided between the shiftable member and the movable guide member allowing the elastic contact between the protrusions and the other of the first and second surfaces, when the shiftable member is located in the guide position.

Electrophotographic apparatus and sheet guide mechanism

An electrophotographic apparatus is provided with an original separation mechanism which is disposed on a lower side of the inlet port of a feeding path. The original separation mechanism is pressed to an original pick-up roller, and is provided for separating one original, which contacts the original pick-up roller, from at least one following original. The original separation mechanism includes a unit body, and a friction member attached to the upper surface of a unit body, extending toward a downstream side of the feeding direction of the original so as to intersect the feed path at a predetermined angle, and having an upper surface with a prescribed friction coefficient. The original separation mechanism further includes a pair of supporting members attached to both sides of the unit body with respect to the friction member, and each formed of a spring material having an upper surface which extends so as to intersect the upper surface of the lower original guide member at a predetermined angle. Each of the supporting members intersects the friction member at the distal end thereof.

Electrophotographic apparatus having original separation means

An electrophotographic apparatus is provided with a photoconductive drum including an outer peripheral surface on which a latent image corresponding to an image to be transferred is formed, and a developing device for developing the latent image by a toner. The electrophotographic apparatus further includes a housing for rotatably supporting the photoconductive drum therein and having an opening on one side, a cover member for releasably closing the opening of the housing, and a transfer charger which is attached to one surface of the cover member opposing to the photoconductive drum, and which is provided for transferring the developed image onto a sheet-like member. A pre-roller is attached to an upstream end of a housing which houses the transfer charger. The pre-roller and the photoconductive drum are positioned relative to each other so that a gap of predetermined dimension is defined therebetween.

Transfer unit mounted on a pivotal upper cover

A paper feed mechanism is provided for individually supplying recording papers to an imaging apparatus. A plurality of papers are stacked on a tray member of a paper cassette. One end of the tray member is biased toward a feeding roller and presses the stacked papers toward the feeding roller. The papers are fed one by one upon rotation of the feeding roller. A swingable guide member is mounted on the paper cassette to cover the stacked papers. By swinging the guide member, the stacked papers, as well as the tray member, are downwardly moved away from the feeding roller, so that a spacing is formed between the feeding roller and the stacked papers. One or more other recording papers can be inserted into the spacing, to be fed by the feeding roller instead of the stacked papers.

Manual recording paper insertion mechanism

A recording paper size discriminating structure is provided for discriminating a recording paper size of recording papers which are accommodated in a recording paper cassette which is detachably attached to an imaging apparatus. The recording papers are cut in a predetermined size. The structure is provided with a guide plate for identifying the accommodated recording papers, and sensors for detecting the guide plate. The guide plate is provided on the recording paper cassette and the sensors are disposed at the imaging apparatus.

Recording paper size discriminating structure

An electrophotographic apparatus is provided with a control device for controlling the heating temperature of the fixing unit in accordance with the detected result by use of a condition detection mechanism. The control device controls the fixing unit: (a) to set the heating temperature thereof to a fixing possible temperature when the condition detection device detects that the imaging operation of the imaging device is initiated or has been continuing, (b) to set the heating temperature to a stand-by temperature lower than the fixing possible temperature when the condition detection device detects that a stand-by condition, in which the imaging operation is interrupted, continues for a first predetermined time, and (c) to set the heating temperature to a save-energy temperature, lower that the stand-by temperature, when the condition detection device detects that the stand-by condition has been continuing for a second predetermined time.

Electrophotographic apparatus

An imaging apparatus is provided with a main body; a cover member which is swingably connected to the main body between a closed position for closing the main body and an open position for opening the main body; and an image read unit and a platen member defining a feeding path of a sheet therebetween. A pressing/separating mechanism pressedly contacts the image read unit and platen member with respect to each other when the cover member is in the closed position and separates the image read unit and platen member from each other when the cover member is in the open position.

Imaging apparatus having a pressing/separating mechanism

An electrophotographic facsimile apparatus is provided with a main body, a recording mechanism substantially arranged in the main body, for printing received image information onto a recording paper fed through a recording paper path by using electrophotography, and an upper structure is disposed on the main body. The electrophotographic facsimile apparatus further includes an image recording head disposed in the upper structure for reading image information of a document to be transmitted, and an operation unit for inputting operation information. The recording paper path is formed between the main body and the upper structure, and inclines obliquely downward along a direction in which the recording paper is fed. The upper structure has an inclined upper surface parallel with the recording paper path. The operation unit is disposed on the inclined upper surface of the upper structure.

Electrophotographic facsimile apparatus having a pivoted upper structure

An image recording apparatus employing a fixing unit for fixing a toner image on a recording sheet by pressing and, or heating by means of a pair of fixing rollers disposed opposite to each other. At least one of the fixing rollers is arranged to be releasable manually or automatically when a clamshell is opened.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Satoshi Hokamura