Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Satoshi Yano

Mitsuharu Yoshimoto

Takashi Kondo

Yutaka Shigemura

Yukihiro Ito

Junichi Oura

Hideo Umezawa

Yoshifumi Okauchi

Ichiro Takahashi

Yoshitake Miyoshi

Takashi Miyake

Yoshifumi Ishii

Mitsuo Nomura

Hiroyuki Arai

Seiichi Shirasaki

Masanobu Takahashi

Kiyoshi Hayashi

Takakazu Morita

An image forming apparatus is provided with a binding function. A container, having a binding mechanism located in the bottom end thereof, is attached to the housing of the image forming apparatus. A guide member movable between a first positions in which the guide member is adjacent to the bottom end of the container, and a second position in which the guide member projects beyond the insertion opening of the container is provided to support a binder which is loaded in the container.

Image forming apparatus equipped with a binding function

A device is disclosed for use with an image-forming apparatus, and includes a binder receiving portion for receiving a binder having papers and an adhesive therein, and a heating member for causing heating and melting of the adhesive in the binder when the binder is fully inserted in the binder receiving portion in order to adhere the papers in the binder. The heating member includes a contact element mounted in a bottom portion of the binder receiving portion and adapted to be contacted against by a contact portion of the binder. A power supply is provided to operate the heating member. A paper supply table is mounted to the binder receiving portion for use in feeding paper into the image-forming apparatus, and the paper supply table includes paper regulating guides which are adjustable in their relative positions to guide different sized papers into the image-forming apparatus. A power adjustment mechanism is provided for adjusting a total amount of power to be provided to the heating member by the power supply during a bookbinding operation in order to regulate a total calorific value of heat provided to melt the adhesive, in dependence on the relative positions of the paper regulating guides of the paper supply table.

Image-forming apparatus provided with bookbinding device

A binding unit binds sheets with a binder having an electric heater and electrodes for supplying electric current to the electric heater. The binding unit includes a container and an inner lid. The container has an insertion opening at one end through which the binder is inserted, and electrode terminals at the opposite end which come into contact with the electrodes of the binder. The inner lid is openable and provided in the container between the insertion opening and the electrode terminals. It assumes a closed position covering the electrode terminals when no binder is loaded in the container, and an open position allowing the electrodes of the binder to come into contact with the electrode terminals and at the same time supporting one side of the binder when loaded in the container. Consequently, when no binding operation is underway, the inner lid serves to prevent foreign material from dropping down onto the electrode terminals; and, when a binding operation is carried out, the binder is stably positioned in the container by the support of the inner lid, ensuring that the electrodes of the binder are securely in contact with the electrode terminals.

Binding unit for binding sheets in adherence to a binder

Near a discharge device (48) for discharging paper (P) with an image formed thereon, there is provided a punch (7) for punching holes. The drive of the discharge device (48) is controlled so that the punch punches the punch holes in the trailing portion of the paper (P), without causing creasing or tearing or change in the quality of the paper (P). The punch (7) includes punching cutters (72) and a punching die (74). The punching cutters (72) and the punching die (74) are provided in a unit (U) which can be drawn out of a casing (1) covering the punch (7). With the unit (U) drawn out of the casing (1), jam recovery can be easily executed. The unit (U) is movable in the width direction of the paper (P), thereby making it possible to adjust the position of punched holes. A collecting box (76) for collecting paper scraps (P1) is disposed in the unit (U). If the collecting box (76) is pivoted or the opening (76a) thereof is lifted up when the unit (U) is pivoted, the paper scraps (P1) therein will not fall out. Delaying timing for plural punching cutters (72) to punch holes can reduce the load on the drive system.

Image forming apparatus

An image-forming apparatus is provided with a bookbinding device having a binder receiving portion. The binder receiving portion is provided with a heat source for heating an adhesive or with an electrode for electrifying the electric heating member on a bottom portion thereof so that a plurality of papers disposed in a binder can be adhered to the inner surface of the back cover of the binder by heating and melting the adhesive with the heat source or the electric heating member. The heat source or electrode is swingably mounted in the binder receiving portion for movement between a bookbinding position and a retracted position. An operating mechanism is provided for moving the heat source or electrode from the retracted position to the bookbinding position upon insertion of the binder into the binder receiving portion.

An image-forming apparatus is provided with a bookbinding device having a binder receiving portion. The binder receiving portion is provided with a heat source for heating an adhesive or with an electrode for electrifying the electric heating member on a bottom portion thereof so that a plurality of papers disposed in a binder can be adhered to the inner surface of the back cover of the binder by heating and melting the adhesive with the heat source or the electric heating member. The binder receiving portion is provided with a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the heat source or electrode, and an operating mechanism for causing the cleaning mechanism to clean the heat source or electrode either when the binder receiving portion is pivoted from a non-use position to a use position or when a binder is inserted into the binder receiving portion. The operating mechanism operates by either moving the cleaning mechanism across the heat source or electrode, or moving the heat source or electrode across the cleaning mechanism.

An image forming apparatus having a main body with an opening portion provided in one face of the main body, and a thermal transfer printer. The thermal transfer printer records desired information additively on paper on which a toner image has been fixed. The printer uses a thermal head to press an ink-ribbon on the paper. The thermal transfer printer includes a casing in which a cassette for housing the ink-ribbon is detachably mounted, a thermal head support for supporting the thermal head, and an interlocking mechanism. The interlocking mechanism retracts the thermal head with the thermal head support in response to retraction of the casing. Thus, it is possible to detach the cassette from the main body through the opening portion. This facilitates replacement of cassettes and clearing of paper jams.

Electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a thermal printer for

An image-forming apparatus is provided with a bookbinding device having a binder receiving portion. The binder receiving portion is provided with a heat source for heating an adhesive or with an electrode for electrifying the electric heating member on a bottom portion thereof so that a plurality of papers disposed in a binder can be adhered to the inner surface of the back cover of the binder by heating and melting the adhesive with the heat source or the electric heating member. A binder-insertion hole of the binder receiving portion is provided with a cover to prevent foreign matter from entering the binder receiving portion.

An image forming apparatus can be achieved as, for example, a copying machine. The copying machine according to the present invention includes a handy scanner provided detachably from the main body of the copy machine and an additional data recording device for recording data read by the handy scanner as additonal data in addition to a mechanism for reading an image of a document disposed on an original glass plate to copy the same onto recording paper. The handy scanner can read arbitrary image data such as a figure, a designed character or a logotype. The image data read by the handy scanner is applied to the additional data recording device. If the paper on which the document image has been copied is provided to the additional data recording device, the additional data recording device records the additonal data at the rear of the paper on which the document image has been copied. The additional data recording device is operated after the document image is copied, the paper being conveyed at a speed different from that at the time of copying the document image.

Image forming apparatus having an additional data recording means

A paper-supplying device in an image-forming apparatus includes a paper-supplying portion to be charged with a paper-housing vessel by moving the latter in a direction of a rotary axis of a shaft of a paper-supplying roller. The vessel is provided with paper-separating clicks for pressing paper at opposite corners thereof on a downstream side thereof in a paper-supplying direction of the paper and an energizing structure for lifting a carrier plate supporting the paper thereon upwardly toward the paper-separating clicks. The roller is movable in the direction of the rotary axis of the shaft thereof. Transfer structure lifts the vessel in an upwardly inclined direction to press the paper against the roller when the paper-supplying portion is charged with the vessel. A member, brought into contact with the vessel before a surface of the paper is brought into contact with the roller and moved in the direction of charging the vessel, is connected with the roller in a relatively rotatable manner. Position-returning structure returns the member to an initial position.

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Takatsuki, Japan

Satoshi Yano