Hitachi, Ltd.

Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.

Seiji Okunomiya

Hiroshi Shimizu

Naohiro Ozawa

Toshihiko Gotoh

Kentaro Hanma

Youichi Narui

Tetsuo Nakano

Masami Takada

Hiroyuki Seki

Akira Sasaki

Mikio Shiraishi

Masahiko Saito

Kazuhiro Wakamatsu

Yoshiaki Yamauchi

Shunichi Oohara

Chikara Hiraoka

Yoshitaro Ishii

Masashi Yamamoto

Masashi Yoshida

Katsumi Kumada

Kentaro Hamma

Kazuo Kikuchi

Takamitsu Ikematsu

Katsuya Sato

Hisao Suka

Yoshio Ohuchi

Tetsunori Kaneko

Shizuo Tsuruta

Kohichi Tomatsuri

Yoichi Narui

Toshihiko Goth

Masahi Yoshida

A paper feeder is capable of minimizing abnormal noise produced at a separation pad during paper feed, without reducing the paper feed capability, for use in an image forming apparatus using the same. Buffers are mounted on the separation pad. This arrangement ensures that, when a stick-slip condition occurs between the paper and separation pad during paper feed, and the separation pad is vibrated by the paper, the buffer vibrates so as to dissipate the vibration energy of the separation pad, with the result that the vibration of the separation pad is minimized, thereby to reduce any abnormal noise.

Paper feeder with separation pad and vibration buffers

An electrophotographic image forming system having a form cassette for storing forms, a transfer unit for forming an image, a feeder for feeding the forms to the transfer unit and a fusing device for fusing transferred image of the form. The electrophotographic image forming system provides in a path for feeding the form with unfused colored particles (toner) deposited thereon, a form guide so as to contact the non-printing area of the surface of the form with unfused colored particles (toner) deposited thereon.

Electrophotographic image forming system

An apparatus for holding a thermal transfer printing ink-sheet in a cartridge case and for indicating a characteristic of the ink-sheet, comprises an ink-sheet including an ink which is transferred from the ink-sheet by a heat energy, a shaft on which the ink-sheet is wound and which is mounted detachably and in a rotatable manner on the cartridge case, and an indicating member which is discrete in relation to the cartridge case, indicates the characteristic of the ink-sheet, is rotatable in relation to the shaft, and is connected to the shaft so that an integral combination of the indicating member and the shaft is kept on a replacement of the ink-sheet, and the indicating member and the shaft are separated simultaneously from the cartridge case on the replacement of the ink-sheet.

Means for holding thermal transfer printing ink-sheet in cartridge

A thermal transfer printer which can use both an ink sheet provided with a positioning mark to indicate the top position of a set of three color ink patches necessary for producing one image, and an ink sheet provided with no such positioning mark, without the need of switching an operation mode. The thermal transfer printer has an optical sensor which can equally detect a color change between 3rd and 1st color patches on the ink sheet provided with no positioning mark and a color change between a positioning mark and a 1st color patch on the ink sheet provided with the positioning mark. There is also disclosed an ink sheet cassette for use in the thermal transfer printer, the ink sheet cassette accommodating the ink sheet in which a positioning mark is coated with the same color(s) of ink as those for printing and information about the color sequence of the ink coated patches for printing is also recorded in the coated pattern of the positioning mark.

Thermal transfer printer and ink sheet cassette for use in same

In a thermal transfer recording system, an ink paper cassette containing an ink paper having ink layers and an ink paper feed bobbin with the ink paper wound therearond, and further containing a take-up bobbin for taking up the ink paper fed from the feed bobbin, is used in conjunction with a recording paper, a platen roller, and a thermal head. The recording paper and the ink paper fed from the feed bobbin are disposed in a superimposed manner on the platen roller and are pressed toward the platen roller form the ink paper side and heated by the thermal head, thereby allowing ink to be transferred to the recording paper form the ink paper in accordance with information provided to the thermal head. A discrimination is made as to whether the ink paper cassette is a first ink paper cassette which contains a first ink paper having only ink layers, or a second ink paper cassette which contains a second ink paper having both a receiving layer and ink layers. If the ink paper cassette is judged to be the first ink paper cassette, a first recording paper having a receiving layer is selected, while if the ink paper cassette is judged to be the second ink paper cassette, a second recording paper not having a receiving layer is selected. Consequently, ink is transferred to the selected recording paper from the ink paper contained in the ink paper cassette.

Method and apparatus for thermal transfer recording and ink paper

A thermal transfer recording apparatus wherein printing on record paper is performed with the record paper fixed on a platen roller is constituted such that, when the record paper is to be fixed, transmission of power to the platen roller is interrupted and the platen roller is fixedly held at a predetermined position, which enables realization of a transporting system for a transport system of a thermal transfer recording apparatus of the record paper fixing type which system includes a single motor therein.

Platen locking mechanism for thermal transfer recording apparatus

A platen roller apparatus having a cylindrical platen roller, a recording sheet retaining member capable of moving while being maintained in parallel with the axis of the platen roller, a positioning member for positioning a recording sheet on the platen roller; and members for urging the recording sheet retaining member inwardly in the radial direction of the platen roller. The recording sheet is retained while being pinched between the outer circumferential surface of the platen roller and the recording sheet retaining member.

Platen roller apparatus

A thermal transfer printing apparatus includes a reading device for reading a code registered section provided on an ink sheet cassette, and a color discrimination device, a part of which is provided on a thermal head. The apparatus acts to heat an ink sheet superposed on a print paper by means of the thermal head to print an image on the print paper. The ink sheet cassette includes a pair of ink shafts on which both ends of a continuous ink sheet having a continuous film or paper with inks applied thereon are wound, and a cassette case in which the ink shafts are received, at least one of the ink shafts being adapted to be drivingly connected in the axial direction to a torque supply shaft inserted from the outside of the cassette case so that driving torque is supplied from the torque supply shaft to the ink shaft. The code registered section is composed of a first pattern portion of alternating white and black patterns and a second pattern portion in which information connecting the ink sheet is coded and recorded in line with the first pattern portion. The code registered section is provided on one of the ink shafts in the cassette case.

Thermal transfer printing apparatus and ink paper cassette

A thermal transfer printer which can use both an ink sheet provided with a positioning mark to indicate the top position of a set of three color ink patches necessary for producing one image, and an ink sheet provided with no such positioning mark, without the need of switching the operation mode. The thermal transfer printer has an optical sensor which can equally detect color change between 3rd and 1st color patches for the ink sheet provided with no positioning mark and color change between a positioning mark and 1st color patch for the ink sheet provided with the positioning mark. There is also disclosed an ink sheet cassette for use in the thermal transfer printer, the ink sheet cassette accommodating the ink sheet in which a positioning mark is coated with the same color(s) of ink as those for printing and information about the color sequence of the ink coated patches for printing is also recorded in the coated pattern of the positioning mark.

Thermal transfer printer capable of using and detecting a plurality of

Ink ribbon cassette

Growing community of inventors

Katsuta, Japan

Seiji Okunomiya