Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Shoichiro Yoshiura

Haruyoshi Ikeda

Takahiro Fukunaga

Ken-ichi Iwamoto

Ituro Katoh

Mitsuru Ogura

Katsuyoshi Fujiwara

Kimihito Yamasaki

Haruyoshi Migita

Yoshihisa Miwa

Tatsushi Hayashi

Takeshi Yoshida

Kouichi Matsumoto

Yasuhiro Nakai

Hiroshi Kida

Masaru Tsuji

Kozo Takahashi

Kazuyuki Ohnishi

Tatsuya Inoue

Hideaki Hagihara

Masakiyo Okuda

Yuji Sugimoto

Kenji Okada

Hiroshi Nakamura

An image formation apparatus contains a first and second unit. The first unit, which is a self-contained first module, contains a photo-sensitive body and structure for removing residue toner from the photo sensitive body. The second unit, which is a self-contained developer module, provides toner to the first unit and receives the residue toner from the first unit. The residue toner in the second unit is received in a self contained container and does not mix with fresh toner. The modules are detachably mounted in the apparatus. The second module cannot be mounted in the apparatus until the first module is mounted. The two units have different lives of interchange.

Image forming apparatus having selectively removable image processing and toner modules

An image formation apparatus contains a first and second unit. The first unit, which is a self-contained first module, contains a photo-sensitive body and structure for removing residue toner from the photo sensitive body. The second unit, which is a self-contained developer module, provides toner to the first unit and receives the residue toner from the first unit. The modules are detachably mounted in the apparatus. The second module cannot be mounted in the apparatus until the first module is mounted.

Image forming apparatus having selectively removable image processing

An image formation apparatus having an image carrier; a first removable unit including at least a cleaning system and a toner recovery feeding device; and a second removable unit including a developing system for developing an electrostatic latent image and a toner recovery collecting device for collecting the toner recovered by the first unit. A guide member on the first unit interacts with an indexing member on the second unit, in response to insertion of the second unit, into the image formation apparatus, to interconnect the toner collecting device of the second unit with the toner recovery feeding device of the first unit and to position the second unit with respect to the image carrier.

Removable processing units and toner collecting device for an image

An image forming apparatus provided with a post-processing device for performing a post-processing on an image-formed sheet includes a unit for reading an image on an original and a mark on a mark sheet, a unit for forming an image data read by the reading unit on a sheet of paper by performing a predetermined processing on the read image data, and a unit for controlling a direction of the image data to be formed on the sheet of paper for performing the post-processing done by the post-processing device at a specified place of the image-formed sheet of paper based on the location of the mark on the mark sheet read by the reading unit.

Image forming apparatus controlling the orientation of the image on a

A copying machine with a charger including a charging wire for charging the surface of a photosensitive drum and a convergent optical system for forming a focused image of an original on the surface of the drum. The copying machine further includes a waste toner unit, a cleaning unit for cleaning the charging wire and optical system which consists of a first cleaning member for grasping therebetween the charging wire stretched in the charger during cleaning, and a second cleaning member kept in contact with the surface of the convergent optical system, wherein the cleaning members are supported as to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the charging wire and the convergent optical system when cleaning the charging wire and the optical system.

Image forming unit with a charger wire and optics cleaning mechanism

An image reading apparatus such as a portable copier has a contact surface with a window at the bottom of its housing for slidably contacting a document to be scanned. A cover attached rotatably or slidably to the housing which can be closed to clean and protect the window is so structured that some of its edges become coplanar with the contact surface to provide additional stability to the apparatus when the cover is opened for a scan.

Image reading apparatus

A waste toner collecting system in an image forming apparatus which forms on the surface of an image carrier an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an original image, develops the latent image with toner and transferrs the toner image onto a copy material. The waste toner collecting system comprises a cleaning unit for removing residual toner from the image carrier after the toner image has been transferred, a container, independent of the cleaning unit, for storing the removed waste toner, and a transport device for conveying the waste toner removed by the cleaning unit to the container, with an outlet formed in the toner transport device so as to discharge the waste toner, a waste toner inlet formed in the container at a position corresponding to the outlet in the toner transport device, and shutter members provided for the outlet and the inlet, respectively, the shutter members being opened or closed according to as the waste toner container is mounted or dismounted.

Waste toner collecting system

A magnification converting mechanism for a variable magnification copying apparatus, which includes a magnification converting lever provided on a control panel, a magnification change-over arm associated with functioning of the magnification converting lever, a lens holder slidably fitted on a sliding shaft and engaged with part of the magnification change-over arm so as to be slid over the sliding shaft following displacement of the arm, and a lens assembly held on the lens holder.

Magnification converting mechanism for a variable magnification copying

An image forming cartridge houses a charger unit integrally with respect to a photoreceptor. Charge wire positioning members are provided on the image forming cartridge body at positions corresponding to holes provided in the charger unit aligned with the charge wire in the charger unit. The charge wire positioning members are spaced at a specified distance from the photoreceptor to ensure uniform charging of the photoreceptor by the charge wire.

Image forming cartridge for providing uniform corona charging

A pressure device for applying pressure between an upper fixing roller and a lower fixing roller, the pressure applying device being disposed at each end of the lower fixing roller and including a bearing member for supporting a rotary shaft mounted in the lower fixing roller and a biasing spring for biasing the bearing member upwards. The upper and lower fixing rollers are held in pressure contact with each other through depression of the upper fixing roller towards the lower fixing roller, under the influence of the pressure device.

Pressure applying mechanism for fixing rollers of a copying apparatus

A variable magnification apparatus is provided with a magnification converting mechanism and a scan speed change mechanism. In the magnification converting mechanism, the force generated by operating a magnification converting lever is transmitted to the lens holder through a magnification change-over arm and to a speed change selection member through a scan speed change shaft. In the scan speed change mechanism, the number of rotations of an output shaft is changed by a selected rotation transmission member which is actuated by a speed change ratio selection member.

A rotary type developing apparatus for use in an image forming arrangement, which is so arranged that, by restricting rotational angle of each of a plurality of developer units (A, B), mixing of developing materials in a receiving pan (27) is prevented, and even if some mixing should take place, mixture of a colored developer material with a non-colored developing material may be advantageously reduced.

Rotary type developing apparatus

A counter reset arrangement employed in an image forming apparatus such as a photocopier which is provided with a cartridge removably mounted in a main body of the apparatus and internally accommodating at least a photoreceptor and a cleaning unit integrally, and a resettable counter securely mounted in the main body of the apparatus to detect a remaining service life of the cartridge. The counter reset arrangement includes a reset member movably disposed in the cartridge and having a first protruding portion pressed against at a first position when mounting the cartridge, by a cabinet provided in the apparatus and a second protruding portion formed to press against a reset pin disposed on the counter to reset it. The counter reset arrangement further includes a first plate-like member disposed inside the cartridge to bias the reset member towards its second position where the first protruding portion is kept out of contact with the cabinet, so that the reset member is shifted to its second position after the counter has been reset by the second protruding portion through movement of the reset member caused by the cabinet and a second plate-like member also disposed inside the cartridge to bias the reset member against the first plate-like member towards its first position so that the reset member can be returned to the first position.

Counter reset arrangement

A copying apparatus equipped with an original document circulation feeding arrangement for feeding to an original document platform. A plurality of original document sheets are stacked on an original document tray and sequentially feed from the original document sheet located at the lowermost position of the stack. The original document sheets are discharged from said original document platform, onto the uppermost position of the original document sheets stacked on said original document tray. The original document circulation feeding arrangement includes an original document size detecting member for detecting the sheet size of the original document during feeding thereof from said original document tray. An original document size memory member subjects the original document sheets stacked on the original document tray to one circulation before starting of copying function. During the time of circulation, the apparatus sequentially stores all the sheet sizes detected by the original document size detecting member in a memory of a control section.

Copying apparatus equipped with original document circulation feeding

In a copying machine in which a plurality of copies are made on a plurality of sheets of copy paper transferred from one or more paper cassettes, there are provided means for detecting the amount of the copy paper present in paper storing means, designating means for designating the number of paper to be copied, means for judging whether the amount of the copy paper present in said paper storing means exceeds the number of the copy paper designated by said designating means in a period after said paper storing means is set in the copying machine and before beginning of transferring of the copy paper to paper process means and means for alarming that the sheet number of the copy paper is more than the amount of the paper present in said paper storing means.

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Yamatokoriyama, Japan

Shoichiro Yoshiura