Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Shapr Kabushiki Kaisha

Shunju Anzai

Hideo Matsuda

Yoichi Shimazawa

Yasutaka Maeda

Osamu Fujimoto

Akihiko Taniguchi

Hidekazu Sakagami

Yoshihisa Miwa

Kazumi Irie

Takashi Kubo

Syoichiro Yoshiura

Kunio Ohashi

Masaru Tsuji

Yoshiaki Ibuchi

Toshiki Ohgita

Eiichi Kido

Katsuyoshi Fujiwara

Yuhi Yui

Masakiyo Okuda

Tomohiro Oikawa

Hiromu Sasaki

Itaru Kawabata

Hiroaki Yoshida

Kimihito Yamasaki

Keizo Fukunaga

Norihide Kunikawa

Toyokazu Mori

Shinji Imagawa

Toshihiko Takaya

Haruyoshi Migita

Yoshiaki Imanaka

Atsushi Asada

Hirokazu Matsuura

Ikuo Itoh

Kazuyuki Ohgita

Itsuro Katoh

Yoshikazu Kawasaki

Sinsuke Saita

Developing devices are provided adjacent to a light sensitive element. An intermediate transfer drum is provided adjacent to the light sensitive elements. After exposure of the light sensitive element, a first color or third color image is formed on the light sensitive element. On the other hand, after exposure of the light sensitive element, a second color or fourth color image can be formed on the light sensitive element. The first color image is transferred from the transfer unit to the intermediate transfer drum at the first transfer portion, and the second color image is transferred from the transfer unit at the second transfer portion so as to be superimposed on the first color image. Similarly, the third color image is transferred so as to be superimposed on the second image and the fourth color image is transferred so as to be superimposed on the third color image to the intermediate transfer drum. Accordingly, the first to fourth color images are superimposed. Thereby, downsizing of the device and cost reduction are achieved and image formation speed is facilitated.

Image formation apparatus and image formation method

An image-forming device according to the present invention is provided with an image-carrying body, a transfer medium, which transfers the toner image formed on the image-carrying body to a transfer material, and an affixing body provided at the perimeter of the transfer medium, which electrically affixes and holds the transfer material to the transfer medium. The transfer medium is made up of at least a semiconducting layer and a conductive substrate supporting it. The semiconducting layer has a foam portion with foam particles which increase in diameter toward the conductive substrate. This foam portion is made of a dielectric sheet, which is manufactured by forming a foaming dielectric polymer into a sheet, and heating the two surfaces thereof at different temperatures. The foregoing structure can provide a desired elasticity with the portion with foam particles of large diameter, and a desired surface smoothness with the portion with foam particles of small diameter. Accordingly, the surface potential of the transfer drum can be maintained uniformly and stably, thus eliminating poor affixing of the transfer material to the transfer drum and poor transfer of the toner image to the transfer material.

Image-forming device and method of manufacturing dielectric sheet

A signal input device which includes an operation panel having an input area in which data are input by touching the operation panel, a plurality of sensors located at different places on the operation panel, the sensors receiving vibrations propagated from a touched point on the operation panel, a detection circuit for detecting times at which the sensors receive the vibrations, an arithmetic means for identifying the position of the touched point, a memory means for storing numerical values whereby the input area is divided into a plurality of minor areas, and means for judging which minor areas the touched points belong to, on the basis of the arithmetic results of the numerical values and data about the positions of the touched points.

Signal input device

A charger performs corona discharge by applying a voltage to a discharging electrode. The charger includes an electrode plate formed in the shape of a panel on the discharging electrode, a plurality of projecting portions disposed in an end portion of the electrode plate, and a plurality of projection groups formed in each of the projecting portions such that the projection groups are adjacent to each other in a thickness direction of the electrode plate.

Charger for performing a corona discharge

A developing device for a copier has a cartridge detachably attached to its housing. An outlet and an inlet provided with lids connect the interiors of the cartridge and the housing but developing agent can be supplied from the cartridge to the housing only if the cartridge is properly attached to the housing because the outlet lid is otherwise not opened. When developing agent is deteriorated and to be discarded for replacement, a transporting unit is activated and deteriorated developing agent is collected into the cartridge through its inlet. A sensor for detecting toner concentration inside the housing controls the operation of the transporting unit. Mechanisms are also provided to warn the user if a cartridge which has already been used is inadvertently set.

Developing device of a copier

A copying machine includes a device for eliminating unwanted black areas caused by insufficient light exposure when copies are made, for example, from a bulky original. The device includes a central processing unit to calculate the timing at which an auxiliary light source disposed inside the copying machine should be turned on so that the portions of a latent image formed on its photosensitive body, which would result in unwanted black areas on the copy paper, are eliminated by the timely exposure of these portions by the auxiliary light source.

Electrophotographic copying machine with device for eliminating unwanted

A manual or handy type copying apparatus including an image reading section for reading an image of an original document to be copied, and a printing section for printing the image read by the image reading section onto a transfer material, and arranged to subject the printing section to manual scanning during the printing operation or work, with the printing portion held in contact with the transfer material, and characterized in that there are provided spring members adapted to support the printing portion in a floating state so that the printing portion contacts the transfer material under a constant pressure during the printing operation.

Manual copying apparatus

A compact electronic image transfer device includes an image sensor which scans an original image to form image signals, a memory which accumulates and stores these image signals, a printer which scans a printing medium and prints an output image on this medium according to the image signals stored in the memory, and a driving device for causing the image sensor and the printer to move within a same plane. Use is made of a thermal transfer donor film with transparent areas and donor areas formed alternately along its length. A donor area with a coating of donor material is used when the printer prints an image. A transparent area is used when the image sensor scans an original document.

Electronic image transfer device and a film used therein

An electrophotographic copying machine includes a document mount portion, a document-winding drum, and a selection element. A book-like document can be copied when it is mounted on the document mount portion or a sheet-like copy document can be copied by being wound around the document drum by operation of the selection element. The document mount portion and the document drum are positioned within the range of movement of a common light scanning source so that the copy document provided on either the mount portion or the drum is optically scanned with the common light scanning source.

Electrophotographic copying machine with document-winding drum and

Disclosed is an electrophotographic copying machine which is provided with an original-setting table and copying-paper delivery devices featuring provision of a original-setting plate that allows a plurality of originals to be mounted on the original-setting table, circuits for generating timing signals matching the positions of a plurality of originals mounted together with the original-setting plate on the original-setting table, and a copying-paper feeding device for delivering copying papers in response to the timing signals thus generated.

Copying machine for copying a plurality of small originals in a single

A dual scanning mode copying machine capable of selectively operating under a primary scan mode, in which a document placed on a stationary document support is scanned by an optical system being moved below the document support, and under a secondary scan mode in which a document fed through a document feeder is moved relative to and above the optical system. The machine includes a detector for detecting the insertion of the document into the document feeder. When this detector detects the insertion of the document into the document feeder, the optical system is brought to a stationary position immediately below the document feeder and next to the document support.

Dual scanning mode

A light exposure controller is provided for detecting a light amount reflected by an original document in a copying machine and controlling the light volume of a copy lamp illuminating the original document according to the detected light amount. The light exposure controller has an auto/manual control mode selector switch. When the automatic control mode is switched over to the manual mode, the light volume is set at a mean value of the light volume for the last automatic control mode copying operation.

Light exposure controller

A document size detection apparatus having a plurality of sensor portions including light emitting devices and photodetector devices disposed in the vicinity of an original table for detecting the size of a document such as an original mounted on the original table is disclosed. This apparatus uses reflected light or transmitted light, a comparator for comparing the output level of the sensor portion with a reference level, and decision means for deciding the document size depending on the output signal of the comparator. The document size detection apparatus comprises a circuit for changing the reference level of the comparator and for detecting the resultant output of the comparator in order to find the condition in which the reference level becomes equal to the output level of the sensor portion and a storage circuit for storing the value representing that condition, which are used in the adjustment mode without a document mounted on the original table, and a reference level setting circuit for setting the reference level to be input to the comparator depending on the value stored in the storage circuit, which is used in the document size decision mode for detecting the size of a document mounted on the table.

Document size detection apparatus

A document copying system which is arranged to automatically collect copied paper sheets accommodated in a sorter in a classified state upon completion of the copying function for one original document group, and also to collect discharged original documents, capable of continuously effecting the copying operation including the classification work with respect to the plurality of original document groups, thus making it possible to realize an unattended copying operation over a long period of time.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Shunju Anzai