Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kyocera Mita Corporation

Takashi Mihara

Kenji Oda

Wataru Sasaki

Susumu Hanano

Tetsuro Tomoe

Akinobu Nakahata

Masahiro Shinohara

Masaki Tsuchiya

Yukihiro Itoh

Hiromi Okada

Kazumi Shirasaka

Seiji Kikuchi

Junichiro Higuma

Shinji Yamamoto

Tadahiro Kiyosumi

Eijiro Masaki

In an image forming apparatus which uses a hollow space between an image reading section provided in an upper part of the apparatus and an image forming section provided in a lower part of the apparatus as a paper output space, the hollow space is used also as a space for temporarily holding a sheet of paper during a switchback operation. This arrangement helps prevent physical contact between the paper and the body of an operator or other objects and makes it easier to deal with a paper jam which is likely to occur during the switchback operation.

Image forming apparatus

A paper return device detachably fitted to an image forming apparatus having a paper feeding port for feeding paper from outside the image forming apparatus, a paper transport mechanism for transporting the paper from the paper feeding port to an image forming unit and a paper output port from which the paper carrying an image formed by the image forming unit is ejected to the outside of the image forming apparatus. The paper return device includes a paper return guideway which connects the paper output port of the image forming apparatus to its paper feeding port when the paper return device is fitted to the image forming apparatus, whereby the paper ejected from the paper output port is fed back to the paper feeding port through the paper return guideway.

Paper return device and image forming apparatus

The present invention is applied to an apparatus in which laser light corresponding to images to be formed scans a photoconductor at an approximately constant velocity in order to write a plurality of images arranged along a scanning direction of the laser light, in parallel. A scanning velocity of the laser light is varied to adjust a writing position of the image to be written last among the plurality of images by the laser light.

Method and apparatus for adjusting image forming positions to allow

A discharge device is usable for an image forming apparatus including a fixing portion having a heating roller in the shape of a hyperboloid for fixing a toner image formed on an envelope having a turned-up portion, and a stacking portion for stacking envelopes. The discharge device provided with a discharge roller system provided between the fixing portion and the stacking portion to discharge the envelope to the stacking portion has a upright portion provided near the discharge roller system below the transport path of the envelope to prevent the turned-up portion of the envelope from warping downward. This discharge device prevents a discharging envelope from coming into contact or colliding with the uppermost one of a stack of already discharged envelopes on the stacking portion, and enables the envelopes to be discharged suitably and to be stacked orderly on the stacking portion and increases an amount of envelopes stacked on the stacking portion.

Discharge device for use in an image forming apparatus capable of

A copy item transport device is used in an image forming apparatus having an image bearing member and a pair of registration rollers before the image bearing member, and includes a separator for regulating multiple copy items to one copy item for each image formation. The separator is constructed by a forward roller being driven in a forward direction of transporting the copy item to the registration roller pair, a reverse roller in contact with the forward roller. The reverse roller is driven in a reverse direction of transporting the copy item backward, but rotatable in the forward direction together with the forward roller when receiving a greater transmitted forward torque from the forward roller than the reverse torque. The reverse drive to the reverse roller is stopped at the same time or after the forward drive to the forward roller is stopped to assure the nip of copy item by the registration roller pair.

Copy item transport device for use in an image forming apparatus

A detecting device is adapted for detecting the presence of an item and includes a shaft rotatably supported on a frame, a first contacting member attached to the shaft and operable to come into contact with an item; a second contacting member attached to the shaft and operable to come into contact with an item, the second contacting member being spaced away from the first contacting member in an axial direction of the shaft by a specified distance, a pivotal member, a detector for detecting whether the pivotal member is at a specified detecting position, and a transmission device for transmitting a rotation of either the first or second contacting member to the pivotal member to rotate the pivotal member to the specified detecting position.

Detecting device for detecting presence of items in a multiple supply

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Takashi Mihara