Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Tooru Watanabe

Yoshiyuki Toso

Shigeru Tashiro

Noboru Oomoto

Tetsuya Kagawa

Atsuhiko Shimoyama

Hajime Taniguchi

Masataka Oda

Syuichi Katogi

Akihiro Nakamura

Nozomu Kondo

Tou Matsunaga

Kou Yamada

Masato Togami

Ikuro Chimoto

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; and a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature. A duct is provided in a position facing the fixing member with respect to a width direction perpendicular to a circumferential direction of the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member. An exhaust fan is provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct. A first filter member is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and the first filter can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct getting on the air flow. A control section controls an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member.

Image forming apparatus having air duct facing fixing member

It is intended to provide an image forming apparatus capable of securing rotation transmission accuracy among input/output axes without giving stress to a holding portion despite shaft misalignment and without using material of high strength. A color printercomprises a main bodyand an image forming unitremovable from the main body. The main bodyincludes a gearfor receiving rotary driving force to the image forming unitand a jointand the image forming unithas a couplingfor receiving rotary driving force from the main body. Furthermore, a joint holder sectionfor the gearand the couplinghas a contact hole, and contact hole, respectively and both ends of the jointare inserted in those holes. The contact holesandare in not-twisted triangle pole shape and the jointis in twisted triangle pole shape.

Image forming apparatus with a removable process unit capable of securing rotation transmission accuracy without stressing a holding portion despite shaft misalignment

In a document transport apparatus for an image forming system, a pair of trays are provided above the glass platen of the image forming system. A feed tray is spaced above the platen glass and is used to feed documents to be copied one at a time to the glass platen. A discharge tray is spaced above the feed tray for receiving the documents from the glass platen as the documents are copied. The discharge tray is automatically moved to a retracted position, out of the way of the feed tray, when the discharge tray is absent any documents.

Document transport apparatus

It is desirable if the lengthwise center axis of a cylindrical rotating member such as a photoreceptor drum is aligned exactly with the center axes of the support shafts. However, as it is impossible to eliminate manufacturing errors in components, it is unavoidable for there to be a slight angle of intersection between the center axis of the cylindrical rotating member and the center axes of the support shaft. Consequently, the object of the present invention is to provide a support mechanism for the cylindrical rotating member whereby the cylindrical rotating member exhibits little unevenness of rotation. When lengthwise axis of the cylindrical rotating member forms angle of intersection .alpha. with lengthwise axis of shaft, this angle .alpha. is absorbed by the slight space between shaft and pierced hole of a rotation transmission member, as well as by the gap between the rotation transmission member and bearing of the cylindrical rotating member, so that the center axis of the cylindrical rotating member is fixed in a set position, and the outer circumference of the cylindrical rotating member moves in a predetermined perfectly circular path.

Cylindrical rotating member having a support mechanism exhibiting little

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Toyokawa, Japan

Tooru Watanabe