Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Kyocera Mita Corporation

Tsukasa Sugiyama

Ken Yoshizuka

Masaru Hatano

Yoshiaki Tabata

Toru Tanjo

Takahiro Wakikaido

An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance path, a plurality of setting portions, a printing portion, an operation panel, and a control portion. Before starting a mixed-sheet job, with respect to each of such setting portions of the plurality of setting portions as have a first sheet or a second sheet set therein, the control portion calculates first time, which is a period of time required for the first sheet to reach a registration position in a case where the first sheet is fed from the each of the such setting portions, sets a setting portion with respect to which the first time is shortest as a first setting portion, and makes the operation panel display recommendation information recommending setting the first sheet in the first setting portion.

Image forming apparatus capable of performing a print job to print an image on a sheet being conveyed

A condition acquiring device is for acquiring condition information including binding position information and image direction information. A dividing condition setting device is for specifying at least one dividing position and a dividing order of an original image, according to an image formation rule for deriving the at least one dividing position and the dividing order in response to a combination of what are designated by the image direction information and the binding position information. An image processing device is for dividing the original image at the at least one dividing position into a plurality of divided images. The print processing device is for forming the plurality of divided images respectively on a plurality of sheets sequentially conveyed by a conveying mechanism according to the dividing order.

Image forming apparatus

The first remaining amount holding unit stores the remaining amount of sheet detected by the remaining amount detection unit before a sheet adding operation to the sheet stacking surface. The second remaining amount holding unit stores the remaining amount of sheet detected by the remaining amount detection unit after the sheet adding operation to the sheet stacking surface. The determination unit determines a sheet adding position based on the respective remaining amount of sheet stored in the first remaining amount holding unit and the second remaining amount holding unit. The feeding speed control unit changes a sheet feeding speed of the pickup roller based on the sheet adding position determined by the determination unit and the sheet remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detection unit.

Sheet supply device and image forming apparatus

A sheet counter counts points corresponding to the number of sheets subjected to a fixing process performed by a fixing unit during the image forming operation (during the copy state). A heater actuation time counter counts points corresponding to the heater actuation time (ON time) when a fixing operation is performed by a fixing unit during the image forming operation (during the copy state). When power consumption is high, a fixing control temperature can be set so as to reduce the power consumption during the non-image forming operating time (standby state and preheat state) by determining the power consumption (of the fixing unit) during the image forming operation based on the points counted by a sheet counter during one week, or points counted by a heater actuation time counter during one week.

Image forming device having a power consumption control device controlling power supplied to a fixing device

A temperature controlling device for controlling the temperature of a heating member of a fixing unit of an image forming apparatus, the heating member being heated by a heater to perform a fixing operation at a predetermined fixing temperature, the temperature controlling device is provided with a controller which is operable to control the heater to selectively keep the temperature of the heating member at a first energy saving temperature smaller than the fixing temperature and a second energy saving temperature smaller than the first energy saving temperature when the fixing operation is suspended.

Multi-level energy saving temperature controller for image forming

A toner concentration controller which activates a toner replenishing motor to replenish toner when the concentration of the toner in a developer unit which develops an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor drum is a predetermined value or lower. The ON period of the toner replenishing motor is controlled based on paper feed information (e.g. preset development quantity, both-side/one-side copying, and development speed) of a copy sheet to which the developed image is to be transferred.

Toner concentration contoller

An image forming apparatus capable of inserting tab sheets between copied sheets is provided with a cassette for containing tab sheets is such a state that tabs of the tab sheets project backward with respect to a feed direction, a sheet inverting assembly provided downstream from the imaging assembly for discharging the sheet to the discharging portion after reversing its transport direction, an inserting position setting device for setting an inserting position of the tab sheet in a plurality of copy sheets to be stackingly discharged, a feed controller for feeding a tab sheet from the cassette during a processing in the inserting position, an image formation prohibiting device for prohibiting an image formation during the processing in the inserting position, and a transport controller for, when the fed sheet is a tab sheet, transporting the tab sheet to the sheet inverting assembly. When tab sheets are to be inserted in specified inserting positions while a plurality of documents are copied, the tab sheets are fed in such a manner that their tabs project backward with respect to their feed direction and has their transport direction reversed before being discharged so that their tabs project forward.

Image forming apparatus provided with a tab sheet inserting function

The surface of a rotating photoreceptor is charged by main chargers and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the charged surface of the photoreceptor by use of an optical system. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image with toner. The toner image is transferred to a copy sheet at a transfer section and an automatic voltage control is performed to regulate the output voltage of the main chargers so that the surface of the photoreceptor is charged to a predetermined charge when a power switch is turned on. A control unit is provided which performs the automatic voltage control also when the output of an ejection sensing switch representative of the number of image formations is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and the output of a development thermistor is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature.

Image forming apparatus with automatic voltage control

A combined system of an image processing machine (e.g., a copying machine) and a sheet handling machine. They are placed with an image reading part (e.g., a glass plate of the copying machine) therebetween. In the combined system, one-sided or two-sided original sheets and processed sheets are orderly stacked on respective final tray after they are finished processing if the original sheets are stacked orderly in the initial tray, i.e., the original sheets are laid on the final tray with the order of the page numbers maintained from the order at the initial tray, and the processed sheets are also stacked on the finish tray with the same order. In a simple mode: the original sheet is placed on the image reading part, processed (copied), reversed and ejected to a first final tray, while the process sheet (copy sheet) is processed and ejected onto the finish tray without reversing. In a reverse mode: an original sheet is first placed on the image reading part, first processed, recycled (reversed), second processed and ejected to a second final tray without reversing, while the process sheet is first processed, recycled (reversed), second processed, reversed and ejected to the finish tray.

Image processing machine with an automatic sheet handler

If a being conveyed on which the image of a preceding document of a specific document is formed is jammed on the way including the post-processing device for post-processing while a new paper is fed from a paper feeder for the specific document and being sent into the intermediate tray by conveyer, the controller stops the conveyance of the jamming paper by the conveyer, and allows the paper being towards the intermediate tray to be conveyed to the intermediate tray and stocked, while stopping feed of new paper by paper feeder, and when jamming is cleared, the paper stocked in the intermediate tray is discharged outsides.

Image forming apparatus with intermediate tray

This invention relates to an improved automatic document feeder which may be used, for example, on an image forming apparatus. The apparatus in accordance with the invention includes a final document detecting circuit which detects whether a document sent from an original setting device onto an original mounting device is the final document of a set. A normal end detecting device detects whether all of the image forming steps have been completed normally as to the final document of the set. A controlling device moves the final document to be discharged outside of the automatic document feeder after all of the image forming steps have been finished normally on the final document. The controlling device is activated based on signals from the final document detecting device and the normal end detecting device. The control circuit allows documents other than the final document to be moved outside of the image forming device before all of the image forming steps have been completed normally.

Automatic document feeder for feeding documents based on signals from a

A paper feeder having a feed unit for dispensing paper from a paper containing unit and delivering the paper to a transport assembly. The feeder comprises a first guide portion for guiding the paper containing unit and a second guide portion for guiding the feed unit. The paper containing unit and the feed unit are slidably supported by the first guide portion and the second guide portion respectively individually.

Paper feeder

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for carrying out image forming in any of a plurality of image forming modes by changing the relationship between the drive starting time of the document scanner and the time at which registration rollers feed paper to the image forming unit. The paper feeding unit is adapted to feed paper from a paper housing unit at predetermined time intervals, determined according to the sizes of paper. The time intervals at which the registration rollers feed paper to the image forming unit are equal to these predetermined time intervals. Such predetermined time intervals remain unchanged for all image forming modes. Further, the period of time during which paper is once stopped by the registration rollers remains unchanged even though the image forming mode is changed. Accordingly, in a series of image forming operations, the time at which the registration roller feed paper to the image forming unit remains unchanged in any image forming mode or even though the image forming mode is changed. When the image forming mode is changed, it is required to change accordingly the relationship between the time at which the registration roller feed paper and the drive starting time of the document scanner. Such a change is made solely by changing the drive starting time of the document scanning means.

Image forming apparatus capable of changing image forming modes during

In a paper feeding control device according to a first embodiment of the invention, paper sheets delivered from paper containing sections are stopped once when their ends are detected by a paper detecting means. The paper sheet starts to be fed from the position where it is stopped, and a subsequent paper sheet is delivered at intervals of time corresponding to the minimum spacing required between paper sheets. Accordingly, even if the spacing between sheets is below the minimum because of slipping of the sheets during feeding, the sheets tend not to collide with each other and jamming is less likely. In a second embodiment of the invention, with continuously feeding paper sheets, two conditions are ANDed, namely, the elapse of time corresponding to the ideal spacing with which sheets are fed and the elapse of time corresponding to the minimum spacing required between the sheets. This ANDing is used to control the timing of the feeding of the subsequent sheet. The sheets are thus suitably spaced apart from each other. Accordingly, even if the ends of the sheets are out of line with each other in the paper containing section, or if the sheets are delivered slightly early or slightly late, or if the sheets slip while being fed or coveyed, there is less likelihood of a paper jam.

Paper feeding control device

A power supply control subsystem for an image forming apparatus is provided to control the operating timing of multiple DC loads according to selected image forming modes. Electric power is supplied from a single DC power source to a plurality of DC loads through corresponding switching devices inserted therebetween. A control circuit staggers the on-timings of the switching devices so that electric power is supplied to the DC loads in a sequentially, predetermined priority order according to a selected image forming mode.

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Osaka, Japan

Tsukasa Sugiyama