Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Yasuhiro Sagawa

Kenji Ueda

Hiroshi Kajiyama

Masayuki Ueda

Yoshikuni Ishikawa

Hiroyuki Watase

Naoyuki Okamoto

Jumpei Aoyama

Hisao Ishizu

Tamiya Akimoto

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Hideo Aoki

Yoshio Hattori

Hideaki Mochimaru

Masaharu Furuya

Takayuki Kimura

Ryosuke Hirokawa

Hiroaki Murakami

Yoshiaki Tanaka

Mikio Ishibashi

Nobuhiro Makita

Manabu Izumikawa

Hiromi Takada

Takami Suzuki

Masayoshi Miyamoto

Satoru Uchida

Hiroyuki Idenawa

So Ohta

Ryo Takenaka

Takeshi Motohashi

Tadaaki Kanno

Hajime Kanda

Toshio Shimazaki

Mami Akiyama

Hiroshi Komai

Shohji Hayashi

Tomobumi Shibano

Yuukou Minamiya

Takanori Yamaki

Takahiro Yagisita

Tomoo Sankoda

The present invention is concerned with a windowpane for vehicles including a glass sheet, a conductor layer which is formed on the surface of the glass sheet by sintering a silver paste containing a silver powder and a glass frit and which has at least a strip part and a terminal connection part connected to the strip part, and a connection terminal soldered onto the terminal connection part with a lead-free solder alloy, in which the conductor layer has a specific resistance of from 2.5 to 6.5 &#x3bc;&#x3a9;cm, the strip part has a line width of not more than 0.35 mm, the lead-free solder alloy consists essentially of tin and silver and has a content of tin of 95% by mass or more, and cracking is not caused on the glass sheet even after elapsing 500 cycles in a prescribed thermal shock test; and a method for producing same.

Windowpane for vehicles and method for producing same

An operator guidance system includes a detection unit, a control unit, and an operation indicator. The detection unit is disposed in an image forming apparatus to output a combination of detection signals, and includes one or more media sensors, and one or more opening sensors. The one or more media sensors are disposed along a media conveyance path to output a media detection signal. The one or more opening sensors are disposed adjacent to an openable structure to output an opening detection signal. The control unit is connected to the detection unit to determine guidance to be provided to an operator based on the combination of detection signals, and includes a memory and a controller. The operation indicator is connected to the control unit to indicate the identified operation to the operator.

Operator guidance system and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A sheet conveying device, that can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes a first conveying unit to convey a sheet in a first direction, a second conveying unit disposed on a downstream side of the first conveying unit to convey the sheet in a second direction, and a first path formed between the first and second conveying units. At least the second conveying unit has a holding section to hold and convey the sheet. The sheet conveying device further includes a belt conveying unit disposed along an outer side of the first path and includes a belt to convey the sheet toward the holding section. The belt is stretched around a first belt holding and rotating member and a second belt holding and rotating member disposed on an upstream side of the second conveying unit in the second direction.

Sheet conveying device, and image forming apparatus including same

A sheet adjusting device, applicable to a sheet holding receptacle and an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet setting plate to place a sheet thereon, first and second regulating member to slidably move in a given direction, and a drive transmission unit to transmit a driving power generated by a driving power source to at least the first regulating member and move the first regulating member in the given direction and to include a torque limiting unit to stop the first regulating member moving on the sheet setting plate by cutting off transmission of the driving power between a driven side transmission roller unit of the torque limiting unit and a driving side transmission roller unit of the torque limiting unit when a torque exceeding a given threshold is applied to the driven side transmission roller unit.

Sheet adjusting device, sheet holding receptacle incorporating same, and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A sheet adjusting device, applicable to a sheet holding receptacle and an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet setting plate to place a sheet thereon, first and second regulating member to slidably move in a given direction, a drive transmission mechanism to transmit a driving power generated by a driving power source to at least one of the first and second regulating members and move the first regulating member in the given direction, and a stopping unit to stop the first regulating member moving toward the sheet on the setting, plate either when a load exceeding a given threshold is given to either the driving power source or the drive transmission mechanism or when a pressure exceeding a given threshold is given to at least one of the first and second regulating members.

A sheet adjusting device applicable to a sheet holding receptacle, an image forming mechanism, and an image reading mechanism includes a sheet setting plate to place a sheet thereon; first and second regulating member to slidably move in a given direction, and a friction-reducing unit disposed on the sheet setting plate to reduce a frictional force on an underside of the sheet. Alternatively, a sheet adjusting device includes a sheet setting plate, a sheet contact face disposed downstream of the sheet setting plate to cause the leading edge of the sheet abuts against the sheet contact face, first and second regulating member, and a friction-reducing unit disposed on the sheet contact face to reduce a frictional force on the sheet contact face and the leading edge of the sheet.

Sheet adjusting device, sheet holding receptacle, image forming mechanism, and image reading mechanism

A disclosed sheet conveying apparatus includes a first conveying unit configured to convey a sheet in a first sheet conveying direction; and a second conveying unit arranged on a downstream side of the first conveying unit in the first sheet conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet conveyed by the first conveying unit in a second sheet conveying direction different from the first sheet conveying direction. At least the second conveying unit acts as a holding/conveying unit with a holding section to hold and convey the sheet and includes a moving/guiding unit arranged along an outer side of a sheet conveying path extending between the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit. The moving/guiding unit moves/guides the sheet toward the holding section of the second conveying unit, and is arranged in a discontinuous manner along a sheet width direction orthogonal to the first sheet conveying direction so as to contact at least one part of the sheet in the sheet width direction.

Sheet conveying apparatus, image scanning apparatus, and image forming apparatus

A catch tray for stacking sheets discharged from an apparatus that includes a first sheet-stacking area and a second sheet-stacking area. The tray further includes a first stopper regulation part disposed, within the second sheet-stacking area, on a downstream side of the sheet discharging direction that regulates edges of discharged sheets of a largest size allowed to be stacked on the catch tray and a second stopper regulation part in the first sheet-stacking area that regulates edges of the discharged sheets of a size smaller than the largest size and elastically deforms in the sheet discharging direction when a sheet of the largest size is discharged so as to allow the first stopper regulation part to regulate an edge of the sheet of the largest size.

Stack alignment device, sheet discharge device and image forming apparatus

An easy-to-use, inexpensive, and small sheet conveying device, which can stably and separately convey not only sheets of a fixed size that are normally used, but also highly rigid sheets and special sheets, and can further separately convey a bent sheet reliably. In a sheet conveying path switching device having a sheet carrying-in path and a switching separating nail, outlines of two separating/conveying paths out of a plurality of separating/conveying paths positioned on a downstream side of the switching separating nail are configured by a movable belt surface, the two separating/conveying paths being located closer to the separating nail than the other separating/conveying paths.

Sheet conveying path switching device used in image forming apparatus, and sheet conveying device

A first conveying unit conveys a sheet. A second conveying unit conveys the sheet conveyed by the first conveying unit in a direction different from a sheet conveying direction of the first conveying unit, and is disposed on a downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the first conveying unit. A guiding unit reduces a sheet conveying load. The guiding unit is disposed in an outer area of a sheet conveying path formed between the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit.

Sheet conveying apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus

A simple, low cost image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image from a photoconductive element, intermediate image transfer body or similar image carrier to a recording medium and an image transferring device therefor are disclosed. When a discharger for separating a paper or similar recording-medium from the image carrier is located on a path along which the surface of the image carrier moved away from an image transfer nip (in early moves for, e.g., layout reasons, the defective separation of the trailing edge of the paper is obviated which would scatter a toner image. The trailing edge of the paper is substantially prevented from jumping up and contacting a structural element included in the apparatus.

Image forming apparatus and image transferring device therefor

An electrostatic recording appartus having a thermally fixing apparatus and an image forming case adapted to accomodate a unit having a toner container disposed adjacent to a thermally fixing apparatus. An open space is provided between the wall of the image forming case and the wall of the toner container. At the upper and lower portions of the open space, vent ports are preferably provided. Heat insulating material is effectively applied to the walls defining the open space.

Electrostatic recording apparatus having a cooled and insulated waste

A laser printer or like electrostatic recording apparatus of the type developing an electrostatic latent image provided on a photoconductive drum by toner which is conveyed by a developing roller. Various devices of the apparatus including the photoconductive drum and developing roller are separated into an upper and a lower unit which are openable away from each other. A photoconductive drum assembly including the photoconductive element and a developing assembly including the developing roller are individually detachable from a body of the apparatus. Various measures are taken to enhance stable and safe operation, miniaturization, easy maintenance, operability, service life, and image quality.

Electrostatic recording apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yasuhiro Sagawa