Abstract:
An electrophotographic printer is capable of using a plurality of types of continuous form recording media having different page lengths, respectively. In the printer, a photoconductive member is charged and exposed to light carrying image data to form a latent image. In operation, one of the plurality of types of recording media is selected, and a portion of the photoconductive member corresponding to a page of the selected one of the plurality of types of recording media is exposed to light. In another embodiment, a laser beam printer utilizes a continuous-form recording sheet, wherein two control members are provided for, respectively, controlling the recording sheet so as to be discharged from the printing device after a printing operation, and for controlling the recording sheet so as to be located at a position from which a printing operation is restarted. Thus, recording sheets are not wasted when printer output is started.
Abstract:
A form feeding control device includes a sensor provided at an inlet mouth of a printer to sense whether or not a continuous form exists in the inlet mouth. A control unit feeds the continuous for transfer thereto of a printed image corresponding to one page of the continuous form. The printed image is then fixed on the continuous form. The control unit also feeds the continuous form to fix the printed image on one page when the sensor senses that the end of the continuous form has passed through the inlet mouth and that a printed image has been transferred to the continuous form.
Abstract:
An opening and closing mechanism is provided in a printing device, such as a printer which utilizes fan-folded print sheet fed between a pair of sheet dust brushes, wherein the mechanism separates the pair of brushes when a cover, panel or so forth is opened. The separation of the pair of brushes makes it easy to set the fan-folded sheet, or to remove jammed sheets since the brushes are separated when the cover, panel or so forth is opened.
Abstract:
An appartaus utilizing a continuous-form sheet having a plurality of perforations at predetermined intervals of length is provided with a plate member for upwardly guiding the sheet discharged from the apparatus. A connect member provided on the plate member, as well as the apparatus, are arranged to be brought into and out of engagement with each other. The continuous-form sheet discharged from the apparatus is bent at the perforations and falls beyond the plate to be neatly folded.
Abstract:
A device for controlling a process of stopping a laser printer having a printing unit including a sensitive drum and a fixing unit. The stopping process control device is provided with a detecting unit for detecting errors occurring in the laser printer, a determining unit for determining whether or not an error detected by the detecting unit is very serious, and a control unit for controlling the printing unit and the fixing unit. The control unit stops the printing unit and the fixing unit after completing a printing and a fixing of the page being printed when the determining unit determines that the error is less serious, and conversely, immediately stops the printing unit and the fixing unit when the determining unit determines that the error is very serious.
Abstract:
A device for feeding a continuous form in a printer, the device having a timer for controlling the width of a drive pulse for a main motor feeding the form. The timer is formed of a plurality of timers controlled by software. These plurality of timers being, for example, three timers measuring a constant time, and one timer measuring a variable time which is varied in accordance with a feeding speed of the form. The width of the drive pulse is determined by summing up a time obtained by multiplying the constant time by three and adding the variable time.
Abstract:
A justification system is provided for use in an electrophotographic printer. The justification system comprises a detector which detects the passage of individual segments of a continuous form which are being fed at a predetermined rate. A counter counts the number of main scannings of a laser beam carrying printing information over the surface of a photoconductive drum. A read control is connected to the detector and the counter and controls reading of main information stored by monitoring outputs from the detector and the counter so that printing of each segment always occurs at a predetermined position, synchronously with passage of the segments.
Abstract:
A device for positioning a tip portion of a continuous form provided in a laser printer when the continuous form is set in the laser printer. The device includes a pair of fixing rollers provided at a position separated by a predetermined interval from a photosensitive drum, a tractor unit, a feed sensor, a tip sensor, and a control unit. The tractor unit is provided between the fixing rollers and the photosensitive drum to feed the continuous form toward the fixing rollers, the feed sensor outputs feed pulses in accordance with an amount fed of the continuous form, the tip sensor senses the tip portion of the continuous form. The control unit counts the number of feed pulses sensed by the feed sensor to feed one page of the continuous form so as, to discharge one page from the outlet mouth of the printer when a positioning of the tip portion is needed.
Abstract:
A heat roll fixing unit for fusing a toner image on a recording sheet in an image recording device is provided with a heat roller and a backup roller arranged oppositely to the heat roller. The recording sheet bearing a toner image is fed between the backup roller and the heat roller. At least one of the heat roller and the backup roller has a plurality of slits at an end thereof and a gear member having a plurality of protrusions on the inner periphery thereof is provided. The protrusions are fitted in the slits, respectively, and driving means for driving the gear member to rotate the rollers is also provided.
Abstract:
A heat roll fixing device for an electrophotographic image recording apparatus is provided with a cleaning felt extending in the axial direction of the heat roller and arranged to contact the circumferential surface of a heat roller for removing toner thereon with oil being oozed from the cleaning felt and applied to the circumferential surface of the heat roller. In order to evenly spread or absorb the oil, it is particularly applied onto the circumferential surface of the heat roller while it is located at its retracted position when printing operation is started, with the heat roller being controlled to rotate for a predetermined period of time before being shifted to its operable position. Then the rotation is stopped and the heat roller is shifted to the operable position. The rotation of the heat roller is restarted after another predetermined period of time has passed since the required operation of the image recording apparatus.