Electrophotographic copier of transfer type

Claim 2

An electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having Means for scanning the surface of an original document, disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a predetermined synchronous relation with said endless support; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of copying cycles of said copier, and characterized in that: said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; and said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member which program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected for said preselected number of copying cycles during a corresponding number of cycles of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said preset number in the absence of a copying cycle and brought to a halt.

Claim 3

An electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having means for scanning the surface of an original document disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a predetermined synchronous relation wiTh said endless support; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of cycles of said copier, wherein: said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member, said program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected during a first cycle of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said pre-set number of cycles and brought to a halt; and further characterized in that: said paper supply station detachably contains therein a paper-loaded magazine, said magazine comprising a support plate for receiving sheets of paper and holders for holding the uppermost face of the paper at its front edge to enable the paper to be successively individually dispensed, and the uppermost face of the paper is brought into resilient contact with a feed roller disposed within said supply station when said magazine is mounted in said supply station, said magazine being substantially aligned with the path for transporting the paper defined by said paper feed means, said transfer means, said conveyor means and said heat-fixing means.

Claim 4

An electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having means for scanning the surface of an original document disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a predetermined synchronous relation wiTh said endless support; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of cycles of said copier, wherein: said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member, said program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected during a first cycle of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said pre-set number of cycles and brought to a halt; and further characterized in that: said paper supply station detachably contains therein a paper-loaded magazine, said magazine comprising a support plate for receiving sheets of paper and holders for holding the uppermost face of the paper at its front edge to enable the paper to be successively individually dispensed, and the uppermost face of the paper is brought into resilient contact with a feed roller disposed within said supply station when said magazine is mounted in said supply station, said magazine being substantially aligned with the path for transporting the paper defined by said paper feed means, said transfer means, said conveyor means and said heat-fixing means.

Claim 5

The electrophotographic copier of claim 2, wherein said paper supply station includes a window for receiving said magazine, a guide for determining the position of said magazine in said station and a center door and side doors on the opposite sides of said center door provided for said window and spring-loaded from inside thereof, said side doors guiding said magazine when it is inserted through said window, said center door being urged into an opening in the bottom of said magazine so as to resiliently urge said support plate upward toward said feed roller.

Claim 6

The electrophotographic copier of claim 1 wherein said paper feed means is positioned in the path of the paper and comprises drive rollers continuously rotated upon the closing of said main switch, driven rollers supported at the ends of arms rockable by a solenoid and disposed in opposite relation to said drive rollers, stop lugs secured to the other end of each of said arms and movable into and out of said path of the paper with the rocking of said arms and a microswitch disposed immediately in front of said stop lugs and operable by the leading edge of the paper passing along said path to thereby stop said feed roller, whereby the paper advanced by said feed roller is temporarily stopped at the position of said stop lugs and then advanced to said transfer means when said stop lugs are retracted from said path and said driven rollers are pressed against said drive rollers simultaneously therewith by said solenoid energized by a switch which detects the position of the leading edge of said photoreceptor in operative relation to the movement of said endless support.

Claim 7

The electrophotographic copier of claim 4 wherein said paper feed means includes another microswitch mounted immediately in front of the position where said stop lugs project into said path of the paper and operated by the leading edge of the paper, the closing of said switch releasing said start switch for actuation thereof.

Claim 8

The electrophotographic copier of claim 4 wherein said paper feed means includes a pair of microswitches mounted immediately in front of the position where said stop lugs projecT into said path of the paper and actuatable by the leading edge of the paper, the closing of said switches enabling the operation of said exposure optical system and image forming and copying assembly.

Claim 9

The electrophotographic copier of claim 1 wherein said heat-fixing means comprises an inner case housing a heat source, an outer case disposed about said inner case and delineating a jacket therewith, means including a blower for circulating cooling air through said jacket and means responsive to the temperature of the air in said jacket for energizing and deenergizing said blower when said temperature is above and below a predetermined level, respectively.

Claim 10

An electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having means for scanning the surface of an original document disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a given relation to said endless support in synchronism therewith; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of copying cycles of said copier, wherein; said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member which program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected for said pre-selected number of copying cycles during a corresponding number of cycles of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said preset number in the absence of a copying cycle and brought to a halt; and being further characterized in that: said conveyor means comprises a plurality of parallel belts continuously driven by a main motor to provide a transport passage, and suction means disposed beneath said heat-fixing means and comprising a guide plate positioning said belts in the immediate vicinity of said heat-fixing means and a suction box disposed under said guide plate, said guide plate having formed in a portion thereof a plurality of small apertures disposed between said parallel belts, said suction box housing therein an air discharge fan for attracting the paper on said belts through said apertures.

Claim 11

An electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having means for scanning the surface of an original document disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a given relation to said endless support in synchronism therewith; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of copying cycles of said copier, wherein; said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member which program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected for said pre-selected number of copying cycles during a corresponding number of cycles of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said preset number in the absence of a copying cycle and brought to a halt; and being further characterized in that: said conveyor means comprises a plurality of parallel belts continuously driven by a main motor to provide a transport passage, and suction means disposed beneath said heat-fixing means and comprising a guide plate positioning said belts in the immediate vicinity of said heat-fixing means and a suction box disposed under said guide plate, said guide plate having formed in a portion thereof a plurality of small apertures disposed between said parallel belts, said suction box housing therein an air discharge fan for attracting the paper on said belts through said apertures.

Claim 12

An Electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having means for scanning the surface of an original document disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a predetermined synchronous relation with said endless support; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of copying cycles of said copier, wherein: said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member which program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected for said pre-selected number of copying cycles during a corresponding number of cycles of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said preset number of cycles and brought to a halt; and further characterized in that: said cleaner means comprises a rotary brush having soft hair for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor, a box for receiving the residual toner swept off by said brush, a mounting plate connected to said box by suction pipe, a collector receptacle separably attached to said mounting plate, a filter separably registering with an air outlet formed in said mounting plate and an air suction means disposed at a suitable position closer to said box than to said mounting plate for drawing out the remaining toner from said box.

Claim 13

An Electrophotographic copier of the transfer type comprising: a document table made of a transparent plate; an exposure optical system of the slit scanning type having means for scanning the surface of an original document disposed below said document table and movable in parallel with said document table; an endless support disposed below said exposure optical system and movable at a constant peripheral speed; an image forming and copying assembly disposed around said endless support including means for charging said photoreceptor composed of a corona discharger, an exposure window positioned at the terminal end of the light path of said exposure optical system for exposing the charged photoreceptor to produce an electrostatic latent image, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with a toner, transfer means for transferring the powder image onto copy paper, and cleaner means for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor; a copy paper supply station including paper supply roller means for dispensing sheets of copy paper, paper feed means for feeding the dispensed paper to said transfer means, conveyor means for discharging transferred paper out of said copier, and means disposed over the transport path of said conveyor means for heat-fixing the toner image on said transferred paper; a control member disposed in said copier and rotatable in a predetermined synchronous relation with said endless support; and means including a program circuit for controlling the operation for a selective pre-selected number of copying cycles of said copier, wherein: said support is detachably provided with a flexible photoreceptor having a size approximately equal to the size of the image to be projected and an entire peripheral length slightly greater than the length of said photoreceptor; said operation control means includes operation switches for said image forming and copying assembly disposed around said control member which program circuit turns on a main motor and the heat sources of said fixing means upon closing of a main switch and drives said endless support and said control member upon depression of a start switch to operate said operation switches, whereby scanning of the surface of the document by said slit scanning means and the respective operations of said image forming and copying assembly and of paper feed means are effected for said pre-selected number of copying cycles during a corresponding number of cycles of operation of said endless support, and means for advancing said endless support and said control member one cycle more of operation than said preset number of cycles and brought to a halt; and further characterized in that: said cleaner means comprises a rotary brush having soft hair for cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor, a box for receiving the residual toner swept off by said brush, a mounting plate connected to said box by suction pipe, a collector receptacle separably attached to said mounting plate, a filter separably registering with an air outlet formed in said mounting plate and an air suction means disposed at a suitable position closer to said box than to said mounting plate for drawing out the remaining toner from said box.