US 4,792,824 A · Electrostatic copying apparatus having reduced size and complexity

Abstract

An electrostatic copying apparatus including a photosensitive material-supporting means having a photosensitive material on at least a part of its surface and an image forming means for forming an image on the surface of the photosensitive material. According to a first of the invention, the length of the photosensitive material in the moving direction is substantially equal to, or larger than, the maximum copyable length, and the photosensitive material-supporting means is moved in a predetermined direction during image formation and in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction during image transfer. According to other aspects of the invention, various improvements are achieved in relation to: a member having a slit opening for regulating light from an illuminating lamp, to a supporting structure on which to mount the photosensitive material-supporting means, a charging corona discharger, an optical system and a developing device, to the developing device mounted on the supporting structure, to a hand-inserting paper feed table for supplying a copying paper to a paper conveying passage, to a paper receiver for receiving copies, and also to a mechanism for peeling copying paper kept in intimate contact with the surface of the photosensitive material.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An electrostatic copying apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive material-supporting means movable in a predetermined direction or a direction opposite thereto;
a photosensitive material disposed on at least a part of the surface of the photosensitive material-supporting means and having a length in said direction substantially equalling or exceeding a maximum copiable length;
an image-forming means for forming an image on the surface of the photosensitive material, the image-forming means including a corona discharger, disposed in a discharging zone, for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive material to a selected polarity during image formation and for applying corona discharge to the back of a copying paper sheet during image transfer whereby said corona discharger serves as a charging corona discharger and a transfer corona discharger;
means for conveying a copying paper sheet in said opposite direction through said discharging zone;
and
means for moving the photosensitive material-supporting means in said predetermined direction during formation of an image by the image-forming means on the surface of the photosensitive material and for moving the material-supporting means in said opposite direction during transfer of the image formed on the surface of the photosensitive material to a copying paper sheet.

3 more elements

An electrostatic copying apparatus comprising:

a supporting structure including a frame having a guide member integral therewith, the guide member having a slit opening therethrough and defining a copying paper passage;
a photosensitive material-supporting means having a phtosensitive material disposed on at least a part of its surface;
and
an image forming means for forming an image on the surface of the photosensitive material, said image forming means including
a corona discharger, located in the frame, for applying an electric charge of a specified polarity to the surface of the photosensitive material,
a lamp for illuminating a document to be copied, the slit opening through the guide member regulating light projected from the lamp onto the surface of the photosensitive material, and
an optical system for conducting light from the lamp to the surface of the photosensitive material, the image forming means transferring the image formed on the surface of the photosensitive material to a copying paper conveyed through a copying paper conveying passage.

4 more elements

An electrostatic copying apparatus comprising:

a main supporting structure;
a discharge supporting structure mounted on the main supporting structure;
a photosensitive material-supporting means detachably mountable in the main supporting structure and having a photosensitive material disposed on its surface,
an image forming means, mounted in the main supporting structure, for forming an image on the surface of the photosensitive material;
a copying paper conveying means for conveying a copying paper to which the image formed on the surface of the photosensitive material is to be transferred, the copying paper conveying means having a greater portion thereof mounted on the main supporting structure and the remainder thereof mounted on the discharge supporting structure;
and
a copying paper receiver provided integrally with the discharge supporting structure for receiving the copying paper conveyed by the action of the paper conveying means;
the discharge supporting structure and the main supporting structure defining at least a part of a housing framing the apparatus,
the discharge supporting structure being mounted on the main supporting structure movably between an open position and a closed position, when the discharge supporting structure is at the open position, the downstream portion of a copying paper passage defined by the copying paper conveying means is opened, and when the discharge supporting structure is at the closed position, the copying paper is conveyed through the paper conveying passage and received by the paper receiver,
the main supporting structure and the discharge support structure having annexed thereto a locking mechanism for releasably holding the discharge supporting structure at the closed position,
the discharge supporting structure and the paper receiver being formed as a one-piece unit from a synthetic resin.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electrostatic copying apparatus having reduced size and complexity

Life of this patent

Electrostatic copying apparatus having reduced size and complexity

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24