Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10146165-B2
Application number	US-201715724507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2017
Priority date	Oct 11, 2016
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is operable in a first mode in which a control unit is in a rest state and a second mode in which electric power is supplied to the control unit. The image forming apparatus changes the mode of the operation to the second mode of an operation in response to change of detection of a detecting portion from presence of the sheet on a manual feeding tray to absence thereof during execution of the operation in the first mode with a pressing mechanism being in the second position, and then in response to receipt of input of a predetermined instruction about an image forming operation by a receiving portion in the second mode, the control unit controls the moving mechanism so that the pressing mechanism moves from the low pressure position to a nip-forming position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a manual feeding tray;
a detecting portion configured to detect whether or not a sheet is put on said manual feeding tray;
an image forming portion configured to form an image on the sheet fed from said manual feeding tray;
a first rotatable member;
a second rotatable member configured to form a nip, for fixing the image on the sheet, in cooperation with said first rotatable member;
a pressing mechanism configured to press said first rotatable member toward said second rotatable member;
a moving mechanism configured to move said pressing mechanism between a first position where the nip is formed by said first and second rotatable members and a second position where a force applied between said first and second rotatable members by said pressing mechanism is smaller than that when said pressing mechanism is in the first position;
a control unit configured to control an operation of said moving mechanism; and
a receiving portion configured to receive input of an instruction regarding an image forming operation for forming the image on the sheet by said image forming portion,
wherein said image forming apparatus is capable of selectively executing one of operations in a plurality of modes including a first mode in which said control unit is in a rest state and a second mode in which electric power is supplied to said control unit, and
wherein said image forming apparatus changes the mode of the operation to the second mode of the operation in response to change of detection of said detecting portion from presence of the sheet on said manual feeding tray to absence thereof during execution of the operation in the first mode with said pressing mechanism being in the second position, and
then in response to receipt of input of a predetermined instruction regarding the image forming operation by said receiving portion during execution of the operation in the second mode, said control unit controls said moving mechanism so that said pressing mechanism moves from the second position to the first position.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said receiving portion includes a display portion and a display controller configured to control display of said display portion, and
wherein said display controller displays a setting screen of the image forming operation on said display portion in response to input, from an operator, of an instruction to display the setting screen, and the setting screen is a screen through which the predetermined instruction is capable of being inputted.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a reading portion configured to read an image of an original,
wherein the predetermined instruction is an instruction of a start of reading by said reading portion.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said image forming apparatus is capable of executing an operation in a third mode in which electric power is supplied to said control unit and said pressing mechanism is in the first position, and
wherein in interrelation with a change in mode of the operation executed by said image forming apparatus from the third mode to the second mode, said control unit controls said moving mechanism so that said pressing mechanism is in the second position.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said image forming apparatus is capable of executing an operation in a third mode in which electric power is supplied to said control unit and said pressing mechanism is in the first position,
wherein said receiving portion is capable of receiving input of an instruction of a change in mode of the operation from the third mode to the second mode, and
wherein in response to reception of the input, by said receiving portion, of the instruction of the change in mode of the operation from the third mode to the second mode, said control unit controls said moving mechanism so that said pressing mechanism is in the second position.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a manual feeding tray;
a detecting portion configured to detect whether or not a sheet is put on said manual feeding tray;
an image forming portion configured to form an image on the sheet fed from said manual feeding tray;
a first rotatable member;
a second rotatable member configured to form a nip, for fixing the image on the sheet, in cooperation with said first rotatable member;
a pressing mechanism configured to press said first rotatable member toward said second rotatable member;
a moving mechanism configured to move said pressing mechanism between a first position where the nip is formed by said first and second rotatable members and a second position where said first and second rotatable members are spaced from each other;
a control unit configured to control an operation of said moving mechanism; and
a receiving portion configured to receive input of an instruction regarding an image forming operation for forming the image on the sheet by said image forming portion,
wherein said image forming apparatus is capable of selectively executing one of operations in a plurality of modes including a first mode in which said control unit is in a rest state and a second mode in which electric power is supplied to said control unit, and
wherein said image forming apparatus changes the mode of the operation to the second mode of the operation in response to change of detection of said detecting portion from presence of the sheet on said manual feeding tray to absence thereof during execution of the operation in the first mode with said pressing mechanism being in the second position, and
then in response to receipt of input of a predetermined instruction regarding the image forming operation by said receiving portion during execution of the operation in the second mode, said control unit controls said moving mechanism so that said pressing mechanism moves from the second position to the first position.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said receiving portion includes a display portion and a display controller configured to control display of said display portion, and
wherein said display controller displays a setting screen of the image forming operation on said display portion in response to input, from an operator, of an instruction to display the setting screen, and the setting screen is a screen through which the predetermined instruction is capable of being inputted.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a reading portion configured to read an image of an original,
wherein the predetermined instruction is an instruction of a start of reading by said reading portion.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said image forming apparatus is capable of executing an operation in a third mode in which electric power is supplied to said control unit and said pressing mechanism is in the first position, and
wherein in interrelation with a change in mode of the operation executed by said image forming apparatus from the third mode to the second mode, said control unit controls said moving mechanism so that said pressing mechanism is in the second position.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said image forming apparatus is capable of executing an operation in a third mode in which electric power is supplied to said control unit and said pressing mechanism is in the first position,
wherein said receiving portion is capable of receiving input of an instruction of a change in mode of the operation from the third mode to the second mode, and
wherein in response to reception of

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yoshida Keisuke
• Fukuda Takeshi

Classifications

• G03G15/2032

  Retractable heating or pressure unit · CPC title

• G03G15/607 Primary

  for detecting size, presence or position of original · CPC title

• G03G15/2028 Primary

  with means for handling the copy material in the fixing nip, e.g. introduction guides, stripping means · CPC title

• G03G15/2064 Primary

  combined with pressure · CPC title

• G03G15/6514

  Manual supply devices · CPC title