Image recording medium, sheet feeding device, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

A pair of registration rollers align a leading edge of a recording medium having a transparent section and a non-transparent section. A boundary sensor detects a boundary between the transparent section and the non-transparent section. The boundary sensor is provided on a downstream side of a direction of conveying the recording medium by the registration rollers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a sheet feeding device of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of detection of a recording medium by a boundary sensor of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of detection of a boundary between a transparent section and a non-transparent section of the recording medium by the boundary sensor of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the recording medium used in the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an entire structure of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7A is a plan view of a state in which a horizontally reversed image is formed in a transparent section of a recording medium according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the transparent section and a non-transparent section superimposed one on top of the other after image formation according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8A is a plan view of a state in which a vertically reversed image is formed in the transparent section of the recording medium according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the transparent section and the non-transparent section superimposed one on top of the other according to the second embodiment FIGS. 9A and 9B are plan views of a recording medium with areas of a transparent section and a non-transparent section not equally divided according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are plan views of formation of a reversed image in a transparent section of a recording medium and formation of a void image of an original image in a non-transparent section of the recording medium according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a recording medium including a non-transparent section provided in a position surrounding a transparent section, in which an image is formed, according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of image formation in a non-transparent section of a recording medium according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a sheet feeding device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a procedure for forming a glossy image from a color original image including characters and illustrations according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a state of creation of a transparent section and a non-transparent section of a recording medium equally divided according to the eighth embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a state of observation through a transparent section of an image recording medium according to first to ninth embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 17A to 17C are diagrams of glossy image formation performed by folding back a recording medium provided with a linear concave section according to the eighth embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram for explaining various examples of a recording medium including a transparent section and a non-transparent section at different ratios according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a sequence chart of image output control over an image forming apparatus according to the tenth embodiment;

FIG. 20 is an overall diagram of an image forming apparatus having a center folding device is arranged therein according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 21A and 21B are schematic diagrams of a recording medium used as a transfer sheet in the eleventh embodiment;

FIGS. 22A to 22E are schematic perspective views for explaining details of processing in the center folding device according to the eleventh embodiment;

FIG. 23 is a schematic sectional view of a state formation of an image on a recording medium according to the eleventh embodiment;

FIG. 24 is schematic diagram for explaining mirroring printing of an image according to the eleventh embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a schematic sectional view of a normal printed image for comparison with a printed image according to the eleventh embodiment;

FIGS. 26A and 26B are schematic diagrams of image surface layout at the time of center folding processing according to the eleventh embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram of a surface of a recording medium before a center folding operation is started in electrophotographic post-processing according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 28A to 28C are schematic diagrams of a flow of the center folding operation in the electrophotographic post-processing according to the twelfth embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram of states before and after the center folding processing at the time when a transparent section of a recording medium is downstream in a conveying direction according to the twelfth embodiment;

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram of a state before and after the center folding processing at the time when the transparent section of the recording medium is upstream in the conveying direction according to the twelfth embodiment;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of examples of an image recording medium according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 32 is a diagram of a procedure of image formation on a recording medium according to the thirteenth embodiment;

FIG. 33 is a diagram of a structure of a second medium of the recording medium according to the thirteenth embodiment;

FIG. 34 is a sectional view of a structure around a heating device and a folding device according to the thirteenth embodiment;

FIG. 35 is a diagram of an entire apparatus mounted with the heating device and the folding device according to the thirteenth embodiment;

FIG. 36 is a schematic diagram for explaining a folding process of a center folding device according to the thirteenth embodiment;

FIG. 37 is a diagram of an image recording medium having a concave line according to the thirteenth embodiment; and

FIG. 38 is a diagram of a structure of a main part serving as a folding device, a heating device, and a fixing device according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sheet feeding device comprising: a pair of registration rollers that align a leading edge of a recording medium having a transparent section and a non-transparent section; anda boundary sensor that detects a boundary between the transparent section and the non-transparent section, whereinthe boundary sensor is provided on a downstream side of a direction of conveying the recording medium by the registration rollers.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the non-transparent section is white.

3. An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet feeding device that includes a pair of registration rollers that align a leading edge of a recording medium having a transparent section and a non-transparent section, anda boundary sensor that detects a boundary between the transparent section and the non-transparent section; andan image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium, whereinthe boundary sensor is provided on a downstream side of a direction of conveying the recording medium by the registration rollers, andthe recording medium is configured to be folded along the boundary between the transparent section and the non-transparent section to superimpose the transparent section on the non-transparent section.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming unit forms an image obtained by horizontally or vertically reversing an original image on the transparent section.

5. An image recording medium comprising: a recording medium that is a sheet-like medium, on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus, the recording medium including a transparent section;an overlapping medium configured to overlap the transparent section; andan adhesive layer on which an adhesive is applied, whereinthe overlapping medium is integrated with an image formation surface of the transparent section via the adhesive layer.

6. The image recording medium according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive layer is either transparent or white.

7. The image recording medium according to claim 5, wherein an original image is reversed and formed on a surface of the transparent section on a side where the overlapping medium overlaps.

8. The image recording medium according to claim 5, wherein a surface of the transparent section on a side where the overlapping medium overlaps is smooth.

9. The image recording medium according to claim 5, wherein a linear concave section is formed on a surface at least on one side of a boundary between the recording medium and the overlapping medium.

10. The image recording medium according to claim 5, wherein perforations are formed on the boundary between the recording medium and the overlapping medium.

11. The image recording medium according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive layer is formed with a thermoplastic resin and a solid plasticizer and additionally adding a tackifier as required.

12. The image recording medium according to claim 11, wherein when the image is formed using a toner, melting points of the thermoplastic resin and the solid plasticizer are lower than a melting point of the toner.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising: a conveyance path for conveying an image recording medium that includes a recording medium that is a sheet-like medium, on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus, the recording medium including a transparent section,an overlapping medium configured to overlap the transparent section, andan adhesive layer on which an adhesive is applied;an image forming unit that forms an image on the image recording medium; anda control unit that reverses the image horizontally or vertically when forming the image in the transparent section, whereinthe overlapping medium is integrated with an image formation surface of the transparent section via the adhesive layer.

14. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on an image recording medium, wherein the image recording medium includes a recording medium that is a sheet-like medium, on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus, the recording medium including a transparent section,an overlapping medium configured to overlap the transparent section, andan adhesive layer on which an adhesive is applied, andthe overlapping medium is integrated with an image formation surface of the transparent section via the adhesive layer.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: a folding device that folds the image recording medium at a boundary between the recording medium and the overlapping medium; anda heating device that heats folded image recording medium.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the image is formed by using a toner, andafter fixing a toner image on the image recording medium, the folding device folds the image recording medium and the heating device heats the folded image recording medium to bond the recoding medium and the overlapping medium.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: a conveyance path for discharging the image recording medium or supplying the image recording medium to a next processing unit without routing the image recording medium through the folding device and the heating device.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the folding device folds the image recording medium and the heating device heats the folded image recording medium to bond the recoding medium and the overlapping medium for an unfixed image on the image recording medium.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising: a conveyance path for supplying the image recording medium to the heating device without routing the image recording medium through the folding device.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: a selecting unit that selects a conveyance path for the image recording medium according to a print mode.