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US 2002/0176725 A1Published application
Image forming apparatus and sheet feeding method for use in the image forming apparatus
AssigneeKonica Corporation
InventorsHiroyasu Sato, Ken Nonaka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an image forming apparatus which has a primary sheet feeder, a secondary sheet feeder for conveying a recording sheet which is fed from the primary sheet feeder to an image forming position in timed relationship with image formation, and a controller for controlling the primary sheet feeder and the secondary sheet feeder, the controller selects long and short two kind of sheet feed intervals according to a detection signal of a recording sheet detector provided upstream of the secondary sheet feeder.
Claims8
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- (a) a primary sheet feeder for feeding a recording sheet from a sheet accommodation tray;
- (b) a secondary sheet feeder for conveying the recording sheet fed from the primary sheet feeder to an image forming position in timed relationship with image formation;
- (c) a recording sheet detector provided upstream of the secondary sheet feeder for detecting the recording sheet fed by the primary sheet feeder;
- and
- (d) a controller for controlling the primary sheet feeder and the secondary sheet feeder,
- wherein the controller selects either a long or a short sheet feed interval of a feed start timing between a preceding recording sheet and a following recording sheet, according to a detection signal of the recording sheet detector.
3 more elements
A sheet feeding method in an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- (a) feeding a recording sheet from a sheet accommodation tray by a primary sheet feeder;
- (b) conveying the recording sheet fed by the primary sheet feeder to an image forming position by a secondary sheet feeder;
- and
- (c) selecting either a long or a short feed interval for a feed start timing between a preceding recording sheet and a following recording sheet, when the recording sheet is fed to the image forming position,
- wherein when the preceding recording sheet is fed at an arrival time within a range on a faster side of fluctuation of a secondary sheet feed arrival time at which the preceding recording sheet arrives at the secondary sheet feeder, the following recording sheet is fed at the short sheet feed interval, and when the preceding recording sheet is fed at the arrival time outside the range on the faster side and within a range of allowable fluctuation, the following recording sheet is fed at the long sheet feed interval.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.