# US 2003/0156850 A1 · Image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2003/0156850 A1 - Document ID: US20030156850A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 10/321,731 - Filed: 2002-12-18 - Published: 2003-08-21 - Earliest claimed: 2001-12-20 - Assignees: Fuji Xeron Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kiminobu Tsutada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20030156850A1 ## CPC - G03G 15/6573: {Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing} - G03G 2215/00421: Discharging tray, e.g. devices stabilising the quality of the copy medium, postfixing-treatment, inverting, sorting - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus includes a main body including a sheet transport path having output part and an image forming part for forming an image on a sheet, and a sheet discharging device located in the vicinity of the output part, and a sheet receiving part. The sheet discharging device discharges the sheet having an image formed thereon by the image forming part. The sheet receiving part receives the sheet discharged by the sheet discharging device. The sheet discharging device includes a discharging member, disposed in the vicinity of the output part, for transporting the sheet in a nipping manner, a drive force transmitting mechanism for driving the discharging member to rotate, and a discharge control unit for controlling the drive force transmitting mechanism when the sheet passes the discharging member so as to temporarily delay a time taken for sheet discharging by the discharging member. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body including a sheet transport path and an image forming part, the sheet transport path including an output part, the image forming part for forming an image on a sheet; and a sheet discharging device, located in the vicinity of the output part, for discharging the sheet having an image formed thereon by the image forming part; and a sheet receiving part for receiving the sheet discharged by the sheet discharging device; wherein the sheet discharging device comprises: a discharging member, disposed in the vicinity of the output part, for transporting the sheet in a nipping manner; a drive force transmitting mechanism for driving the discharging member to rotate; and a discharge control unit for controlling the drive force transmitting mechanism when the sheet passes the discharging member so as to temporarily delay a time taken for sheet discharging by the discharging member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming part includes a fixing device for heating and fixing an image having been transferred onto the sheet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit temporarily stops driving the discharging member to rotate when the sheet passes the discharging member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge control unit releases the discharging member from a restrained state by the drive force transmitting mechanism so as to allow the sheet nipped by the discharging member to be pulled out to the sheet receiving part, while the discharge control unit temporarily stops driving the discharging member to rotate,. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit makes a sheet-to-sheet span wider than a normal sheet-to-sheet span to carry out a temporary delaying process of the sheet discharging time by the discharging member. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming part includes a fixing device for heating and fixing an image having been transferred onto the sheet; and the discharge control unit widens the sheet-to-sheet span so that time from a moment that the trailing edge of the sheet passes the fixing device to a moment that the trailing edge passes the discharging member exceeds a predetermined value of time necessary for cooling the sheet. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit selectively carries out a temporary delaying process of a sheet discharging time by the discharging member in accordance with a type of the sheet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the discharge control unit selectively carries out the temporary delaying process at least under a condition where the sheet is an OHP sheet. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when a slip sheet mode is selected, the discharge control unit prohibits the temporary delaying process even under a condition where the sheet is an OHP sheet. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit variably sets a delay time of a time taken for the discharging member to discharge the sheet in accordance with a type of the sheet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit selectively carries out a temporary delaying process of a sheet discharging time by the sheet discharging member in accordance with a job condition. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the discharge control unit selectively carries out the temporary delaying process in accordance with number of sheets set in a subject job. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the discharge control unit selectively carries out the temporary delaying process for those sheets subsequent to a specified number of sheets when number of sheets set in one subject job is larger than a predetermined number. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein under a condition that a subsequent job to be processed is continuous to a preceding job, the discharge control unit selectively carries out the temporary delaying process in accordance with the sum of number of sheets set in the preceding job and number of sheets set in the subsequent job. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the discharge control unit selectively carries out the temporary delaying process in consideration of a time between the preceding job and the subsequent job. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the discharge control unit is capable of varying number of sheets set in a job and a specific number of sheets to be utilized in the temporary delaying process. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit is capable of canceling a temporary delaying process of a sheet discharging time by the sheet discharging member. ### Claim 18 The image forming apparatus, comprising: a main body including a sheet transport path and an image forming part, the sheet transport path including an output part, the image forming part for forming an image on a sheet; and a sheet discharging device, located in the vicinity of the output part, for discharging the sheet having an image formed thereon by the image forming part; and a sheet receiving part for receiving the sheet discharged by the sheet discharging device; wherein the sheet discharging device comprises: a discharging member, disposed in the vicinity of the output part, for transporting the sheet in a nipping manner; a plurality of discharging paths of different lengths provided within a range from the image forming part to the discharging member in the sheet transport path; and a discharge control unit for selecting the discharging paths according to a type of the sheet or a job condition. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of the discharging paths includes a long discharging path which is longer than others; and the long discharging path is a bypass using a sheet transport path for another purpose. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the discharging member includes a plurality of the discharging member, each provided on the discharging paths at different positions respectively. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a forcibly cooling device for cooling a surface of the sheet. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a forcibly cooling device for cooling a surface of the sheet; wherein the forcibly cooling device is located at the discharging path. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The image forming apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the sheet transport path for another purpose is a sheet return path for the both-sided recording purpose or multiple recording purpose; and the forcibly cooling device is provided at the sheet return path.