# US 5,345,302 A · Image forming apparatus for forming two images on one side of one sheet

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- Number: US 5,345,302 A
- Document ID: US5345302A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/990,462
- Filed: 1992-12-15
- Granted: 1994-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 1986-09-18
- Assignees: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Wataru Hamakawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5345302A

## CPC

- G03G 15/60: {Apparatus which relate to the handling of originals (for photographic purposes in general G03B)}
- G03G 15/047: for discharging non-image areas
- G03G 2215/00185: original at rest
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet. The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass. The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation. When an even-numbered document is placed at the second position on the contact glass by the automatic document feeder after the copying operation for copying the odd-numbered document has been completed, the copying apparatus copies the image of the even-numbered document in the other half of the same copying sheet carrying the image of the odd-numbered document in one half thereof, and discharges the copying sheet.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus comprising:
means for sequentially providing images of plural pages;
sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet;
means for reducing the image according to an automatically determined magnification so that the image is half the sheet size; and
image forming means for forming said reduced image of an odd-numbered page on a half area of one surface of the sheet fed by said sheet feeding means and said reduced image of an even-numbered page on the other half area of the same surface of the sheet fed by said sheet feeding means.

### Claim 2

An image forming apparatus comprising:
means for sequentially providing images of plural pages;
plural feeding means for feeding a sheet;
selecting means for selecting one of said plural sheet feeding means which accommodates the sheets of a size twice the image size provided by said providing means; and
image forming means for forming an image, according to an automatically determined reduction level, of an odd-numbered page on a half area of one surface of the sheet fed by the selected sheet feeding means and a similarly reduced image of an even-numbered page on the other half area of the same surface of the sheet fed by the selected sheet feeding means.