Image forming apparatus having composite modes selectable during jam recovery

An image forming apparatus comprising a recycling automatic original document feeder for automatically feeding a plurality of originals mounted on an original mount to an image reading position and for discharging the originals so as to be returned onto the original mount after images of the originals have been read, said apparatus comprising:

• image reading means for reading the image of an original at the image reading position;
• image forming means for forming the image read by said image reading means;
• mode setting means for setting an image forming mode;
• copy-number setting means for setting a required number of image copies for each of said originals;
• sheet conveying means;
• and
• an intermediate tray for storing the sheet after image formation,
• wherein, when said mode setting means sets a single-sided original--duplex or multiplex image forming mode, and the number of copies set by use of said copy-number setting means is a plurality of copies, one of first and second image forming modes is selectable, wherein,
• (1) in the first image forming mode there is a first recycling operation in which each original is recycled, an image is formed from every other original while a total number of originals is counted, sheets with formed images are stored in the intermediate tray,
• sheets are alternately fed for image formation from a sheet feeding unit and the intermediate tray in respective recycling operations from a second recycling operation up to a final recycling operation corresponding to the number of copies, and
• image formation is performed while reading every other original and feeding sheets from the intermediate tray in the final recycling operation, and
• (2) in the second image forming mode, image formation is performed while performing only one recycling operation, said apparatus further comprising:
• means for selecting switching between the first image forming mode and the second image forming mode,
• wherein, when a recovering operation is performed after a jam, one of the first image forming mode and the second image forming mode is selected by said switching means in accordance with the required number of remaining copies.

An image forming apparatus comprising a recycling automatic original document feeder for automatically feeding a plurality of originals mounted on an original mount to an image reading position and for discharging the originals so as to be returned onto the original mount after images of the originals have been read, said apparatus comprising:

• image reading means for reading the image of an original at the image reading position;
• image forming means for forming the image read by said image reading means on a sheet;
• mode setting means for setting an image forming mode;
• copy-number setting means for setting a required number of image copies for each of the originals;
• sheet conveying means;
• and
• an intermediate tray for storing the sheet after image formation,
• wherein, when said mode setting means sets a "single-sided original--duplex or multiplex image forming mode", and the number of copies set by use of said copy-number setting means is a plurality of copies, one of first and second image forming modes is selectable, wherein
• (1) in the first image forming mode there is a first recycling operation in which each original is recycled, an image is formed from every other original while a total number of originals is counted, sheets with formed images are stored in the intermediate tray,
• sheets are alternately fed for image formation from a sheet feeding unit and the intermediate tray in respective recycling operations from a second recycling operation up to a final recycling operation corresponding to the number of copies, and
• image formation is performed while reading every other original and feeding sheets from the intermediate tray in the final recycling operation, and (2) in the second image forming mode, image formation is performed while performing only one recycling operation, said apparatus further comprising:
• switching means for selectively switching between the first image forming mode and the second image forming mode,
• wherein said switching means comprises means for manually selecting one of the first image forming mode and the second image forming mode when a recovering operation is performed after a jam occurs while the "single-sided original--duplex or multiplex image forming mode" is set.