Back to results
US 6,308,027 B1Granted
Image forming apparatus having a common sheet processing station
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsMakoto Obu, Shigeharu Uda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus having a common sheet processing station with a sheet supply unit, at least one image forming unit which is detachably arranged with the common sheet processing station. The image forming unit forms images on a sheet carried from the common sheet processing station via a sheet carrying path. Many different image forming units may be utilized with the common sheet processing station.
Claims17
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a common sheet processing station having a sheet supply unit and configured to process sheets for any one of a plurality of different image forming units;
- and
- one of said plurality of image forming units detachably joined with said common sheet processing station via a sheet-carrying path.
A common sheet processing station, comprising:
- a sheet supply unit configured to hold sheets of paper;
- and
- a sheet sorter configured to sort sheets of paper,
- wherein said sheet supply unit and said sheet sorter are configured to attach to a sheet conveying unit which is configured to convey said sheets of paper between said sheet processing station and any one of a plurality of different image forming devices.
1 more element
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a sheet processing station;
- a sheet conveying unit connected to said sheet processing station and configured to convey sheets of paper between said sheet processing station and any one of a plurality of different image forming devices;
- and
- an image forming unit detach ably connected to said sheet conveying unit.
1 more element
An image forming device comprising:
- means for processing sheets of paper used in an image forming device;
- means for conveying said sheets of paper in said image forming device;
- means for forming images on said sheets of paper;
- and
- means for detachably connecting said means for forming images to said image forming device,
- wherein any one of a plurality of different means for forming images may be connected and used with said means for processing sheets and said means for conveying sheets.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.