# US 9,354,580 B2 · 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 9,354,580 B2 - Document ID: US9354580B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/685,323 - Filed: 2015-04-13 - Published: 2015-10-22 - Granted: 2016-05-31 - Earliest claimed: 2014-04-16 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Genki Takahashi; Masayoshi Fukatsu; Hiroharu Tsuji; Yohei Suzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9354580B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays} - G03G 15/5016: {User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console} - G03G 15/5091: {for user-identification or authorisation} - G03G 15/6529: {Transporting (G03G15/6555 takes precedence)} - G03G 2215/00088: by using information from an external support - G03G 2215/00299: Confidential, e.g. secret documents - G03G 2215/00421: Discharging tray, e.g. devices stabilising the quality of the copy medium, postfixing-treatment, inverting, sorting - G03G 2215/00438: Inverter of refeeding path - G03G 2215/00586: duplex mode - G03G 2215/00603: Control of other part of the apparatus according to the state of copy medium feeding - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body including an opening, an image forming unit, a storage portion, a moving unit, and a control unit. The control unit switches between a first state and a second state, the first state being a state where the moving unit is prohibited from moving and exposing a first sheet when information about a second user different from a first user who has instructed to print a first sheet is received, and the second state being a state where the moving unit is permitted to move and expose the first sheet if information about the second user is received. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: an apparatus main body formed with an opening; an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; a plurality of storage portions each configured to store the sheet on which the image is formed inside the apparatus main body; a moving unit configured to move the sheet stored in a storage portion included in the plurality of storage portions and expose the sheet outside of the apparatus main body via the opening; and a control unit configured to permit the moving unit to move and expose a first sheet stored in the storage portion if the control unit receives information about a first user who has instructed to print the first sheet, wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where the control unit is not instructed to print more sheets than the number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions, prohibit the moving unit from moving and exposing the first sheet if the control unit receives information about a second user different from the first user, and in a case where the control unit is instructed to print more sheets than the number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions, permit the moving unit to move and expose the first sheet if the control unit receives the information about the second user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where the control unit is instructed to print more sheets than the number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions and a time period during which the first sheet has been stored in the storage portion has not exceeded a predetermined time period, prohibit the moving unit from moving and exposing the first sheet if the control unit receives the information about the second user, and in a case where the control unit is instructed to print more sheets than a number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions and the time period during which the first sheet has been stored in the storage portion has exceeded the predetermined time period, permit the moving unit to move and expose the first sheet if the control unit receives the information about the second user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect that the sheet has been stored in the storage portion, wherein the time period during which the first sheet has been stored in the storage portion is counted from a time at which the detection unit detects the first sheet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the time period during which the first sheet has been stored in the storage portion is counted from a time at which the image forming unit starts an image forming operation on the first sheet. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a changing unit configured to be able to change the predetermined time period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, in a case where each of the plurality of storage portions stores a sheet, the number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions is zero. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where at least one storage portion among the plurality of storage portions does not store a sheet, the number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions is the number of sheets that can be stored in the at least one storage portion in which a sheet is not stored. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where the control unit is instructed to print more sheets than the number of sheets that can be stored in the plurality of storage portions and the control unit receives information for prohibiting the moving unit from moving and exposing the first sheet based on information about a user other than the first user, prohibit the moving unit from moving and exposing the first sheet if the control unit receives the information about the second user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to provide notification to the first user, the notification being that the control unit is switched to a state where the control unit permits the moving unit to move and expose the first sheet if the control unit receives the information about the second user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit moves the sheet stored in the storage portion and stops the sheet in an exposure state where a part of the sheet is exposed from the opening to an outside of the apparatus main body.