# US 9,438,758 B2 · Image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 9,438,758 B2
- Document ID: US9438758B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/852,710
- Filed: 2015-09-14
- Published: 2016-03-24
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-18
- Assignees: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Applicants: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Inventors: Yoshiyuki Fujiwara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438758B2

## CPC

- H04N 1/00663: {Indicating relating to handling of media}
- B65H 1/04: adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile
- B65H 1/28: compartmented to receive piles side-by-side
- B65H 3/44: Simultaneously, alternately, or selectively separating articles from two or more piles
- B65H 7/20: Controlling associated apparatus
- B65H 37/00: Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating devices for performing specified auxiliary operations (incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices B65H35/00)
- B65H 43/00: Use of control, checking, or safety devices, e.g. automatic devices comprising an element for sensing a variable
- B65H 85/00: Recirculating articles, i.e. feeding each article to, and delivering it from, the same machine work-station more than once
- G03G 15/231: {Arrangements for copying on both sides of a recording or image-receiving material}
- G03G 15/6502: {Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor}
- G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays}
- H04N 1/00482: {outputting a plurality of job set-up options, e.g. number of copies, paper size or resolution}
- H04N 1/00575: {Inverting the sheet prior to refeeding}
- B65H 2301/132: single face or double face
- B65H 2407/21: Manual feeding
- B65H 2511/414: of mode of operation
- B65H 2511/416: of material
- B65H 2551/18: Graphical interactive displays; Mouses; Touchscreens
- B65H 2551/26: For input or output variables
- B65H 2801/06: Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

When the reception section has received a duplex printing instruction, the operation control section controls an sheet feeding unit to feed one sheet, and controls an image forming unit to form an image of a first page on one side of the sheet, and controls the sheet conveying unit to discharge the sheet. When the reception section has received an instruction indicating that the discharged sheet is an unused sheet with the formed image, the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed one sheet set in a manual feed tray, and controls the image forming unit to form an image of a second page on the other side of the sheet. The operation control section controls the feeding unit to feed a sheet, and controls the image forming unit to form images of a third page and subsequent pages on both sides of the sheet.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to have a first sheet cassette accommodating unused sheets on which no image is printed on either side thereof, a second sheet cassette accommodating reused sheets on which an image is printed on only one side thereof, and a manual feed tray and to selectively feed sheets accommodated in the first sheet cassette, the second sheet cassette, and the manual feed tray;
a sheet conveying unit configured to include a sheet reversing mechanism that reverses a front side and a back side of a sheet and to convey the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit;
a reception section configured to receive a printing instruction;
an image forming unit configured to form an image, based on image data indicated by the printing instruction received by the reception section, on the sheet;
a discharge tray onto which the sheet with the image formed by the image forming unit is discharged; and
an operation control section configured to control operations of the sheet feeding unit, the sheet conveying unit, and the image forming unit, wherein
the reception section is configured to be capable of receiving an instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is an unused sheet, fed from the first sheet cassette, on which an image is formed, or a reused sheet, fed from the second sheet cassette, on which an image is formed,
when the reception section has received a duplex printing instruction, the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed one sheet from one of the first and second sheet cassettes indicated by the duplex printing instruction, controls the image forming unit to form an image of a first page based on image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on one side of the sheet, and controls the sheet conveying unit to discharge the sheet on which the image is formed to the discharge tray,
when the reception section has received the instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is the unused sheet fed from the first sheet cassette, on which the image is formed, and the sheet has been set in the manual feed tray by a user, if an instruction to restart duplex printing has been received, the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed one sheet set in the manual feed tray, and controls the image forming unit to form an image of a second page based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on the other side of the sheet, and
the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed a sheet from one of the first and second sheet cassettes indicated by the duplex printing instruction, and controls the image forming unit to form images of a third page and subsequent pages based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on both sides of sheets.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the reception section has received the instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is the reused sheet fed from the second sheet cassette, on which the image is formed, the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed a sheet from the one of the first and second sheet cassettes indicated by the duplex printing instruction, and controls the image forming unit to form images of the second page and subsequent pages based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on one side of the sheets by the image forming unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the reception section has received the instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is the reused sheet fed from the second sheet cassette, on which the image is formed, the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed a sheet from the first sheet cassette, and controls the image forming unit to form an image based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on both sides of the sheets.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the reception section has received the instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is a reused sheet fed from the second sheet cassette, on which the image is formed, the operation control section stops a printing job based on the duplex printing instruction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a sheet detection sensor configured to detect a set of sheets in the manual feed tray, wherein
when the duplex printing instruction has been received, if the sheet detection sensor has detected the set of the sheets in the manual feed tray after the sheet conveying unit discharges the sheet with the image of the first page formed on one side thereof to the discharge tray, the reception section receives the detection as the instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is the unused sheet on which the image is formed and the sheet has been set in the manual feed tray by a user,
when the reception section has received the duplex printing instruction, if the instruction to restart duplex printing has been received, the operation control section controls the sheet conveying unit to feed one sheet set in the manual feed tray, and controls the image forming unit to form the image of the second page based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on the other side of the sheet, and
the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed the sheet from the one of the first and second sheet cassettes indicated by the duplex printing instruction, and controls the image forming unit to form the images of the third page and the subsequent pages based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on both sides of the sheets.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a display control section configured to control a display section and a display operation of the display section, wherein
the display control section controls the display section to display a predetermined operating screen after the sheet conveying unit discharges the sheet with the image of the first page formed on one side thereof to the discharge tray,
the reception section, when the duplex printing instruction has been received, is configured to receive the instruction indicating that the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is the unused sheet on which the image is formed and the sheet has been set in the manual feed tray by a user, according to a user operation based on the operating screen displayed by the display section,
when the reception section has received the duplex printing instruction, if the instruction to restart duplex printing has been received, the operation control section controls the sheet conveying unit to feed one sheet set in the manual sheet tray, and controls the image forming unit to form the image of the second page based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on the other side of the sheet, and
the operation control section controls the sheet feeding unit to feed the sheet from the one of the first and second sheet cassettes indicated by the duplex printing instruction, and controls the image forming unit to form the images of the third page and the subsequent pages based on the image data indicated by the duplex printing instruction on both sides of the sheets.