Claims
- 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image scanning section located at an upper part of a housing of the apparatus for scanning an original to obtain image information therefrom; a sheet feeding section located at a lower part of the housing for feeding sheets used for image forming; and an image forming section disposed between the image scanning section and the sheet feeding section at one side of the housing; wherein the image scanning section, the image forming section and the sheet feeding section are arranged generally in a U shape in cross section in the housing, a sheet delivery portion being formed in an inner empty space of the housing just between the image scanning section and the sheet feeding section; and wherein the length (L1) of the sheet delivery portion as measured along a sheet transport direction is made smaller than the length (L2) of a maximum printable sheet size.
- 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one side and the front of the inner empty space contiguously open to the exterior of the apparatus.
- 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising a shifter mechanism incorporating sheet output rollers which are used as offset rollers for offsetting printed sheets along a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction to selectively discharge the printed sheets to different sheet delivery positions on the sheet delivery portion.
- 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said shifter mechanism includes:
an offset unit mounted in the apparatus movably along the direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction, the offset unit including the offset rollers for ejecting the printed sheets; an offsetting force generator for shifting the offset unit along the direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction; a driving force transmission part connected to the offset rollers; and a roller turning force generator for turning the driving force transmission part.
- 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet delivery portion is shaped to form a generally horizontal sheet receiving surface extending in a direction perpendicular to a sheet output direction.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
P2003-027367 |
Feb 2003 |
JP |
|
CROSS REFERENCE
[0001] This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on patent application Ser. No. 2003-027367 filed in Japan on Feb. 4, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.