Claims
- 1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- first accommodating means for accommodating sheets therein;
- second accommodating means arranged above said first accommodating means for accommodating sheets therein;
- image forming means arranged above said second accommodating means for forming an image on the sheet, said image forming means including an image bearing member for bearing a toner image to be transferred onto the sheet, and a transfer drum rotating while supporting the sheet for transferring the toner image on said image bearing member onto the sheet;
- a first sheet guide path including a first curved portion for guiding the sheet fed out from a first end of said first accommodating means in a predetermined direction to turn it in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, and a second curved portion for guiding the sheet passed through the first curved portion to turn it upwardly in a direction opposite to a curve of the transfer drum toward said image forming means; and
- a second sheet guide path including a third curved portion for guiding the sheet fed out from a second end of said second accommodating means in a direction the same as the predetermined direction upwardly toward said image forming means, and being joined to said first sheet guide downstream of the second curved portion; and
- curl forming means disposed upstream of the second curved portion in a sheet supply direction for forming a curl on the sheet in a direction the same as the curve of the transfer drum.
- 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second accommodating means comprises a cassette.
- 3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cassettes are shiftable in a direction interacting to a sheet feeding direction in a horizontal plane.
- 4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising feed means for feeding the sheet in a timed relation to the operation timing of said image forming means, said feed means disposed in said first sheet guide path.
- 5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming means has an image bearing member for bearing a toner image to be transferred onto the sheet.
- 6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said image forming means has a transfer drum rotating while supporting the sheet for transferring the toner image on said image bearing member onto the sheet.
- 7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for absorbing the sheet to said transfer drum.
- 8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said image forming means includes color image forming means for forming respective color toner images having different colors on said image bearing member, and the respective color toner images are successively transferred onto the sheet adhered to said transfer drum.
- 9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a junction portion between said first and second sheet guide paths is disposed between said image forming means, said first end and said second end.
- 10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first curved portion includes a U shape curve.
- 11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a maximum size of the sheet contained in said second accommodating means is smaller than a maximum size of the sheet contained in said first accommodating means.
- 12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second and third curved portions are curved in opposite directions to each other.
- 13. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- first accommodating means for accommodating sheets therein;
- second accommodating means arranged above said first accommodating means for accommodating sheets therein;
- image forming means arranged above said second accommodating means for forming an image on a sheet, said image forming means including an image bearing member bearing a toner image to be transferred onto the sheet, and a transfer drum rotating while supporting the sheet for transferring the toner image of said image bearing member onto the sheet;
- a first sheet guide path including a first curved portion for guiding the sheet fed out from a first end of said first accommodating means in a predetermined direction to turn it in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, and a second curved portion for guiding the sheet passed through the first curved portion to turn upwardly in a direction opposite a curve of the transfer drum toward said image forming means; and
- a second sheet guide path including a third guide portion for guiding the sheet fed out from a second end of said second accommodating means in a direction same as the predetermined direction upwardly toward said image forming means, and being joined to a downstream side of the second curved portion of said first sheet guide downstream of the third curved portion;
- wherein a first portion of said first sheet guide path between the first curved portion and the second curved portion are positioned at a same height as a second portion of said second sheet guide path between the third curved portion and said second accommodating portion, the sheets advancing guided by the first and second portion to approach each other; and
- the second curved portion and the third curved portion are curved in the opposite direction; and
- curl forming means disposed upstream of the second curved portion in a sheet supply direction for forming a curl on the sheet in a direction the same as the curve of the transfer drum.
- 14. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an inlet for said image forming means is disposed above a location where the first sheet guide path and second sheet guide path are joined.
- 15. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, at the inlet for said image forming means, the sheet is supplied upwardly.
- 16. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said image forming means includes an image bearing member for bearing a toner image to be transferred to the sheet, and a transfer drum rotating with supporting the sheet for transferring the toner image of the image bearing member to the sheet, the image bearing member and the transfer drum being arranged side by side.
- 17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising curl forming means for forming a curl of the same direction for the sheet guided by said first sheet guide means and the sheet guided by said second sheet guide means.
- 18. An image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said curl forming means curls the sheet in a direction wherein it follows the peripheral surface of said transfer drum.
- 19. An image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said curl forming means curls the sheet guided by said second sheet guide path.
- 20. An image forming apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising absorbing means causing the sheet to absorb onto the transfer drum.
- 21. An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said image forming means has means for forming toner images of plural different colors on said image bearing member, said transfer drum transferring the toner image of each color sequentially onto the sheet absorbed onto the transfer drum.
- 22. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said joined portion of the first and second sheet guide path is located among said image forming means, and said first end and said second end.
- 23. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said second accommodating means is of a larger capacity than said first accommodating means.
- 24. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, below said second accommodating means, at least one accommodating means for accommodating the sheet therein is provided.
- 25. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means for forming an image on a sheet, said image forming means including an image bearing member for bearing a toner image to be transferred onto the sheet, and a transfer drum rotating while supporting the sheet for transferring the toner image of said image bearing member onto the sheet;
- a guide path including a curved portion for guiding the sheet with curving it in a direction opposite to a curve of the transfer drum; and
- curl forming means disposed upstream of said guide path in a supply direction for forming a curl on the sheet in a direction the same as the curve of the transfer drum.
- 26. An image forming apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising guide means for guiding the sheet while bending it in direction opposite to the peripheral surface of the transfer drum.
- 27. An image forming apparatus, according to claim 26, further comprising accommodating means for accommodating the sheet therein, which sheet is supplied by said sheet supplying means.
- 28. An image forming apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said accommodating means is disposed below said image forming means.
- 29. An image forming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said curl forming means has a guide for guiding the sheet, the curl being formed by guiding the sheet under conditions where the sheet is bent upwardly.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
4-171589 |
Jun 1992 |
JPX |
|
5-101041 |
Apr 1993 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/070,845, filed Jun. 3, 1993, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
219244 |
Apr 1987 |
EPX |
398659 |
Nov 1990 |
EPX |
2651217 |
Aug 1990 |
FRX |
61-29860 |
Feb 1986 |
JPX |
1-120575 |
May 1989 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
70845 |
Jun 1993 |
|