Patent ID: 9395689
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a supply unit that forwards a sheet material on a tray to a feeding path; a rotor that feeds the sheet material in the feeding path; a detection unit that detects the sheet material being fed and outputs a detection signal; a memory unit that has stored therein a masking sound for noise generated at a first specified location in the feeding path during the feeding of the sheet material, wherein the masking sound possesses a default intensity and a default frequency; a derivation unit that derives: a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the current position derived by the derivation unit, an affirmative determination when the sheet material being fed has reached a second specified location at a predetermined distance upstream from the first specified location; a decision unit that decides at least one of output timing and output duration for the masking sound in the memory unit on the basis of the amount of position deviation derived by the derivation unit and further decides at least one of an intensity and a frequency of the masking sound in the memory unit on the basis of the amount of position deviation upon the affirmative determination by the determination unit; and a sound output unit that outputs the masking sound in the memory unit in accordance with at least one of the output timing and the output duration and at least one of the intensity and the frequency decided by the decision unit, wherein the at least one of the intensity and the frequency of the masking sound, decided by the decision unit on the basis of the amount of position deviation, is different than at least one of the default intensity and the default frequency when the amount of position deviation is above a predetermined value.