Patent ID: 7542706
Filing Date: 2009-06-02
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image of a predetermined pattern at both edge regions of a moving direction on a transfer surface of a transfer body, on which a toner image to be transferred to a sheet is to be formed, and corrects, on the basis of the timing at which the pattern is detected by a sensor, the position where the toner image is formed on the transfer surface, the image forming apparatus comprising: a region determining unit that determines, on the basis of image data serving as the target of image formation, whether or not a region of the toner image to be formed on the transfer surface on the basis of the image data will be superposed on the edge; a pattern forming unit that forms the image data and the predetermined pattern simultaneously on the transfer surface when it has been determined by the region determining unit that the region of the toner image to be formed on the transfer surface will not be superposed on the edge regions; a detecting unit that detects the predetermined pattern that is formed on the transfer surface and moves integrally with the transfer surface; a correction processing unit that corrects, on the basis of the timing at which the detecting unit detects the predetermined pattern, the position where the toner image is formed on the transfer surface, and a time determining unit that determines which of an amount of time required to form an image on the sheet based on the image data serving as the target of image formation and an amount of time required for the pattern forming unit to form the predetermined pattern is longer, wherein the pattern forming unit causes the predetermined pattern to be formed on the transfer surface when it has been determined by the region determining unit that the region of the toner image to be formed on the transfer surface will not be superposed on the edge regions on the transfer surface and when it has been determined that the amount of time required for the pattern forming unit to form the predetermined pattern is shorter than the amount of time required to form an image on the sheet based on the image data serving as the target of image formation.