Patent ID: 8376347
Filing Date: 2013-02-19
Classification: B41J,B65H

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body; a sheet feeding cassette to accommodate recording sheets, the sheet feeding cassette detachably attached to the main body in a back and forth direction of the main body; a printing unit to execute printing onto the recording sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette; a sheet ejection tray to receive a printed sheet from the printing unit; a first conveyance unit to feed a recording sheet from a front side of the sheet feeding cassette at a sheet feeding position, the first conveyance unit including a reversing path between the sheet feeding position and the printing unit for turning the recording sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette upside down and conveying the recording sheet to the printing unit along the reversing path; a switchback conveyance unit to convey the recording sheet in an opposite direction to that in which the recording sheet is conveyed via the reversing path to the printing unit after a printing process executed by the printing unit, the switchback conveyance unit defining a switchback conveyance path extending from the printing unit to guide the recording sheet switching back toward the sheet ejection tray; and a front and back side inversion conveyance unit to turn the recording sheet coming from the switchback conveyance path upside down, the front and back side inversion conveyance unit defining an inversion path guiding the recording sheet to the sheet ejection tray with a printed surface of the recording sheet facing down thereon, wherein both of the reversing path of the first conveyance unit and the inversion path of the front and back side inversion conveyance unit are disposed at the front side in the image forming apparatus.