Patent ID: 6064848
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A two-sided color image forming apparatus comprising:(a) a first color image forming unit having an image carrier, a plurality of imagewise exposure means and a plurality of color developing units which contain therein respective colored toners different from each other, provided on a periphery of the image carrier;(b) a second color image forming unit having an image carrier, a plurality of imagewise exposure means and a plurality of color developing units which contain therein respective colored toners different from each other, provided on a periphery of the image carrier;(c) a belt-shaped intermediate transfer body passing through the first and second color image forming units for receiving thereon a toner image formed by the second color image forming unit,wherein the first color image forming unit is disposed downstream with respect to a moving direction of the belt-shaped intermediate transfer body while the second color image forming unit is disposed upstream with respect to the moving direction of the belt-shaped intermediate transfer body, andwherein an arrangement order of the plurality of imagewise exposure means and the plurality of color developing units in the first color image forming unit with respect to respective colors in a rotation direction of the image carrier is opposite to that of the plurality of imagewise exposure means and the plurality of color developing units in the second color image forming unit;(d) a sheet pass for conveying a recording sheet onto the belt-shaped intermediate transfer body passing between the first and second image forming units;(e) a first transfer device for transferring the toner image formed by the second color image forming unit onto the belt-shaped intermediate transfer body; and(f) a second transfer device for directly transferring a toner image formed by the first color image forming unit onto one side of the recording sheet conveyed by the belt-shaped intermediate transfer body; and(g) a third transfer device for transferring the toner image formed by the second color forming unit and transferred on the belt-shaped intermediate transfer body, onto the other side of the recording sheet.