Patent ID: 6345170
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus for single-sided operation comprising:a printer engine for forming an image on a paper sheet; a paper cassette loaded with a stack of paper sheets; a paper feeder for feeding one of the paper sheets toward said printer engine at a time while separating the one paper sheet from the other paper sheets; a temporary paper storage positioned on a transport path for temporarily storing the paper sheet fed from said paper cassette; a roller separating mechanism for selectively causing rollers of a roller pair into or out of contact with each other; and a paper reversing device for positioning the paper sheet fed from said paper cassette in said temporary paper storage with a leading edge of said paper sheet at the head and then switching back said paper sheet toward said printer engine with a trailing edge of said paper sheet at the head; wherein said paper feeder feeds the paper sheet at a particular speed on each of first part of the transport path extending between said paper cassette and said temporary paper storage and second part of said transport path extending between said temporary paper storage and said printer engine, said paper reversing device comprises said roller pair capable of nipping the paper sheet and reversibly rotated to position said paper sheet in said temporary paper storage and then deliver said paper sheet toward said printer engine, and said rollers allow, when released from each other, the paper sheet being delivered from said temporary paper storage toward the second part of the transport path and the paper sheet being received in said temporary paper storage from the first part of said transport path to exist together in said temporary paper storage while overlapping each other.