Patent ID: 6522861
Filing Date: 2003-02-18
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A color image-forming apparatus comprising:a plurality of image carriers; a plurality of latent image forming devices to form electrostatic latent images on said image carriers; a plurality of developing devices to develop said electrostatic latent images with toner to form visible toner images on said image carriers; an intermediate transfer member, a longitudinal direction of which is arranged in substantially a vertical direction, and onto which said toner images formed on said image carriers are sequentially transferred in such a manner that said toner images overlap relative to each other so as to form a color toner image on said intermediate transfer member; a sheet feeding section to store a transfer sheet and to feed said stored transfer sheet; a first sheet conveyance path, through which said transfer sheet, fed from said sheet feeding section, is conveyed to said intermediate transfer member; a transferring device to transfer said color toner image formed on said intermediate transfer member onto said transfer sheet; a reversing device to reverse a front side back of said transfer sheet, onto a first surface of which said color toner image is already transferred; and a second sheet conveyance path, through which said transfer sheet, reversed by said reversing device, is conveyed to a confluent position with said first sheet conveyance path, so that said transfer sheet re-enters said first sheet conveyance path from said confluent position; wherein said confluent position, at which said second sheet conveyance path joins said first sheet conveyance path, is substantially located at a central portion of said sheet feeding section and below said image carriers; and wherein a second reversing path of said second sheet conveyance path is disposed below said confluent position at which said second sheet conveyance path joins said first sheet conveyance path; and wherein said second reversing path of said second sheet conveyance path is disposed at substantially a same height as a first reversing path of said first sheet conveyance path.