Patent ID: 8977184
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a casing; a sheet placement portion configured to receive recording sheets; a photoconductor disposed in the casing and configured to carry a developer image; a transfer member disposed opposite to the photoconductor and configured to transfer the developer image carried on the photoconductor onto a recording sheet while the recording sheet passes through a nip portion between the photoconductor and the transfer member; a sheet feeder unit configured to feed a recording sheet from the sheet placement portion toward the nip portion; an exposure device disposed away from the photoconductor and configured to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor based on image data; a fixing device configured to fix the transferred developer image on the recording sheet; a sheet ejection unit configured to eject the recording sheet with the transferred developer image fixed thereon by the fixing device outside the casing; a conveyance path configured to guide the recording sheet conveyed from the sheet placement portion, passing through the sheet feeder unit, the nip portion between the photoconductor and the transfer member, the fixing device, and the sheet ejection unit in this order; and a re-conveyance path branched off from the conveyance path at a position downstream from the fixing device and extending to pass through a space between the photoconductor and the exposure device, the re-conveyance path configured to guide the recording sheet conveyed from the fixing device to an upstream-side path which constitutes part of the conveyance path extending upstream from the photoconductor, the re-conveyance path comprising a switchback mechanism positioned downstream of a portion of the re-conveyance path where a recording sheet passes through the space between the photoconductor and the exposure device, the switchback mechanism configured to reverse a traveling direction of the recording sheet conveyed along the re-conveyance path and to convey the recording sheet toward the upstream-side path.