Patent ID: 8651044

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a generating mechanism configured to generate foam from a liquid or gel which may take a foam state; a coating roller, having a peripheral surface supplied with the foam, and configured to coat the foam on the peripheral surface onto a surface of a recording medium; and a transport passage within which the foam generated by the generating mechanism accumulates, wherein the generating mechanism includes an agitating mechanism configured to agitate the liquid or gel, and the accumulating foam within the transport passage is transported to the coating roller solely by an accumulation force due to an increase in volume of the accumulating foam as the liquid or gel is transformed into the foam state by the agitating mechanism, the transport of the foam towards the coating roller is controlled by an agitating state and a stopped state of the agitating mechanism, and in the agitating state of the agitating mechanism, the foam is transported towards the coating roller by the accumulating force alone, and on the other hand, in the stopped state of the agitating mechanism, the accumulation force stops and thus the transport of the foam is stopped, and wherein the accumulating force alone, without another transport mechanism other than the transport passage, carries the accumulating foam through the passage towards the coating roller.