Patent ID: 7573597

Claim:
A color image forming apparatus for reading a document by optical scanning and for forming a color image by an image forming section. said color image forming apparatus comprising: an image reading section for obtaining color-based image data for forming the color image; a plurality of image storing devices for storing the color-based image data obtained by said image reading section, divided for each color; a scanning speed control section for controlling a number of scanning lines per unit time for said image reading section; and a storage control section for controlling storage of the image data into said image storing devices, and for reading the image data stored in said image storing devices; wherein, if any one of said image storing devices fails, the storage control section stores image data of a color for the failed image storing device into an operating image storing device, and the scanning speed control section reduces a number of scanning lines per unit time from a normal level for said image reading section, wherein said storage control section controls the image data storage so that the image data of the color allocated for the failed image storing device is stored into the operating image storing device in a predetermined storage form, and said storage control section controls the image data reading so that said image data is read out based on the storage form, wherein said storage control section memorizes storage form information representing the storage form, and said image data is read out based on the memorized storage form information, wherein said storage form information includes information indicating the operating image storing device for storing the image data of the color allocated for the failed image storing device.