Patent ID: 7333220

Claim:
An image forming device capable of providing at least a document reading mode and an image recording mode, the image forming device comprising: a document feeder that feeds a document in one direction in a document feed path for performing a document reading operation in the document reading mode; a recording sheet feeder that feeds a recording sheet in one direction in a recording sheet feed path for recording an image on the recording sheet in the image recording mode; a single drive motor; a drive force transmission mechanism for selectively transmitting a rotation of the drive motor to one of the document feeder and the recording sheet feeder in accordance with a selected operation mode, the driving force transmission mechanism providing at least a first position and a second position; a first power transmission arrangement drivingly connecting the drive force transmission mechanism to the document feeder at the first position of the drive force transmission mechanism; a second power transmission arrangement drivingly connecting the drive force transmission mechanism to the recording sheet feeder at the second position of the drive force transmission mechanism, the first power transmission arrangement being disconnected from the drive force transmission mechanism when the second power transmission arrangement is drivingly connected to the recording sheet feeder; first detection means that detects interruption of feeding of one of the documents and the recording sheet at respective one of the document feed path and the recording sheet feed path; and a control unit that controls the drive force transmission mechanism for switching power transmission between a first transmission phase where the drive motor is drivingly connected to the document feeder through the first power transmission arrangement and a second transmission phase where the drive motor is drivingly connected to the recording sheet feeder through the second power transmission arrangement, the control unit comprising first changing means for changing a current transmission phase to one of remaining transmission phases when the first detection means detects the interruption.