Patent ID: 8909125

Claim:
An image forming apparatus that reverses a recording medium having double sides, on one side of which an image is formed by an image forming section provided in a first sheet passing path, the recording medium being reversed in a second sheet passing path and returned in a reversed state to the first sheet passing path, the apparatus further being configured to form an image on another side of the recording medium in the first sheet passing path, and to eject the recording medium having the images formed on both sides to a sheet ejection port, the apparatus including no guide for the recording medium in the sheet ejection port, the apparatus comprising: an ejection section that includes: an ejection roller that is placed close to the sheet ejection port and that ejects the recording medium from the first sheet passing path to the sheet ejection port; and a reverse roller that is placed close to the sheet ejection port and that switches a transport direction of the recording medium transported along the second sheet passing path, the ejection roller and the reverse roller being placed close to each other; and a switching lever that is placed at a position downstream of the image forming section, that turns around an axis, and that is configured to switch a transport destination of the recording medium between the first sheet passing path for transporting the recording medium to the ejection roller and the second sheet passing path for transporting the recording medium to the reverse roller, wherein: the switching lever is placed at a position such that the first sheet passing path from the switching lever to the ejection roller curves and the second sheet passing path from the switching lever to the reverse roller curves; the ejection section simultaneously performs processing for ejecting a first recording medium to the sheet ejection port by the ejection roller and processing for switching a transport direction of a second recording medium in the sheet ejection port by the reverse roller and returning the second recording medium to the first sheet passing path; and the first sheet passing path and the second sheet passing path are formed such that a curving shape of a first moving trajectory of the first recording medium from the switching lever to the ejection roller along the first sheet passing path is identical to a curving shape of a second moving trajectory of the second recording medium from the switching lever to the reverse roller along the second sheet passing path, wherein a highest portion of the ejection roller is located above a level of the axis of the switching lever.