The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 21, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 26, 1996
Yoshihiko Suzuki, Toride, JP;
Akiyoshi Kimura, Kawasaki, JP;
Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Yokohama, JP;
Tadashi Suzuki, Tokyo, JP;
Shinichi Nakamura, Kawasaki, JP;
Minoru Nada, Kawasaki, JP;
Satoru Kutsuwada, Yokohama, JP;
Kenji Kobayashi, Tokyo, JP;
Satoshi Kaneko, Kawasaki, JP;
Shokyo Koh, Kawasaki, JP;
Norifumi Miyake, Tokyo, JP;
Hirohiko Tashiro, Yokohama, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming images on sheets in the copy mode, the facsimile mode, and the printer mode a plurality of storage units for storing the sheets on which images are formed by the image forming unit, a setting unit for setting storage units which are to store sheets on which images are formed in the respective modes, a detection unit for detecting empty states of the storage units, and a control unit for storing sheets on which images are formed in the facsimile or printer mode in the storage units that are set by the setting unit, and storing sheets on which images are formed in the copy mode in storage units whose empty states are detected by the detection unit independently of the setting state of the setting unit.