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:
Apr. 29, 2014
Filed:
Jun. 25, 2009
Yoshiyuki Shimizu, Kanagawa, JP;
Takafumi Miyazaki, Kanagawa, JP;
Kozo Yamazaki, Tokyo, JP;
Hideyuki Masumoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Tatsuya Miyadera, Kanagawa, JP;
Yoshiyuki Shimizu, Kanagawa, JP;
Takafumi Miyazaki, Kanagawa, JP;
Kozo Yamazaki, Tokyo, JP;
Hideyuki Masumoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Tatsuya Miyadera, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a dual purpose tray that accommodates a document and a transfer sheet, a document transport mechanism to transport the document from the dual purpose tray to an image reading position, an image reading mechanism disposed beneath the document transport mechanism, an image forming mechanism disposed beneath the image reading mechanism, a transfer sheet transport mechanism to transport the transfer sheet from a bifurcation point through the image reading mechanism, a sheet feeding path that bifurcates into a first transport path through which the document is transported to the image reading position and a second transport path through which the transfer sheet is transported through the image reading mechanism to an image forming position by switching a switching member in accordance with one of a type of a recording medium set on the dual purpose tray and an operation mode of the image forming apparatus.