Image forming apparatus

Claim 2

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a re-feeding path for re-feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion to said image forming portion again, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said re-feeding path, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said re-feeding path; and a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material directed to said re-feeding path to said image forming portion.

Claim 3

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feeding means is retarded in a position where said feeding means does not interfere with the insertion of the sheet material when the sheet material is manually inserted.

Claim 4

An image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said manual sheet insertion path includes a rotary member for feeding the sheet material.

Claim 5

An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said rotary member in said manual sheet insertion path is retracted not to interfere with the insertion of the sheet material, when said re-feeding path is used for a re-feeding purpose.

Claim 6

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further including a manual sheet size detecting means for detecting whether the manually inserted sheet is a minimum feedable size or not, said detecting means being arranged in said manual sheet insertion path.

Claim 7

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further including a manual sheet size detecting means arranged in said manual sheet insertion path for detecting a size of the manually inserted sheet material, and a control means for controlling to feed the manually inserted sheet back to said manual sheet feed inlet when the size of the sheet material is improper, on the basis of a signal from said manual sheet size detecting means.

Claim 8

An image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further including means for stopping the feeding-back operation of the sheet material when the abnormity occurs during the feeding-back of the sheet material.

Claim 9

An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said manual sheet size detecting means is arranged along said manual sheet insertion path.

Claim 10

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further including: means for counting an amount of movement of the manually inserted sheet material; means for successively detecting the arrivals of the manually inserted sheet materials, arranged along said manual sheet insertion path; and means for judging the normal condition or abnormal condition of the manually inserted sheet by comparing a counted value from said counting means with a signal from said detecting means.

Claim 11

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further including: first means for detecting a leading end of the manually inserted sheet material, arranged in the rear portion of said manual sheet insertion path; second means for detecting a trailing end of the manually inserted sheet material, arranged in the front portion of said manual sheet insertion path; and means for judging the abnormity of the sheet size when said second means does not detect the trailing end of the manually inserted sheet material after said first means has detected the leading end of said manually inserted sheet material.

Claim 12

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet inser­tion path; a detecting means for detecting a size of the sheet material, arranged in said manual sheet insertion path; and a judging means for judging whether an improper sheet material is inserted or not, by comparing the size of the sheet material detected by said detecting means with a minimum feedable size of the sheet material fed by said feeding means.

Claim 13

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet inser­tion path; a detecting means for detecting a size of the sheet material, arranged in said manual sheet insertion path; and a judging means for judging whether an improper sheet material is inserted or not, by comparing the size of the sheet material detected by said detecting means with a minimum feedable size of the sheet material fed by said feeding means.

Claim 14

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet inser­tion path; a detecting means for detecting a size of the sheet material, arranged in said manual sheet insertion path; and a control means for feeding the sheet material back, when an improper sheet material is inserted, by comparing the size of the sheet material detected by said detecting means with a maximum feedable size of the sheet material fed by said feeding means.

Claim 15

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet inser­tion path; a detecting means for detecting a size of the sheet material, arranged in said manual sheet insertion path; and a control means for feeding the sheet material back, when an improper sheet material is inserted, by comparing the size of the sheet material detected by said detecting means with a maximum feedable size of the sheet material fed by said feeding means.

Claim 16

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet insertion path; a first means for detecting a leading end of the manually inserted sheet material, arranged in the rear or outlet portion of said manual sheet insertion path; a second means for detecting a trailing end of the manually inserted sheet material, arranged in the front or inlet portion of said manual sheet insertion path; and means for judging the abnormity of the sheet size when said second means does not detect the trailing end of the manually inserted sheet material after said first means has detected the leading end of the manually inserted sheet material.

Claim 17

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet insertion path; a first means for detecting a leading end of the manually inserted sheet material, arranged in the rear or outlet portion of said manual sheet insertion path; a second means for detecting a trailing end of the manually inserted sheet material, arranged in the front or inlet portion of said manual sheet insertion path; and means for judging the abnormity of the sheet size when said second means does not detect the trailing end of the manually inserted sheet material after said first means has detected the leading end of the manually inserted sheet material.

Claim 18

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet inser­tion path; means for counting an amount of movement of the manually inserted sheet material; means for successively detecting the arrivals of the manually inserted sheet materials, arranged along said manual sheet insertion path; and means for judging the normal condition or abnormal condition of the manually inserted sheet by comparing a counted value from said counting means with a signal from said detecting means.

Claim 19

An image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to said image forming portion, and a feeding path for feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at said image forming portion, comprising: a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet, said manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to said feeding path; a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material inserted into said manual sheet feed inlet to said image forming portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to said manual sheet inser­tion path; means for counting an amount of movement of the manually inserted sheet material; means for successively detecting the arrivals of the manually inserted sheet materials, arranged along said manual sheet insertion path; and means for judging the normal condition or abnormal condition of the manually inserted sheet by comparing a counted value from said counting means with a signal from said detecting means.