An image forming apparatus in which at least part of an image scanner is disposed in an area below an original discharge unit and above an image forming unit.

An image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit, an original conveyance unit, a reversing unit, an image forming unit, an image forming conveyance unit, and a control unit. The original conveyance unit conveys an original in a first direction toward the image reading unit, which reads an image of the original. The reversing unit conveys an original passing through the image reading unit in the first direction, or reversely conveys the original toward the image reading unit in a second direction. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The image forming conveyance unit conveys, to the image forming unit, an original reversely conveyed by the reversing unit via the image reading unit. The control unit controls an operation for reading an image of the original by using the image reading unit and for overprinting the original with an image by using the image forming unit.

A document conveying and reading device includes a drive motor, a paper ejection roller driven by the drive motor, a first reading unit arranged along a document conveying path to face one surface of the document, and a shading roller arranged along the document conveying path to face the first reading unit. The shading roller includes a white reference member used for shading correction and a conveying guide for a document that is conveyed along the document conveying path, is driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the second direction, and is not driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the first direction.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a first reader/writer device, a second reader/writer device, and a control unit. The first reader/writer device executes a wireless read/write operation on a wireless tag and is positioned in a sheet conveying path upstream of the image forming unit. The second reader/writer device executes a wireless read/write operation on a wireless tag and is positioned in the sheet conveying path downstream of the image forming unit. The control unit controls the image forming unit, the first reader/writer device, and the second reader/writer device. The control unit controls the second reader/writer device to perform an operation to detect a defect in a wireless tag that is included in a sheet as the sheet is conveyed along the sheet conveying path past the location of the second reader/writer device.

A document conveying and reading device includes a drive motor, a paper ejection roller driven by the drive motor, a first reading unit arranged along a document conveying path to face one surface of the document, and a shading roller arranged along the document conveying path to face the first reading unit. The shading roller includes a white reference member used for shading correction and a conveying guide for a document that is conveyed along the document conveying path, is driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the second direction, and is not driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the first direction.

A conveying device conveys a sheet selectively along a first conveying path and a second conveying path which are connected at a junction into a common path portion. A reading unit reads an image of a sheet conveyed in the common path portion. A shutter is disposed in the second conveying path at a position upstream of the junction in a sheet conveying direction. The shutter is movable between a first position and a second position. The actuator is disposed in the common path portion and movable between a third position and a fourth position in response to the shutter moving between the first position and the second position, respectively. In a case where a detection sensor detects that the actuator is at the fourth position, a controller controls the conveying device to convey the sheet along the second conveying path.

A document conveying apparatus includes a document reversing part, a stacking tray stacking the document, a discharge tray provided under the stacking tray, a lift member provided downstream in a document conveyance direction of the stacking tray and configured to be turnable upward such that a downstream end of the document stacked on the stacking tray comes into contact with a feed roller disposed above the stacking tray, a first document conveyance path defined downstream in the document conveyance direction of the feed roller to the document reading part, a second document conveyance path defined from the document reading part to the discharge tray, and a third document conveyance path defined from a middle of the second document conveyance path through the document reversing part, wherein a bottom surface part of the lift member defines a part of an upper part of the third document conveyance path.

Temperature of a printing medium 110 is sufficiently decreased by stopping the printing medium 110 in a discharge path, conveying the printing medium at a low speed, switching a conveyance path, or the like. If the temperature of the printing medium 110 can be sufficiently decreased, the thermochromism phenomenon is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of achieving highly accurate color matching and color stability.

A first sheet conveying path extends from a sheet supply portion toward a sheet discharge portion. A second sheet conveying path extends, from a diverging position in the first sheet conveying path, toward a switch-to-back portion. A third sheet conveying path is a conveying path for the sheet that is reversed by the switch-to-back portion. A first movable guiding portion is rotatable between a first posture in which the sheet that has reached the diverging position is guided toward the sheet discharge portion, and a second posture in which the sheet is guided into the second conveying path. A second movable guiding portion is rotatable between a third posture and a fourth posture, in the second sheet conveying path. In the third posture, the second sheet conveying path is formed in conjunction with the first movable guiding portion. In the fourth posture, the third sheet conveying path is formed.

A multifunctional printer having a printer section, an auto document feeder, a scanner section, a print path, and a path guide. When the multifunctional printer is not in a print and scan mode, the path guide can move to a position that routes printed paper from the print path to a print output tray. When the multifunctional printer is not in a print and scan mode, the path guide can move to a position that routes printed paper from the print path to the auto document feeder, where it can be scanned.