The present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising: at least one first module and at least one second module configured to execute functions corresponding respectively to the at least one first module; a first control unit configured to notify, to a corresponding second module, a request accepted by the at least one first module; and a second control unit configured to control in accordance with the notification from the first control unit, the corresponding second module, wherein the at least one first module is activated at all times from when the image forming apparatus is activated, and the at least one second module is generated as a container of an execution environment that is independent of an operating system and whose activation state is controlled by an instruction from the second control unit.

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet loader, a sheet feeder, an optical sensor, and a rotary member. The sheet loader is configured to load a sheet. The sheet feeder is configured to feed the sheet loaded on the sheet loader. The optical sensor is configured to detect the sheet at a predetermined position on the sheet loader in a width direction of the sheet and at a predetermined position in a sheet conveyance passage in the width direction of the sheet. The rotary member is configured to rotate to a first position when the sheet is not at the predetermined position on the sheet loader and a second position when the sheet is at the predetermined position. The rotary member has a detection target portion configured to be detected by the optical sensor when the rotary member is located at the first or second position.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet loading table on which a bundle of sheets is stacked, an identification mark on an end face of the sheet loading table, and an imaging unit to identify the identification mark.

A feeding device includes a loading portion, a lifting mechanism, a conveying unit, a sheet detector, a near-end detector, and process circuitry. The loading portion stacks a plurality of sheets. The lifting mechanism lifts the loading portion. The conveying unit conveys the sheets on the loading portion. The sheet detector detects presence or absence of the sheets on the loading portion at a specified height position. The sheet count detector detects a number of sheets conveyed by the conveying unit. The near-end detector detects a near-end state in which a stack height of the sheets on the loading portion is a specified value or less. The process circuitry controls the lifting mechanism based on a detection result of the sheet detector before the near-end state is detected, and controls the lifting mechanism based on a detection result of the sheet count detector after the near-end state is detected.

According to at least one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a controller. The first sensor is configured to detect a user. The second sensor is configured to detect a sheet in a sheet holder. The controller is configured to change a transition mode of an operation mode based on a first detection result of the sheet in the sheet holder by the second sensor in response to the detection of the user by the first sensor when the operation mode of the image forming apparatus is a second power-saving mode, which consumes less power than a first power-saving mode.

An image forming device includes a casing and a medium detecting mechanism. A medium entrance is formed on the casing. The medium detecting mechanism includes a detector, a first pivoting component, a second pivoting component and a resilient component. When at least one medium enters into the medium entrance and abuts against the first pivoting component, the at least one medium drives the first pivoting component to pivot in a first pivoting direction, so that the second pivoting component is driven by the resilient component to pivot in the first pivoting direction to actuate the detector for generating a signal. When the second pivoting component is stopped from pivoting in the first pivoting direction, deformation of the resilient component allows the first pivoting component to be driven by the at least one medium to pivot relative to the second pivoting component in the first pivoting direction continuously.

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus having an apparatus main body, a sheet feeding cassette, a manual bypass tray, an opening/closing detection part and a sheet feeding source setting part. The apparatus main body has an input part to which a printing instruction is input. The manual bypass tray is displaced into an open posture and into a close posture. The sheet feeding source setting part sets the sheet feeding cassette or the manual bypass tray as a sheet feeding source. When the opening/closing detection part detects that the manual bypass tray is displaced from the close posture to the open posture and the printing instruction is input to the input part, regardless of the sheet feeding source input to the input part, the sheet feeding source setting part sets the manual bypass tray as the sheet feeding source.

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet loader, a sheet feeder, an optical sensor, and a rotary member. The sheet loader is configured to load a sheet. The sheet feeder is configured to feed the sheet loaded on the sheet loader. The optical sensor is configured to detect the sheet at a predetermined position on the sheet loader in a width direction of the sheet and at a predetermined position in a sheet conveyance passage in the width direction of the sheet. The rotary member is configured to rotate to a first position when the sheet is not at the predetermined position on the sheet loader and a second position when the sheet is at the predetermined position. The rotary member has a detection target portion configured to be detected by the optical sensor when the rotary member is located at the first or second position.

A printing system for printing on tabbed media having a plurality of tab positions. A media transport system picks the next sheet of tabbed media from a media tray. A detection system detects the tab position for the sheet of tabbed media. The detected tab position is compared to an expected tab position and if the detected tab position is different from the expected tab position then either the front end is used to supply image data to be printed on the sheet of tabbed media having the detected tab position, or the media transport system is controlled to direct the sheet of tabbed media into a waste receptacle and pick one or more additional sheets of tabbed media until the detected tab position is the same as the expected tab position.

A printing system for printing on tabbed media having a plurality of tab positions. A media transport system picks the next sheet of tabbed media from a media tray. A detection system detects the tab position for the sheet of tabbed media. The detected tab position is compared to an expected tab position and if the detected tab position is different from the expected tab position then either the front end is used to supply image data to be printed on the sheet of tabbed media having the detected tab position, or the media transport system is controlled to direct the sheet of tabbed media into a waste receptacle and pick one or more additional sheets of tabbed media until the detected tab position is the same as the expected tab position.