Image forming apparatus

Abstract

The present invention concerns an image forming apparatus, wherein workability in forming images on recording materials in various types and sizes has been improved. The image forming apparatus includes a storing member for storing recording materials having an arbitrary size; a first input device for inputting size information corresponding to the arbitrary size of the recording materials; and a controller for controlling an image forming operation according to the size information inputted by the first input device. The size information includes regular size information and non-regular size information.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 a storing member for storing recording materials having an arbitrary size;    a first input device for inputting a size information corresponding to the arbitrary size of the recording materials; and    a controller for controlling an image forming operation according to the size information inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         2 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , 
 wherein the size information includes regular size information and non-regular size information.    
     
     
         3 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a plurality of storing members for storing recording materials having various kinds of sizes, each of the storing members storing the recording materials having a designated size,    wherein the size information of each of the designated sizes of the recording materials is inputted by the first input device so that each of the size information is allocated to each of the storing members.    
     
     
         4 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a second input device for inputting classification information with regard to various kinds of classes of the recording materials;    wherein the recording materials classified in the various kinds of classes are stored in the storing member and the controller controls the image forming operation according to the classification information inputted by the second input device.    
     
     
         5 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 4   , 
 wherein the first input device is the same as the second input device.    
     
     
         6 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , 
 wherein each of arbitrary values corresponding to longitudinal and lateral lengths of the recording materials are inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         7 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , 
 wherein a difference value, between longitudinal and lateral lengths of the recording material with regard to values of longitudinal and lateral lengths of the recording material having a regular size, is inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         8 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a recording material size detector for detecting a size of the recording materials stored in the storing member.    
     
     
         9 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 8   , 
 wherein the recording material size detector detects whether or not the size of the recording materials accords with one of various regular sizes.    
     
     
         10 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 8   , further comprising: 
 a warning means for warning in case that a result detected by the recording material size detector is not accord with the size information inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         11 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 8   , 
 wherein the controller bans the image forming operation in case that a result detected by the recording material size detector is not accord with the size information inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         12 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 8   , further comprising: 
 a selector for selecting either an input mode, in which the controller controls the image forming operation according to the size information inputted by the first input device, or a detect mode, in which the controller controls the image forming operation according to a result detected by the recording material size detector.    
     
     
         13 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 8   , 
 wherein the controller controls the image forming operation according to a result detected by the recording material size detector in case that the size information is not inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         14 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 8   , 
 wherein the controller controls the image forming operation according to a result detected by the recording material size detector in case that the size information inputted by the first input device is not accord with the result detected by the recording material size detector.    
     
     
         15 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a plurality of storing members for storing recording materials having various kinds of sizes, each of the storing members storing the recording materials having a designated size; and    a document size detector for detecting a document size;    wherein the controller controls an automatic recording material selecting mode, in which the controller selects one of the storing members storing recording materials of a size according with the document size detected by the document size detector and the controller controls the image forming operation according to the document size detected by the document size detector.    
     
     
         16 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 15   , 
 wherein, when the controller controls the automatic recording material selecting mode and the first input device allocates a non-regular size information to a predetermined storing member as the size information, the controller selects a storing member, which stores recording materials having a size coincided with a document size detected by the document size detector, out of the storing members other than the predetermined storing member.    
     
     
         17 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 15   , 
 wherein in case that a non-regular size information as the size information is allocated to a predetermined storing member by the first input device, the controller bans the automatic recording material selecting mode.    
     
     
         18 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 15   , further comprising: 
 a first designating device for designating that the controller bans the automatic recording material selecting mode.    
     
     
         19 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a plurality of the storing members;    wherein, when a specific storing member currently used becomes empty during an image forming operation, the controller controls an automatic storing member switching mode, in which the controller selects another storing member, which currently stores recording materials of the same size as that to be stored in the specific storing member being empty and the controller makes a feeder to feed the recording materials from the other storing member.    
     
     
         20 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 19   , 
 wherein, when the controller controls the automatic storing member switching mode and the first input device allocates a non-regular size information to a predetermined storing member as the size information, the controller selects one of the storing members, which currently stores recording materials of the same size as those to be stored in the specific storing member being empty, out of the storing members other than the predetermined storing member.    
     
     
         21 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 19   , 
 wherein in case that a non-regular size information as the size information is allocated to a predetermined storing member by the first input device, the controller bans the automatic storing member switching mode.    
     
     
         22 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 19   , further comprising: 
 a second designating device for designating that the controller bans the automatic storing member switching mode.    
     
     
         23 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a manual tray member for feeding a recording material put thereon; and    a manual first input device for inputting an arbitrary size of a manual size information corresponding to the arbitrary size of the recording material put on the manual tray member;    wherein the manual size information is allocated to the manual tray member, and the storing member can be inserted in and pulled out of the apparatus, and the controller controls an image forming operation according to the manual size information inputted by the manual first input device.    
     
     
         24 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a password input device for inputting a password;    wherein the size information is accepted by the first input device, only when the password, inputted from the password input device, coincides with a predetermined password.    
     
     
         25 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 23   , further comprising: 
 a password input device for inputting a password,    wherein the size information is accepted by the first input device, only when the password, inputted from the password input device, coincides with a predetermined password.    
     
     
         26 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 a plurality of storing members for storing recording materials classified in various kinds of classes, each of the storing members storing the recording materials classified in a designated class;    a second input device for inputting classification information of each of the designated classes of the recording materials, wherein each of the classification information is allocated to each of the storing members;    a controller for controlling an image forming operation according to each of the classification information inputted by the second input device.    
     
     
         27 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 26   , further comprising: 
 a first input device for inputting a size information corresponding to an arbitrary size of the recording materials;    wherein the recording materials of the arbitrary size are stored by at least one of the storing members, and the controller controls the image forming operation according to the size information inputted by the first input device.    
     
     
         28 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 27   , 
 wherein the size information includes regular size information and non-regular size information.    
     
     
         29 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 26   , further comprising: 
 a classification detector for detecting each of classifications of recording materials stored in each of the storing members.    
     
     
         30 . The image forming apparatus of    claim 29   , 
 wherein the controller controls the image forming operation according to each of results detected by the classification detector in case that each of the classification information inputted by the second input device is not accord with the each of results detected by the classification detector.