Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
Image forming apparatus with an intermediate transfer body including reference markers for controlling the same
 An image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image from an image carrier to a sheet-like recording medium by way of an intermediate transfer body is disclosed. A position on the intermediate transfer body where image formation should start is determined in accordance with the frequency of use of each of a plurality of regions defined on the intermediate transfer body. Specifically, one of the regions minimizing the sum of the frequencies of use of the regions is selected as the above position. The intermediate transfer body can therefore be evenly used over its entire circumference. While the intermediate transfer body is in a stand-by state, it is intermittently driven so as to be free from deformation. 
Ricoh Company, Ltd.
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inventional inventional inventional additional
Hideaki Norio Tomoyoshi Masatoshi Nobuyuki Yoshinobu Masanori
Kibune Kawamoto Takeuchi Tanaka Yanagawa Takeyama Saito