Abstract: A reading unit (3) placed on the inner side of a U-shaped feed path (12) that feeds a document is formed such that the height-axis dimension of said reading unit decreases in a direction extending toward a side having a paper delivery tray (11). Contact glass (20), a light source and a first mirror (24) are placed in the reading unit (3) at an end portion of the side having the paper delivery tray (11). Multiple reflecting mirrors (25, 26 and 27), a lens (28) and a photoelectric converter element (29) are placed further from the paper delivery tray than the first mirror (24) in the reading unit. This structure enables the reading unit provided in a document feeder to be more compact while ensuring the required light path length, and enables the entire document feeder to be more compact.

Abstract: A document reading device is capable of facilitating attachment/detachment of a reading unit provided inside a U-shaped document conveying path formed in a document conveying device. The document reading device includes a U-shaped document conveying path extending from a sheet supply tray to a sheet discharge tray through a reading section and a reading unit disposed inside the U-shaped document conveying path, a downstream part of the sheet supply tray on which a document is placed and a guide member provided upstream of the document conveying path to continue from the sheet supply tray and is arranged to be attachable/detachable with respect to the sheet supply tray or document conveying path. The reading unit is removable from inside the U-shaped document conveying path through an opening through which the downstream part of the sheet supply tray and guide member of the document conveying path are removed.

Abstract: To enable a sheet to be folded in an accurate position with a simplified folding mechanism in performing folding processing on the sheet with a pair of folding rollers, a second transport path is disposed in a direction for crossing a first transport path for guiding a sheet from a carry-in portion to a carrying-out portion, and in the cross portion are disposed a folding roller pair for performing folding processing on a sheet, and a folding deflecting member for inserting a fold of the sheet in the nip portion. Then, the folding deflecting member is comprised of a driven roller that comes into press-contact with a roller periphery of the folding roller pair, and a shift member for shifting the driven roller from a waiting position to an actuation position, and by the operation of shifting the driven roller from the waiting position outside the path to the actuation position, the sheet front end portion is fed to the nip portion from an upstream-side guide path formed in the second transport path.

Abstract: A brush motor includes a commutator fixed to a shaft, a pair of brushes in a sliding contact with a circumferential surface of the commutator, a first and a second torsion springs respectively pushing and pressing the pair of the brushes to sides of the commutator, a supporting plate attached with the springs, and a screw supporting the supporting plate. The supporting plate 10 is configured to be rotatable about the screw as a center or a supporting position by the screw is capable to be changed, in such a way that the pushing pressures by the springs to the pair of the brushes become to be equalized. Thus, insulation between the brushes can be secured while noise reduction and durability are improved.

Abstract: Provided is an image scanning unit which makes it possible to improve scanning accuracy while also making the overall body thinner by appropriately positioning a plurality of reflection members within an effective space in a carriage frame without wasting space.

Abstract: A sheet binding processing apparatus including a processing tray, a sheet positioning device, a first binding device, a second binding device, a driving device which moves the second binding device to a binding position where the sheets positioned by the sheet positioning device are to be bound and to a retracting position for retracting to the outside of the sheets positioned by the sheet positioning device, and a controller which controls the driving device and causes the second binding device to be located at the retracting position when the first binding device binds sheets.

Abstract: A post-processing apparatus includes a sheet support device, a pair of side edge regulation members that engage in sheet opposite side edges on the sheet support device, and a shift device configured to shift a position of each of the side edge regulation members, and thereby causing the members to perform carry operation to shift the sheet on the sheet support device, wherein in executing the carry operation, the shift device sandwiches the sheet by the pair of side edge regulation members, and thereby makes a state in which pressure is applied to the sheet to execute.

Abstract: A post-processing apparatus includes a first sheet mount section to place sheets in the shape of a bunch, a second sheet mount section to place sheets in the shape of a bunch, a binding processing unit disposed to be able to shift to a first position to bind sheets placed in the first sheet mount section and a second position to bind sheets placed in the second sheet mount section, and a regulation device that does not position the sheets in the shape of a bunch in an area of the binding processing unit when the binding processing unit is not positioned in the second position.

Abstract: Provided is an adhesive application device that applies an adhesive onto each of sequentially conveyed paper sheets, the device including: a device frame; a bonding member that delivers the adhesive for bonding the paper sheets to each other; a plurality of bonding units that are arranged in a sheet width direction and each have the bonding member; a support member that supports the bonding units on the device frame so as to be movable between a bonding position at which each bonding unit presses its bonding member to apply the adhesive onto the paper sheet and a separated position separated from the bonding position; and a moving member that moves the plurality of bonding units to the bonding position with timing shifted. Thus, it is possible to move the bonding units with a smaller drive force than in a case where the bonding units are moved simultaneously.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet processing device including a carry-in path along which the paper sheet is carried in and a retreat path that branches off from the carry-in path, along which at least a part of the paper sheet stored in a stacker section is retreated in a direction opposite to a sheet conveying direction. A bonding means is disposed at a merging point between the carry-in path and retreat path. An adhesive-applied position of a preceding paper sheet is retreated to the retreat path when a next paper sheet is carried in to the stacker section, then the next paper sheet is moved to a bonding position for adhesive application. The above operations are sequentially repeated to generate a paper sheet bundle. Thus, a paper sheet bundle can be generated by bonding the paper sheets using an adhesive, so that it is possible to reduce stress to be applied to the paper sheet as compared to a case where the paper sheet bundle is bound with a metallic staple or by deforming the paper sheets themselves.

Abstract: Bookbinding unit enabling, in encasing inner-leaf sheets in coversheets to form booklets, secure book-forming binding regardless of whether the inner-leaf sheets constitute a simple-sheet bundle or are made up of a plurality of folded-over signature sheets. Constituent components are: inner-leaf sheet tray; coversheet tray; bookbinding process path for guiding sheets from the inner-leaf sheet tray to successive adhesive-application and cover-binding locations; inner-leaf conveyor; coversheet conveyor for conveying coversheets to the cover-binding location; bundle-spine adhesive applicator in the adhesive-application location; and cover binder in the cover-binding location. Components' controller is configured to receive input as to whether inner-sheet-bundle makeup includes saddle-stitch sheets or is of simple sheets only, and, based on the bundle makeup information, varies its control of at least one of the coversheet conveyor, adhesive applicator, and cover binder.

Abstract: To provide an apparatus capable of stably performing a binding process on a sheet bundle which is set from the outside as having a setting portion arranged at an external cover of a sheet storing apparatus. In an apparatus including a setting portion arranged at an external cover as being capable of setting a sheet bundle from the outside, the setting portion includes a opening, a setting face on which sheets inserted through the opening are placed, and an abutting-regulating face which performs positioning of end edges of the sheets inserted, the opening is arranged at an open-close cover of the external cover, and the abutting-regulating face are arranged at an apparatus frame which is located at the inner side of the open-close cover.

Abstract: To provide a sheet storing apparatus or a sheet processing apparatus which is downsized and slimmed with a structure that a manual setting portion is arranged at an external casing of the sheet storing apparatus or the sheet processing apparatus. An apparatus includes a setting portion for a binding process to be performed on a sheet bundle inserted from the outside, a binding unit which performs the binding process on the sheet bundle inserted to the setting portion, a sheet conveying path which conveys a sheet, and a processing unit which performs a predetermined process on a sheet as being arranged at the sheet conveying path and being moved in a direction intersecting with a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path, and a movement area of the processing unit in the intersecting direction and the setting portion are overlapped in the intersecting direction.

Abstract: A printing system and printing apparatus are provided with improvements in the image quality of an image formed on a printing medium, a peel off region (PO) wherein a transfer layer of a transfer film is not transferred is set corresponding to a card, modified printing data is generated by modifying a gray-scale value of printing data inside a region that is larger than the PO region by predetermined dimensions and including the PO region in the printing data of Y, M, C and Bk into a gray-scale value of 0, an image is formed on the transfer film by heating a thermal head for an image formation panel of an ink ribbon according to the modified printing data. The transfer layer is peeled off by heating the thermal head for a peel off panel of the ink ribbon according to position information of the PO region.

Abstract: Provided is an information recording device in which jam processing operation can be easily performed with simple operation when a recording medium such as a card is jammed in a conveyance passage. A card storing section and a medium conveyance passage for conveying a card to an image forming section are arranged in a housing at upper and lower sides and a passage open-close member for removing a card jammed at the image forming section is arranged therebetween. Then, electronic information recording means is incorporated in the passage open-close member and a medium conveyance path which conveys a card toward the electronic information recording means is arranged on a medium introduction passage for feeding a card from the card storing section to the medium conveyance passage. According to the above, a card jammed at the image forming section or the information recording section can be easily removed to the outside of the device by opening the card storing section.

Abstract: To provide a sheet processing device that performs saddle stitching processing that binds a bundle of stacked paper sheets at a position around a center thereof and then folds in half the paper sheet bundle at the binding portion, the device being capable of selectively performing both saddle stitching using a metallic staple and saddle stitching not using the metallic staple for environmental protection and capable of reducing a size.

Abstract: To provide a sheet storage apparatus for enabling sheets that are carried out of an image formation apparatus or the like on the upstream side to be loaded and stored in a predetermined position with a correct posture neatly at high speed, a sheet discharge roller and a reverse roller spaced a distance are disposed in a sheet discharge outlet and a tray, a kick member is provided to be swingable in a vertical direction passing a sheet discharge path of a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge outlet, and a posture of the kick member is controlled by shift means. The shift means controls the kick member among a waiting posture retracted upward from the sheet discharge path, an engagement posture for imposing a load on the sheet to engage, and an actuation posture dropping onto the tray together with the sheet.

Abstract: To achieve a mechanism that supports an article at a desired position in a displaceable manner in accordance with a weight of the article with a simple, small, and lightweight structure. An article supporting device 1 includes a base member 2, a supporting member 3, a spring member 4 which is a compression coil spring, a spring force transmission member 5, a cam member 6, and a cam follower member 7. The cam follower member is pressed against a downward-facing cam surface 15 of the support member, an upward-facing cam surface 18 of the spring force transmission member, and a sideward-facing cam surface 22 of the cam member by a load of an article and a spring force of the spring member. The downward-facing cam surface and upward-facing cam surface are inclined in reverse directions to each other and disposed opposite to each other with the cam follower member interposed therebetween.

Abstract: Provided is a braking mechanism that can control, when a braking part and a braked part can be relatively moved from a braked state, release of a braking force based on a direction in which the braking part and the braked part are supposed to move. A brake device 122 includes, at tips of brake arms 141a, 141b, 142a, and 142b that are paired in an up-down direction and are provided in such a way as to freely rotate across a first brake rail 31, brake pads 145a, 145b, 146a, and 146b, which engage with a side surface of the first brake rail or cancel the engagement. As a handle lever 67 is operated to move transmission rods 123a and 123b in a direction in which a support frame section 23 is supposed to move, connection plates 132a and 132b rotate, and a brake arm on a movement-direction side thereof is rotated. As a result, the brake pads are separated from the side surface of the first brake rail, and the braking is canceled.

Abstract: To realize a mechanism that can support an article at a desired position in such a way as to be able to move the article, with a thin, simple configuration. A load support mechanism 1 includes a fixed support section 2, which includes a fixed cam 8; a movable support section 3, which receives a load and can move vertically; a horizontal cam groove 13, which is provided in the movable support section; a cam follower member 15, which can move horizontally along the cam groove; a first spring 4, which is mounted between the fixed support section and the movable support section to support a load; and a second spring 18, which pushes the cam follower member horizontally and presses the cam follower member against a fixed cam surface 9 of the fixed cam. A reaction force of the fixed cam against the cam follower contains a vertical component depending on a height position of the movable support section, and the vertical component assists or reduces the spring's force to push up the load.