Abstract: A laminating system includes: a laminator that performs a laminating process by overlaying a film on a plurality of sheets conveyed; and a hardware processor that, before the laminating process, adjusts an interval between sheets, the interval varying in an image former, such that a leading end and a trailing end of the sheets conveyed from the image former are superposed or the interval between the sheets conveyed from the image former is reduced.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming part that forms an image on a sheet conveyed in a conveying path; a transfer part that transfers the image; a conveying roller that is arranged at the upstream of the transfer part in the conveying path, has rollers, and conveys the sheet to the transfer part; roller drive mechanisms that independently rotate the rollers; a first bend detection sensor that is arranged in the conveying path and detects a bend of a front end of the sheet relative to the conveying direction; a sheet rotation angle calculation part that calculates a first rotation offset angle of the front end of the sheet relative to an axial line of the conveying roller; a roller driving amount calculation part that calculates the driving amounts of the roller drive mechanisms; and a drive mechanism control part that controls operations of the roller drive mechanisms.

Abstract: A paper conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus are described which can appropriately convey a sheet when the sheet is restarted after forming a loop. The paper conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller pair in the upstream side of a loop roller pair, a stepping motor for rotationally driving the conveying roller pair, and a processor for controlling rotation of the stepping motor by controlling pulse signals and excitation current supplied to the stepping motor. This processor halts rotation of the conveying roller pair by stopping output of the pulse signals when loop formation of the sheet is completed, and switches the excitation current to a lower current value which is lower than a reference current value at which excitation is turned on.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing section configured to fix a toner image formed on a recording medium to the recording medium by conveying the recording medium while heating and pressing the recording medium at a fixing nip; a conveyance section configured to convey the recording medium toward the fixing nip while sandwiching the recording medium; and a control section configured to control the fixing section such that, at a timing after an image formation operation on the recording medium is stopped during the image formation operation, conveyance of the recording medium in the fixing section is stopped before the conveyance of the recording medium in the conveyance section is stopped, and that a timing of stopping the conveyance of the recording medium in the fixing section is changed in accordance with a type of the recording medium.

Abstract: A paper conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus are described which can appropriately convey a sheet when the sheet is restarted after forming a loop. The paper conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller pair in the upstream side of a loop roller pair, a stepping motor for rotationally driving the conveying roller pair, and a processor for controlling rotation of the stepping motor by controlling pulse signals and excitation current supplied to the stepping motor. This processor halts rotation of the conveying roller pair by stopping output of the pulse signals when loop formation of the sheet is completed, and switches the excitation current to a lower current value which is lower than a reference current value at which excitation is turned on.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing section configured to fix a toner image formed on a recording medium to the recording medium by conveying the recording medium while heating and pressing the recording medium at a fixing nip; a conveyance section configured to convey the recording medium toward the fixing nip while sandwiching the recording medium; and a control section configured to control the fixing section such that, at a timing after an image formation operation on the recording medium is stopped during the image formation operation, conveyance of the recording medium in the fixing section is stopped before the conveyance of the recording medium in the conveyance section is stopped, and that a timing of stopping the conveyance of the recording medium in the fixing section is changed in accordance with a type of the recording medium.

Abstract: A sheet-conveying device has a guide member that constitutes a sheet-conveying route, a plurality of rollers and a control portion that performs a sheet-position correction operation. The plurality of rollers is provided at plural portions of the guide member. Each roller projects from the guide member, contacts a sheet and rotates together with the conveyance of the sheet. The control portion searches the roller(s) 6 arranged at positions that may contact the end surface of the sheet along the width direction thereof in the register fluctuation operation to produce positional information of the roller(s) to be escaped. The control portion escapes the roller(s) specified by the positional information of the roller(s) to be escaped before a register fluctuation operation starts.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a roller pair configured to convey paper along a conveyance path; a guide member provided in the conveyance path; a detection unit provided in a downstream side of the roller pair in a first direction of a paper conveyance direction and configured to detect a front edge position of the paper; an abutment mechanism provided in a downstream side of the roller pair and in an opposite side of the detection unit with the conveyance path interposed therebetween, the abutment mechanism having an abutment member movable forward/backward with respect to the conveyance path; and a control unit configured to carry out front-edge correction of aligning an image and a paper front edge based on a front edge position of the paper, wherein the control unit controls operation of the abutment member so that a front edge portion of the paper passes through the detection unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a registration roller pair that conveys paper; a moving mechanism that moves the registration roller pair in an axial direction orthogonal to a paper conveyance direction while the paper is held between the registration roller pair; an adjustment unit that adjusts a nip load of the registration roller pair; and a control unit that controls the adjustment unit, wherein the control unit controls the adjustment unit to satisfy a relationship of [a nip load of the registration roller pair at the time of paper edge alignment in which a skew of paper is corrected by striking a leading edge of the paper against the registration roller pair]>[a nip load of the registration roller pair at the time of reconveying the paper by the registration roller pair]>0.

Abstract: A sheet-conveying device has a guide member that constitutes a sheet-conveying route, a plurality of rollers and a control portion that performs a sheet-position correction operation. The plurality of rollers is provided at plural portions of the guide member. Each roller projects from the guide member, contacts a sheet and rotates together with the conveyance of the sheet. The control portion searches the roller(s) 6 arranged at positions that may contact the end surface of the sheet along the width direction thereof in the register fluctuation operation to produce positional information of the roller(s) to be escaped. The control portion escapes the roller(s) specified by the positional information of the roller(s) to be escaped before a register fluctuation operation starts.

Abstract: A sheet folding apparatus including: a conveyance device having a first pair of rollers for nipping and conveying a paper sheet; a folding device disposed downstream of the conveyance device in a paper sheet conveyance direction, the folding device having a second pair of rollers for nipping and conveying the paper sheet, wherein the conveyance device conveys the paper sheet to the folding device by making the paper sheet bent toward the folding device, and the folding device conveys the bent paper sheet to fold the paper sheet; and a folding assist member for pushing the paper sheet so that the paper sheet moves toward the folding device, the folding assist member being pivotally arranged to be capable of rotating downstream of the conveyance device in the conveyance direction.

Abstract: Providing a sheet collecting device capable of being downsized and of operating stably wherein a sheet ejecting device that conveys and ejects a sheet in the direction for making the sheet fall along a slanted sheet collecting board is provided, and a leading edge stopper that holds sheets on the sheet collecting board is set so that a trailing edge of the sheet may be at a constant height independently of a sheet size.

Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus including: a sheet discharging section that discharges sheets at a position lower than a height H0 of 381 mm from a floor surface; and a sheet stacking section, which stacks the sheets discharged from the sheet discharging section, including a sheet raising section which raises the sheets discharged from the sheet discharging section so that a position of a top part of each of the sheets is higher than the height H0.

Abstract: A sheet folding apparatus including: a conveyance device having a first pair of rollers for nipping and conveying a paper sheet; a folding device disposed downstream of the conveyance device in a paper sheet conveyance direction, the folding device having a second pair of rollers for nipping and conveying the paper sheet, wherein the conveyance device conveys the paper sheet to the folding device by making the paper sheet bent toward the folding device, and the folding device conveys the bent paper sheet to fold the paper sheet; and a folding assist member for pushing the paper sheet so that the paper sheet moves toward the folding device, the folding assist member being pivotally arranged to be capable of rotating downstream of the conveyance device in the conveyance direction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for punching a hole in a paper with a punching unit in a paper post-processing apparatus. The paper is nipped and transported with a transporting roller system arranged downstream of the punching unit in a paper transport direction to make at least a leading edge of the paper pass through an aligning unit. An actuator is activated to end the nipping of the paper by the transporting roller system, and the aligning unit aligns the paper in a width direction thereof that is perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The activation of the actuator is ended to resume the nipping of the paper, and a stopper member is inserted into a paper transport path upstream of a punch of the punching unit. A trailing edge of the paper is then caused to hit the stopper member, and the paper is punched by the punching unit.

Abstract: A sheet holding apparatus having: first and second folding rollers; and first and second pressurizing rollers, wherein the apparatus introduces a sheet of paper by rotating at least the first folding roller to pass the sheet of paper between the first folding roller and the first pressurizing roller, while the two folding rollers are separated when the first pressurizing roller pressurizes the first folding roller; and folds the paper by creasing between the two folding rollers by rotating the two folding rollers in opposite directions when the pressurizing rollers respectively pressurize the two folding rollers, and by conveying the sheets of paper while holding them by the two folding rollers, wherein when folding, the two folding rollers are pressurized to each other, and a driving force is transferred from the first to the second folding roller, and the two folding rollers are rotated in the opposite directions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a sheet postprocessing apparatus for executing postprocessing including a punching process, folding process, binding process, and the like, midway along a sheet convey path, for sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, and a folding method. This sheet postprocessing apparatus includes a sheet folding section having the first and second folding sections which are arranged in series in a sheet convey direction to execute folding processes for sheets. The sheet folding section is configured such that the first folding section performs the first folding process in a Z-fold process, the first folding process in an internal three-fold process, and a center folding process with an image-transferred surface facing outside, and the second folding section performs the second folding process in the Z-fold process, the second folding process in the internal three-fold process, and a center folding process with an image-transferred surface facing inside.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a paper stacker for use with an image forming apparatus of a high copying speed. The paper stacker comprises a paper conveying means for conveying a paper with an image recorded thereon to a stacking position, a top end stopper provided reciprocatively movably along a conveying path of the paper, a paper receiving plate disposed below the conveying path of the paper for receiving a paper, a rear end stopper for defining the rear end position of the paper on the paper receiving plate, and an elevating device for changing the height of the paper receiving plate, wherein the top end stopper and the rear end stopper are provided movably in the same direction in the conveyance direction per a given number of papers. The papers are stacked only by shifting the top end stopper and the rear end stopper in the conveyance direction so that the stacker configuration is extremely simplified so as to enable a high speed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for punching a hole in a paper with a punching unit in a paper post-processing apparatus. The paper is nipped and transported with a transporting roller system arranged downstream of the punching unit in a paper transport direction to make at least a leading edge of the paper pass through an aligning unit. An actuator is activated to end the nipping of the paper by the transporting roller system, and the aligning unit aligns the paper in a width direction thereof that is perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The activation of the actuator is ended to resume the nipping of the paper, and a stopper member is inserted into a paper transport path upstream of the punching unit. A trailing edge of the paper is then caused to hit the stopper member, and the paper is punched by the punching unit.

Abstract: A paper post-processing apparatus for folding a paper ejected from an image forming apparatus at a paper folding process section, having a pair of folding rollers; a pair of fold/transporting rollers each of which contacts with each of the pair of folding rollers; a driving unit; a folding roller moving unit; and a drive direction switching unit. When transporting a paper without folding the paper, the holding roller moving unit moves the folding rollers to a releasing position, and the drive switching unit switches the folding rollers to the same rotation direction with each other; and when folding the paper, the holding roller moving unit moves the folding rollers to the pressure contact position, and the drive switching unit switches the folding rollers to the reverse rotation direction with each other.