Abstract: An air current distributing apparatus includes: a cylinder having a first air port communicated with a supply source of an air current and also having a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth air port respectively communicated with an injection port of the air current; a main rotor rotated in the cylinder; and a subrotor rotated in the cylinder, wherein the main rotor has a cutout portion for selectively communicating the first air port with at least one of the second and the third air port according to the rotary position, and the subrotor has a cutout portion for selectively communicating the first air port with at least one of the fourth and the fifth air port according to the rotary position. When the air current distributing apparatus is used, a plurality of air currents are formed by one blower.

Abstract: A sheet feed apparatus including: a sheet storage tray that store a plurality of sheets; an suction belt that suctions an uppermost one of the sheets and conveys the sheet along a sheet conveyance surface; a nozzle including, first ejection openings that are disposed on both side ends across a substantially center portion of the suction belt and eject air toward the plurality of sheets, and a second ejection opening that is disposed at the substantially center portion of the suction belt and ejects air toward the suction belt; and a projecting member that projects downward with respect to the sheet conveyance surface, the projecting member being provided at a position opposite the nozzle with respect to the suction belt.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding device including: a tray holding sheets; a chamber having an opening and generating a negative pressure thereinside; a suction belt that suctions and conveys a first sheet from the sheets and that is configured to be rotatable along with the chamber and deformable into a concave shape along with the opening; a regulating member disposed inside the opening to regulate a concaving amount of the suction belt; a sheet gate disposed in a sheet feeding passage to be opposed to the suction belt and configured to retreat when contacted by the suction belt; and a nozzle that blows air toward the sheet and toward the suction belt.

Abstract: A sheet-supplying device has a sheet-accommodating tray, a raising/lowering unit, a first position sensor, a second position sensor, a controlling unit. The raising/lowering unit raises and lowers the sheet-accommodating tray substantially. The first position sensor detects a first position indicating a position in the stacked direction of one end portion of a topmost sheet stacked in the sheet-accommodating tray. The second position sensor detects a second position indicating a position in the stacked direction of another end portion of the topmost sheet. The controlling unit controls the raising/lowering unit to raise or lower the sheet-accommodating tray based on both the first position detected by the first position sensor and the second position detected by the second position sensor so that one end of the topmost sheet in the stacked status is positioned at a prescribed position in the stacked direction.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a sheet feeder including; an air blowing unit floating and separating an upper portion of sheet of paper laid on a tray; and a transfer belt adsorbing and transferring uppermost sheet of paper laid on the tray; an optical analog sensor sensing an upper face of the uppermost sheet of paper and comprising a sensing face including a light receiving surface; a shield plate movable with the sheet, the shield plate detecting a position of upper face of the sheet of paper so as to keep a position of the uppermost sheet at a constant position and comprising; an elastic shield member having a C-character shape, a surface of the elastic shield member where the elastic shield member is contact with the light receiving surface of the optical analog sensor being in the same plane of a surface of the elastic shield member where the elastic shield member is contact with the shield-plate.

Abstract: A sheet feed apparatus including: a sheet storage tray that store a plurality of sheets; an suction belt that suctions an uppermost one of the sheets and conveys the sheet along a sheet conveyance surface; a nozzle including, first ejection openings that are disposed on both side ends across a substantially center portion of the suction belt and eject air toward the plurality of sheets, and a second ejection opening that is disposed at the substantially center portion of the suction belt and ejects air toward the suction belt; and a projecting member that projects downward with respect to the sheet conveyance surface, the projecting member being provided at a position opposite the nozzle with respect to the suction belt.

Abstract: A sheet skew correcting apparatus, incorporated in a printer or the like to correct a phenomenon of obliquely feeding a sheet called skewing. The apparatus includes a transporting path in which the sheet is transported, a pair of registration rollers, a pair of timing rollers disposed upstream from the registration rollers, and a paper guide having a first and a second curved portion and constituting the transporting path. When a sheet fed into the transporting path abuts against a contact point of a registration roller pair, the sheet is further transported by an arbitrary distance in the sheet transporting direction. First and second curves are then formed in the sheet in the first and second curved portions. Then the registration roller pair is rotated in the direction opposite to the sheet transporting direction, the front end of the sheet uniformly abuts against the contact point of the registration roller pair to correct skew.

Abstract: A sheet-supplying device has a sheet-accommodating tray, a raising/lowering unit, a first position sensor, a second position sensor, a controlling unit. The raising/lowering unit raises and lowers the sheet-accommodating tray substantially. The first position sensor detects a first position indicating a position in the stacked direction of one end portion of a topmost sheet stacked in the sheet-accommodating tray. The second position sensor detects a second position indicating a position in the stacked direction of another end portion of the topmost sheet. The controlling unit controls the raising/lowering unit to raise or lower the sheet-accommodating tray based on both the first position detected by the first position sensor and the second position detected by the second position sensor so that one end of the topmost sheet in the stacked status is positioned at a prescribed position in the stacked direction.

Abstract: An air current distributing apparatus includes: a cylinder having a first air port communicated with a supply source of an air current and also having a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth air port respectively communicated with an injection port of the air current; a main rotor rotated in the cylinder; and a subrotor rotated in the cylinder, wherein the main rotor has a cutout portion for selectively communicating the first air port with at least one of the second and the third air port according to the rotary position, and the subrotor has a cutout portion for selectively communicating the first air port with at least one of the fourth and the fifth air port according to the rotary position. When the air current distributing apparatus is used, a plurality of air currents are formed by one blower.

Abstract: A shape-correcting device, an electrophotographic device (incorporating the shape-correcting device), and a method therefor that correct shaping of a sheet, include a sheet guide member positioned in a sheet transport path upstream from an image forming module formed with an arcuate section that is convex relative to the surface of the sheet and a rotatable roller opposed to the arcuate section and slidable along a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis thereof. The roller rotates and presses the sheet against the arcuate section at a predetermined timing synchronized with a timing and position of the leading end of the sheet.

Abstract: A shape-correcting device, an electrophotographic device (incorporating the shape-correcting device), and a method therefor that correct shaping of a sheet, include a sheet guide member positioned in a sheet transport path upstream from an image forming module formed with an arcuate section that is convex relative to the surface of the sheet and a rotatable roller opposed to the arcuate section and slidable along a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis thereof. The roller rotates and presses the sheet against the arcuate section at a predetermined timing synchronized with a timing and position of the leading end of the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet skew correcting apparatus, incorporated in a printer or the like to correct a phenomenon of obliquely feeding a sheet called skewing. The apparatus includes a transporting path in which the sheet is transported, a pair of registration rollers, a pair of timing rollers disposed upstream from the registration rollers, and a paper guide having a first and a second curved portion and constituting the transporting path. When a sheet fed into the transporting path abuts against a contact point of a registration roller pair, the sheet is further transported by an arbitrary distance in the sheet transporting direction. First and second curves are then formed in the sheet in the first and second curved portions. Then the registration roller pair is rotated in the direction opposite to the sheet transporting direction, the front end of the sheet uniformly abuts against the contact point of the registration roller pair to correct skew.